From the beautiful Bruce Peninsula National Park and its clear waters, we continue our journey westward across Canada and arrive on the shores of Lake Superior. We thought Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and Lake Huron were immense? They’re small fry compared to Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world!
Wednesday, May 25, and Thursday, May 26, 2022
Over the next two days, a lot of driving awaits us to reach the eastern shore of Lake Superior from Lake Huron. Before leaving, we climb to the top of the hill overlooking Elliot Lake, where there is a fire lookout tower. At the top, surprise: Wi-Fi! And quite good, actually 😏. We were supposed to spend 5 minutes admiring the view, but we end up staying there for 2.5 hours working! As far as offices with a view go, this one is pretty great.
And so, we set off for an afternoon of driving! We rack up the kilometers on the Trans-Canada Highway, which crosses Canada from East to West, amid huge trucks overtaking us at high speed and long straight stretches. The wild landscape surrounding us is awe-inspiring. We knew Canada was a vast country, but facing these endless roads and boundless nature, we truly grasp its magnitude. On the GPS, the territory stretching to the North is immense. As we cross the country from East to West, we thought we were covering a significant portion! Far from it! In reality, we are traversing only a tiny fraction.
Lake Superior is known to be unpredictable: rain and fog can appear at any moment. We experience this firsthand. As soon as we catch a glimpse of it around a bend, the rain starts to fall. Light at first, then heavy. We finish the drive to our evening spot under intermittent rain. The night promises to be damp! We find a free campsite by the shores of Lake Superior. After Lake Ontario, then Erie, then Huron, we are used to the Great Lakes. But Lake Superior is on another level. In the evening mist, we admire its endless expanse.
And indeed, the night was restless. The previous day’s rain turned into a full-blown storm, and the wind blew very hard. Constantly on alert in the rooftop tent, we slept poorly, and the 6:30 am wake-up is a bit rough. We hit the road again under a light rain and a mysterious mist. Despite the unpredictable weather, it does give the landscape a certain charm.
As we make our way along the shores of Lake Superior, we realize that here, nature hasn’t yet gone ‘poof!’ We call ‘poof!’ the moment when, over the course of two or three days, the trees burst into green. Here, the maple trees are barely budding. It feels like we’ve gone back in time by a whole month. We stop at Agawa Rock in a small provincial park that offers a glimpse of ancient pictograms. It seems to be closed, but we venture in anyway, cautiously, as signs warning of ‘deadly danger’ line the path due to very slippery cliffs in rainy weather. Not very reassuring, especially since it’s pouring rain!
We take advantage of this gloomy day to drive, drive, and take care of chores: a hot shower at a nearby campsite (finally!!!), laundry at a laundromat (with Wi-Fi, please!), some grocery shopping, and a big fill-up for Jeepy. A rainy day well spent!
Friday, May 27
Wake up at 6 am! It’s getting earlier and earlier! 😯 It takes us 1 hour and 30 minutes to have breakfast and break camp, a record. At 8 AM sharp, we are at the starting point parking lot for the hike in Pukaskwa National Park.
🥾 White River Bridge Trail – 18 km (11 miles)
Our first major hike of the trip begins under mixed but dry weather. After two days of bad weather, it’s a pleasure! We are the first on the trail. We walk slowly, senses on alert. Our eyes scan the surrounding woods in search of an animal: deer, bear, moose 😁 But it’s completely calm. We only come across bear tracks and moose droppings, which we’ll spare you the photo of. We move through woods, meadows, marshes, lakes, and then back into the woods.
After 9 kilometers of walking, we finally reach the end of the trail, where the suspension bridge stands 23 meters above the White River gorge. Impressive!
We have a quick picnic in the sun, and then it’s time to retrace our steps back. Less focused on the surroundings and more on the trail, we complete the return trip in 2 hours and 20 minutes, compared to the 3 hours and 30 minutes it took us on the way there, quite a performance!”
We find a wild campsite on a beach by the river. The highway isn’t far, but the setting is still pleasant. We spend the evening in the company of a colony of pelicans, which keep coming and going on the river. They do everything simultaneously, it’s quite amusing: they take off together, they land together, they go upstream together, and they all dive to fish at the same time, so all you see are their backsides! We spend the evening watching them; it’s even better than TV. 😀
Saturday, May 28
Once again, up at 6 am. Since we have some driving to do before reaching the start of today’s hike, we skip breakfast and break camp immediately. Today, we’re heading to explore Sleeping Giant Provincial Park on the shores of Lake Superior.
🥾 Top of the Giant Trail – 21.9 km (13.7 miles)
At 8:30 am, we set off on the longest trail in the provincial park. We have a banana in our stomachs. And, ten minutes after we start, it begins to rain. The 22 kilometers ahead are going to feel long…
And long, it is! The first 6 kilometers are on a relatively flat and easy trail. We progress quickly. The next 3 kilometers take us up the cliff, a steep climb that leaves our legs aching. Finally, the last 2 kilometers lead us to the viewpoint overlooking the gorges. We are exhausted, soaked to the bone, starving, but in awe of the beautiful landscape.
It’s raining, and we decide to snack on some nuts and seeds instead of having a picnic. The good news? The landscape was absolutely worth it. Bad news? We have to retrace our steps all the way back! After 2 kilometers, we realize the return trip is going to be long. Very long. The 3 kilometers of steep descent are murder on our knees. The last 6 kilometers are torture. It’s raining non-stop, our feet hurt, our backs ache, our necks are stiff, and our shoulders are sore. We’re on autopilot.
The sight of the Jeep is a real relief. We quickly open the awning to shelter from the endless fine rain and devour our sandwiches, which loved this 21-kilometer hike in our backpacks… The pleasant surprise at the end of the day: the shower at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is not just warm or hot, but scalding! 🔥 Pure bliss. The question now is how we’re going to dry all our stuff. There’s no denying it, humidity in a Jeep is the worst.
To console ourselves, once evening comes, we decide to use the heater for the first time on the trip. Finally, a cozy evening in the rooftop tent, warm and dry. The dream.
Tomorrow’s plan? We’re taking it easy! Indeed, it’s time for a rest day in Thunder Bay. After that, we’ll begin to cross the Canadian Great Plains heading, at last, to the incredible Canadian West, which we’re very eager to explore.
