11-Day / 235km Wilderness Camping Trip on Powerful Lake Superior

[Music] if Lakes were mountains this would be Everest and you might call this the peak perched at the very top of the Great Lakes of snipping Bay the summit of superior the bay alone is 50 kilometers long with depths approaching 500 feet in its East End so the fact that this is merely a bay says everything about the lake it belongs to nipping conveys where our trip begins as we launch our 17-foot vessel in the small town of Red Rock From Here we plan to travel down the notorious nipping Strait out to the open Lake and West along the Wild Black Bay Peninsula there are countless ways to navigate the hundreds of islands Cove speeches and Bays ahead of us but as the authors of our guidebook put it any way chosen will be beautiful [Music] oh [Music] [Music] so cute nice that was awesome foreign Cubs and this huge ball moves that's incredible thank you pretty interesting spot flat and clear yeah not a lot of that and a gorgeous view look at that yeah I mean there's been nothing so far I'm going against it got a perfect spot for the tent and the fact that we haven't been swarmed by bugs yeah that's uh first place we got out we were swarmed by mosquitoes and some geese we didn't see this is family this is really nice amazing view yeah we haven't seen anything we weren't even going to stop yet we're gonna go a little further but we got to be up early for a superior schedule so it's good to stop early too yeah I love it okay sold Tom we got a new shelter for the night too got our tent set up and threw everything in here and kind of collapsed because it's way too hot in here we were debating between the shade over there and the spot which was more open than we went with open which was a mistake still really sweet spot with an amazing view we'll have Sunrise coming up right over there and in a couple hours we'll have shade so I'm gonna do but chill out amazing start to our trip though couldn't have asked for a better first day yeah Eagles bear moose geese Cubs ducklings yeah to the mission to the mission we're just getting some dinner going there's a fire ban so we have to cook on the transia we're doing pierogies with jalapeno yeah we're extremely excited for this trip and I went into today expecting this to be the least interesting day least interesting scenery perhaps so if that's any indication for the rest of the trip we're in for a really good one are we looking here I'd say pretty close ready okay we can eat them anytime and we're closing out this day with a couple of pelicans unreal look at the beaks on those babies [Music] [Music] well today's first day far exceeded any expectations we could have had pretty phenomenal and we're kind of wrapping up on our nice Lookout and going to get an early morning tomorrow we didn't get as far as we were hoping today but we're not too worried about it it's first day travel day so any distance covered is bonus today 15 clicks that's fine we're hoping to cover more distance when we have the wind at our backs we have this amazing guidebook by Daryl and Zach and I'll give you a look on their map where we're heading so we're at the very top of the Great Lakes here in the North Shore of superior we left from Red Rock carried down and we were planning to put a dent in the nip again straight today but yeah we found the spot about there and it was too good to pass up so supposed to be calm tomorrow we should have no problem getting through here set up camp somewhere in there and then we're heading down into this area possibly around this island and back but these are long distances looks like nothing on a map but that's the biggest lake in the world by surface area okay oh my goodness I heard something calf they were just coming down the shoreline I knew I heard something I shoot a bush that's so amazing it's so shallow right there they've gone way out there poor little calf has to follow along but yeah I thought I heard a stick break over there and then heard what sounded like a mosquito Cloud but it didn't make sense because there are many around but not like that cloud sound like a racetrack sound and yeah maybe they came with those moose they were right down at the bottom of the bank until they shot out that was incredible that's just unbelievable [Music] Up Before Sunrise to beat the wind that's the way to do it on Superior start early and stop early and it is shaping up to be a beautiful day Sunrise is getting nicer and nicer and it's chilly only four degrees above freezing but let's knock down the mosquitoes for a while so it's welcome take it yeah good morning it's a beautiful day okay paddling away from Camp into the sunrise this morning and drink it on the water and ditch some of these mosquitoes it's been a beautiful start and the lakes nice and glassy for us this morning how lovely [Applause] howdy it's not a cowboy huh [Applause] it's a big old hat it's a big old hat thank you it's ruined up again Bay into the edge of the nippleton straight which will take us out to the main Lake of Superior and it looks like there's maybe a bit of a forest fire Haze or wildfires burning all over Canada right now some areas have really bad smoke we've been lucky so far but looks like a bit of haze that's why there's a fire ban as well nice like Tailwind today beautiful conditions and we're really looking forward to getting out there three otters ahead of us pull this nugget out of the water put it on the Hat I want some survivors see where I go in there listening to this buzzing I'm wondering if it's mosquitoes