It is currently March 28th, 2024, 1:32 am

All times are UTC - 5 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 4 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Mijinemungshing Lake
PostPosted: July 27th, 2016, 7:18 pm 
Offline

Joined: February 10th, 2005, 2:36 pm
Posts: 220
Location: Southwest Michigan
After camping 7 nights on the beach at Gargantua Harbour where I frankly spent a lot of time enjoying catching up on some reading, I decided to try out Mijinemungshing Lake (Mij). Actually I left Gargantua before breakfast on a Thursday morning hoping to escape a coming thunder storm. I finished loading everything in my van just as it started to sprinkle. As I drove out the 14 km dirt road it poured and thundered. I ate breakfast in the van and headed to the LSPP welcome center and called my wife. I was trying to decide if I wanted to go home or go to Mij. I decided to give Mij a try. I talked with a young employee who had paddled and camped there. She suggested a couple camp sites.

When I arrived at the put in at Mij I was again questioning what I wanted to do. I eventually got in my van and started heading back out. After driving about a kilometer I turned around and went back to the put in. It was a go. The skies were still gray but they seemed to be clearing. There was a wind but it would be at my back.

I rounded the curve and paddled straight east. I passed the first and biggest island on the lake on it’s north side and continued due east toward the two campsites on the far shore. Of the two I chose the north one - It has a beautiful view back to the southwest.

At least 10 times I had passed by the sign at the road to Mij on my way to a trip further north never giving it much of a thought. I figured it was only one lake and probably crowded. Now I was camped on her, the skies had turned blue, I was thoroughly enjoying the view and couldn’t see a soul. I was glad to be there!

After sleeping next to Lake Superior for a week Mij was so quiet! Perfectly quiet! But the loons sang seemingly throughout the whole night. Healing to the mind of someone so used to the sounds of the city. I had used my prior two year’s vacations going on mission trips to the Philippines so it had been a long time since this Michigan boy had heard loons. The sky was clear and the moon was very bright.

The next day, Friday, was pretty windy most of the day and I stayed in camp. It was sunny. I had brought a briefcase full of books to the camp and was happy to read while taking in the sights and sounds around me. As at Gargantua, most if not all the sites on Mij have a thunder box and a picnic table. Kind of different for a purist but I got used to it just fine especially the picnic table.

Next morning I pushed off the shore at 6:00 a.m. I paddled straight south to the entrance of the south arm of the lake. As I rounded the corner heading north east the sun was just coming up. The combination of the bright rising sun, the mirror like smoothness of the lake and the rising mist made it a paradise. The next 30 minutes were heavenly. Wonderful peace, Clarity of thought. This mornings paddle would truly be the highlight of my whole trip. The re-creation I was seeking.

I posted some pictures of my beautiful morning paddle on my face book site: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1038519970 I am not a photographer by any means but they are worth seeing. It has been so long I don’t remember how to post them here. Maybe I will try to figure it out when I have time.

The lone campsite in the arm is ok. I would choose the one I saw at the entrance of the arm. It has a clear view of sunrise and sunset. The people camped there indicted it didn’t have but 1 or maybe 2 decent flat places for tents which was also the case where I was camped. I was back to camp to cook breakfast by 8 a.m.

After breakfast I decided to move to one of the campsites on the east end of the large island. As it turned out the one facing east was the only one open. That was the one I wanted. It had a good view. This site and I think the one just around the corner where a family from Virginia were camped have multiple tent pads. They also apparently share the thunder box. I was kind of sorry I moved but I wanted to be able to paddle out more easily next day if it was windy.

I spent the rest of the morning mainly relaxing and reading. Around the corner on the south side of the island there is a very nice little beach and the sand continues into the water. I took a “bath” there. My weather radio was predicting rain after midnight and pretty much all day Sunday. I made the decision to leave Sunday morning so after lunch I took my food and my over size briefcase of books to the van.

Late in the afternoon I paddled deep into the north arm of the lake. It has the feel of being a little more secluded but I actually found two couples of young adults camping together on the far side of one of the islands deep in the arm. They were from Sault Ste. Marie. As I paddled along the shore I noted what appeared to me to be numerous animal trails coming down into the water.

By the time I turned in for the night my weather radio was telling me 70% chance of showers after midnight and on Sunday. I woke up at 5:00 to find it hadn’t rained but the sky was filled with dark clouds. At 5:15 I decided to go for it. I left camp at 6:00. Once again the rain held off until I was in the van.

Mijinemungshing Lake is not Wabakimi or the like by any means but it is very nice and for me it is 9 hours closer. It would make a great place to spend the night on the way to or from a trip further north.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Mijinemungshing Lake
PostPosted: July 28th, 2016, 9:05 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: June 5th, 2003, 2:50 pm
Posts: 758
Location: Halfmoon Bay BC
Thanks for this !


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Mijinemungshing Lake
PostPosted: July 28th, 2016, 11:49 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: June 23rd, 2006, 4:25 pm
Posts: 3129
Location: Milton
Love the mist pic!

Jeff

_________________
Choosing to save a river is more often an act of passion than of careful calculation. You make the choice because the river has touched your life in an intimate and irreversible way, because you are unwilling to accept its loss. — (David Bolling, Ho


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Mijinemungshing Lake
PostPosted: July 28th, 2016, 1:12 pm 
Offline

Joined: April 6th, 2007, 8:42 pm
Posts: 453
Dan, glad you enjoyed the trip into Miji. It's a lake with plenty to offer. Thanks for posting.


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 4 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group