This morning, we met up with Monica's friend Judith to hike up Mount McKay. That's the big butte/mountain/plateau thingy overlooking (some might say "looming") over Thunder Bay. (FYI: Wikipedia says it is a mafic sill.)
I checked out the hiking trails on the Internet before we left, which said the eastern trail was good, the west was more unstable and recommended for experienced climbers only, and the north face was a DO-NOT-ATTEMPT-TO-CLIMB zone. Okay. Good to know!
We drove up to the park entrance, where you usually have to pay $5 per car; however, no one was there. So we continued on up to the 500ft level, where there's several amenities (which were also closed). We eventually realized it was Aboriginal Day (and Mount McKay is on reserve land), which explained the freebies! Woot! It also meant we had to figure out where the trails were on our own. Hmm.
There's a nice promenade at this level where you can walk around and view the city below. And, at the end of the promenade, there was a path, which we followed (because, duh - the promenade leads right to it, so this must be the right place. Right?).
It was a path, a most definite path, but as we went on, it got trickier. We were climbing uphill on paths strewn with lots of loose shale, and I started to wonder if this was the wrong path after all, because "shale" was a key word in one of the Internet warnings. And when we got to the barricade of giant shelf boulders that meant a sudden, steep climb upward, that pretty much confirmed we'd gone the wrong way, so we started to backtrack. Going back downhill on a slippery shale slope is almost trickier than going up.
On the way back, we met up with a happy family with kids following the same path. I warned them that we figured this was the wrong trail - for advanced climbers only, and that there was supposed to be an easier trail in the east. They told me they'd been here the year before and tried to find a way to the top but hadn't been able to, but they were going to take another look anyway. We went back to our car to search for the other trail.
This elusive eastern path was actually not very easy to find - we had to head back toward the exit, then pull into a field that looked like it might be a parking spot. That's where we saw a small orange ribbon tied to a tree branch. That was the only path marker (although I do concede it is a very traditional trail marker - it just wasn't exceptionally visible).
So, hoping we were on the right path at last, we followed the trail into the trees, where the mosquitoes were waiting for us. This trail was much easier, as in the "I probably won't fall to my death" version, but it was still somewhat strenuous. Or maybe it was just the heat. We went from shaded path and mucky undergrowth, to rocky uphill slopes, to clambering up over "steps" made of tree roots, to full on climbing up "stairs" of rocks. It's 26C, and we're all huffing and puffing and sweating like pigs, and trying to get over the next boulder.
But, when we finally reached the top, there was a lovely cool wind waiting for us, and the view was fantastic! 1000 feet above the city - if you look east, it's almost all trees and hills, with only one little road cutting through the wilderness. From the north and the west, you can look out over all of the city. For a while, we watched the harbour, where a big boat was coming in and tooting his big boat horn. On the other end we could see the airport, and a pulp mill. We spent some time just wandering around a bit on the top.
Note that this is not a national or a provincial park - it's on the Fort William Indian Reserve - and there are NONE of the usual safety barriers you might expect in those parks. You can walk right up to the edge. We did go near the north face, and the drop-offs were so sudden and sheer that my stomach got that horrible twisty feeling inside - the one that says "danger, danger! you're going to fall and die!"
Nevertheless, there was graffiti on some of those rocks. No doubt, some twit went out there with a paint can and wrote his last words before falling to his horrible, horrible death.
The happy family eventually arrived, having climbed up the same trail, so they must have backtracked, then seen our cars parked on the other side and found the trail from there. One other couple arrived while we were still at the summit - they asked if we knew where the lake was (apparently there is a lake somewhere up there). We did not. We spent a little while searching for it, then gave up and headed back down. Going down was definitely less exertion, but you really had to watch your footing and it was slow going at times. Ask Joe - he slipped and banged his knee, but fortunately, Judith had a band-aid (it never occurred to any of us to bring any first aid supplies. Oops).
But we did it! And, now that we have a taste for adventure, we might want to come back and try that tricky western slope sometime.
We did do one other hike that afternoon - we drove out to the Cascades. This is more of a nature trail, sort of like the Meewasin trail, but with lots of rocks and waterfalls. The last time we went to the Cascades, we had the place to ourselves, but this time, the parking lot was full. With the heat and sun, and the sunbathers were out in full force, while others were diving and swimming in the water pools. We clambered around on the rocks for a while, then sat down and dipped our feet in the water. As Monica said, it was like Nature's version of a foot massage.
For supper, we went out to a Korean Barbecue restaurant. It's a neat little setup, with a gas burner in the middle of your table, and they bring you raw meat and veggies, which you cook for yourself. It's all-you-can-eat, so once you've eaten the first course, you can ask for more chicken, or squid, or kimchi or whatever. Tres cool. Why don't we have this?
For dessert, we went back to Merla Mae's for more ice cream. After that, we watched "From Hell", a Ripper film with a thin grasp on the principles of realistic history. (However, I later learned it was adapted from a graphic novel, which makes the fanciful plot a little more understandable as it's not trying to be "history".)
