Journal, July 3 through 18, 2008
Missinaibi River, Ontario

By Gary Hochgraf

Thursday July 3
Irene and I drive from Ann Arbor to St Ignace, Michigan. It took us several days to get all packed up. We’re doing three dinners for the whole gang, plus our own breakfasts and lunches and snacks. And of course I had to make the meals interesting with variety.

We stop at a rest area just before the big bridge, and find ripe blueberries! We hope there’s more further north. Just beyond St Ignace, we meet up with Paul and Laura and share a campsite and lots of mosquitoes. Quick dinner, a fire, and to bed.

Friday July 4
Headed out early and crossed the border at Sault Ste Marie, then north along the Lake Superior shoreline to Wawa. This is such a beautiful stretch of road, with hills, woods, vistas over the big lake, beaches, and rocky shores. We passed several bicycle tourists, and it reminded me of many of my past trips, and I yearn for more!

East out of Wawa then into Hawk Junction. Its an incredibly tiny town, but it does have a train station. Here we meet Leo and Deb and their son John and his friend Nate. John and Irene are 15yrs, Nate is 16. John, Nate and Leo have just come off a week-long trip canoeing in the Boundary Waters.

We scouted the put-in, (a scruffy trail beyond the tracks to a creek) and unloaded the cars. Paul, Leo, John, Nate and Irene will camp here by the station, while Laura, Deb and I drive to Matice, 4 hours farther north. We leave two cars in Matice, and drive mine back up the road to Hearst, where there’s a hotel and another train station.

Saturday July 5. Day 1
Up early, breakfast at the restaurant across the street, then we hung out in front of the grocery store for half an hour waiting for it to open, got in, grabbed some lunch fixings, and headed for the train. Hearst is the beginning of the line, so its been sitting here all night.

Hearst is one of the larger towns on the Trans Canada Highway, and is also an anomaly because it is French-speaking. The radio station is French, the waitresses speak French, and kids too. So we asked the grocery checkout girl about it. She called Hearst the “Little Quebec.”

The train is the Algoma Line, and runs all the way to Sault Ste. Marie. We’re rolling along through northern forests of black spruce and aspen with lots of wildflowers. Yellow and orange Indian paintbrush, buttercup, wild roses, daisies, iris, orange tiger lilies, and yellow pond lilies. At the beginning there’s a dirt road that parallels the tracks, and a few towns. Then the road ends and the towns end and the houses end, and marshes begin and streams, rivers, and lakes begin. Further in there are remote camps, and the train stops to pick up passengers. We’ve met two men who have loaded their canoes into the baggage car, and will detrain along the way to paddle the Missinaibi. We may see them again!

By and by we arrived at Hawk Junction about 1pm. After dealing with stuff and greetings, we head for the boats (which had already been brought down to the creek along with most of the gear. And we’re off! Down the creek a short way and into Hawk Lake, then up the Michipicoten River into Manitowik Lake. Technically, the Michipicoten flows against us, but the flow is very slow and we have a strong tailwind. The wind stays behind us all day and blows us (with good sized waves) all the way to the end of the lake, where we encounter the bottom of the rapids on the Michipicoten as it enters the lake. There’s a nice campground here and we take it. The mosquitoes are ok, but the black flies are bad, especially since the wind has died. I write this wearing a head net.

Leo and Deb have brought a screen tent, about 10’x10’ and inside is bug free. Leo has made soup of polish sausage and other yummy stuff. We all sit inside the tent to eat. Quite civilized.

Clean-up then bed. We’re all pretty tired.

Sunday July 6, Day 2
Paul made oatmeal for everybody, with dried strawberries and I added a batch of banana nut bread. It all disappeared. We’re camping on the portage trail to the next lake, so first off we head up the hill with our boats and gear. A short paddle, then some challenging rapids to paddle UP! We had to ferry back and forth from one side to the other to use the shore eddies. The last crossing was through the lower tongue of the falls above the rapids, and was quite challenging. We cheered each other on.

Another portage, and more tailwinds down the length of Dog Lake, and we pull in behind an island for a snack and to stretch our legs. There’s a well developed campsite on the island with lots of daisies. Irene is teaching Laura how to braid daisies and make a crown. So all three women now have daisy crowns.

