The first full day with the Vances presented logistical adjustments of learning how to work together, as they recovered from the long journey to get here. To make sure I gave him some opportunity to learn his way around before being turned loose, I decided to start at Miscou Lighthouse instead of going up the west side of Miscou from the campground. This was one section that I had been a bit nervous about in light of the big breaking waves that I saw/heard last year when I came to check it out. It turned out that winds were light, there were no significant swells from faraway storms, and that the rocks were well hidden by the high tide. They were working on the lighthouse area, so that the parking area looked quite a bit different and was farther from the water. So we went back a little ways to a place where the road was close to the beach. While I was changing into paddling clothes, Kevin talked with a worker named Leon who professed Christ and received a Testament. The others were not interested.
It was a lonely and desolate coastline down the east side of Miscou to Wilson Point. Other than a family walking on the beach and a few distant fishing boats, it was just me and the fog. In some ways, it felt kind of silly to be going along this scenic coastline with no communities to pray for. But I think it gave me a better feel for the isolation that the fishermen must feel while out on their boats. At times the fog reduced visibility to less than 100 yards. I gave up wearing my glasses when I realized that they were more fogged up than my surroundings were. It was an amazing view when I stopped at the tidal inlet to McGregors Mal Bay. The tide rushing out looked like an arctic river, with no trees for miles and some impressive tide rip waves where the outflow met the waters of the Northumberland Strait. At some point along here, I was shocked upon sticking my hand in the water. It was much much colder than what I was paddling in yesterday! The thermometer reading was 54 F.
It was quite a relief to finally reach Wilson Point around 2:00. For a little while there were trees again, and houses. Although wind and waves were not bad, I think it took me an hour longer to paddle due to an opposing current. It’s hard to believe that the Bay of Chaleurs is behind me and now I will be in the Strait of Northumberland until Cape Breton. I had asked the Vances to meet me for lunch at 1:00, so I was a little concerned to not find them. Since there was no cell phone service, there wasn’t much I could do but hang around though. Pretty soon they showed up, after having gone through their tribulations of packing up camp, and we spent some time together before I had to move on.
The first few miles were similar to what I had just paddled, until suddenly I went from fog to mostly sunny conditions. The current seemed more favorable, although the winds got a little stronger. At a short stop, it was a nice surprise to look over the dunes and see the Miscou bridge in the distance! One really strange part of the paddle was when I thought I saw a shipwreck. I paddled maybe a quarter mile out to see what it was, only to find that it was a whole tree that was floating around in the ocean! Well, I guess that's how they make driftwood. Sure did seem out of place though.
The cross current at Fox Den Gully was not too bad, and I was impressed to see how much the village of Pigeon Hill (on Ile Lameque) sat on the edge of a hill before a bluff. The hill itself was not so big, but seemed huge compared to the flatness of northern Miscou. (I had asked Kevin to try to track down info on the Brethren church in Pigeon Hill, since it is the only Protestant church on the islands.) Continuing on past more broken cliffs, I prayed for the villages of Cap-Bateau and Ste.-Marie-St.-Raphael. I also got a little concerned about the thunderstorm in the distance. There were not many places with public access to the water, and I did not want to get stuck out there with lightning flashing around. When I finally got cell service back, I asked Kevin to meet me at the wharf in Ste.-Marie. Since I hadn’t scouted out the area, I didn’t know where there would be access to take out. After some badly broken cell calls, we met each other at a nice beach park just north of the wharf, and headed to the night’s campground on Shippagan Harbour. Of course, there were more opportunities for witness at the campground, and for the Vances to get more exposed to how isolated many Canadians (especially young people) are from any knowledge of Christian faith.
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