harassing a big mammal oh it's got louder huh it just like picked up yeah or if it's like a big beehive so many Eagles there's another one we've seen at least 10 today yeah that was just four on this point from this spot right here they must have enough there we go there's two of them again those are both juveniles you're young so they must have a nest in here I was wild they just kept coming that's coming here's another one oh no way where's the nest I don't know that's crazy so many Eagles there's another one oh my God I heard it yeah early afternoon and it's amazing how long it takes it to get anywhere on this Lake everything all the distances are so long but we're coming up to Fleur Island where nipigan straight splits goes this way over there is blind Channel and we'll be looking for Camp pretty soon because there might be a thunderstorm coming on later today all right turning the corner here and the nip again straight As It splits and getting a bit of a headwind and definitely starting to feel like Superior cooling off and Breezy foreign so over my shoulder this way is the end of the nip again straight and this way is moss Harbor where we're hoping to find some protection it hasn't been too bad but it's starting to get a little choppy and with a thunderstorm and possibly some rain on the way we're pretty eager to find a place to lay our heads for the night hopefully dry it's almost 2 30 and we're just stopping for lunch here in Moss Harbor it's finally calm so much cooler out here toward the main Lake yeah it's nice to be here where it's calm and hopefully we'll set up camp find somewhere good before too long there's two cabins here it looks like it might be a fishing lodge it's a pretty nice place actually yeah pretty spectacular place to have some property and a nice Swan boat we might trade up [Applause] we're hoping that we're camping here what a view it's incredible incredible we're hoping for hammocks tonight and I don't think that's going to be possible here the trees are small bushy but we'll be hopping the tent so we got this new tent it's a winter tent it's got a stove Jack but we got this bug mesh to use it in summer as well but like there's this huge hole here it cinches but it doesn't seal so we had all these mosquitoes coming in last night despite draping some fabric over that so we didn't get a lot of sleep last night we're gonna try it again and uh yeah try and improve upon our blockage system and we wanted to sleep in The Hammocks just nowhere to do that [Applause] all right stones are surprisingly comfortable and know are they comfortable or are we tired both woke up from her nap feeling dead to the world but we got some T's going to warm up it's quite cool out getting darker no rain yet but there's a chance all throughout the night and yeah hopefully it turns into a thunderstorm that'd be a lot of fun Cheers Cheers stay tuned in the books me too getting things packed away quick it's just starting to rain perfect just got everything done in here just in time our first rain in this tent hopefully holds up to rain better than it does the bugs foreign day three with some nasty conditions it's gray and drizzly and very windy out there and looks like on our map we'll probably make 11 kilometers today before we can probably we'll probably have to stop there because of a open water crossing that would be kind of dangerous today our guidebook says it's particularly difficult spot to cross so probably have to do that tomorrow morning so we won't get far today no need to rush just gonna leave in the early afternoon all right we're having lunch chili with non and getting ready to leave so we should be good as long as we can get around egg at Point eh yeah there's a point ahead and onshore wind would make it really nasty but offshore should be okay we'll put on our dry suits dry suits because he's safe it's pretty chilly so it's not like a dry suit's a bad thing on day like today yeah time to be birthed okay there's a crayfish okay so we're back on the water just 11 kilometers to cover to our campsite and we're pretty sheltered here from the winds but still gusts quite a bit at times so yeah it'll be a good spot to set up a base camp for an early start tomorrow to cross the mouth of shishi Bay we have the sale that we're gonna give a go hopefully it's not too strong of a winch but I think we've got a good little place to try it out and see how it works foreign that fills up fast here we go and we're pretty sheltered here still so we'll see how does it feel s good like yes not yanking me okay good feels nice and steam so far feel it now to win right at our backs that's awesome that is awesome you steer all power okay wow we're moving this is pretty sweet I'm just steering and right now I have an app that shows us our speed it says eight kilometers an hour but mostly it's been around seven with me doing nothing and not an intense wind here so we could go even faster but any faster than eight kilometers in like an hour in a canoe is is a bit of a wild ride so this is just perfect right now does it fatigue at all like your arms foreign it'd be sketchy if it was wavier though oh yeah yeah that wouldn't be the time to do it yeah this is pretty perfect it's getting a little choppier here around this this piece of land so put the sail away for now it's a bit rough here around this point [Applause] what a beautiful coat there's too many beautiful campsites on Superior and they always make you want to stop it's such a juxtaposition of getting out of that weather of yeah and then you just