Points of Interest Around the Island

Red Pine Mountain

This rather steep hill on the southern-most part of the island appears to have once been burned over, judging by the relatively uniform age and composition of the trees on the hill. They are all red pine, perhaps 80 - 100 years old. One of the amazing things about this stand of pine is that it can been seen from a distance of many miles by air, given that it is one entire monochromatic patch of green. Take a look around at the bush anywhere around the lake and you will see a mix of tree species - red pine, jack pine, white pine, spruce, cedar, aspen, birch; all contributing to the myriad shades of green visible to the eye. But this hill is unique in being only a single shade of green. I saw this for myself flying up one weekend with my friend Dan in his Cessna 185 Amphibian. I was trying to navigate and was ready to give up, when he said, “You don’t know where we are? Look straight ahead - that’s the hill on your island”. And we were close to 20 miles away at the time!

And then there was the time about 25 years ago when Nancy and I were on a camping trip with our little tent trailer, and wound up at Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park in Thunder Bay. I was admiring a magnificent motorhome parked across the lane when the owner invited me in and asked where we were heading next. I replied “Temagami” and he admitted to having been there once and that he knew a little about the lake. When in reply to his question about what part of the lake we were on, I said “right across the bay from Boat Line Bay Marine”, he said “Oh yeah, I know that area - that’s a magnificent stand of red pine you got there”! You could have knocked me over with a feather!