Maps provided courtesy of Toporama which contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. I have marked my route in blue and portages in red. 

Day 3 - Wasaksina Lake to Shiningwood Bay (13 km)

When I awoke shortly after 6 AM and looked out at the water, I couldn't believe I was on the same lake as the previous day. It was like glass. Furthermore, the moon was visible in the clear, blue sky. Instant serenity. 

Coffee was in order. 

When out on a canoe trip, one of my favourite moments of the day is that cup of coffee in the cool, early morning air when the world is quiet, calm, and just waking up. Love it! 

After a quick oatmeal breakfast, Scott and I went out and got our lines wet in the bay behind our site. 

A fish fry did not occur later in the morning, unfortunately. 

We broke camp and were on the water by 9:30 AM. I was better able to snap a photo of our amazing site from the water without bouncing around in all of the waves of the previous day. 

It was a nice, calm paddle into the northwestern bay of Wasaksina Lake. We passed a couple of good campsites there, one of which had a lofty eastward view, perched high on a cliff. It appeared to be inhabited by a solo paddler. We waved as we paddled past 

We experienced a moment of delay finding the 100-meter portage out of Wasaksina, located to the right of a rocky stream; it wasn't signposted, and a formidable-sized log was blocking the take-out. We first saw a trail leading up into the woods, but that seemed to disappear into the bush. On closer inspection, we spotted the trail running through the alder parallel to the stream. 

It was a short carry that seemed less than 100 meters. It ended at a very pretty campsite surrounded by lush cedars next to a couple of small ledges where the stream dumped into Denedus Lake. 

Although we had barely passed the first hour mark of the day's journey, it was hot and we had just completed a portage. Upon glancing at the ledge more closely, it actually appeared to be a smooth little waterslide. Jason and I immediately stripped down to our skivvies and went for a couple of slides. We simply couldn't resist. 

Now, I can't speak for Jason, but I was personally glad that I took my underwear for a swim. After all, at that stage of the trip that particular pair (my lucky canoe-trippin' ones!) was becoming a marathong. I mean, after taking my lucky pair into unsharted territory, they were due for a rinse. I was wearing the Puma brand, and I believe Jason, knowing he would be sliding down the waters of former log runs, was wearing Fruit of the Flumes.  It was a shame that Scott, The Rehydrator, didn't partake in the swim; after all of the deydrated meals, his pair had become thunderwear. 

Now, I appreciate that some readers are probably thinking that it is rather childish for a 54-year-old man to write about underwear and fart jokes in a canoe-tripping blog, so I'll bottom out and end it here; I'll keep it briefs. 

After the refreshing dip, we put in and I took one more shot of the area. The spot just had generally good vibes. 

Shallow Denedus Lake looked to be prime bass and pike waters, so we engaged in a bit of fishing. 

The water was incredibly clear, and we could spot the fish darting to and fro as we slowly made our way into the lake. Scott tapped into a decent-sized bass in a narrows near an island. 

The larger northern bay of Denedus was dotted with islands, just another gorgeous lake in the Temagami wilderness. There were a couple of vacant campsites there, one of which looked to be quite nice. 

We caught up to a young family and their dog at the take-out to Olier Lake in a gorgeous 18-foot Swift Keewaydin canoe, if I recall correctly. They were coming into Denedus. We chatted for a bit before moving on. I love seeing parents introducing the wilderness to their children. The reasons why I think this is a good idea could be a whole blog entry on its own. Click here if you would like to see a few. Anything that can get kids away from screens for a period of time is good enough in my books! 

At 325 meters, the portage to Olier was a little longer than its predecessor, but it was a well-used path with no obstacles. It ran to the right of a log-choked rocky drop that was quite scenic in spots. 

We had the put-in to ourselves and paddled out into Olier Lake. 

We made short work of Olier Lake and stopped to have some lunch wraps at the put-in. I foolishly ate the last couple of slices of pre-cooked bacon that I had opened from its vacuum-sealed package a couple of days earlier. It was a little 'stickier' than I would have liked it to have been, but it smelled fine. It didn't sit well for the next few hours, but in the end, I was fine. I should have had a gut feeling not to tempt fate with 4-day-old meat in the backcountry. I guess I was hungry!

It reminded me of the time that I came upon the incredibly rare bacon tree on a previous canoe trip. I had never seen one before, and heard that the fruit of the bacon tree was incredibly delicious. I immediately approached it to try its delectable treats, but couldn't get near it because, out of nowhere, I suddenly got pelted with rocks and had to run away.  My Dad, who was with me at the time and is much more knowledgeable about the local flora than me, exclaimed from a safe distance away, "You idiot! That wasn't a bacon tree! That was a ham bush!"  

