One More Attempt
Baie Fine had become something of an obsession.
In the Summer of 2024, I had returned to Northern Ontario. I had already spent four nights on Martin's Island near the Fox Islands of Killarney followed by a number of shorter paddling and hiking trips. I was getting anxious to go somewhere quieter, away from the noise and fees of camp and trailer sites.
Then a small window of decent weather appeared. It wasn't perfect. But it looked good enough.
The decision was made almost at the last minute. The day before launching, I prepared my gear, drove back toward Killarney, and spent the night at the provincial park.
The following morning, I would drive to the Roche Rouge campsite, leave the car, carry the kayak down to the beach, and finally begin another attempt at reaching the elusive Baie Fine.
From the launch, I planned to use a portage I previously scouted out in the Killarney Bay, into the deep end of Frazer Bay, and eventually enter Baie Fine from the south.
Somewhere along the route was Casson Peak, another destination that had been sitting on my list for years.
The distance was modest, just over 32 kilometers each way.
Frazer Bay was the section that concerned me most. There would be few places to hide from the wind if conditions deteriorated.
Then there was the question of where I would actually sleep.
I knew the rocky shoreline around Killarney Bay was not particularly welcoming to landing a sea kayak or setting up a tent. Some sections appeared to offer little more than jagged quartzite cliffs, trees too small to hang a hammock from, and water. I suspected the same might be true farther along the route.
There was no guarantee that I would find a suitable campsite.
There was no guarantee the weather would hold.
And there was certainly no guarantee that Baie Fine would finally reveal itself to me.
But after a failed attempt, I was still drawn toward those distant white mountains.
There was only one way to find out if everything would go as planned.