2019 Annual Dinner

VTA – Saulteaux Section Trip Report 

2019 Annual Dinner 

On Saturday, April 27th 80 VTA members and friends enjoyed a great dinner and an engaging account of a canoe adventure in northern Quebec

For stay at homes like myself these dinners are a great way to travel the world vicariously through the efforts…and budgets…. of other VTA members. In recent years I have travelled to Kilimanjaro, hiked across Britain and up and over the Chilkoot Pass.

Kim and Conor Mihell took us for a fascinating adventure by canoe past the treeline, on the Quebec shore of Hudsons Bay. Their adventure started on saltwater, paddling along the coast for a couple of days, an experience they likened to paddling the coast of Lake Superior…cold water, big waves…but complicated by strong currents, tides and the fact that the water is actually salty. They then headed inland tracing a little used route…trying to find portages that don’t see much traffic, enduring the flies and encountering more black bears that they have on any other canoe trip. A couple of daunting portages took them up and over a height of land into another watercourse that took them across the treeline into a landscape that was even more spectacular/bleak depending on the weather…the winds becoming stronger and the rains more frequent. “What did you find on your trip?” they were asked. “Fulfillment” was part of the answer.

A larger otter perhaps?...Nope! Kim and Conor encountered freshwater seals on this trip

Though on a much less grand scale we also find fulfillment on our VTA outings…whether through a spectacular viewpoint, and interesting wildlife sighting or just a plain old good workout.

Thanks to Kim and Conor for sharing their adventures with us. Thanks to Susan Graham for organizing the dinner and to Grand Gardens for the hospitality

Mark C

Griffon Peak

VTA-Saulteaux Section Trip Report 

Griffon Peak-September 30, 2018 

We are blessed to life in a spectacular area, full of spectacular places. Each season has its special magic, but for me, the colour palette of an Algoma fall is top of the list. 

On this day the colours were in their full glory .... for a caterpillar year, that is. Cheryl noted that the forest tent caterpillar did their good work for a second year in a row, so the trees are stressed. As a result there was more bronze in the palette this year. .. the oranges were muted. The red maples seem less palatable to the caterpillars so the crimson that the red maples add to the palette is still there. The reds, yellows and oranges are made more vivid by the contrast with the deep greens of the conifers. In the south view (next page), you'll see some spruce in the foreground ... but conspicuous by their absence are the big white pines. They have been preferentially logged out over the years. There are many in the understory .. .I hope to be visiting Griffon Peak for enough years into the future to see those pines start to peak over the maples and birches. 

The hike to Griffon Peak is a steady uphill, through a tunnel of trees and then suddenly you are at the top and the view to the north, west and south lays out before you. There is an old fire tower there ... no cupola, just the tower. 

Ten VTA members and friends made the trek this year (the third ... annual?). 

To the north you can see Griffon Lake below you, and on the horizon are the wind turbines at Montreal River. 

To the south you see part of lower Tilly Lake and King Mountain on the horizon. This image is more to the south west view towards the Goulais Peninsula. 

Griffon Peak, at 656 metres above sea level, is ranked as the 6111 highest point in Ontario. 

Of the top 12 heights in Ontario, at least three are in Algoma, and about 8 are within the VTA "region". Maybe we could add a "summit to summit" badge to our "end to end" badge? Any volunteers? 

Composed by Mark C. 

Photography by Bruce C