Length: 7.2 km
Elevation: 66 m
Time: 2 hours 51 minutes
Marion Lake to Caribou Map
The second day of our weekend hike was a return from Marion to Caribou. We were out of bed around 8 am and had a lazy start, not getting on trail until about 9:45 am. Breakfast, picture taking, and wiping down in the lake water took up our time. With the sun up and the three of us feeling much less grumpy than the previous night we took the opportunity to enjoy Marion Lake. Roslyn and I both agree that Marion Lake is one of the nicest camp sites we have ever been in and the water was amazing even though we didn't get to swim.
A bit more detail on the Marion Lake Campsite. There's room for about a dozen tents, we shared it with 6-7 other groups and there were 2-3 tent sites left. There is a bear box about 50 feet down a path near the middle of the camping area, and about 30 feet beyond that is a latrine. Please don't use the bear box as a garbage container, that's not what its there for. There's also two picnic tables, so be prepared to share with others who want to cook at them.
Finishing packing up in the morning
View from the picnic table
Connor, sitting on a rock
View down the lake shore
Once we were done lazing around, we prepared ourselves to go back to Caribou through what we considered the most annoying section of trail we had hiked all summer. Starting out the return to Caribou went quite well. And then the middle went well. And then arriving at Caribou Lake went well. It was at this point that we realized we had let the heat, desire to camp, and a poorly handled water crossing ruin the last 3 hours of our hike the day before. We felt quite silly about it as we arrive at Caribou Lake around 1 pm, set to enjoy the rest of the day.
View down the tracks between Marion and Caribou
Pretty trail flowers
More flowers, Roslyn loves them
The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing again. We were out here for Canada Day and we planned on enjoying it. We set up our tent is the best spot at the camp site and relaxed with our feet in the water watching the wild life. There are a few turtles in the area that were fun to watch swimming around in the water. Luckily there was no fire ban, so we collected some wood and started a merry little fire to enjoy during the hours before bed.
Connor on a rock at Caribou Lake
Roslyn's bedtime snack and night cap
The camp site had two picnic tables and there was room for about 10 tents. As the evening went on we ended up sharing the area with about 10 other people and it was far from crowded. There's also a bear box on the way into the campsite. The one down side is that we did not manage to find the latrine, but if anyone knows where it is comment below and let us know.
In Roslyn's words:
Last post I mentioned how your attitude makes or breaks the day, and on our first day, our attitude definitely did not help us out. One day two we walked back over the same section of trail we struggled so hard on the day before and truly realized what babies we were. The path was a beautiful mix of new and old forest with a fraction of the undergrowth we remembered. Being extra careful during the bogg crossings, we made it back to the Caribou camp site quite easily.
Having most of the day left, we were able to really enjoy the campsite, lounging in the water, and exploring around the immediate area. The water at this lake is quite red and dark but still enjoyable. In comparison, Marion Lake was amazingly clear and I would have loved to gone for a dip but we didn’t get into camp till late. I am really looking forward to our next trip to this site to fully get to enjoy the lake here. We happen to be going this coming weekend, but I fear it will be too chilly for a dip.
Lastly, this was Canada day so of course we had to do a little something. We celebrated the end of the day with a crackling dried pine branch on the fire, a toasted marshmallow, and a baileys and hot chocolate. Simple perfection.
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