Long day, but fun!
I checked out the hiking trails on the Internet before we left, which said the eastern trail was good, the west was more unstable and recommended for experienced climbers only, and the north face was a DO-NOT-ATTEMPT-TO-CLIMB zone. Okay. Good to know!
We drove up to the park entrance, where you usually have to pay $5 per car; however, no one was there. So we continued on up to the 500ft level, where there's several amenities (which were also closed). We eventually realized it was Aboriginal Day (and Mount McKay is on reserve land), which explained the freebies! Woot! It also meant we had to figure out where the trails were on our own. Hmm.
There's a nice promenade at this level where you can walk around and view the city below. And, at the end of the promenade, there was a path, which we followed (because, duh - the promenade leads right to it, so this must be the right place. Right?).
It was a path, a most definite path, but as we went on, it got trickier. We were climbing uphill on paths strewn with lots of loose shale, and I started to wonder if this was the wrong path after all, because "shale" was a key word in one of the Internet warnings. And when we got to the barricade of giant shelf boulders that meant a sudden, steep climb upward, that pretty much confirmed we'd gone the wrong way, so we started to backtrack. Going back downhill on a slippery shale slope is almost trickier than going up.
On the way back, we met up with a happy family with kids following the same path. I warned them that we figured this was the wrong trail - for advanced climbers only, and that there was supposed to be an easier trail in the east. They told me they'd been here the year before and tried to find a way to the top but hadn't been able to, but they were going to take another look anyway. We went back to our car to search for the other trail.
This elusive eastern path was actually not very easy to find - we had to head back toward the exit, then pull into a field that looked like it might be a parking spot. That's where we saw a small orange ribbon tied to a tree branch. That was the only path marker (although I do concede it is a very traditional trail marker - it just wasn't exceptionally visible).
So, hoping we were on the right path at last, we followed the trail into the trees, where the mosquitoes were waiting for us. This trail was much easier, as in the "I probably won't fall to my death" version, but it was still somewhat strenuous. Or maybe it was just the heat. We went from shaded path and mucky undergrowth, to rocky uphill slopes, to clambering up over "steps" made of tree roots, to full on climbing up "stairs" of rocks. It's 26C, and we're all huffing and puffing and sweating like pigs, and trying to get over the next boulder.
But, when we finally reached the top, there was a lovely cool wind waiting for us, and the view was fantastic! 1000 feet above the city - if you look east, it's almost all trees and hills, with only one little road cutting through the wilderness. From the north and the west, you can look out over all of the city. For a while, we watched the harbour, where a big boat was coming in and tooting his big boat horn. On the other end we could see the airport, and a pulp mill. We spent some time just wandering around a bit on the top.
Note that this is not a national or a provincial park - it's on the Fort William Indian Reserve - and there are NONE of the usual safety barriers you might expect in those parks. You can walk right up to the edge. We did go near the north face, and the drop-offs were so sudden and sheer that my stomach got that horrible twisty feeling inside - the one that says "danger, danger! you're going to fall and die!"
Nevertheless, there was graffiti on some of those rocks. No doubt, some twit went out there with a paint can and wrote his last words before falling to his horrible, horrible death.
The happy family eventually arrived, having climbed up the same trail, so they must have backtracked, then seen our cars parked on the other side and found the trail from there. One other couple arrived while we were still at the summit - they asked if we knew where the lake was (apparently there is a lake somewhere up there). We did not. We spent a little while searching for it, then gave up and headed back down. Going down was definitely less exertion, but you really had to watch your footing and it was slow going at times. Ask Joe - he slipped and banged his knee, but fortunately, Judith had a band-aid (it never occurred to any of us to bring any first aid supplies. Oops).
But we did it! And, now that we have a taste for adventure, we might want to come back and try that tricky western slope sometime.
We did do one other hike that afternoon - we drove out to the Cascades. This is more of a nature trail, sort of like the Meewasin trail, but with lots of rocks and waterfalls. The last time we went to the Cascades, we had the place to ourselves, but this time, the parking lot was full. With the heat and sun, and the sunbathers were out in full force, while others were diving and swimming in the water pools. We clambered around on the rocks for a while, then sat down and dipped our feet in the water. As Monica said, it was like Nature's version of a foot massage.
For supper, we went out to a Korean Barbecue restaurant. It's a neat little setup, with a gas burner in the middle of your table, and they bring you raw meat and veggies, which you cook for yourself. It's all-you-can-eat, so once you've eaten the first course, you can ask for more chicken, or squid, or kimchi or whatever. Tres cool. Why don't we have this?
For dessert, we went back to Merla Mae's for more ice cream. After that, we watched "From Hell", a Ripper film with a thin grasp on the principles of realistic history. (However, I later learned it was adapted from a graphic novel, which makes the fanciful plot a little more understandable as it's not trying to be "history".)
Long day, but fun!
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