A Passion for the Mountains - The Alpine Club of Canada
A Passion for the Mountains - The Alpine Club of Canada
A Passion for the Mountains - The Alpine Club of Canada
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above: Cathryn emerging from Mac’s Book into blackfl y terrortory; photo by Mark Lord<br />
top right: <strong>The</strong> joyous (and no longer stranded) crowd cheers at <strong>the</strong> arrival <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> club yacht; photo by Mark Lord<br />
panorama: Lake Mazinaw, located in Bon Echo Provincial Park, Ontario; photo by David Brown<br />
Imagine<br />
yourself standing<br />
with a rope and<br />
lead rack, one foot on <strong>the</strong> bow <strong>of</strong> a boat,<br />
<strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r on a tiny foothold at <strong>the</strong> base <strong>of</strong><br />
a 70-metre granite wall. Your guidebook<br />
reads, “Belay from a ledge two metres above<br />
water level,” but fails to explain how to get<br />
<strong>the</strong>re. You look down at <strong>the</strong> deep water<br />
directly below you. As you hesitate, <strong>the</strong><br />
boat drifts slowly away from <strong>the</strong> wall. Your<br />
instinct is to step back into <strong>the</strong> boat, but<br />
instead you lunge <strong>for</strong>ward and up onto <strong>the</strong><br />
rock, committing yourself to Boris’ Route,<br />
a classic 5.5 climb at <strong>the</strong> heart <strong>of</strong> Ontario’s<br />
Bon Echo Provincial Park.<br />
This scenario is repeated thousands <strong>of</strong><br />
times every summer, on Boris’ Route and<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r Bon Echo climbs that rise directly<br />
from <strong>the</strong> lake. Most <strong>of</strong> us look <strong>for</strong>ward to<br />
a cooling swim after fi nishing our climbs,<br />
but at least once a year someone hesitates<br />
too long, does <strong>the</strong> splits and takes an<br />
unintended dip be<strong>for</strong>e starting. Despite<br />
<strong>the</strong>se occasional mishaps, most Bon Echo<br />
climbers return year after year to enjoy <strong>the</strong><br />
pleasures <strong>of</strong> climbing high over water on <strong>the</strong><br />
exposed granite cliffs.<br />
Bon Echo Provincial Park is located on<br />
<strong>the</strong> shores <strong>of</strong> Mazinaw Lake, several hours<br />
nor<strong>the</strong>ast <strong>of</strong> Toronto, well within reach<br />
<strong>of</strong> weekend climbers in Toronto, Ottawa,<br />
Climbing Treasure