By the time we depart the island, the wind has increased (but we didn’t realize it) and we’re soon paddling in some heavy waves and whitecaps ‘till we can duck behind another point. In a short distance we find another campsite and agree that the conditions on the water are too extreme for our little boats. So we take out and wait for the wind to die down. It doesn’t. so we’re staying here for the night. Tent sites are difficult to find, but we make the best of it. Paul and Laura make a Korean beef dish, served over rice. Quite good. But John and Nate turn up their noses and eat peanut butter on tortillas instead. This prompts a discussion about interesting menus we’ve enjoyed. As evening settles in the wind finally abates so there are no more whitecaps.

Monday July 7, Day 3
The wind has shifted to the northeast and is still quite strong. So we decide against seeing the pictographs up the lake and head across to the town of Missinabie (different spelling!) We got an early start and have breakfast after an hour of paddling. It’s a long day of paddling with one portage to break it up. The trail is muddy at the take out, with boggy spots all along, but reasonably short. For all it’s insignificance, this is the portage that takes us from the Michipicoten River and the Great Lakes watershed, and into the Missinaibi River and the Hudson’s Bay watershed. Its all downhill from here! The Missinaibi and Michipicoten rivers were the primary route for the voyageurs of the Hudson Bay Trading company. We will retrace some of that historic route. It was the easiest way to get from the salt water and ocean access in James Bay to the Great Lakes and the beaver pelts.

Today we saw several bald eagles flying high, a large family of mergansers, two unidentified ducks (goldeneye perhaps?), a cedar waxwing, raven, many loons, and we hear white throated sparrows in the forest. We’re now in Crooked lake, which has hordes of dragonflies. We find a nice campsite on an island, with two bedrock aprons and a makeshift table. The tents go up, and we all go swimming. A fire is built and we are visited by a yellow striped water snake.

Irene and I have our tent facing a large patch of daisies, and beyond that, the lake. Quite pretty.

Tuesday July 8, day 4
It rains in the night, and again at wake-up. Most of us slept in while Leo makes pancakes

The rest of the lake slips by, stroke by stroke, to the portage into Missinaibi Lake. The wind has died and the mosquitoes are ferocious, so we do lunch on a large rock island in the middle of a bay. Bug free! With glassy water, we paddle to Fairy Point, where there is an impressive array of pictographs. With the recent rain there is water dripping down from high on the cliff, adding sacred music to the ancient images painted on the rock face. There are human figures, moose, other animals, figures in a canoe, a tree, the flying spaghetti monster, tick marks, and Xs.

Now the weather changes to a tail wind with occasional drizzle, but we detour upwind to see another pictograph, then head downwind to a nice campsite where the little Missinaibi River enters the lake in a great thundering falls. There’s a beaver swimming about in the bay. After dinner (I made tacos for the gang) some go out fishing, while Irene, Nate and I take our canoe out and dump it in the tailwater of the falls, then play about on the upturned boat. We pulled out onto a rock, emptied the boat, and did it again! Our tent site is near the falls looking out over the lake, and a sliver of a moon.

Wenesday July 9th, day 5
We’re late getting up, so instead of Deb and Leo being the last on the water, we are! Out of the bay, and we’ve got a tailwind again! It’s a long paddle all the way to the end of the lake. A bit of a storm comes up about an hour from camp, where we arrive cold and damp and tired. The bank is muddy and the bugs are very thick. The lake has narrowed to become the river, with reed beds on either side.

Deb and Leo’s bug tent is quickly set for a welcome refuge. Light rains come and go. Despite the rain, we get a fire going and the smoke helps drive them away. Leo makes spaghetti for us all, and chocolate moose.

After dinner, Leo, Paul, Laura and I paddle across the river and walk the portage trail to scout the first set of rapids on the Missinaibi River, called Quittagene Rapids. Its listed as a class II, and consists of two fairly straightforward Vs with lots of power. Nothing too technical, but standing waves which could splash over the gunnels.

Thursday July 10, day 6
Today is Paul’s birthday, and we begin the river. But tempers are running a bit rough today. Paul and Laura are arguing, and Deb and I have a cold stand-off over parenting styles.

We re-scout the Quittagene rapids, then run it. Exciting. Except that Laura didn’t enjoy it, and Paul didn’t pick up on that fact. A few more riffles, and we hold a pow-wow. Deb says that she, Leo, John and Nate want to abort the trip at the next railroad crossing, eighteen km further on.

