All to Killarney Village for Herbert’s fish and chips: delicious and very fresh, at a table on the harbour in bright sun. Walk to Sportsmen’s Inn for a last beer (enormous stuffed sturgeon, stags’ heads, etc.). Then drive to Red Rock Point to climb up to the Navigation Light. Full moon rising over Georgian Bay. Breathtaking. Deer in headlights by roadside as we drive back to George Lake.

Photo at trailhead 11:30 a.m. Then we start the 100 km circuit, hiking around Lumsden Lake and Acid Lake. Dark grove of giant Eastern hemlocks. Flat terrain. We see yachts anchored in Baie Fine.

Sprinkles off and on. Finally arrive 6:30 at Campsite #7 Topaz Lake. Stunning site. Blue lake, very clear, surrounded by high white ridges. Ron swims. Anne cooks mushroom stuffed tortellini with chopped olives and grated Parmesan . Haul packs up into trees in the dark.

Anne and Kathy had hiked much slower and got lost at end of day. Will they continue?

All hike faster today, but Ann and Kathy keep falling behind. All day, through the trees, we see views of Three Narrows Lake’s many branches. Lovely. Lunch at 1:30. Humid! Each drinks a full 2 litres of water. Nine hour hiking day from 9:20 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Campsite #H59 on Bodina, a shallow lake with gentle shoreline. Very pretty. Swim immediately. Happy hour, then campfire. Rice and lentils. Rinse sweaty clothes in Lake. Put food up into tree in the dark. Full moon emerges behind a white pine on a ridge. Glorious.

Kathy’s knee is hurting badly.

Discussion. Kathy decides to return because of her knee, and Anne decides to go with her. We divide up gear and food, and say goodbye at the fork in the trail.

Now into very rugged terrain. At lunch, breathtaking views over north side of Three Narrows Lake. Hiking on high white quartzite ridges. Some rock climbing up, then VERY steep descent through a rocky gulch. Hike beside a beautiful creek with enormous pure white mountain on left. Climb up through a waterfall with cascading water. Young couple with a dog trail-running the entire Loop; the guy’s wearing Merrill sandals!!!

As we watch the campfire, a bear begins overturning rocks in the creek. Is he hunting crayfish? He continues all night.

We begin what was to be our TOUGHEST day of the trip. Seven hours of hiking. We begin a steep 45-minute climb up through cathedral of giant hemlocks. This is the legendary Moose Pass. Photos of giant ferns. Dramatic lookout over all branches of Three Narrows Lake. Photos. The clear, dry sunny weather today is wonderful.

A lot of up and down. Tremendously rough. We deliberately slide down rock cliffs. A final dangerous 600 foot descent, part of it almost vertical. At one point, we hand Gisela our packs and she eases them down. Arrive at last at Little Mountain Lake campsite #33.

It was worth it!! Gorgeous lake with quartz cliffs. We swim in very cold water. Vodka cranberry cocktails and pretzels for HAPPY HOUR in last rays of sun. Then Ron and I fix Thai chicken and rice with fresh carrot, garlic, onion. Mulled wine and pastries with candles!! What a terrific way to spend my birthday. Very good sleep.

Walk all along Little Mountain Lake with lovely vistas of Little Mountain and Great Mountain Lakes. Much walking on top of white quartzite ridges 2.2 billion years old.

We see David Lake where we had canoed and camped one year ago. Then Boundary Lake, which we had seen from top of Silver Peak last year. (Wanted to swim in it then, and this year we soon will!)

Campsite #H35 on Boundary Lake, a huge, open rocky point right at water level. Shimmering water. Long swim. Sun ourselves on the warm rocks. Hot tea. Happy hour. Tuna in dill sauce on fusilli. Delicious meal by Gisela.

Dark clouds, very high wind. Walking on quartzite ridges. Would be lost without stone cairn markers. Great view of Boundary Lake in fog, mist, wild wind ("Wagnerian"—Gisela).

Very humid. Showers. Our shortest hike, only four hours on flat terrain to Silver Lake. Tents up in a hurry. Hard rain for half an hour which we spend having cocktails in Gisela’s tent. Hot soup after. For two days we have not seen another human being, but now we have two visitors: Vaughan and Richard from Wilderness Canoe Association drop in to see us. (He had contacted Gisela about joining our group, but it did not work out. So, he and Richard are doing canoeing and day hikes.) Vaughan has hiked the 100 km loop four times!!! What a Killarney enthusiast!!

Supper: couscous with veggies. Delicious. Wood is wet, but we pour some of our extra (heavy!) fuel on to light it. Explosion! Then a nice, cozy campfire. Moonlight dappled on tent during night; is it clearing?

We thought Day 4 was our roughest day. It wasn’t. Day 7 is our roughest, with almost nine hours of climbing at a rapid pace. Leave 9:30 a.m. and arrive 6:15 p.m. at Proulx Lake. The stunning campsite #H48 is far off the main trail, on a steep peninsula surrounded by deep blue-green waters. Cliffs of white quartzite and pink granite. Glorious swim. Water is "fresh" (Gisela). Hot tea. Medley of leftovers is tasty.

Lightning and showers. Looks like a major storm building. Food pack up into the tree. To bed early.

As we reach a dramatic cleft in the rock, known as "The Crack," the sky clears. Stunning views of Killarney Lake, O.S.A. Lake, Baie Fine far away. Can see the canoe portage into Three Narrows Lake. Can see Manitoulin Island in the distance, and even beyond that the Bruce Peninsula. We spend lots of time soaking up the view. Ron and Gisela climb a high peak of rock and I take a photo. Then slow, careful descent over ENORMOUS rocks down the steep edge of "The Crack".

Hike past Kakakise Lake , Freeland Lake, George Lake . The terrain here is mostly flat, with a few rugged spots (where rocks and roots are slippery from rain). We stop to pump water from a lake. Light rain during last two hours of hiking.

Not till 8:15 p.m.,in rain and dusk and fog, do we arrive at George Lake Campground. Car campers raise a cheer as we return from our hundred kilometres. We are too tired to drive home, so when we stop for gas at Pointe au Baril, we stay overnight in a motel.

That night, and every night of the next week, we dream we are climbing endlessly over white quartzite rocks and through groves of hemlocks. I remember thinking once, as I woke fleetingly, "Why am I in this bed?"

The La Cloche Silhouette Trail was everything we had hoped. And the three of us were a great team, as we encouraged each other and learned to know each other, sharing travel experiences and camping tips, jokes and laughter. What a trip it was!