Coastal Trail: Day Three

Our campsite last night turned out to be really cool. There were a number of large slabs of rock that lead out to Lake Superior behind the campsite. With a bit of careful scrambling we were able to climb all the way out onto a giant flat rock with spectacular views. To the north was Agawa Point. To the east was a quiet little cove lined with a rock beach. To the west a number of small islands home to lonely pine trees blocking out the setting sun. To the south we could see all the way to Montreal River Harbor in the distance. From this vantage point we watched two otters swim by while eating our dinner. Bald eagles passed overhead multiple times and the call of loons was heard frequently. Unfortunately, this was not the only wildlife that showed up. Sometime during the early evening it appeared that all of the mosquitoes in the north woods must have hatched. By the time we were done with dinner they were massing in small clouds around our heads. We hung the bear bag from a high branch on a giant pine tree over the water and retreated to our tent. Getting into the tent before sunset is never a great idea. It's hard enough to sleep on the ground in the confined space of a backpacking tent overnight. It's another to spend 12 hours in the tent. It ended up being a long night of tossing and turning. In the morning our insect assailants gained allies. Both black flies and deer flies arrived with the sun. Putting away the tent and packing became a one-handed activity, freeing your other hand to defend yourself. By the time we were on the trail both of us had more bug bites than we could count. Add in the fact that the heat had climbed into the 80's and we had a tough day of hiking ahead of us. Many of the climbs we had done on the way out were even harder to down climb. On some I found the best strategy to be throwing my pack and poles to the bottom and then climbing backwards down the ledge using both of my hands. In the hot heat of midday this level of exertion was draining. We took lunch on a rock beach in the bright sun. An eagle passed overhead as we ate our nutella wraps, salted almonds and dried apricots. Shortly after hiking away from the shore we both ran out of water. We decided, in light of the heat and the swarms of biting insects, to do a long day and finish today. The next couple of hours were painfully hard in the oppressive heat with no water. I was overjoyed to finally see the roof of the Visitor's Center through the tree tops. We drove the Jeep down to the camp bathrooms for showers and a chance to refill our water bottles. Now that we are both clean and dry we are driving south on the Trans-Canada heading back to Michigan. The plan is to get a room in Saint Ignace for the night so we don't have to drive home at 2 am. Our first experience on the Coastal Trail was full of beautiful scenery and solitude, but hard. I have hiked out east, out west in the Rocky Mountains and in the south and have never been on a trail as difficult as this. I can see now why the park brochure says "allow 7 to 14 days for a one way through hike". I would still recommend LSPP for a visit but not necessarily the Coastal Trail (unless you like to live like Bear Gryls!). Here are some pictures: