Trip to the Saunas; stay away!

We finally made it to the 'Sauna Islands', also known as the Border Islands, between Pigeon Point on the US-Canadian border and Thunder Bay. Pie Island is by far the largest and has the most spectacular topography, similar to the Sleeping Giant formation on the Sibley Peninsula to the north. We opted for the more obscure islands just south of Pie for this version of the Annual Fall Trip. Often with long awaited events, the actual trip itself is is anticlimactic. We build it up in our heads and then when it actually occurs, reality can't match the picture we've constructed in our heads. Unfortunately, this trip fell firmly into that category.

The first disappointment was the flat, boring, monotonous topography.


The campsites were uninspiring and the competitive thrill of calling early to get a reservation was just not there.


The fishing was poor.


The weather was lousy, with freezing temperatures, clouds, high winds, and massive waves.


The water was often murky.

And the scenery and views left something to be desired.


We did manage to muddle through the four days however. Being a social person, I was a bit uneasy about not seeing another soul from the time we launched until the time we returned. We did see a couple boats go past and spoke to some fishermen on the way back to the launch on Saturday. It was apparent that they were having the same unsatisfying time that we were.

I may have to go back sometime, just to make sure this poor experience was not a fluke. Now I need to get ready for work, a welcome distraction from last weeks shaky tour. For some reason however, I'm having a hard time leaving the house because my nose doesn't seem to fit through the door anymore.