(Dear readers:  the humble author, at this junction, feels compelled to offer his most sincere and heartfelt apologies for that inexcusable tangent into soul-destroying dad humour. You see, at that point in the trip, our dear friend, J.P., had been subjecting the rest of us to non-stop jokes of this ilk. To be frank, it was bacon us crazy! We were so well done by that point. I know it isn't fair to grill you with the same pain that J.P. dished out, but I demand retribution. A rib-eye for a rib-eye!  I just hope you continue to read my blog and that there is no beef between us.)

We completed the last portage of the day, which was approximately the same distance as the one before it. My map showed that the trail would meet up with a logging road, but I don't recall seeing one there. The trail emerged to the right of the same creek we had been following all morning. 

We found ourselves back on Lake Temagami. I had expected that the trail would emerge at a massive expanse of water, but we were at the very end of Shiningwood Bay which was dotted with some pretty islands and points. 

My map showed that there were 5 campsites at this far end of the bay, but it was only 1 PM at that time. If the prevailing west wind would allow us to paddle a good distance into the bay, then we would give it a go to allow us to get closer to our vehicle the next day. 

Right away, we found ourselves back in cottage country. We made our way through the pretty islands and came across the pair of ladies again at an island campsite. They had arrived earlier and were about to make camp. Again, we chatted and discovered that they had amended their route. They originally had planned to head south on Wasaksina, into Cross Lake, and north back up Lake Temagami from there, but the wind of the previous day had something to say about that. Indeed, these large lakes in Temagami can get windy, and as we looked west at the expanse of Shiningwood Bay, we could see that the wind was picking up again. 

We investigated a site on the south shore in a back bay near the island where the ladies were, but it was a tad swampy and looked like it would be a bit of a bughole. We decided we would try heading down Shiningwood Bay and see what the sites further into the bay looked like. 

In the middle of the bay, the wind did pick up, but it was intermittently gusty and manageable for the most part. 

We saw two sites in the middle section of the bay, one on the south, and another further along on the north shore. Neither one looked appealing. We continued and ended up choosing a wonderfully clean and lovely site on the north point across from Denedus Island, only a few kilometres from our vehicle. It was good timing because the wind was only getting stronger, and we were getting a little tired of fighting it. 

While paddling up the bay, we stopped for a water break and knew that we would be camping very close to our vehicle. We all had a pretty healthy thirst going, and I suggested that if we still had a bit of paddling oompf left in us, a couple of us could go on a beer run. On Day 1, we did notice a store on the shore at the mouth of the Northeast Arm, and of course, the marina was there, as well. We did not know if either sold beer, but they might, right? It was food for thought! 

Well, wouldn't you know it, but it was as if Lord Paddlesworth, the patron saint of Ontario backcountry canoeing, was smiling down upon us from upon high. When we arrived at the site, we spotted a bushcrafty-type shelf constructed between a tree and a stump. 

What we came across on the shelf was an absolute first in all my years of canoeing. It couldn't be? It was too good to be true. I blinked and looked again. Yep...they were still there. Four king cans of Coors Light were on that shelf waiting for us! 

Did Lord Paddlesworth hear our prayers and grant us a favour? I'm not sure, but I think he might have. I mean, four of us and four beers?!? 

More likely, an amazing group of people who had last camped on the site left them for the next group. I have said it before, and I'll say it again -- Canoe Trippers are wonderful people. If you are the leavers of that fine little treasure and are reading this blog...thank you. Know that you made four parched paddlers very happy on that day. I promise to pay it forward one way or another. After all, Lord Paddlesworth is watching. 

After setting up camp, we enjoyed our treasures in the Adirondack chairs that were also an installation of this wonderfully maintained and well-kept site. 

Someone took very good care of this site. We thought it might be this little fellow who was hanging out on the path down to the lake...

...but it was most likely The Friends of Temagami. 

By late afternoon the wind really picked up again, and we were grateful that we got off the water on time. A family of canoeists paddled by heading into Shingingwood Bay not long after we arrived; they took the site on the next point to the east of ours. 

After a lovely swim off the rocky point in the choppy waves in the late afternoon, we got a good fire going and enjoyed the last of our dehydrated meals and adult beverages. The Rehydrator did his thing!