dip into a Cove like this and it's just such serenity foreign breathtaking I don't even have words it's so stunning these huge rocks and then nice Beach clear water crystal water oh it's like Crystal [Applause] here's our top picks from the beach today let some have really cool courts running through them different veins and then this I'm pretty sure is some egg it inside of this rock here it's pretty cool actually decent size oh [Applause] thank you it's a lot bigger than it looks from afar right oh yeah that's pretty incredible to be standing out here thank you [Applause] just arriving at camp we only did about 11 kilometers today but it was a really nice day and got to explore a bit and see some of the beautiful Coastline and we've got a really nice Beach set up and hoping to hang up for her Alex tonight Chef number three okay we're set up back in the hammocks tonight which we love the tent was fun fun to be together but we're very close together in The Hammocks and there's just nothing more comfortable [Applause] thank you wow pretty cool eh wow we're on an old forestry Camp from decades ago some Rolex left behind look that my iron ring was impressive that's so cool I think it might be uh like tracks from a machine [Music] so I camped on this campsite almost two years ago to the day when I paddled from Silver islet to rossport is about a 200 kilometer trip solo and I said I really really wanted to come back here with Aaron someday and here we are this was a buggy sight two years ago and it still is it's not they're not that bad yet but they're coming on and I know at Dusk and Dawn they're gonna be brutal so we're prepared for a quick exit tomorrow morning we've got lots to do tomorrow so we've covered about 60 kilometers so far good half of that yesterday coming down from Red Rock through this uh significant straight and then camped at the North End of Spar Island last night and then just came around the point into this large Cove here tomorrow we go past shishi Bay we're planning to go down here into these islands and then hit Sushi Bay and Otter Cove on our way back Aaron just raced over to me with excitement so part of this trip that I've been really excited about is looking for agates and I found a couple you probably can't tell but little guys like that that are really cool in the light and then I just found this one look at that it's beautiful day she's on a serious mission ah Paradise [Music] so we're packing up it's about 5 30 getting on the water Before Sunrise and surprisingly there's actually even a little bit of frost down by the canoe this morning foreign [Music] all right we're gonna start second sunrise just need first breakfast it's cool I don't know if I've ever had two sunrises you gotta be on the move Sunrise number three we're approaching otter Island and yeah coming to the sushi Bay Crossing and we've been chasing Sunrise all morning it's pretty cool I need it it's cold out three on day four we need one more let's go oh [Applause] wow I'm so happy yeah I love my clips [Applause] look at these ferns yeah how my goodness this trip is too good [Applause] that's shishi Bay in there we'll be back for it it's a big Bay okay we got across shishi Bay before anything picked up and now we gotta find somewhere to have breakfast we should be skipped to get going and then decide which way we're gonna go you can either hug the coast the mainland or cut out into a bunch of islands we're gonna do one on the way there and one on the other on the way back so whatever the wind dictates basically okay so we've decided to head out to the islands and then we'll come back along the black Bay Peninsula on the way back foreign [Applause] milk pretty good [Applause] [Applause] oh this would be an amazing place to Camp if you're in a storm yeah and just watch them smash up in here how far up all that yeah look at the logs thrown back there that's by storm surges thank you foreign [Music] [Music] [Applause] foreign for the first time on this trip this hasn't been the right moment yet but perfect right now [Applause] more islands in the distance which we'll hopefully seen later [Applause] tons around here it's a bit early for us to start to stop for camp but this channel is just so beautiful we couldn't resist we're gonna get out and stretch our legs and just take a little look around oh I wish it was time to stop for camp this is sweet and look at the roots on this spruce washed away in storms but yeah just the size of them amazing to see [Applause] and the wind dies looks like a face in the Rocks here kind of sunken in I think that's what I'm gonna look like when I get old can you see it a little melted face awesome window eh you see the islands there in the distance yeah that's so cool [Applause] foreign [Applause] mushroom risotto deciding where to go next and where to camp tonight trying to kind of go with the flow in terms of the Wind it's a lot easier than battling it on it on Superior so I'll let it over back on the water I wasn't quite sure where to go but we decided to just go with the Wind foreign [Applause] beautiful camp on this little Beach what a view 270 degree view Sunset over there tonight sunrise back over here if we're lucky might be rainy amazing and a view of the open Lake wind has been all over the place it's now back to what it was before we changed our plans but it doesn't matter we're happy foreign beautiful sunset last night three sunrises yesterday just the one this morning but great view of it here from Camp number four and we're about to get on our way we had three