20 August 2015, Thursday
We wake at 6 am after a solid 10 hr of sleep. Inside the tent we are
surprisingly dry – outside everything is still sodden. We eat
breakfast and pack up our rain-heavy tent and tarp. Today’s hike is
described as shorter, but the most difficult day. The trip
description says even seasoned hikers should plan on 4-6 hours to
complete the approximately 5 mile trek.
Our walk is made even more difficult because the rain has made the rocks of
Minong Ridge quite slick. It’s not the ups and downs and searching for
cairns on the ridges that slows us down. We have to plan every step
to avoid slipping on the rocks. Still, the views, even with the
clouds still present, are beautiful. The cool breeze and the clouds
surely create a better hike than we would have had on a hot sunny
day.
At times we feel we are walking along the spine of some giant sea serpent. O
and I are singing intermittently to a tune S and G know well…
“There’s always one more Minong ridge to climb
Just when you’re in the forest and your knees are feeling fine
There is always one more Minong Ridge to climb.”
As we come off yet another trek along the slippery ridge and follow the
cairns down into a grove of birch and hemlock, a little gray bird
lands on a branch practically in front of my nose and dips his head
so I can see his golden crown – a kinglet!
We finally descend the ridge for the last time today and walk a half
mile through a dense birch forest to the northern shore of Lake
Desor, a large lake in the middle of the island. It’s a perfect
evening for our favorite camping meal – Mac and cheese bechamel,
Yum!! We are slowly drying out in the gentle breeze. A brief shower
sends most people to their tents. I am down by the shore writing in
my journal. The opposite shore of Desor turns that brilliant
golden-green you see when there is a rainbow, but there is no rainbow.
Sure enough, after a minute or two, a brilliant rainbow shoots up over
Greenstone Ridge. It takes my breath away! I don’t think anyone else
has seen it. The shadow of Minong Ridge is creeping up Greenstone
Ridge as the sun sinks lower behind us. The rainbow fades and a few
mosquitoes make an appearance. Bed time!