Publish Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Location: Baie Fine, Ontario
We’re anchored in Maryanne Cove in Baie Fine. The terrain has transitioned from the granite formations in the Benjamin islands to the white quartz formations here in Baie Fine. The cliffs and mountains here remind us of both Yosemite in California and Boulder in Colorado. What’s not rugged exposed rock is covered with soaring pine and fir trees; and lush green mosses and ferns. We had heard that this area (The North Channel) was both spectacularly beautiful and cruiser friendly, and it’s both. We’re so glad we came.
We’ve done two hikes in the last two days. The first was to the top of Frazier Mountain, which allowed us to see for miles in every direction: the entire length of Baie Fine, the expansiveness of McGregor Bay, and windswept Frazier Bay. We also encountered quarts of ripe wild blueberries, which we collected into our reusable water bottle and ate with granola and yogurt the next morning — yum! Except for the mosquitos in the more dense parts of the forest, this was an idyllic hike.
The other hike we did was to Topaz Lake, above an area called The Pool at the end of Baie Fine. To get to the trailhead from Maryanne Cove we had to take our dingy up the length of Baie Fine about six miles. The unique thing about Topaz Lake is that it’s a dead lake because of the acidity of the water. The water is crystal clear, and the rocks have no moss or algae growing on them. It’s a little strange to look at. We jumped off the rock cliffs and swam around in the clear cool water, and then climbed out on the (non-slippery) rocks to bask in the sun. It was unique.
Today is cloudy and rainy (again), so we’re taking an indoor day to get some things done. We actually don’t mind these kinds of days once in awhile. We can look out our windows to enjoy the spectacular scenery, and we can make a pot of tea and enjoy each others company inside our cozy ship. With classical music playing softly in the background, the three of us (okay, four of us if you include Piccadilly) are sitting around the salon typing away at our computers or reading whatever book we have going. It’s a good day.
Thank you so much for the updates – it allows me to have “cruise breaks” whilst at work. 🙂