Irene and I are out ahead, and we hear something very big crashing through the bushes beside the river. Its gotta be a moose! We continue to Sun Rapids, Class II. Paul and Laura scout it from shore, and Laura doesn’t want to run it. It’s a challenge, with some strong eddy lines to cross, scouting from the eddies in the middle of the rapids, and a big drop at the end. But Irene and I had just run it, so Irene goes with Paul to run the boat down while Laura takes photos. Later on we have about 1.5km of class I rapids and riffles which does a lot to improve everyone’s skill and confidence. By the time we run Barrel rapids Laura is enjoying them too. By and by we arrive at the railroad bridge. Paul and Laura have become friends again, Deb and I agree to disagree, and we pass the bridge by and commit to the end.

Camp is found, on a huge bedrock outcropping in the middle of Peterbell Marsh. Good moose habitat, but we don’t see any. From rocks 6m high we look out over the marsh and river. Leo makes pasta with chicken and I make chocolate cake, and Deb finds a candle, and we all sing Happy Birthday to Paul.

The day started out sunny, clouded over, rained lightly, and is clear again in the evening for a gorgeous sunset. Irene finds gooseberries and I find one blueberry. On an island for lunch, Irene found chocolate mint plants growing in the mud. We pick several tops and enjoy a spot of tea.

Friday July 11, day 7
A theme throughout this trip is mosquitoes. They are very thick in camp, on portage trails, and at lunch breaks. We build a fire most every evening just for the smoke. The bug tent is one of the first things to be set-up. We find lunch stops and breaks on bare rocks in the middle of the river, and don bug nets, long sleeved shirts and long pants whenever we’re on shore. There’s black flies too, but they’re not as bad.

Today dawned beautiful. Blue skies, light breeze (tail wind), and warm. We paddle through Peterbell marsh, scanning every bay and side marsh for moose. Finally we see one! It’s a cow with calf coming down to the river. But as soon as they see us and hear us they bound back into the undergrowth. The marsh ends at a rapids, and we’re back into sections of river, riffles and rapids.

We take out to scout Wavy rapids because we cannot see it all from the boats. The right side is an impenetrable rock garden, with all the water funneling down the left. There’s big waves down there! It ends in a huge wave train of standing waves at least a meter high and about 4m between crests. It’s a Class II. It looks runnable but without packs. There’s a campsite here and its quite nice. The decision is made to stay for the night. We portage the gear to the campsite, and Irene and I are the first to run, and it’s a wild ride! There’s about ten haystacks to crash through, and we take on several gallons of water. As we eddy out Irene looks back at me with a huge smile and declares “That was Fun!” We decide to portage up and do it again. Leo and Nate are next, and a wave catches them wrong and over they go. And Deb catches it all on movies. Irene and I run it again and paddle over to see if they need help, but they’ve made it to shore by the time we arrive. So we run it a third time. Leo and John do another run, then Nate and Irene. Halfway down the wave train, Irene grabs the gunnels and throws her weight to the side and sends them both swimming. Nate and John do a run, and John and Irene. John does a few trips down just in a PFD. Laura gathers her courage and she and Paul run their boat through.
We get camp set-up and Paul and Laura make us Moroccan chicken with couscous.

Saturday July 12, day 8
A thunderstorm rolls through in the early morning, so all our efforts at getting things dried out are dashed.

On the water, paddling down. More rapids and riffles, black spruce, tamarack, cedars, aspen, white birch, willow, dogwood, iris, tiger lilies, roses, daisies, Indian paintbrush, service berry, and others.

We have a long (1.5km) portage at Greenhills rapids. Its horrible! Long sections of very muddy trail, quite overgrown, and with this morning’s rain, its all very wet. We are soaked and covered with mud by the end. Its also slippery underfoot, and many of us fall struggling up and down the trail with our loads. And there are moose prints. Irene and I finish our portage, and launch onto the river to escape the bugs and wait for the others. Also to clear space for the others at the put-in. We beach on a submerged gravel bar, where Irene finds a crayfish and names it ‘dinner.’