sunrises yesterday did that make us stay eight foreign this is the dream on Superior not a ton of days like this and it's just crazy you imagine this amount of water being so still especially Earth is hurtling through space turning rotating twisting tilting and somehow this water is glass [Music] this morning we're making our way through our second big island chain it's uh there's Lasher Island and many others and we're gonna just cruise around them and see where we end up tonight we're Meandering our way through this paradise loon Harbor behind and about to cross over to the next big island chain which is anchored by Cartwright Island [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] s we have an opportunity to Island hop over to shagnash Island big another big island chain that really didn't expect to get to on this trip and there are about four or five Crossings of a kilometer or more the longest one's a mile so nothing too crazy should change in that period we should be safe to do it today we're coming up on this perfect Island here and then just off to the left of it on the horizon on the far Horizon you can see the head of the sleeping giant is pretty cool cops are coming into view here too Island number one number two Rhode Island three Nest Island tiny one I'm in a bigger Crossing toward the right and there's three loons on this island got a pretty healthy fear of Open Water I imagine it's similar to what people are afraid of heights feel just that feeling kind of being at the very edge of something deadly so I'm looking forward to we're in the last kilometer of our Island hop here it'd be nice to be on the shores of shaginash and in these conditions with hopping across the islands and having our dry suits pretty safe but it's hard to shake that gut feeling [Applause] foreign [Applause] right above this structure it was just super cool we weren't expecting it and it looked down on this gray day where you can't really see much and all of a sudden what's there what are the odds you would spot that it's so cool I guess doc yeah big one big one yeah there's some big Timbers in there there's another look at sleeping Giants in the distance [Applause] so we just got to this Lighthouse and Little did we know we came across here today this is actually part of the water trail that Island top that we did today so we came across down this outside around some islands and then crossed and then did the island hop into shaginash that's where we're at so wild around here there's no development we haven't seen anyone wow nice is that sealed yeah probably yeah yeah oh it's not very high up to look anyway all right time to get out of here we've got a great campsite lined up for tonight starting to rain and it's cold so yeah ready for camp we Island hopped over here and we've got the biggest Crossing today left but it's got a nice Tailwind two kilometers across rains all around us but holding off you're last that was a full day foreign we made Camp here on Stanton Island and I'm thrilled to be here with Aaron because this is probably the most magical campsite I've ever stayed at it's beautiful all the time there's an incredible view of the pops but the last time I was here at a fantastic Sunrise Sunset and thunderstorm but most of all there was a bear with a duck swimming behind it looked like they were best friends and then the biggest thing once in a lifetime I saw a quadruple rainbow yeah so I'll never forget this campsite man I'm thrilled to be back here we just had a nice little siesta these 5 AM wake UPS on Superior catch up with you tomorrow we might be able to sleep in we might have a nasty headwind when we wake up but we'll have to see getting dinner on waiting for Sunset should be beautiful from here double lock rehydrated tonight Aaron's nerding out on rocks she's been continuing her Rock hunt she's got a little feed Field Guide there for the superior okay I guess I'll eat ow I'm good I need more energy thank you hear that some interesting barking screeching sound there it is [Applause] slow start here on day six woke up for Sunrise and the wind was blowing hard already this North Wind so we decided not to fight it and we're going to take a rest day here there's a ton to enjoy it's a perfect sight we could claw our way through this but it's just not worth it we've covered 130 kilometers so far through the first five days so we can afford the rest day and yeah we just love this campsite so while I move on and our next big destination is shishi Bay and based on the wind forecast it just doesn't make sense to leave today as well so I'll show you on the map again we came down through here and then worked our way through these islands and then yesterday we skipped across you can't even see them on this map there are tiny Islands here over to shagnash came up up to Stanton Island then we want to continue up through here through these islands close to the mainland this is the black Bay Peninsula and the reason we've taken a rest day today is because we really only have one day of travel to get to the mouth of shishi Bay and there are wicked North winds today and tomorrow so it'd be difficult to cross more difficult to cross than to go in and also nasty to go in so we're waiting it out we just need to get there by tomorrow and then into the sushi Bay after that so this is our guidebook by Daryl Macon and Zach cruzens paddler's Guide to the Lake Superior National marine conservation area this is as I understand it the largest piece of protected fresh water on Earth and it's so great that it is