BEAUSOLEIL ISLAND, YOURS TO EXPLORE

Resort brochures are tempting especially after the wintry weather Northerners face every year. All I can think about is the warmth of spring and summer, and Delawana Inn's promotional line, "Away from the World and a World Away."

Once you're up in Honey Harbour the peace and tranquility transforms the way you feel and think and even move. Personally, I see it as reconnecting with nature, so I am doubly elated to join the Delawana boat ride to Beausoleil Island for a day's outing.

The trips are run daily leaving at 11 a.m. and returning at 3 p.m., but must be pre-booked to ensure that you have a boxed lunch. The same goes for mountain bikes, since availability is on a first-come, first-served basis. Linda, Ljiljana and I collect our bikes, get our seat levels adjusted (to height) and we're off to board the boat.

The 20-minute ride to the island offers a close-up look at the natural tapestry of the islands and waters of Georgian Bay, notably the rocky outcrops and windblown pines that once inspired the famous Group of Seven artists and their paint brushes.

Beausoleil Island is the largest of the 59 islands that make up the Georgian Bay Islands National Park. This Canadian National Park boasts the richest diversity of reptiles and amphibians because of the wetlands. Other habitats include rock/patchy forest, field, shoreline, deciduous forest and mixed forest.

Once we disembark at the dock, we mount our bikes and ride to the visitor center where park staff dispense trail maps and instructions. You can take either the Huron or the Christian bike trail, but we elect to try the former, hoping to work up an appetite with a quick swim along the way.

Riding the trails is fun as we take turns leading the trio. The mountain bikes are a challenge, but I enjoy the free spirited excitement of following the twists and turns, while keeping an eye out for rough terrain (switching gears help) and overhanging branches that suddenly appear without warning. At one point I stop suddenly (a no-no) and Linda hits into me. Fortunately we escape without injury. Bright sunshine comes streaming through the canopy of leaves, sometimes noticeably sharper at various points along the trail, and this makes it all the more enjoyable for us.

At the next turn, I spot a sandy beach and we drop our bikes and head for the water. Linda stands on the outcrop of rocks to practice her Tai Chi, Ljiljana wades into the sparkling water and I decide to shoot some photographs before going for a swim. We can't believe our good luck, an empty beach just for the three of us, when we realize someone is trying to get our attention.

It turns out we're on private property, a summer resident camp and outdoor recreation center. I tell them we honestly thought it was a public beach and apologize for the intrusion. On the way out we meet a senior citizen attending a Women's Getaway Weekend who tells us she and her friends are having the time of their lives enjoying the great outdoors, some adventurous enough to even try kayaking.

We hit the trails again and head back to the picnic area to retrieve our lunch boxes. There's a great hiding place behind the concrete wall leading up to the visitor center where the trees offer obscurity from public view.

ot far away we are free to wander among the huge rocks that offer shelter from the wind and (sometimes) blowing sand. It's a restful spot to enjoy our lunch and relax after our hour-long ride and "little adventure." Linda is content to lie on the sand and close her eyes, and before long I realize she is taking a quick nap, while Ljiljana and I take a stroll along the sandy beach strip.

Before long, Ljiljana and Linda, with their bikes and mine are heading back to the inn, while I remain for a later crossing with another couple who were on an all-day hike.

Sometimes it's nice to seek solace, and a midweek trip is ideal if that's what you have in mind. Imagine lying under the pale blue sky, listening to the ebb and flow of the tide as it ripples idly by, the wildflowers swaying gently in the end-of-summer breeze, while seagulls nestle in the sand. I've visited this area many times, dropping anchor just below the sandbar approaching the island to enjoy a picnic lunch and swim, but never stopped long enough to tour the national park.

This park is one of the few remaining refuges for the Massasauga rattlesnake, the only venomous snake in Eastern Canada, which is among the threatened species on the Canadian Endangered Species list. They are mostly found in marshes and mixed forests, but disappearing habitat have led to a considerable decline in their numbers, so there's very little likelihood of encountering one in the park.

Just in case, the small, tan-colored snake is easily distinguished by its triangular head and heavy body with dark brown blotches. It grows to a maximum of 70 centimeters with a blunt tail that ends in a rattle. Usually timid, the Massasauga will only react if disturbed by vibrating its rattle (it sounds like a buzzing insect).

Even if you're a fledgling naturalist you'll be fascinated by the incredible variety of wildlife found in such a small area. To understand such an unusual diversity one must recall the historic evolution of the land and soil.

The landscape at the north end of the island contrasts fiercely with the south. The former consists of bedrock with a thickness that ranges between a few meters to a few centimeters. The thin soil drains well, except where ridges in the bedrock retain water and cause flooding, resulting in abundant wetlands. The combination of dry, rocky habitat and wetlands are the source of an incredible variety of plant and animal species.

South Beausoleil is on the northern fringe of the western St. Lawrence lowlands region where a common sight are the rolling hills of Southwestern and Central Ontario with thick glacial deposits covering limestone bedrock. The deep, rich soils are well drained, sustaining less wetlands, but with more nutrients available, the plant and animal life continue to thrive.

The north end is much older than the south. It's at Cedar Spring where two bedrock types meet. Most of Beausoleil Island is comprised of gneiss (pronounced "nice") - a combination of pink feldspar, black biotite or hornblende and white quartz. Believe it or not, about three billion years ago, this area was a giant sea. The bottom of the ocean was layered with sediments, one on top of the other like a giant Dagwood sandwich. Over thousands of years the sediments steadily thickened and the layers were pressured into rock. Gneiss is visible mostly at the northern end of the island, but look carefully and you'll see some telltale signs of twisting, bending and swirling at the meeting place.

At the southern end of the island the underlying rock contains limestone which was formed 425 million years ago when the area was deep within the sea. Small plants and animals living in the sea eventually died and settled at the bottom and after thousands of years these layers of sediment turned into limestone. It takes between 500 and 1,000 years for 2.5 cm of topsoil to form, which explains why only hardy vegetation grows here.

After the glaciers, it took many years for vegetation to cover the land and depressions in the landscape created pockets of wetlands, which support the wildlife that adapt to these conditions. It's not unusual to spot a beaver, fox, porcupine, raccoon and other mammals, or reptiles and amphibians. Be on the lookout for the heron or even the majestic osprey as there are several nesting poles in the park.