The day stretched longer than either of us expected. We sat in front of Ghost Mountain lingering our time away, watching the clouds roll by, listening to the chipmunk chip with each other, hearing the waves smack against the rocks, and the gentle rolling of the wind through the leaves. It was fantastic, the feeling of doing nothing.

The days previous seemed so short, putting in at Finlayson Point and fighting our way inch by inch against the enormous head winds and rolling waves; resting occasionally in the scattered bays to rest our weary arms before braving the elements again. The longing to rest for more than one night was welcoming when we saw the summit in the distance.

The next day we found the hiking trail up to the top of the mountain; a good challenging trek to work our legs and a good change from using our paddle arms. We filtered some thick, rich, mineral abundant water at Halfway Lake and continued to the summit. We passed through some blueberry shrubberies and munched on the way up. We approach a rock face with a ladder as the last stretch to the summit.

The view was breath taking. We saw for kilometers all around. Dotted lakes stretched into the horizon as it spewed rolling hills all around. The ground reached up to kiss the clouds as both united into one giant entity of life that is Mother Nature. She wrapped her arms around us and welcomed us into her presence. It comes to no surprise why this would be the resting spot for the Natives to return to Mother Nature.

We listened to her and she engulfed us in serene, tranquil magnificent beauty. Too soon did the biting wind tell us it was time to head back to the campsite. It was really unfortunate we did not have tobacco offering for the next day the weather changed against us, and for a few days after that.

Regardless, we continued to dip our paddles in the dark lakes around Temagami, down Montreal River, down Ottawa and washed out at the township of Mattawa.

We get home to find the Federal Government has backed out on its promise to protect Temagami. The beauty and history of Temagami cannot be expressed enough. It must be experienced. I would one day hope to come back and see Temagami as I first and last saw it.