protected because it's absolutely sacred and what the authors say about shishi Bay is travel into shishi bay means backtracking to come out however shishi Bay is one of the most remote and interesting areas within the lsnca so that sounds good this is all so wild and relatively remote I mean a motorboat could come in here but we haven't seen anyone since Camp 2 near the mouth of the nip again straight so somewhere in a tea how you doing today great it's beautiful rust today just mosing around gonna settle in and read my book a bit and have some tea perfect it's beautiful oh so while we've got some time today there's an experiment we've been wanting to try for a long time which is how long can we stay in the water with dry suits before we get uncomfortably cold Superior is deadly cold that's why we wear them but yeah we've been wondering what where that threshold is so we're gonna try let's go cool off so that was a really interesting experience we stayed in for 26 minutes and there was a real initial shock at the cold but then it was all right after that temperature kind of leveled out however we weren't trying to swim swimming was the hardest part yeah swimming is age is hard we're not strong swimmers be having our hands submerged it was as anticipated just painful painful yeah to actually keep your hands swimming in the water we kept ours here just because it was yeah it's painfully cold yeah also your suit vacuum seals around you the air burps out from the neck gasket and it's very you're not as flexible as as you would like and it vacuum seals your your crotch too which is not comfortable so yeah swimming a long distance would not be great and my my forearms are still kind of wooden peeling yes that's that's part of the biggest risk is cold water and capacitation your limbs just stop working because they're too cold and your pores can preserve itself so yeah really interesting yeah yeah I wouldn't want to get into that scenario that's for sure good test yeah glad we did it so mine's a back a front zip Aaron's is a back zip just harder to get out of on your own so I've been unzipping hers stand line thank you I gotta keep up with my Vizio while I'm out here for the knee surgery good chance to stretch too stretch our paddling muscles we're quite sheltered here on this side of the island and by that Island from many waves see it's pretty windy Aaron's gonna rest in the hammock a little there beautiful day and look at that water So Clean and Clear got our gravity filter as always and even the unfiltered water is just marvelous so we're winding down day six it's been a nice simple day and it's been wonderful to have Aaron with me on this trip and she'll actually be with me a fair bit more this summer because I love my job I decided John and I decided to take the summer off before we move and settle down more permanently to enjoy a bit of free time so I'll be be long for the ride a little bit more of the summer yeah now she's a professional Beachcomber what'd you get today bone some large mammal bone a little piece of a jaw there's some teeth there This creepy skull uh so that was those and then lots of different rocks these ones I thought were really cool because they look like they have holes drilled through them almost like man-made but actually it's the effect from some sort of Crystal deposits that run through them which I thought was quite interesting and then the real special one today is this really crystally one here good day's work for a Beachcomber and then around the corner I saw this little clearing up on a bank went up there and it looks like the door of an old stove looks very old it says HMC Co I guess yeah I wish I had a date on it but um quite interesting seems like an old piece of iron yeah it could be 100 years old it's really cool yeah foreign beautifully in the last hour and this would be perfect paddling but it's not really worth it at this point in the day so it'll be going down before long so that's it for today and hopefully we'll get an early start tomorrow we've been seeing this Snowshoe hair and couldn't get a shot of it and we were just resting and he's nibbling right behind there and looks so cute we'll call him Stanton yeah we're leaving tomorrow at about 4 a.m you want to come foreign woke up at quarter to four and we were ready to be on the Water by 4 30 but the wind was howling then and it's still quite bad we're gonna wait a little bit and hopefully get an opportunity soon the forest fire Haze is also stronger today you can really smell it in the air and it's supposed to be a blue sunny day but pretty obscured so what are we thinking travel today unless the wind lets up this afternoon but we're not getting anywhere in this wind yeah it's probably getting worse white cops are building and we're sheltered from the waves by this island so we're really not getting the full effect of it so we're gonna explore that site where I found that piece of the stove yeah yeah and there's lots of really well established game the rabbits again [Applause] really huge Spruce trunk here another one back there and this clearing which is what caught my eye this is where I found the stove piece there's another bottle or something elsewhere but see if we find any other relics there's some really well-worn game Trails here and that could be mostly the hairs but we've also seen moose tracks poop and probably bear poop so who knows what's on this island thank you almost noon now we're getting some Mexican quinoa heated up rehydrated and then we're hoping to make a break for it getting