Years ago, when I was leading short three-day trips for kids at a summer camp that followed the shores of cottage country lakes and rivers, a mentor of mine believed I needed to go on a "real" trip. So, I was thrown into helping lead a 10-day journey through the heart of Temagami, where we paddled the massive North East Arm of Lake Temagami, hit rapids in the Marten River system, and portaged more distance than I thought humanly possible. All with 75lb Grumman canoes, the tanks of the canoe world. The trip was incredibly grueling, yet to my surprise, I found it also incredibly refreshing. Unlike Algonquin or Killarney Provincial Parks, the lakes, rivers, and portage paths of the Temagami area are quiet and void of massive packs of canoeists - especially as you venture farther from Lake Temagami. Much of the area is crown land, and you truly feel like you are far from civilization, and able to immerse yourself completely in the landscape. It's this feeling, and the scarcity of available sites this summer in provincial parks, that has my eyes on this incredible area.
I'd poured over maps and trip reports all winter waiting for the seasons to turn and the ice to recede. As the warm weather began, the provincial lockdown crawled by, and of course, this spring saw one of the earliest "ice outs" in nearly two decades. I looked at several routes and had decided on a trip that would take us from the Central Access point of Lake Temagami, down the northern section of the Temagami River, then up through the cottage-filled Red Cedar Lake towards Jumpin Cariboo, then finally West looping back to our put-in by way of Wasaksina and Shiningwood Bay. Though I planned this route using my downloaded Jeff's Maps Temagami resource (no longer available online, but if you want a copy feel free to reach out to me), I later realized that it was actually identical to Route #5 in Hap Wilson's book Temagami: A Wilderness Paradise. I'd recently ordered the book to find inspiration for trips this summer and gain insight into the area's lakes and portages. With the route planned, Sierra and I could only wait impatiently to be able to set off into the wilds of Temagami.
When it was announced that camping would be allowed on June 11 (as well as many other things, but I deemed these to be of little importance to me at the time) we immediately went into preparation mode for our trip. Food was dehydrated, last-minute bug jackets purchased and gear gathered. With my schedule having me working every day leading up to the trip, Sierra spearheaded the packing of the gear. In a mad scramble the night before, we were ready to head off by midnight the day before our trip. All that was left was a final stop at my mother's house at 5 in the morning day of to get our canoe.
After waking up later than planned and forgetting a mat for Teddy, we finally left home by 6:30, about an hour later than we'd hoped. The drive was fairly uneventful, with warm weather, clear roads, and a quick stop in North Bay for gas, we were at our access point by noon. With indifferent looks from the marina workers down the shore, we pushed off into the brisk waters of Lake Temagami with a slight breeze from the south. Our journey started with a large crossing of the mouth of Shiningwood Bay, which would be our exit point four days later, towards High Rock Island and the passageway into Cross Bay. We were blessed to have an easy first portage, marked with a thin, faded orange ribbon tied to a branch, that opened into a manageable trail with very little brush crowding our path.
The portage opened up into a small unnamed lake, with a watery graveyard of fallen trees we had to navigate through. As we crossed a small bay, Sierra silently pointed with her paddle towards two moose. The huge creatures started lumbering out of the water as soon as our craft came into their line of sight and retreated into the forest. It was a first for both of us, seeing these Canadian icons in the wild, and was proof that the area we were in was far less crowded than other regions we'd explored. Hoping our giant friends would reappear, we carried on to the end of the lake to find our second portage in silence.
As we hit the shore for our land crossing into Cross Lake, swarms of mosquitoes met us instantly. Hurriedly, we threw our bug jackets on and sprayed Teddy down with bug spray, and unloaded the canoe. Teddy exited the canoe and began to inspect our path ahead, and as we followed behind with our gear, we discovered that our route was a mud pit. The trail was an obvious one as we trudged along, never doubting which direction we were to walk. However, the ground underfoot served as a larger challenge, as we picked our way through whatever stuck out of the quagmire. Hopping from one rotten log to the next slippery rock, we tried our best to stay above the thick mud. Our equipment bag that Sierra carried, had been hastily packed which left it top-heavy and made balancing on the narrow footings difficult. Attempting to jump from dry spot to dry spot Sierra found herself slipping into the muddy trail, and lost her shoe several times. I'd toss the canoe off my shoulders and help her retrieve it, sometimes three feet into the muck.
. Teddy made the trek look incredibly easy, walking under the dense brush on the side of our path that offered dry ground. Occasionally he would come along in front of us to see what we were dealing with but would slink back to the forest after sinking a paw deep into
the mud. Undeterred by the bugs, he beat us to the end of our portage and jumped into the water to cool down, happily swimming in Cross Lake as Sierra and I made our way down to the shore. Pushing off into the lake, we paddled south towards the far end to find a campsite for the night.
By 4:15 we'd found a beautiful site on the southern side of Cross Lake. After the 21 km we had traveled,
we were looking forward to enjoying dinner. Sierra prepped the tent and sleeping situation, while I gathered firewood and made arrangements for supper. Ted ran around the island, still full of energy to our surprise. We'd hoped that being in the canoe for four hours would have tired him out but he was still excited as when we'd begun, especially when he found a shelled friend up on the rocks. After watching our new friend slide headfirst into the safety of the water, we settled in for dinner.
We'd tried our hand at dehydrating meals at home, with spaghetti in bolognese and a BBQ pulled chicken and mashed potatoes. For our first night out we opted for the pasta, which other than being a little soupier than I'd normally prefer, worked well. We'd forgotten to pack olive oil, so the calorie count was lower and the flavor not as rich, but it silenced our stomachs. We watched as the sun slid beneath the horizon and crawled into the tent for the night. A beaver kept us unwanted company, slapping the water throughout the night, waking us and the dog every couple of hours. Luckily we were able to sleep in until 7:30, as the Temagami River that lay ahead had several surprises that would test our skills.
Part Two coming soon!
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