November 10 - Day 2
Day-trip to Burnt Island Lake

Campfire breakfast

Breakfast over a morning campfire

It was a balmy -5°C we I got out of the tent around 8:30am. By 10:00am we were all sitting around a toasty warm fire, ingesting our second and third cups of coffee. Mike made bacon breakfast sandwiches for us, toasted over the fire. By 11:45am Mike & I were on the move. It was decided we would day-trip over to Burnt Island Lake. Mike had never been there and wanted to explore the area without the crowds that usually plague that lake in the summer.

I had been through Burnt Island Lake a few times and can attest to it's beauty. It is a very pretty lake, however all the campsites there have an over-used look and feel about them. Still the prospect of being completely alone while paddling the lake intrigued us, we just hoped the weather proved to be cooperative.


Canoe camping

Canoe camping: Swede’s “tent" set-up for the weekend

 

Burnt Island Lake
Paddling along Burnt Island Lake’s shoreline


The morning was bright with lots of blue sky and no wind, it almost seemed to be too good to be true. We paddled over to the portage to Burnt Island Lake arriving at the ice covered shallows and landing. Indeed the water was very close to icing-up. Mike carried the canoe while I took photographs and carried the day pack.

The trail (1140m) had a light dusting of snow that proved to be easy to walk through. Further along, deeper in the forest, snow amounts increased. However, this did not pose a problem as winter had still not set in. There was only a maximum of 5cm of snow in places. For the most part though it was just a dusting of snow.

By 12:25pm we passed Baby Joe Lake where the trail intersects then joins the 200m carry-over from that lake to Burnt Island Lake, a few minutes later we arrived at a calm and desolate looking bay as Mike put down his canoe at the put-in, which is decorated with a ridiculous wooden retaining wall. The one at Baby Joe Lake was even worse. I caught myself wondering where were the brass-handrails?

We paddled the bay, passing the island that guarded the lake proper. Once we passed the obstacle course of rock and timber, we emerged onto the expanse of Burnt Island Lake. There was a small breeze that generated small ripples in the water, but nothing that we couldn't handle. We paddled along the West shoreline that tracked in a northerly direction, passing campsite after campsite. There were a few campsites that looked quite nice for summer weather. The water looked quite low and as we paddled around, I noticed that the north-shore campsites were devoid of snow cover. There was a lone loon swimming around but that was all we saw in the way of wildlife.


Burnt Island Lake
Along the North Shore of Burnt Island Lake

 

Camp Minnesing ruins
Camp Minnesing relics on shoreline of Burnt Island Lake


It seemed almost criminal that we had the lake all to ourselves. The weather had held and I figure under the afternoon sun the temperature reached a sizzling +5°C. Very warm for November. We paddled around a rocky point, that was known in the past to be infested with racoons and headed into the open bay that encompassed nearby Caroline Island, we paddled further East to a campsite that I had visited previously on a few occasions. By 2:00pm we arrived at the campsite I had visited roughly five years earlier. Much had changed, of the most noticeable was the water level, it was nearly a meter lower then when I had visited, at least according to my memory it was that low.

The campsite still had that abused look to it and as I walked to the rear of the campsite, I found many empty plastic packages for lunch meats and such tossed into the nearby bush. I shook my head at the senseless waste and destruction that some 'campers' insisted on doing while camping in our beloved park. I had learned much over the years, acquiring camping skills and such, leaving as little trace as possible. But I never tossed garbage into the bush, that's just downright lazy. After my rant I joined Mike on the shoreline to sit under the November sun and eat some lunch and drink some water. The solitude factor was fantastic, no one else was on the lake. It was a good day, but oh the sun was so low in the sky, our time was short.


Camp Minnesing relic
Mike examines an old tin can left behind at Camp Minnesing

 

Raven
A Raven flies overhead at Camp Minnesing ruins


2:30pm we departed and headed west enjoying the freedom of a windless and noiseless Burnt Island Lake, rare for sure. It was just after 3pm that Mike mentioned he wanted to see if we could find the ruins of Camp Minnesing. I had never bothered to look for them myself, so for both of us it was a new place to explore. As we approached the shoreline, my eyes spotted something unusual; a rusty piece of metalwork lying on the exposed shoreline. We paddled over and got out amid freshly chewed birch branches (Beaver) and examined our find. It looked to be a water pump that was left on shore, and during the spring months could possibly be submerged underwater with it going unnoticed.

It was 3:30pm. We scoured the nearby bush and found a trail, and relics from the area; buckets, old bed frames and springs rusting in the bush. Eventually, I followed the trail to a nearby campsite. Mike joined me at the campsite with his canoe, deciding to fetch the canoe and paddle to the campsite, so as not to lose our way. From there, we followed the trail which lead to another trail and the accidental stumbling upon of a chimney. Suddenly out of the thick forest, a chimney loomed above us and as we explored the immediate area, we noticed another chimney and another and so on. Eventually we counted eight chimneys, seven of which were still standing. The building or buildings must have been quite large The chimneys also had piping in the fireplaces. We surmised this is how the water for the camp was heated.


Canoe rest
Canoe rest along the portage back to Little Doe Lake

Many other foundations complete with staircases were found, as well as metal fuel bins, oil cans, toilet bowls, etc. We also came upon a cistern at the edge of the camp ruins. If you ever get a chance to visit Burnt Island Lake, this is definitely an area worthy of exploring, the ruins are quite extensive. Having visited the area in late fall was a bonus too as the bush was pretty thin and easy to see through.

By 4:30pm we got back in the canoe and made our way back to the portage, the sun would be setting in less than an hour and we had no desire to be paddling in the dark in November. We passed the South side of the island that is in the bay before the portage and noticed a beautiful campsite there. Again, it had the look of being overused, but still the beauty of Burnt Island Lake won out. I just wanted to camp there, right then and there.


4:50pm we arrived at the landing and by 5:03pm were at the halfway point on the portage, where there is a canoe rest. We stopped and took a few pictures in the late day sun. The rest of the trail was easy, with only two shallow climbs along the entire length of the portage. By 5:14pm we arrived back at the landing at Little Doe Lake and the view was heavenly. A glass like lake was framed by a darkening forest covered in snow, while the sun lit up the Northeast shoreline, fooling one into believing it was summer over there on the opposite shore. I was so entranced by the scene that I took a wonderful photo of it and later on blew up several copies and gave them away to family and friends. I call the photo, "November Surprise".


”November Surprise!"


By 5:25pm the sun had set and we paddled to within sight of our campsite. Fire-smoke drifted lazily out over the lake as we paddled up to the site in the twilight. Swede and Tomek were already there, they had explored the immediate area and nearby Tom Thomson Lake as well.


Sunset on Little Doe Lake

Little Doe Lake as we paddled back to camp for the evening


With the clear sky that night the temperature dropped to near -8°C. It was a cold night around the fire, but with great company, laughs shared and a few warming drinks around the fire made for an enjoyable evening for all. The Park had such a lonely feel to it in November but evenings spent around the fire-pit with a few friends pushed away those thoughts.

Campfire

Tomek, Swede & Mike B enjoy a November evening around a warm campfire

 

Next Page - Day 3 | Previous Page - Day 1 | Return to Top of Page

Map • Weather • Stats