pretty antsy here I really wish we could move on it seems like the wind may have lit up a little bit so I think we can bite through it we could have battled through it this morning even but it would be grueling to make so little progress it's just not worth it so we might have our chance [Applause] [Applause] walking down the beach to the Windy Point let's check things out for the hundredth time what are you thinking I don't think we're getting out of here today yeah yeah our lunch a little bit of calm we saw at lunch it went away quickly and we just had dinner still no good so three nights different experience on Staten Island this time but at least it can be a better spot to be stuck it's been a pretty quiet day spending most of the day just going back and forth to the point trying to figure out if we can get out of here and I've spent a lot of the day just wondering if we should just power through it and get ourselves make some progress and then kind of serendipitously I came across this passage of my book by Farley mow it that uh made me decide that we made the right choice by staying put says the trip was an easy one for the eskimos had always known the secret that Jamie had learned so belatedly out on the Frozen Plains when he and I was in were stricken with snow blindness basketballs knew that they must try always travel with the forces of the land and never fight against them seems to be telling up pretty plainly to us so thanks Farley evening of day seven and that cold north wind is still blowing we got an alarm set for 4 a.m hopefully we'll get our opportunity hey hun it's almost four yeah sounds like it's still Breezy is forecasted but a little better much to wear Chagrin who walked down to the exposed point and it is still very windy and dark so we really have no advantage of leaving right now and according to our satcom forecast it should get a little better around 10 a.m and then later in the afternoon so it's late till 10 p.m yeah there's just no incentive to leave right now so I'm gonna go back to sleep 10 a.m now and the wind's finally abating a little bit something we could fight against anyway it's our third day here almost three full days we've been marooned here we ain't had nothing but this rabbity island for three stinking days and this day eight of the trip so a big chunk of it and it's sort of uniquely frustrating to be stuck on Superior on the North Shore by an offshore wind an onshore wind is usually the problem blowing up the waves against 100 kilometers of fetch hopefully we'll get back to the mainland soon and be nice and sheltered out of it get this trip back on track well after about three days uh we're finally gonna Brave it there's still a bit of a headwind uh reasonably strong but not nearly as aggressive as the last couple days and we just need to get out of here and get moving so it's definitely safe it's just not pleasant paddling but we're we're okay we're gonna muscle through it and just looking forward to making some progress and seeing some new things the last last thank you making one last Crossing to corvine Islands we couldn't have left any earlier that's for sure we needed this one to die down a little to make this possible and we're on the mainland almost yeah that was a bit of a laborious mile but feels so good to be close to the mainland like it doesn't look rough ahead amazing feeling after being stuck there for so long there's at least five eagles in front of us I saw I've seen all five at the same time or maybe more it's incredible Eagle Bay should be called yeah look at them they're everywhere oh there's something swimming out here I thought it was a duck but it's Gotta Be it's got to be a moose let's zoom in yeah I've been watching it for a while and it just seemed big and odd shape for what it was so care see what it is yes oh it definitely is unless it's a caribou yeah it looks like a moose nice good eye it's actually pretty close now 100 meters or so gauge its size well this Trip's feeling like it's back on track first row big Wildlife sighting since day one yeah maybe two we always say the Otters on day two but yeah after that explosion of wildlife finally something else foreign Skye where'd that come from we're back on track and the blue sky just kind of surprised us we didn't even see it coming in and all of a sudden it was sunny so it feels nice nice to be on the Move nice to be in the Sun nice all around cutie and the otter popped his head up right there it's got a good Gander at us yeah love the little sniffing they do there he is hey cutie [Applause] foreign [Music] ER it doesn't have a trunk system floating Cedar above the lake it's pretty magical looking Forest here very old but this is another level of magic that's so cool [Applause] right along the shore barely got any footage of him there I think hope I got something but never see Fishers good eye Eagle Eye Aaron again [Applause] Tamarack here look how thick The Moth yeah like incredible it holds on incredible amount of soil and loss I guess oh yeah here we go that's awesome [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] there's a section here that obviously had a forest fire seems pretty recent not much has grown in it's not too big of a section but it's pretty cool to see up close and makes me happy not to have to core touch through quite the tangle [Applause] all right what a wonderful day of paddling it's been even got a few kilometers of sailing in there and the wind's not too bad here along the mainland but we're almost at the mouth of shishi Bay and that could