Ontario First Impressions and the Walk of Teachings
(written August 5)
(kakabeka falls)
It’s at the turn of one month into our road trip. We’ve entered into Ontario and my mind is going into overdrive. There’s lots of COVID cases here and wearing masks is mandatory in a lot of places. It’s unknown here, I haven’t spent really any time in this part of Canada. It just has a different feel to it than the West Coast.
Sitting in our camping chairs down by our own little private beach on Keys Lake just outside Kenora, we are looking out into clear water, with gentle waves pressing against our feet. We are a couple hundred metres or so from our campsite, but further down. From the water, we can see the van, perched up on top of cliffs, about 15 metres from water level.
(keys lake, just outside kenora)
It’s a nice view. But we are feeling a bit apprehensive. We hear a car pull up, and a gentleman gets out of the vehicle. He runs over to the edge of the cliff, looking quite upset. He throws a stick against a tree. Our cooler, chairs, table, and water storage is all just sitting there, outside of our van. So I ran up. By the time I got to the van, the man had hiked a bit further and was coming back towards me. He sternly asked if we were going to stay the weekend, and I said yes. He grunted and said him and his friends were going to come camp around this area, and then got in his car and left.
For the rest of the time we were on that site, we felt a bit on edge. We could never really relax completely. I guess it was a fairly popular spot, and I could see why people wouldn’t be too happy with the fact that we were there first.
(horseshoe bay on lake superior)
This unfortunate introduction to Ontario took a couple days to wear off, but slowly it did. As we drove through to Kakabeka Falls and through Thunder Bay to the first glimpse of Lake Superior, we felt a bit more at peace. This lake, unsurprisingly, is massive. It’s the largest lake in the world by surface area, and the third largest by volume. I felt as if I missed the ocean less when driving along Superior.
But as the apprehension of our first impression of Ontario started to dissipate, new tensions arose, this time more internally.
(sunset on sandy beach, lake superior)
My impatience and stubbornness have gotten in the way of what could have been magical moments on our trip, and I feel a deep conviction to walk the ever delicate balance of when to adhere to another’s wishes, and when to be strong in holding my own preferences at the forefront. It’s a fine line that I seem to stumble across in imminent failure.
As we ventured forward into Pukaskwa National Park, we came across a hike called Bimose Kinoomagewnan, or The Walk of Teachings. The Anishinaabe Elders (Ojibway, one of the most numerous indigenous peoples in the area) had written messages along the way of this hike around the lake. The seven teachings were love, respect, honesty, bravery, humility, truth, and wisdom. As we walked, surrounded by the sounds of wildlife and the calmness of the lake, I was reminded of the power that nature has to ground you.
(teepee of the anishanaabe people)
I realized that in nature, there really is only beauty, and everything works together in such harmony. Life just finds a way, and in these ecosystems, the relationships aren’t forced, they just happen naturally.
It was a reminder that you can’t force relationships, and you can’t force harmony. They either happen or they don’t, and it’s important to learn to ride the waves. It doesn’t always sit well for me, being the type of person that tends to grab at things and pursue, but I guess there just has to be balance in that as well.
Walking along the beaches of Lake Superior, finding little moments of magic along the way, it’s a great metaphor for the beauty of relationships. Nooks and crannys of bliss, with some very tough and steep hills and some not so comfortable terrain, and times when your pace won’t match that of your partner. But for those of us who end up lucky enough to find partners to share the hike with, I guess you just have to get used to the path.
