Carmichael Bay, Nellie Lake, October 2011.
Frood Lake, heading into Killarney.
In 1933 A.Y. Jackson, of the world-reknowned Group of Seven artists, found himself perched on a ledge a couple hundred feet above Nellie Lake to the North, and about twice that above the Killarney Lowlands immediately east of the lake. Directly in front of him was the corresponding canyon face, about the same height as the ridge he was on. In his field of view was Carmichael Bay, the end of Nellie Lake and named for his colleague. Above the bay is a saddle of rock and pine trees, with a pass full of hardwoods that have turned red and yellow with the onset of autumn. Jackson thought that this scene was so beautiful that he sketched it, and later turned it into the painting called 'Hills, Killarney, Ontario. (Nellie Lake).
A Grey Tree Frog, on top of a Killarney ridge.
Fast forward nearly eighty, and a group of friends and myself wanted to find the exact spot where A.Y. Jackson did his base sketches. I met George and Richard, both serious photographers and Group of Seven fans, at a lodge south of Espanola, and, after loading a pair of canoes, we travelled around the mountain to the hamlet of Willisville, at the narrows between Charlton Lake and Frood Lake, where we met up with Steve and Mike, George's stepsons. We hired a barge from one of the lodges to take us out to the start of our trip, a 1700 metre uphill portage into Grace Lake. On the ride out we inquired about business, the fauna of the area, how big the fish are-this was my first canoe trip in 25 years wtihout any fishing gear!
Grace Lake.
I flipped the big but remarkably light kevlar canoe over my head, and up I went. I was curious to see how I would do, since I had not portaged any canoe since an Algonquin Park trout expedition in early May 2010. It was now early October 2011. There is something called muscle memory; the idea is that if you do something often enough the muscles involved in that activity well remember and adjust to it. Well, even though I hadn't portaged, or paddled, for that matter, a canoe in 17 months, my muscles adjusted well enough. Anyways, at the top of the portage is Grace Lake, on the edge of the great Killarney wilderness. We found a nice campsite and set up camp and then had enough time to explore the lake.
A self-portrait above Grace Lake.
Two years earlier, the same group of friends had tried to find the spot where Carmichael was photographed above Grace Lake with his sketching kit, to limited success. Even earlier,
George had trouble finding the portage to Grace Lake. Not a surprise, since the portage is a well-used but small opening in the thick forest on the slopes of the La Cloche mountain range. The trail ascends for nearly all of the 1700 metre length, but it is a nice walk through
mostly hardwoods. At Grace Lake there is a small bay at the put-in. The rock rises a few feet on the left side, but a couple hundred feet on the right side. The lake is long and narrow, with a few small islands, too small to camp on. We found a site on the south shore, and then George and Richard headed across the lake to try to climb to the highest point on the other shore. Mike and Steve paddled down to the far end of the lake. I just stayed put, and climbed to the first ridge behind camp, perhaps a hundred feet high. Up there, I was still far below the top of the second ridge on the south shore, but what a view! The lake is surrounded be the white granite that is synonymous with Killarney. On the north shore, the heights were equal. The slopes are covered with hardy, wind-swept pine trees all the way around the lake. Finally, at the end of the day we were treated to a spectacular Killarney sunset, and a starry night sky.
George had trouble finding the portage to Grace Lake. Not a surprise, since the portage is a well-used but small opening in the thick forest on the slopes of the La Cloche mountain range. The trail ascends for nearly all of the 1700 metre length, but it is a nice walk through
mostly hardwoods. At Grace Lake there is a small bay at the put-in. The rock rises a few feet on the left side, but a couple hundred feet on the right side. The lake is long and narrow, with a few small islands, too small to camp on. We found a site on the south shore, and then George and Richard headed across the lake to try to climb to the highest point on the other shore. Mike and Steve paddled down to the far end of the lake. I just stayed put, and climbed to the first ridge behind camp, perhaps a hundred feet high. Up there, I was still far below the top of the second ridge on the south shore, but what a view! The lake is surrounded be the white granite that is synonymous with Killarney. On the north shore, the heights were equal. The slopes are covered with hardy, wind-swept pine trees all the way around the lake. Finally, at the end of the day we were treated to a spectacular Killarney sunset, and a starry night sky.
A spectacular sunset over Grace Lake.
October on Grace Lake, Killarney.
On the second day we had a two kilometre long portage into Nellie Lake to look forward to. The trail rises 80 metres in the first three quarters of the portage, and then it descends dramaticly for 65 metres. This is not a section that I would care to do in inclement weather!
Generally, this portage is rugged but in good shape. Near the Grace Lake end is a long beaver dam that you have to cross, but after that the trail is fine, a nice hike through the maple and beech trees. The fall colours were just past their prime, by about three days. However, the canopy still contained plenty of colour, and at the little plateau at the top of the portage a thick carpet covered the trail, providing a good resting spot. Somehow, 80 metres doesn't do the portage justice. Rather, a climb of 260 feet over nearly a mile sounds better, as does a drop of about 210 feet in the final 1625 feet! Even in dry conditions I had to be very careful on the descent.
Generally, this portage is rugged but in good shape. Near the Grace Lake end is a long beaver dam that you have to cross, but after that the trail is fine, a nice hike through the maple and beech trees. The fall colours were just past their prime, by about three days. However, the canopy still contained plenty of colour, and at the little plateau at the top of the portage a thick carpet covered the trail, providing a good resting spot. Somehow, 80 metres doesn't do the portage justice. Rather, a climb of 260 feet over nearly a mile sounds better, as does a drop of about 210 feet in the final 1625 feet! Even in dry conditions I had to be very careful on the descent.
The water taxi-George-on Nellie Lake.
But what a rewarding view at Nellie Lake! In front of us was Carmichael Bay, a large bay with a narrow passage on the north side to the main lake, and hemmed in by the aforementioned granite walls on all sides. The outlet of the bay was on the south shore at the far end of the bay, a stream called Notch Creek. The water was calm, and the day clear and sunny and warm. We had hatched a novel plan to get to the campsite, taking only the large 3 seater canoe and leaving the other one at Grace Lake. On Nellie Lake three people would head out to the campsite, and then one would return to get the other two. This is not a plan I would be in favour of in anything but the best of conditions, especially in early October, when the water temperature becomes colder with every passing night. We pulled it off, though, on both days, without a glitch-almost-and it did save much work on the portage. George volunteered to return to get the guys while Richard and I set up camp. We had found a nice campsite in the middle of the shoreline of the main basin of the lake, on the south shore, from where Jackson first sketched seven decades earlier. The afternoon wore on, and we wondered where the guys were. They finally came into view, but something was funny. Then Richard and I spotted two paddles lying around the site! Oops. George did a good job, while the other two enjoyed the extraordinary view of the bottom of the lake, 60 or 70 feet down.
The clear waters of Nellie Lake.
Nellie Lake is famous not only for being the subject of a painting by a Group of Seven member, but also for being incredibly clear. While some of this is caused by acid rain, the granite basin of the lake allows it to be so clear. When we paddled across the lake, the sensation was like flying. It was really cool, and really disconcerting at the same time, seeing the bottom of the lake seventy feet below!
Well, I will finish this adventure in the next installment of Uncle Travelling Dan. Enjoy the great winter activities, like ice fishing, which I spent last weekend doing, eh!
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