“The scenic route to the best fish & chips in the world”

Willisville, ON to Killarney, ON

Duration: 7 days

Distance Traveled: 57.5 km

On this 7 day trek, eleven adventure-seeking travelers walked from the LOTN basecamp just south of Espanola, ON to the small town of Killarney, nestled in a narrow channel on the northeast corner of Georgian Bay. The route took us through the western edge of Killarney Provincial Park over a highly varied terrain, with overland stretches through rugged and snowy terrain of the La Cloche mountains in the north, through ice-filled channels of an island archipelago, and across the vast open water along the northern edge of Georgian Bay.

I had been through much of this area by canoe and sailboat in the warmer months, but traveling through this incredible, glacially-sculpted landscape in the winter was a completely different experience. Hauling a heavily loaded trail toboggan up the two long portages from Frood Lake to the legendary Nellie Lake on the first full travel day was surely a much more enjoyable experience than carrying a canoe and heavy pack on foot had been! The route did have its challenges in the winter conditions as well, especially with a warm weather system providing us some slushy snow to navigate up the trail; however, some solid teamwork allowed the group to navigate the few tricky sections (criss-crossing the trailside creek and ascending some steep slopes) with relative ease. 

Once down to “bay-level” at the northeastern edge of the archipelago, we were greeted with glare ice and ideal travel conditions. That’s not to say that we were walking on autopilot by any means! The ice channels within this rocky terrain widen and narrow frequently, causing underlying currents and a highly varied ice thickness. However, with Dave constantly probing the ice as we walked, and scouting parties checking ice conditions along different route options, we were able to navigate the route safely. Overall, travel at bay-level was quick and easy, providing relatively short travel days and abundant time for recreation at camp. 

Setting up a winter camp for a group of this size involves hard work and coordination, although most of it is thoroughly enjoyable. Once the site is chosen, we quickly split up into teams, each focused on specific tasks, such as setting up our Snowtrekker canvas tents, harvesting and processing firewood, and finding a good water source near by. The tree work in particular is a favourite pastime among most of the group, and inspires a bit of friendly competition to find the best standing deadwood, cut and split firewood the fastest, and get it all stacked and distributed to the tents. Before long the stoves are cracking’ and the first batch of hot and delicious appetizers is being passed around, providing fuel and inspiration to the crew to finish the work before dark.

The ideal travel conditions put us ahead of schedule by Day 4, and allowed us a day of relaxation and exploration within the incredible Baie Fine. We spent most of our lay-day on a snowshoe climb to the top to Casson Peak, where we were treated to an incredible view of the southern La Cloche Range and surrounding waterways. Back at camp, Adam presented an awesome demonstration of bushcraft skills and cooking methods using natural materials gathered from the surrounding forest. To top it off, the crew had the first of two major Kubb tournaments late that afternoon to celebrate our conquest of Casson Peak in true Viking-style. Throughout our ~36 hours camped on Baie Fine, the deep and narrow fjord emitted incredible groaning and cracking sounds, generated from the expansion and contraction of the thick and barren ice.  

Upon leaving the mouth of Baie Fine, the final stretch across the northern edge of Frazier Bay was equally exhilarating and frightening. The wide expanse of ice covering the bay was littered with fractures, crevasses, and ice ridges, reflecting the stresses and deformation resulting from the underlying currents. Reaching our destination at the town of Killarney, we were rewarded with a feast of the best fish and chips in Ontario (IMHO) and a few cold ones at Herbert's Fisheries. This was a great ending to an incredible trip, winter trekking across some of the most beautiful landscapes in Ontario with a great group of people.