MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Summer 2020

50 We left Manitoulin behind and entered the granite realm of Killarney and the north shore. Conditions levelled up on us, with half- metre waves out of the south and curtains of heavy fog. It was a game of cat and mouse as we island-hopped between gusts. The days to follow were the most transformative long-form series of paddle strokes I’ve shared, navigating through the labyrinth of the 30,000 islands between us and Penetanguishene. At Killbear Provincial Park my old friend Jenn Lachapelle and her daughter Violet—also descendants of the Drummond Metis islanders—joined us and we paddled together to Twelve Mile Bay. We visited the island where my grandparents had lived year-round and places I hadn’t been back to since my childhood. There were noticeable changes. High water covered old beaches I once knew, while bits of dock foam befouled the marshy inlet waters. *** The analysis of our samples is underway—slightly derailed due to COVID-19. I can say this: We found microplastics. In almost every one of the 45 samples analyzed, plastics were present—mostly in the form of fibres, but also fragments and film. Those arduous deep-water samples proved the presence of microplastics at depths of 50 feet in some channels. And we found garbage, styrofoam or plastic at every single stop we made from our first launch at Drummond Island to our arrival at Penetanguishene. But we experienced a lot out there and learned a great deal— including how many people care about the Great Lakes region. Acadia and I felt this first-hand in sharing our story. Lake Huron is well loved, and that’s a good thing. ABOVE LEFT Providence Bay, Manitoulin Island. BELOW Giant’s tune: unnamed rock overlooking Giant’s Tomb, Georgian Bay.