QUETICO POND

Went for a short walk along the Beaver Ponds Trail, one of two trail systems leaving from the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. This trail brings you to Quibble and Quetico Ponds, both named after beavers that lived at the sanctuary. The latter pond was covered with a thin pane of ice, with rings of slush surrounding all the protruding trees.

SHIFT CHANGE

Daybreak spreads across the eastern sky, relieving dawn of its shift, a parody of the day shift at The Rosseau taking over from myself and my colleague, Dawn, this morning. Working the night shift allows me to take advantage of any beautiful days or attend a special event, as well as be able to witness many of our beautiful sunsets and sunrises.

SWOOPING BIRDS

I visited Torrance Barrens in hope of viewing some shooting stars during the Perseid meteor shower, but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate. I was instead treated to an evening of swooping birds, as several Common Nighthawks performed aerial acrobatics around me in the dark, the sight and sounds an unique experience.

BOTTLE LOTTO

One thing my boys look forward to during their visits here is having Muskoka Dry Pale Ginger Ale, a treat connected to many memories. Outside the factory, a vending machine dispenses the coldest ones around, for only a dollar, and is often stocked with random bottles, and it's a novelty when one scores an unique one in the bottle lotto.

IF A TREE...

One may be familiar with the question, "If a tree falls in the forest, does anybody hear?". A modern variation might now be, "If a tree grows in the forest, does anybody hear?". The answer is Yes, if you are a subscriber with Bell, who recently erected 20 communication towers disguised as coniferous trees, to blend amidst the scenery.

C-DAY

Looking like a nautical war scene, a flotilla of boats waiting to storm the shore after the barrage of firepower is over, in reality is another spectacular Canada Day fireworks celebration held at The Rosseau. I watched the show from the shore along with hundreds of guests and visiting cottagers, where we waged a real battle with the mosquitos.

PIC STOP

The first pic stop of the day, at the portage between McDonald and McCrae Lakes, the latter my destination, this time via water and kayak, having only reached there before by hiking. The route is an easy and scenic one, the cons are it's easy accessiblity and lack of regulatory camping, making this a busy place, often with partyers.

A DAY AT MCCRAE

It was muggy hiking in and buggy on the way out, but worth the day spent at McCrae Lake with a couple of friends from The Rosseau, swimming, then lounging in the sun and lassitude afterwards. The scenery is spectacular but sadly the lake contains zebra mussels, an invasive species harmful to swimmers and the aquatic ecosystem.

ELEPHANT'S HEAD

Locals call this rock formation Elephant's Head, its profile suggestive of one if you allow your imagination to rule. Below its domed head, a tiny eye, creased with wrinkles, follows your approach, the clefts in the rock forming the outline of its ear. Both the scene and beast appear domesticated with the fence in place, resembling a howdah.

START OF THE ROAD

At the top end of Lake Rosseau, and the north end of Cameron Bay, named for Colonel Cameron who contributed to building the Nipissing Road, a plaque is mounted to a stone cairn, left of the daisies. This marks the original start of the Nipissing Road, a rugged route that for many pioneers, led to a life that wasn't all sunshine and daisies.

MILESTONES

Today I joined several of my collegues from The Rosseau aboard the Wenonah II for a brief cruise to the Narrows, with its lighthouse the destination and highlight. This year marks the ten year anniversary for the Wenonah II and 125 years for the Segwun, with a number of special events planned during the season to celebrate this occasion.

JORASSIC PART

It's nice to find sights around Muskoka that haven't changed since being discovered. On the west side by the top end of Lake Joseph, these ancient cedars grow upside down on this cliff, and along with bird guano nearby on the rock face and this part isolated by dense forest, one can almost imagine being placed in a prehistoric time.

PORTLY BEAR

I have seen a rash of black bears this spring during my number of outings, however was surprised to encounter the largest one at my back door in Port Carling. It retreated to the side of the road then chose to cross just as a car was approaching. Thankfully the driver was quick enough to slam on his brakes in time to avert a tragedy.
[Photo courtesy of Tim Dunn, who captured it with his cell phone.]

TRILLIUM TWINS

One of my favourite signs of spring is when the trilliums appear. I intended only to photograph a single flower, however after getting into position I noticed how the second flower dovetailed nicely with the first, and was pleased with this result. The floral emblem of Ontario, trilliums are white at first, then turn pink when they wilt.

MISKODEED

An Ojibwa tale tells of the encounter between two men, the elder Peboan and the younger Seegwun who visits him, where overnight they compare their influences on the landscape. By sunrise the old man melts away, his true nature revealed as Old Man Winter to his guest, the Spirit of Spring, leaving behind in his place, Miskodeed.
[Thanks to fellow blogger Susan Oling, for contributing her photo.]

During my ramblings through the woods today I came across several patches of Spring Beauty, and was reminded of the tale, the Ojibwa calling this wildflower Miskodeed. The name of the young character from this story, Seegwun, the Spirit of Spring, is also the source of the name and meaning that's attributed to the Muskoka steamship.

TOBIN THERE, DONE THAT

This afternoon I kayaked around the perimeter of Tobin Island, the largest island on Lake Rosseau, which took me over five hours as I explored every inlet and bay along the way. It was a beautiful sunny day after freezing temperatures overnight, that created clusters of icicle formations at the shore that resembled candles being dipped.

LIKE A LION

The verdict remains undecided if March went out like the proverbial lion, with its sudden snowfall yesterday, or not, by all melting today. Another debate is whether the edge of this rock formation looks like the profile of a lion's head, its mane starting with the trees or if you include more of the rock, resembles a sea lion with its head lowered?
[Thanks to Captain Randy Potts of Sunset Cruises for this trivia tip.]

CHILLAKING

Chillaking is a term that I've invented to describe the combination of kayaking in near freezing temperatures. With the ice out earlier this year I've been taking advantage of most pleasant days to get out and experience the lakes in a new light, sometimes with fresh snow still lingering on the ground, enhancing the scenery of the area and trip.

BUOY CORD

Similar to the dimensions of a bush cord of firewood, this cord of buoys lie stacked by the river's edge, waiting to be deployed for a new boating season. The various colours serve different functions, from guiding traffic to warning about hazards, in addition to their unique identity codes acting as navigational aids on marine charts.

ICE LAKE KAYAKERS

A channel of open water, wide enough to accommodate my kayak, allowed me to navigate through the remaining ice and slush to the beckoning waters of Lake Muskoka beyond, in my version of Ice Lake Kayakers, a parody of the popular History channel series, also featuring my work associate and kayaker, Morwen, on Lake Vernon.
[Cheers to Morwen for the permission and use of her photograph.]

EDITH MY SLUSH

One of my last ice fishing days due to the recent warm temperatures deteriorating the condition of the ice with pools of surface water and in spots over a foot of slush to negotiate through with the ATVs. We spent the afternoon fishing by Edith Island, previously a hot spot but came up skunked. Perhaps the fish have given up minnows for Lent.

NICE FISHING

With the temperature rising from -20°C in the morning to plus zero temperatures by the afternoon and sunny, many anglers came out to enjoy the weather and try their luck for lakers from Lake Joseph, its ice fishing season always postponed until mid-February. Even though I didn't catch any, the sun with no blowing wind made it nice fishing.

TRAIL MAIL

There's e-mail, snail mail and then there's trail mail. Twelve teams of drivers and their dogs participated in the 28th annual Seguin Sled Dog Mail Run, a popular event commemorating historical mail runs. Special collector envelopes were available for purchase before being delivered by teams from Humphrey to Rosseau, and then mailed on.