Backpack Day 4: Fishermans Cove to Fish Harbour
Thursday, July 29
Overnight brought several periods of heavier rain, but snug and dry in our tents, it was of little concern to us. By morning the rain had moved off, and day 4 of our trip dawned with a mix of sun and cloud. Yesterday's weather, whatever it was, must have included some sort of front, for it was definitely fresher, cooler, and less humid.
The weather forecast predicted a chance of showers today, but not in any great amount and likely not worth trying to outrun. Hopefully it wouldn't develop into something more serious and as a result, be nothing more than a passing nuisance.
Our destination today: Fish Harbour. I know, you say "but aren't you there already?". That would be a reasonable question, but upon closer examination, one can see that we were camped at Fishermans Cove and where we were headed was Fish Harbour. Maybe this spot was where the Fishermen camped and maybe they had to go over to Fish Harbour to actually fish? who knows... in any case, be aware that there are a lot of coves and harbours around here with "fish" or "fisherman" in the name, and that can get a little confusing.
Confusing naming aside, Fish Harbour was where our next campsite was. The map seemed to show it at roughly twelve kilometres away, and we accepted it but with an understanding that it might be a lowball estimate. After fixing Gino's delicate baby feet, we headed out from camp at about 9:35 a.m. Much later than yesterday's 7 a.m. departure time, but we were not attempting to beat the weather today, so no big deal.
We hiked back to the junction with the coastal trail and turned left, continuing on with the next phase of our journey north. We crossed a fairly new and sturdy footbridge (which represented the most significant sign of actual trail infrastructure to this point along the trail northbound), and then ascended steeply through some bedrock clefts (point of note: both here and in Lake Superior Provincial park, large bedrock clefts are common - and it is fairly common for the trail to be routed through them). These ascending clefts led to some beautiful high bedrock overlooks back down onto Fishermans Cove (where we had just camped the night before).
Beyond the Fishermans Cove Lookout, the trail continued over highlands in a relatively rough manner for another half kilometer before descending back to the Lake Superior Coastline. From here came a fairly extended stretch of actual on-the-coastline hiking, with only brief forays into the forest to bypass a few small headlands. As a result, there was a lot of scenic hiking and easy scrambling. In general, this part felt a lot more like the typical coastline hiking along the coastal route in Lake Superior Provincial Park.
