This morning we went to the Tobermory Princess Hotel for breakfast. They had Wi-Fi there, but it wasn't much better than what we had at the Adventure The Bruce Inn where we were staying.
Rather than fight with it, we decided to go ahead and make the drive out to the section of the Bruce Peninsula National Park where we would be hiking and paddling today.

As we drove out Emmett Lake Road, we came to a fork. Right would take us to the lake we intended to paddle - Emmett Lake. Left would take us to the trailhead where would hike. The plan had been to paddle first and then hike but, at the last second, we decided to hike first.
The lake was big and there was nothing particularly special about it other than it would be uncrowded and peaceful. However, if we didn't paddle today, I was okay with that. But I definitely wanted to hike this section of the Bruce Trail along the shoreline.
So we parked at the Halfway Log Dump Day Use Area parking lot. Like the Grotto/Indian Head Cove/Cyprus Lake area, the parking fee was $11.70 CAD, but it was self-pay here.

Halfway Log Dump got its name because it was a place of easy access, between the cliffs, to the Georgian Bay for the logging industry. Logs were dumped on the rocky beach for pick up and transport.
The trail was about 1k (.62 miles) from the parking lot to the shoreline where it intersected with the Bruce Trail.

We continued on past the sign above to the beach.

We didn't realize that the Bruce Trail was immediately behind that sign, and we started to look for the white blazes along the beautiful shore.


Realizing that the Bruce Trail is quite well marked and not seeing any sign of it, we backtracked and discovered that we had completely missed it. The trail goes through the woods away from the lake.

Our plan was to hike the 2.7k to Stormhaven where there are backcountry campsites and pit toilets. Along the way, the trail would pop out along the cliff tops for great views.
Now, the this trail section was listed as strenuous, but at only about a mile and two thirds, we discounted that. Well, that short hike was more difficult that we expected. There are no level areas - it's all either up or down and some sections are quite steep.
But with views like this, it was well worth the effort.

Other than birds, this ribbon snake was the only wildlife we saw.

But this hike is all about the overlooks and the gorgeous Georgian Bay water.

It looks like a tropical paradise, but the beaches are white rocks rather than sand, and the water, while tolerable in the shallows, is pretty cold.

We eventually climbed up to Cave Point which is the highest cliff in the park.

I could have just stood up there and taken in the views all day. And often, we lingered several minutes.


After what seemed like a really long 2.7k, we reached Stormhaven. Linda was happy to see the privy.

We walked down the steps past a few of the wonderful campsites and the "bear poles" where campers could hoist their food away from critters.


The campsites sat back in the trees just above this lovely beach.

Apparently some creative and industrious campers had been busy. They built four lounge chairs out of slabs of the rocks, and Linda took full advantage.


While she rested, I headed west to see how far I could go before I was cut off by cliffs. More clear water and rocks. :)


Though there was some rock scrambling involved, I was able to go pretty far before I thought it would be wise to turn around. It was maybe only another kilometer or so to Indiana Head Cove where we watched the sunset last night.


Back at the rocky beach, Linda was still resting on her "chair" and she wasn't ready for the hike back just yet. So, I went in the opposite direction for awhile.
I had a great time scrambling around and over the rocks and stopping to take yet more pictures of the scenery.

I could see the huge cave in the cliffs below Cave Point, but it looked a little too ambitious to get all the way there. But there was a smaller cave, and I scrambled up inside to take a look.

More picturesque views from inside.


I was gone a long time and the "Linda clock" in my head told me I'd better be getting back before she started to worry.
When I returned, she hadn't moved other than to get up long enough to add "arms" to her rock chair. :)


We were there an hour to an hour and a half and didn't see another soul. I was in heaven playing on the rocks, taking pictures, and just admiring the natural setting. It was well worth the tough little hike.
As the sun got higher and it warmed up, we headed back. With the lighting slightly better as we returned, I took pictures from many of the same spots .....

and threw in a few new shots as well.

Just when we'd think we traversed the toughest part of the trail, we'd come to another steep section.

It was only about a four and a half mile roundtrip (plus another mile for me scrambling around at Stormhaven), but it seemed a lot longer. We were certainly ready to sit when we finally made it back to the Jeep. But what a wonderful morning we had. :)
We drove over to Emmett Lake and decided, by then, that it was too windy to have an enjoyable paddle, so we bagged that idea. We'll have lots more opportunities to paddle on this trip.
On the way back to Tobermory, we had to pass the Cyprus Lake Road which leads to the Grotto and Indiana Head Cove. Linda suggested that we stop and get some more pictures and just sit and people watch. Plus, we'd already paid for parking for the day, so we might as well take advantage of it.
The signs said the parking lots were full, but when I got to the entrance booth, they said they had two parking spots available. So, we took one.
The 1k back on the Georgian Bay Trail seemed a lot longer today than it did last night. :)
And, as expected, there were throngs of people on the trail and at Indiana Head Cove.


The shot above includes a cliff jumper in mid-air on the far left. There are signs saying cliff jumping is dangerous and illegal, but the daredevils didn't seem to care. We had plenty of opportunity for people-watching ... that was for sure. :)
We found a viewing spot high up on the rocks, and I left Linda there while I walked around and took more photos.

There was no one at the Grotto last night, but there were a few there today.

There were a couple of dive boats in the cove.

I returned to Linda. It was a bit windy up on her perch, so we moved to a more secluded spot out of the wind to enjoy a little late afternoon snack.

A pair of kayakers glided by below us.


I have to admit I was a bit jealous. That was the kayaking I wanted to do. :)
We managed to get through our snack without giving in to the gull which was hanging around and hoping for a handout.

We moved spots a couple more times and continued to enjoy the sunshine and the clear water and the antics of all the people (and a few dogs). We stayed for a couple of hours and more and more people arrived on this Friday afternoon.
Finally, it was time to call it a night and we slowly strolled back to the Jeep.
Back at the inn, the staff had moved our stuff to a new room. We picked up a key and got comfortable. The inn offers carry-out pizza, so we ordered one of those and they delivered it about a half hour later.
With poor weather predicted for the weekend, we decided to head out tomorrow and to skip other stops we were considering. We would just go ahead and make the long 350-mile drive to Esther & Steve's cottage.
Well, that's it for our brief visit to Tobermory and the Bruce Peninsula. We really like Tobermory and there is more to see and do in the area. Perhaps one day we'll bring the RV and spend some more time here. :)
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