still be a bit of a washing machine we'll see it would really help our itinerary if we're able to put a dent in that today [Applause] thank you tigers zebras [Applause] they never let us get this close there he goes two of them oh my goodness far wow so big foreign look at this made it halfway down shishi Bay to this beautiful beach campsite and our guidebook described there being a lot of wildlife tracks on the beach down in this Bay look at that beautiful Wolf Track very distinct with the moose tracks very cool all over we had a beautiful spot to camp up there oh so we still have to set up camp and make dinner and it's pretty late but it's hard to pull ourselves away from just the awe of the site take a couple minutes to explore and soak it in it's pretty incredible gotta leave early tomorrow seems hard to do right now well this is heaven right now fantastic day trips back on track in terms of momentum and also schedule mm-hmm put in a solid day tomorrow and we're good oh look at that pretty buggy out there there's the cocktail mosquitoes black flies and no seems no seems are tiny little guys and hopefully this bug mesh is going to hold up because it hasn't proven itself to be fantastic yet it's already kind of fraying here potentially creates gaps for no seems to get in but otherwise comfortable it's nice to have it open like this yeah feel pretty good right now oh my goodness oh oh there we go my heart racing I was just getting ready just over there and then they went right back in oh my goodness unbelievable a uh a cow moose with a calf can be actually quite dangerous so Aaron just quickly passed me this camera and the bear spray Wildlife on this trip has been officially ridiculous yeah what was today we saw the otter was give us a good sniff yeah a Fisher never this is probably the second Fisher I've ever seen moose swimming moose cow and calf at Camp yeah and lots of eagles and probably more that we're forgetting wow pretty good day [Music] D9 chilly buggy morning on the water just after sunrise ready to head around the bay this one over here oh no something else okay we've brought something we spotted something underwater and we brought something to address it Aaron's going to give it a shot foreign [Laughter] big Rusty band hoop for a barrel Maybe what'd you catch it with what's your lure my magnet is that the Rapala yeah no Cleo four pounder oh Cleo what is it ladder thought so foreign [Music] beach at the end of the bay here and there's just countless tracks on the beach cool [Music] wolf since they're smaller right yeah little claw marks that's a good sized popper pulled this guy out [Music] [Music] oh my God is an eagle look at this there's an eagle looking down at us it's so cool [Music] foreign [Music] foreign all right we're through shishi Bay it was a really interesting experience especially with those tracks and the cow and calf moves coming out at our campsite last night but we're back to the open Lake just about sailboat just passed by us first one we've seen on this trip and we're hoping to Camp somewhere on the open lake tonight we haven't had any 180 degree views of the lake yet would be really nice you want to go under um foreign [Applause] [Applause] ER you turn something amazing pretty sweet cave full of spider webs we'll even be [Applause] this little rock slide if you want to call it that fell right off of there and another overhang and Aaron's busy checking for agates uh [Music] oh look at this spot we're planning on going a little further but this Camp just called out to us flattened out a tent pad there and just a unique spot Lighthouse way over there Old Lighthouse love it and the D9 just had a good siesta all these early mornings on Superior I love them love paddling at sunrise on this Lake but it catches up with you so we needed to conch out there for a bit just had dinner and we're gonna just relax in the tent for the rest of the evening enjoy this beautiful view exactly what we hope for for tonight wide view and tomorrow we continue on down that way [Music] oh [Music] [Music] that was a long night mosquitoes were getting in somehow we tried sealing up that bizarre hole in the design at the top as best as possible but it's somehow mosquitoes kept getting in waking us up killing them now to just get our revenge they won't get away with their blood never they can take our sleep but they can't take our blood I'd rather they take my blood to be honest foreign this morning but happy to have coffee and got a pretty Scenic day ahead of us so hopefully I can shake these sleepies yeah should we get moving and the reason that we don't just sleep in The Hammocks is because we bring both on Superior trips because it can be surprisingly hard to find hammocking spots on the coast where the trees in the woods can be pretty scrubby and not able to support a hammock so tonight we are gunning for a hammock spot and when we get home we're gonna figure something out that's better to because we like it's enjoyable to be in this tent otherwise but yeah yeah it's a nice tent it's nice to share space too hammocks are always apart so yeah some benefits let's have a look at the map that's a good coffee yeah so we came from Stanton Island all the way around shishi Bay and then yesterday came up here around Agate point there which can get pretty rough but it wasn't too bad yesterday and we came up just on the other side of it today we continue we cross over to Fleur Island very Scenic and then come up the other side of the nip again straight probably Camp hopefully around there and then