Triplogs / Triplog#12 / Day 2
Shall Lake(IN) - Shirley L - Shirley L - Shall Lake(OUT)
Day 2
Another image showing the vastness of our campsite on Shirley Lake
Early afternoon view from our campsite on Shirley Lake
What a beautiful day! The day was just perfect, and we did not waste any time! After breakfast, of eggs, bacon & hash browns, we cleaned up our eating area and stowed the food high up, hanging it from a pine, and set off in the canoe. We explored the bay to the north-east of our site, as far as we could go, then turned around and explored another section of the bay, which led us to Shirley creek. I believe that even during spring, Shirley creek would be un-navigable. It was more like a brook, loaded with rocks, heavy in Iron elements, as noted by the orange-ish stain on the rocks' surfaces. Walking further up the creek, I was forced to turn around, as I came upon some deep pools, shrouded with thick Alders. As I write this triplog, I can't help but wonder if that spot might have been a great fishing hole? I had no interest in fishing at the time of the trip, as I do now, and sometimes wonder of the missed opportunities. No matter, we headed back to our canoe, and left the tiny bay, as we headed for Ancona Bay. Rounding a point, we noticed a change in the landscape there. There were many tree stumps along the shoreline and weeds as well.
Shirley creek - more rocks than water!
This is where Shirley creek empties into Shirley Lake
Obviously the water level in the lake had been artificially raised. Perhaps from the era of the1800's, when dam building was common in The Park, to assist in Log driving. This 'devastation' did not detract from the beauty of the landscape. We pulled up to a sandy beach, again with the rich red sand, and walked around, finding old timber washed up on shore, and a few moose tracks. Eventually we got back in the canoe and paddled into the expanse of Ancona Bay. The bay is quite big, thus making two people in a small canoe, feel very small indeed. There were a few islands, that completed the picture, and we stopped off at one of the islands, for lunch. JL decided to go for a swim among the loons, who voiced their agitation at having to share their domain with a stranger. The young men we had encountered on the portage were camped on the east shore at one of the two campsites that is denoted on the canoe routes map. We could hear them but not see them, and in the canoe far from shore, we could only spot one of the campsites. Camping on this part of Shirley Lake is quite secluded. After lunch we paddled west then south towards the last bay before the 1600m portage to Birdie Lake. We never made it. Before reaching the last bay, very near the large island with the single campsite on it(the island across from our campsite), we became bogged down in shallow, woody muck. Ooze was everywhere, as well as a great many tree stumps. In this particular spot on the lake, the devastation wrought by higher water levels was absolute, the waterscape had a 'dead' look to it, and the smell wasn't pleasant either. The water there seemed tepid.
Entering Ancona Bay - some of the visible effects of raised water levels
Along the shoreline in Ancona Bay
There did seem to be a channel in which one might be able to navigate through to get to the portage, but we never did go that far, we turned around and headed for the big island, as we tracked along it's north shore. We pulled up to a rock slope and climbed out, and hiked & bushwhacked our way up the hillside of the island. Hiking around in the bush in late August is easily accomplished as the bug threat is almost non-exsistent. After an hour of climbing up then down the steep slope of the island, we got back in our canoe, and headed home. Passing a point on the island, within sight of our campsite, we noticed a vast weed bed, and shallow waters. Again, I can't help but wonder if there was good fishing there. Once back at camp, JL was tired and decided to have a nap. I set off to explore some more, wanting to see how far down the shoreline I could go on foot, I headed south, with my camera in hand. I really liked the shoreline of Shirley Lake, you can just go on and on and on. It can be a bit mucky in spots, nevertheless it was quite sandy, and quite passable. After almost an hour of exploring the shoreline, I unexpectedly came upon a startling sight. A water pipe, snaking it's way out of the forest, onto the shoreline, and into the water! "What's going on here?", I asked myself. I thought perhaps there was a cottage nearby...yet there was no visible signs of a dock or building. Whatever the reasons, I was curious, and thought I should investigate.
As I left the shoreline and followed the water pipe, I came upon what looked like artifacts from logging days long gone. Old rusting metal parts, rotten wood beams, etc. I followed the pipe deep into the forest where it took a right turn and followed a worn path. After a minute or two, I came upon a camp. A lumber camp. An AFA camp. AFA meaning The Algonquin Forest Authority. A self regulated forest management body, for the harvesting of wood in Algonquin Park. All those pretty words mean one thing, logging in Algonquin Park. I could go on and on about logging in Algonquin(I'm not happy about it), but I won't in this trip-log. Suffice it to say, I wandered around the camp for about 30 minutes, and then an eerie feeling came over me as I wondered around, feeling creepy that such a place should've been a beehive of activity, yet was strangely empty. I suspected the season of active logging in the area was not yet open, thus the empty camp. I left and headed back to my campsite. Once back at camp, I toured the shoreline north of our site, and was dismayed to discover some broken glass along the shoreline. I'll be damned! Humanity continues to piss me off sometimes. At least some un-desireable clan of humanity does. I scooped up the glass and eventually packed it out.
The AFA camp on Shirley Lake
Red sandy shoreline: around the bend from our campsite
From what I've heard since the trip to Shirley Lake, there is a logging road corridor that runs past the camp and up behind Shirley Lake.
This essentially means that although there might not be active logging in the area, logging trucks could possibly be heard rumbling by as they transit the road to get to and from active logging areas.
One interesting aspect of our campsite, was the rather abundant fungi(mushrooms) and arachnid(spiders) population. There was so many spider-webs and spiders in the area, and they weren't tiny spiders either. Some of the mushrooms were quite big, so much so, they collapsed under their own weight. That night we had dinner(of what I can't remember), under a clear sky, with an evening fire, that made it feel like a September nite, as it became crisp and cool. That entire day(Saturday), we did not see one canoe or person, except for the 6 guys we heard on Ancona Bay. The north end of Shirley lake is the place to be!
Paddling the north shore of the big island outside Ancona Bay
One of the massive fungi on our campsite
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