Wild Blueberries

The islands in Georgian Bay and North Channel offer many hiking opportunities across the rocky surface.  That rocky surface also makes for a distraction from hiking, causing one to pause and bend over.  The thin soil is good for the growth needs of wild blueberries, such as those growning along the mouth of the cave above.

Just small crevices in the in the rocks can support the growth needs of this short, fruit-bearing bush.

Often the wild blueberry fruit are tiny, requiring well over 100 berries to make a cup, and are spread thin with very few in reach.  But, if you are lucky and find the right spot on the right island, much larger berries, grouped much thicker can be found.

Why are blueberries important to cruising?  Well, there are blueberry muffins, blueberry pies, blueberry tarts, blueberry pancakes, blueberry-banana bread, and blueberry sauce over pound cake.  The small wild berries seem to be packed with more flavor than their cultivated, commercial cousins.  Then, there is always that thrill of enjoying the fruits of your own labor, so to speak.

North Channel - Baie Fine and The Pool

Baie Fine (pronounced Bay Fin), French for Fine Bay, is appropriately named.  Long, protected by a very tight entrance, and surrounded by beautiful rock formations, it is a fine bay, indeed.  Although it widens out considerably, the above image illustrates that the channel into the bay is right next to the southern edge.  The water is deeper next to the rock wall than it is on the left.

As one cruises down the bay, the rocky mountains to the north become more prominent.  This ridge, known as the Blue Ridge, is made of solid white quartz rock.

At the end of Baie Fine is a small, round bay known as The pool.  This image was taken from high on the Blue Ridge with a long telephoto lens.  It is an amazingly protected anchorage, surrounded by rock mountains 100s of feet high and able to hold more boats at anchor than first appears.

Many thousands of acres of land around the pool is a national park.  The park is filled with miles of trails, this one leads up the mountain to Topaz Lake and is a spring creek bed.

The trails are used by serious, long-range hikers.  This young lady, portaging her canoe, was part of a group that was hiking from a lake north of the Blue Ridge to Baie Fin.  Hiking over a mountain with a canoe on your shoulders has to be classified as serious hiking.

Near the top of the Blue Ridge, above The Pool, lies Topaz Lake.  For some reason, in 2014, the lake was no longer topaz in color.  However, it remains a beautiful spot, well worth a steep hike up the mountain.

Near Topaz Lake, a ridge can be hiked providing an overlook to the boats anchored in The Pool  The first image in this post was taken near here with a long lens.  This image gives a normal view from the top and illustrates the ridge that rings The Pool.

A hike up the mountain has other benefits.  In the Pool, being far from civilization, in the middle of a national park, ringed by mountains, there are no cell phone signals.  Standing on a high spot on the mountain, facing in a certain direction, a cell signal can be captured.  Communication can make cruising safer and less stressful.  Just the weather apps on a smartphone provide a level of safety.

Another boat anchored in The Pool was on the Great Loop journey.  DeDe is a wooden, home-built boat on the Blue Jacket design. They began the Loop in Virginia and plan another visit to North Channel after completing the Loop.  Since DeDe is trailerable, she is much easier to return to northern waters.  A wide range of boats are used for transportation on the Loop.

The day leaving The Pool, traveling through Baie Fine, was a day more suited to photography.  Sunlight is very beneficial.  This shot illustrated the long, narrow shape of this fine bay.  The Pool lies behind Last Dance, the entrance to Baie Fine lies ahead.

The Blue Ridge borders Baie Fine in some areas with almost sheer cliffs.  At a distance, these mountains look to be snow covered.

North Channel - Little Current

Little Current, so misnamed as the often changing current is rarely little, is the best place to provision and get services in the North Channel.  A small town, only a block long with business on one side of the street and town docks on the other, it does offer two groceries.  One historic and interesting aspect of the town is the swing bridge to Manitoulin Island, just east of Little Current.  It was built as a train bridge over 100 years ago and later converted to use by cars.  It is so large that it takes 7 minutes to open and another 7 minutes to close.  The hourly openings do halt traffic for a long period, and longer if a long line of boats must pass.

