Early this afternoon, my wife and I left Tobermory, Ontario, headed for Manitoulin Island via ferry. Sitting on the upper deck of the large ship, we watched as the islands of Fathom Five National Park receded in the distance.
Crossing the broad channel between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, I was reminded of American desert landscapes, where flat, seemingly lifeless terrain is broken by islands of life (mountains in our western deserts, forested islands on the Great Lakes). While life teems beneath the waves, there is little to observe from above; unlike coastal ocean waters, where whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions and a wide variety of seabirds may be encountered, only the occasional gull, loon or cormorant was seen on the blue expanse of the channel.
Ninety minutes after leaving Tobermory, our peaceful journey ended and we docked on Manitoulin Island, the largest island of a freshwater lake on Earth. Heading toward Little Current, we took a short side trip to Bridal Veil Falls on the Kagawong River, which empties into Mudge Bay of the North Channel; the cascade, protected within a nature preserve, was definitely worth a visit. After a night in in Little Current, we plan to hike the Cup and Saucer Trail (some 14 miles SSW of town) before moving on to Sault Ste. Marie.
