In Search of Tellruis Vultus II

(Continued from post 10-19)

The sunlight broke through the tent side as the sound of diehard mosquitoes were still lightly buzzing.
In the cool of the morning I spent some time walking around the area before beginning the days paddling.



 As I was packing at the dock in Britt on the first day I over heard that rattlesnakes had been very active due to the unusually warm weather. I stayed away from low lying juniper bushes and swampy areas. Air horns could be used to clear a blackbear out of the area but they probably wouldn't move a snake. I carried a stick and walked in clear paths staying on the warm slab of rocks.

Later, I again loaded the kayak and paddled back into the low canyons I had visited the day before.

The walls ranged from a couple of feet high to 10 feet of steep and solid rock outcroppings.
 Finding a patch of blueberries close the edge of the rocky cliff, I turned the paddle to hit them in an upward motion, the blue berries would rain down into the water and I would gather them. A slight breeze had risen and rippled the water erasing the reflections that I had seen the night before.





I paddled into a "water field" of wild lilies in a wide open area. By this time the wind was blocked by the rocky shore and trees. There was shallow water,  clear enough to see the sandy bottom and the tendrils of the lilies as they floated upward. From below, the lily pads looked like big green clouds, and life lines to the sunlight. A green glow from the sun shining through the lily pads lit the underwater world.        

                             It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. 

                                                                        Albert Einstein 

As Rusty's comment about "Art is not in the creating, it is in the finding." I knew I found something wonderful in these water fields of lilies. Something handed to me. I counted it as a gift. I didn't create this shot, I captured a view. I was curious enough to want to see the underwater world of lilies.

I forgot about the reflections I was after and enjoyed the "water fields" of lilies. I continued paddling through three large "fields". I was very quite, and slow hoping to see other wildlife, I spotted an otter moving smoothly through the lilly pads and slowly ghosting away without a ripple.






 In Norgate Inlet, and Foster Island I came across a barge of building materials. The builders were framing a "cottage" as the Canadiens called them. It seemed to be large for a cottage. All the materials were on board. I saw the windows and roofing materials as well as stacks of lumber. There are no roads to these islands to deliver by truck, so the lumber barges were the delivery system. I watched the framers for a moment and moved on.

Still on my quest for Telluris Vultus, (earth faces) I was not satisfied with my search. I decided to paddle father south and broke out to the rocky islands that were on the edge of the open water.  I headed towards a little harbor in Bayfield, 4 miles away.  As I paddled south east the sky was blue and small clouds were before me. A slight wind in my face and ripples on the water.  I stayed close to the shore making time. I carried a map and compass, but no weather radio or UHF radio. I had all I needed at the time, shelter, food, and close enough to land to camp if the waves got to be too much to handle. Thunder storms were forecast for later that day.  The weather seemed to be just fine at the moment so I was enjoying the journey.

The view looking south west Georgian Bay ON

Land of 30,000 Islands

Next post " The Storm"