We had our first rest day on Killarney Lake. I was looking forward to sleeping in after the commotion around our site during the night. Banjo barked and something large ripped out through the woods and a little while later we heard a small animal being taken down. Let’s just say I didn’t sleep overly well that night.

B was always up early making us breakfast and coffee and when I heard his reaction to the sunrise, my plan for sleeping in was shot.

On day 4 the clouds finally broke and the sun came out. It lifted my spirits for sure, and I spent a good hour or so trying to capture the golden hour as the sun rose.

B was visiting the thunderbox while I was taking photographs until I looked up the hill and he was standing with Banjo with his pants half way up. “A porcupine came up on me while I was on the thunderbox, can you take Banjo while I scare it off?” It was funny to imagine B in this situation but not funny if Banjo were to get porcupine quills. It would have put a real damper on the trip. I made him get a photo before he scared it up a tree.

Our site was on a little peninsula. It was a perfect day to explore the trail behind our site that went up into the ridge. Maybe 20 feet beyond the thunderbox was a nice fresh pile of bear scat, which Banjo stepped in. I read back at the park office that bears are feeding in the oak ridges this time of year and it isn’t hard to see why. There is a very healthy harvest of acorns and the more I started looking around our campsite, the more bear scat I saw. It was definitely all acorns.

The view from the top was exactly why I wanted to canoe trip in Killarney. It’s hard to beat the mountains and fall colours.

A few shots from around the campsite.

Baking muffins

Baking muffins

We settled around the campfire in the evening. Around 6:30PM three wolves howled about 75-100 yards behind our site. It was absolutely incredible to hear them so close! I knew I would hear them that night so I brought my camera to bed and managed to record a lone wolf howling. Listen closely, you can hear it howl twice.

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Final