Before leaving Lake Superior Provincial Park, we decided to
hike into Sinclair Cove. When entering the parking lot, we came upon a number
of natives camped there. There is a strong Ojibwe presence in the greater
Superior area. The Ojibwe name for the Lake is Chigaaming. They were friendly
and welcoming in their own way.
The trail was rough with rock and roots. The tree roots struggling
to bury themselves in small crevices within rock. Wherever we look, the Canadian
Shield rock is front and center.
At the lake's edge, there was a cliff face with sacred Ojibwe
pictographs. Fortunately, the winds were off-shore, leaving the water calm so
we could get up close. Some of the images were badly faded, but others still
very recognizable.
Hiking on toward Sinclair Cove, we took a secondary branch
in the trail to a high rock outcropping with a spectacular view of the Lake, scenic
rock islands and Sinclair Cove far below.
Back on the road and driving along, every divot in the rocky
shield was either a marshy pond or small lake. Marlene scanned every marsh with hopes of seeing a moose, while I
kept my eyes pinned to the road hoping not to run into one. So far, no moose
sightings, either good or bad.
Our next stop was Wawa, the little town that marks the
middle of nowhere. And there was the
Canadian Goose, the one that I was pictured next to 56 years ago. It had been
upgraded somewhat, though sadly showed signs of rust leaking from under its
feathers. None the less, it brought back emotional memories of my childhood,
our family being on this spot while on route to visit my Grandparents in southern
Alberta.
Distances are long, north of Lake Superior, but eventually
we made it to Hattie Cove Campground, our stop in Pukaskwa National Park.
There's a number of trails in the area, and we hope to hike them all.
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