make the last stretch tomorrow oh this is pretty cool in here actually yeah [Applause] Aaron was just saying how every time you go past Superior Shoreline it always seems new like we barely notice this depending on conditions you may or may not be able to check things out always a treat [Applause] it's interesting how there's some Driftwood wedge in there yeah that's crazy yeah at the back of this little cave there's some Driftwood slammed up into a crevice I can only imagine the waves coming up right into this crack that's so cool that's so cool that would be a sight to see yeah thank you foreign [Applause] thank you [Applause] [Applause] so we're just about to cross over to the West Shore of Fleur Island and then go up there nip again straight from that Shore foreign mix of haze and clouds around forest fire Haze but nice Tailwind is building couldn't be more appreciated for this long straight and hopefully the same tomorrow in the picking Bay and a big thanks to Sean for the sale it's been a great use on this trip and I'm sure it's going to get a lot more action in the future we are enjoying a nice leisurely sail across the west side of floor Island and then as we came out to the tip of it it got pretty uh turned up with the wind preferred nip again straight can get pretty nasty and we're kind of experiencing that a bit but it's still a tailwind and we're managing so I'm still making good progress in these thank you [Music] thank you we just got to Camp which is our last Camp of the trip and same as our first Camp of the trip we've been here less than five minutes and then the mosquitoes have found us so thanks for the welcome guys they were instantly all over us with it like usually you get a little breathing period so as soon as we walk through all these grasses all right so many let's get our shelters up get after it [Music] all right final night here we're 15 kilometers from our access point saved a little scotch amazing trip we'll debrief more tomorrow in more peaceful conditions no time but a toast cheers oh okay let's get in there yeah hang on I need to do this oh yeah Set Me Free she's in her full dry suit he can't handheld one there are you taking it off in the hammock yeah or in the hammock now and just so incredibly relieved I was looking forward to it before we even showed up with the bugs just because it's been a long day but now that the bugs are here wow I just threw everything in here I sold my dry suit took off the top with the gaskets but I'm just taking a breather and yeah it feels good to have some protection from these bugs and have my feet up okay so got some bad news I gotta pee I just got settled but I gotta Brave it so you gearing up for battle wish me luck I want one yeah we need his pet spider like this everywhere we go get him man come on so they can't bite my knee but they really want to well it's not exactly how we hope to spend our last night quiet evening under the stars with a bonfire would be nice but there's a fire ban and the Skeeters are thick so anyway it's expected it's June in Northern Ontario and we don't have black flies at least right here along the coast often that would be the case in land just as bad black flies added to the equations so we'll take it another good day 38 kilometers added to our total up to 218 I think Aaron just heard sticks breaking hopefully nothing comes through here there is a game Trail right in front of you [Music] foreign one of these trees do you love it swarm mosquitoes outside some animals were crashing around behind us at 4 am so we've been up since then it's now five first lights creeping into the sky we're gonna get going you know the mosquitoes mosquitoes between us not just like on us [Music] this morning alrighty [Applause] let's get out of here later losers on the water at quarter to six for day 11. got 15 16 17 kilometers something like that back to a marina Red Rock and then we're all done amazing Sunrise to be up for sun is rising in between two Cloud Banks it looks like it looks uh more like a lunar eclipse we're coming into the final kilometers of our trip it's been really incredible it's for sure the best Wildlife overall I've had on any trip and just some of the like most quality encounters if I had to pick a favorite I think the cow and calf the first night that came across our campsite and then ran out into the water was pretty spectacular and then otherwise just nice weather incredible North Shore scenery and just great trip overall I think it's been one of John and I's best so really looking forward to the next one yeah it was an exceptional trip and in our guidebook at the start there's a quote by George Grant from an expedition in 1870. I think it sums up this Lake really well those who have never seen Superior get an inadequate even an accurate idea by hearing it spoken of as a lake and to those who have sailed over its vast extent the word sounds positively ludicrous though its waters are fresh and Crystal Superior is a sea it breeds storms and rains and fogs like the sea it is cold in mid-summer as the Atlantic it is wild masterful and Dread as the Black Sea foreign [Music] calf to send this off Mama's back in the woods we heard her foreign foreign [Music] foreign [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] foreign [Music]

Channel: Lost Lakes

Views: 859,953

Keywords: lost lakes, camping, fishing, ontario, canada, bushcraft, backcountry angling ontario, winter, wilderness, solo

Id: xoqa3L0J-4Q

Length: 109min 38sec (6578 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 14 2023