The highlight today is the Agawa Pictographs in Lake Superior Provincial Park, that is, if we could make it down the treacherous rocky trail...
We discovered Terrace Bay Beach and the hidden waterfall there before we started on the road to Sault Ste. Marie. We didn't have a lot on our agenda that day and so it was a very relaxed drive.
Our first stop was Sandy Beach and we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was one of the Group of Seven stops - so glad a friend recommended this spot even though we somehow managed to get on an unpaved road that went on for 5 km before we got there. But it was worth the effort.
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| Sandy Beach - a Group of Seven stop |
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The famous Wawa goose - how could we not stop! |
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| Old Woman Bay - kudos to the imaginative mind |
We got to Lake Superior Provincial Park in the early afternoon and was happy it was dry. The trail looked doable although it was a little intimidating. It was short, not even half a kilometre but rocky. It didn't help that a couple came back up the trail saying they couldn't go on because they were not wearing the proper shoes. Then it became for us a case of mind over matter - and the adrenaline got us going, always telling ourselves to be careful with each step in order not to fall or sprain an ankle.
We came upon an interesting view of a boulder stuck between two steep walls. And then the descent continued until we saw the lake and it was a different kind of steepness. It's not just the possibility of falling, but falling into the lake! Someone asked us later if there is cell service in the area and if something happened could we have called for help. I'm afraid that didn't cross our minds at the time - our sole aim was to get there, safely, we didn't think of anything else.
As it turned out we did manage to see two small Pictographs, but for us it was more the journey than the destination. We didn't care that the two pictographs were small and that the nice big ones are around the steep bend, impossible to get to that day because the water was high and it would be suicidal for us to attempt it. The pictographs were from the 17th or 18th century and they had survived all the storms that must have swept the walls. Awesome to see them but we were more proud of our own efforts to get to them.
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| The rocky descent |
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| This boulder was "lucky" - it didn't fall into the lake... |
The multi-coloured rock face - pictured rocks close up
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| This gives you an idea of how precipitous it was to even get to viewing distance of the two tiny pictographs - one misstep and it's the lake... |
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| The destination |
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The "View" - looking up and looking out |
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| The return path is less slippery but reminded me of the boulder in between the walls |
This hike was the most exhilarating one on the entire trip, mainly because it was challenging (for us at least) and we did it! The rest of the day was anti-climactic. Chippewa Falls was pretty but easy to get to. We got to Sault Ste. Marie in time for dinner and afterwards, sunset over the International bridge. Another exciting day on the road.
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