(no subject)

Hello Phyllis,

Here is another article for TCSKA if there is room for 
the January HUT:

Sauna tour '99	by Sarah Ohmann
This summer several club members and I decided to search 
out and test the saunas on the Canadian shore of
Superior.  These saunas have been built on Crown Land by 
Thunder Bay boaters and are available for
anyone to use.  Most are mentioned in Bonnie Dahl's 
cruising guide The Superior Way.

The Border Islands (my personal name for them) extend in 
a line from just north of the border to Pie Island. 
Saunas are one reason to go, but the other is the 
excellent scenery and good accessibility from Little 
Trout
Bay or Squaw Bay.  There are a total of 3 saunas here 
ranging from ramshackle to deluxe:

Flatland Island:  water is low this year preventing 
boaters from getting into maintain this one, but on the
other hand it means that kayakers will likely have the 
place to themselves until the water level goes up
another two feet.  There is a nice big grassy area for 
tents and a leaky shed in addition to the sauna, which is
an older building, but still perfectly functional.

Spar Island:  This one is a little tricky, since it was 
built on public land but for private use.  We didn't stop
here since we were told that the "owners" did not 
welcome visitors.  Rumor has it that there is a trail up
tothe top of the big cliff on Spar which has an 
excellent view.

Thompson Island:  This one is the most deluxe of all of 
the north shore saunas, and the most heavily used. 
You will almost certainly find some of the Thunder Bay 
boating crowd here, but don't worry they are
extremely friendly and helpful:  they told us lots about 
the islands.  It is not the greatest for tent sites
however, though you can camp on the beach on the other 
side of the point and take a very short walk to the
sauna from there.

St. Ignace Island area:  further north is another 
fantastic trip, this time more remote but also with 
excellent
scenery.  If you stop in at the sauna you will find 
other boaters, but if you would rather have a quiet trip
it'svery easy to avoid people altogether.  
CPR Slip:  on the south side of St. Ignace Island, this 
is another luxury establishment, including not only a
sauna, but a bug-tight, new cabin.  Demand for cabin 
space is high, but there is an open area for tents.

Loon Harbor:  Loon Harbor is a very pretty spot located 
on the south side of Black Bay Peninsula.  The
"Bahia Espana" is located in the narrow channel on the 
east side of Spanish Island, on a small island.  It is
painted with camoflage paint and may be hard to see.  
The island is very poor for camping and does not
have a great supply of wood.  

Swede Island sauna:  Just south of Loon Harbor is Swede 
Island, another popular spot for boaters.  It also
has a cabin that is used by travelers, just ignore the 
mining claim sign, it is supposed to placate the Ministry
of Natural resources and disguise the fact that it is 
actually just a sauna.There are good tent sites here, but
the sauna is a little small and won't hold a crowd.

The only rules for using these saunas are:  keep them 
clean, sweep them out when done, contribute to the
wood supply, and don't forget to go jump in the lake!


		
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