Sat.
Sept 8th.
In order to execute an early start to our
venture, the two canoes were secured on the
trailer the previous night and kept in Norm
Hs garage, leaving only the trailer hookup
and the loading of the remaining gear into
Waynes van for the morning all was
accomplished by 6 am. Our rendezvous with Norm R.
and John was next on the agenda and since
everyone was eager to be on the road, there was
no dallying about 6:20 am found us on
highway 17. Our first stop was at the Irving
Restaurant in Pembroke for our traditional
breakfast once fortified, we continued on
our journey.
Turning off
Route 6 towards Willisville, we found ourselves
on a narrow road that led us to the top of an
escarpment here we stood in awe, our jaws
agape and eyes smiling as we were transfixed by a
vast panoramic view of Frood Lake and its
surroundings hills. We marveled at what was
before us and, with adrenaline elevated, could
only think of what we were about to experience in
the next week
Willisville is
comprised of about a dozen residences. At its
wharf, we telephoned the Charlton Lake
Campgrounds (705) 285-4281), situated across the
narrow channel, to announce our arrival and to
officially register our trip and acquire a
campsite for the evening. The owners, Peter and
Trudy Hessey, extended their hospitality by using
their boat to ferry our equipment across the
channel and continued to the campsite with their
4-wheeler and trailer, leaving us all to wonder
whether this trip into the interior of KPP was
going to be as effortless as the beginning was
shaping up to be; however, we all knew this would
be very contrary to our past experiences!
After
a refreshing swim and a splendid supper cooked
over the open campfire, we were ready for a
restful evening, but were soon made very aware of
a sudden incoming storm from the direction of
Georgian Bay. We just made it to our tents when
the winds increased and the rain began to pour
down in torrents - none of us had ever
experienced this extreme change in weather while
camping. The fierce winds blew the rain under the
fly resulting in our tents becoming very
sensitive to our touch! During its forty-five
minute siege, there was nothing for us to do but
lie on our sleeping bags and take in the
spectacle of brilliant flashes of lightning and
the resounding cracks of thunder as the storm
circled over us on four different occasions. As
the storm abated, the air became very still and
cool as the stars filled the sky.
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