The two images below are shared to illustrate the swing bridge and to also demonstrate the effect that time of day makes on lighting in photography.  The first image was taken midday, the second at sunset.

North Channel - Fox Island

Fox Island proved to be a favorite of the Last Dance Crew.  It is less popular than some of the other islands, maybe due to the tricky, rock strewn, skinny channel leading to the narrow harbor.  The lack of popularity is a positive - a private anchorage to enjoy.






Fox Island is filled with small cuts among the rocks, interesting rock formations, and great hiking across the rocky islands.  It is also one of the best islands for blueberry picking.

The harbor is not the only anchorage on Fox Island.  On the northeast side is a small cove, not identified on the charts but locally known as Gibson Cove.  It lies along a channel through the 1000s of islands in this area.










The sloping rock along the shore of Gibson Cove, which provides a good dinghy landing, had a surprised face sitting atop.

A view looking north from the channel along the north side of Fox Island.

Another anchorage was discovered on the south side of Fox Island.  This anchorage would require much local knowledge to enter, but once inside there is room for many boats when stern tied to shore.  The rocks across the entrance to the harbor are peaking above the water to warn any who consider this anchorage.

North Channel - Beardrop

Above, the view from the island that forms Beardrop Harbor, looking over the Whalesback Channel.  An anchorage with protection from winds, many hiking opportunities, and views from the tops of the island makes it one of the most popular in the North Channel.

North Channel - Long Point Cove

Long Point Cove was the western terminus of Last Dance's journey on the 2014 segment of Loop 2.  It is about 80 miles east of Lake Superior, a lake to be conquered some summer in the future.  The cove is small and completely protected from wind and waves.  A narrow, unmarked, rock-strewn channel leads to the cove.

The cove connects to cuts within the rock islands providing for kayak and dinghy exploration. The islands and the mainland are naturals for hiking.  Unlike many of the North Channel anchorages that are surrounded by public lands, Long Point Cove is on an Indian Reservation.  However, respectful use of the land is permitted.

Someone has decided that this cove should be represented by a wolf.  Maybe the Indians have a different name for the cove and have mounted a wood carving to one of the rocks along the edge of the cove.

Natural beauty abounds everywhere in the North Channel.  The flora and fauna add to the interest of the geological formations that create these islands - from the wildflowers to the critters.  A loon fished in the cove during Last Dance's visit.

North Channel - Benjamin Islands

The 2014 journey begins in upstate New York, proceeding north and west.  Near the western end of the North Channel, the course is reversed to the east, crossing some of the same waters in the beginning segment.  This year's installment of Last Dance's blog will begin at the western end and proceed east.

The above image was captured at the Benjamin Islands, the most popular of the islands in the North Channel - for good reason.  The pink granite rocks are beautiful, the hiking easy, and the anchorages plentiful.  The main anchorage between North Benjamin Island and South Benjamin Island can accommodate many boats.  The view of Last Dance above was taken from South Benjamin, looking north.

Looking south across the anchorage to South Benjamin.  The smooth granite rock face, prominent in this view, provides the beginning of a trail to the top of the island.

Up the sloping rock face, following some trails and improvising others, gives many views of the geology and flora of the North Channel islands.  Nature creates artwork with an enormous array of colors, textures, shapes.

Rock climbing, enthusiastic hiking member of the Last Dance crew.

Exploration by dinghy around the Benjamin Islands reveals many interesting shore features and coves sufficient for anchorages.  This cove on North Benjamin had a beaver lodge along the waters' edge.  In the lower part of the image it can be seen that the water is a bit shallow, even for the dinghy.  Below, on the other side of this cove, a sailboat demonstrates how close one can anchor to shore.

Some see an Indian in this rock.

Exploration often includes treasure hunting, and there are many to be found.  Below is a view from South Benjamin, across Croker Island, with the white quartz La Cloche Mountains in the background.