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Contacts	Kayaking in Georgian Bay

Trip report: kayaking in Georgian Bay, from Killarney to the Bustards and back. 27 July to 4 August 1997.

During the winter four of us decided to take kayaks and explore Georgian Bay from Killarney eastward. Previous experience from Britt to the Bustards had shown us that extensive planning was not necessary, so we set out from Ottawa with no set plan except to take things as they came and to enjoy ourselves. We did take our kayaks from Ottawa, singles rented from Trailhead, topo maps (#41 H/14 and #41 H/15) and all our gear and food.

Once at Killarney, we parked at the Park's parking lot (fee $40.00 for a season pass or $7.00 per day) and set out down Chikanishing creek in the pouring rain. We were lucky as it stopped almost right away and except for the odd shower one day, it did not return. We camped almost right away as we had had a long day's travel. Campsites are not a problem in Georgian Bay; each evening, if one is not too fussy about being level there are dozens of suitable places, if being level really matters, there are still several from which to choose. Odd criteria became important; we always tried to get a campsite with a resident white throated sparrow. Our stopping places were all great, and each had a remarkable view of many islands.

Coastal Georgian Bay is well supplied with islands of all sizes. These vary from small bare rocks emerging from the shallow bay through long low whaleback shaped granite islands with a bit of vegetation to moderately large, well treed, granite islands with flattish rounded rocky margins. All the rocky islands have been heavily sculpted by glacial action. This is strikingly obvious in the almost universal whaleback shapes and in the grooves and fluting always present in the pinkish granite.

These islands are impoverished habitats for many of the species of plants growing there. White pine grows plentifully in the cracks and depressions, but it is often stunted and windblown; some trees have been blown over in the past and now look almost like a hedge as each upright branch along the trunk seems to have decided that it is to be "the" tree. The scoops and depressions left by the glaciers vary in size and the small ones often have cranberries growing in the muck collected in them. This habitat must be quite acidic because the overflow draining from these depressions seem to have etched the granite over which they flow. Blueberries grew evverywhere and we ate them with almost every meal and at most of the places we explored. So too did the birds as we could tell from the numerous purple bird droppings present. Everywhere, it seemed, the bright blue harebell bloomed. Yarrow, meadowsweet, Kalm's St. John's wort and bristly sarsaparilla were plentiful. Mosquitoes are also abundant in the evening, and the arrival of mosquito hour announced bedtime shortly after sunset. Biting insects were almost non existent during the daylight hours.

We paddled a leisurely pace of between 12 and 18 kilometres a day with lots of stopping, looking and exploring. Georgian Bay is almost shockingly different from anything else experienced in our area. The big horizon, the multitude of low pinkish granite islands, the stunted trees and the simplified ecosystems take quite a bit of experiencing before being absorbed by our minds. The water was much colder than the last time we were here; not too cold for swimming, but one was not inclined to linger in the water for long. Fortunately, kayaking in the protected waters between the islands and rocks is almost always safe, and the odd day when it is not could be well spent as layover days. All our days except one were spent on calmish water with waves of a foot or so high at the most. The one day did not seem to have much more wind than the others, but the waves seemed to be four or five feet high and they really roared when they crashed into the many rocks and islands. Except for one small stretch, it was possible to travel behind islands in safety that day.

Since the prevailing winds are westerlies we allowed three days for travelling east and five for returning. Because winds were not a problem, we had slow easy days with lots of exploring on the return part of the trip. We climbed to the top of the Big Rock at Big Rock Bay, all 50 to 75 feet of it, and admired the view. Here one of our party thought she might have seen a rattlesnake's tail end disappear under a rock; who was more frightened is a moot point.

As we paddled, more distant islands always beckoned. Green island seemed to be always there and was a good navigational reference point. Manitoulan loomed in the hazy distance and almost continuously invited attention. The white mountains on the mainland grew larger as we returned and appeared to provide a frame for the Bay.

As our trip neared its end, we were amazed at the thought that we were voluntarily going to leave this paradise. Georgian Bay is a magic place, and we will have to return.

Ian