The next rapid presents a challenge. Its steep but short. The center channel has some large standing waves and one souse-hole. There’s space to the right, but it ends with several rocks. Paul and Leo line their boats down, as well as Deb’s. But Irene and I portage our gear and run it with an empty boat. We made it, but it proves to be a very challenging run with lots of coordinating maneuvers. Lunch at the bottom, where Irene adds a clam to her crayfish and names it ‘appetizer.’

We meet another paddler just as we’re heading out. More riffles, then we portage Split Rock Falls, and pick the campsite at the height of land. From here we can look down into the gorge where the river drops between canyon walls into a frothing tumult. Not runnable by this crew!. The solo paddler we met briefly at lunch passes through. He started at the town of Missinabie. Then the two men that we’d met on the train came through, and have set up camp at the bottom of the portage trail. Irene returns Dinner and Appetizer to the river.

I gave a challenge to the three teenagers - Irene, John and Nate - to cook dinner. They’re making my curried couscous and vegs, which is a one-pot meal and quite simple. But when it comes time to eat, John and Nate turn up their noses again and make a batch of mac n cheese.

Sunday July 13, day 9
On down the river. We portage Tower Falls and stop to explore the rocks and take a group photo. From here there’s long stretches of boring river, with few rapids. We detour up the Fire River about a kilometer, to the lower rapids for a lunch break. Paul and Laura hiked the trail a bit farther to the falls and a cabin.

At camp tonight, we flush an osprey near the rapids. We go to China tonight for dinner - stir fried vegs with cellophane noodles, but its more like soup. And tuna mushroom cashew sauce over rice. It’s a bit exotic but everyone eats.

Monday July 14, day 10
We’re gonna try to make some extra distance today. The river is slow and wide with very few rapids. Light drizzle around lunchtime. There’s no place to take-out without inviting the bugs to dine too, so we raft-up the four canoes and drift while we eat.

There’s lots of evidence of beaver and moose along the banks, but we see very little. There’s a splash of something next to the bank. Otter? Mink? Beaver? We never saw it. Paul and Laura saw something small swimming at a distance.

Camp at Two Portage Falls, and there’s another group here too. Fortunately there are two sites. The other group is a high adventure camp program of ten guys, about the same age as our teenagers. And two of them are from Ann Arbor MI!

Dinner is tortellini, and the sun comes out strongly.

Tuesday July 15, day 11
Rainy morning. There’s a large flat rock in the fireplace, and last night I set it up on top to make an oven underneath. Paul made a batch of bannock in it. So I got up early and got a fire going despite the rain, and got that oven space good and hot, and put in a batch of berry muffin mix. Yummy.

Deb is getting antsy about finishing the trip. She’s got a family gathering at a cabin in the Porkies in a few days.

Two short portages, then we’re into the Devil’s Shoepack rapids. This is a long series of Class Is and IIs and a ledge to lift the boats over. What a wild ride! Constantly looking ahead, picking a route, ferrying across from one side to the other, eddying out to consider the options ahead. Fun and challenging. We got to the ledge, and Paul helps Irene and I carry the loaded boat over the rock and into quiet water below. But we have to move sideways and make a sharp turn to enter the main flow of the river. The current catches the bow as planned and begins the turn. But I don’t get the stern around quick enough and we hang-up on a rock and over we go! The canoe rights itself after we fall out and we swim a short distance until we find good footing. There’s no place to bring the boat to, and the boat is only half swamped. So we proceed to bail out many gallons of water. Eventually we get enough water out that we can re-enter the canoe and paddle to shore, still bailing.

The others have pulled over and carefully scouted a run near shore, and soon all four canoes are continuing down the river.

After several kilometers of flatwater we enter another set of rapids. This one is a very long rock garden, Class I, and we pick our way down between the obstacles. Our favorite technique for this type of challenge is for Irene to stand in the bow which gives her a superior view of the submerged rocks.

Camp is a small, seldom used campsite beside the rock garden. The mosquitoes are horrible and tent sites marginal. But there’s an inviting bedrock outcrop just downstream. Irene and I go to explore and chose to set our tent on the rocks in the middle of the river. Beautiful site.

Back to the campsite for dinner - minestrone soup and blueberry muffin. Deb and Leo decide that they’re going to push all the way to Matice tomorrow, and Laura, Paul, Irene and I opt to spend one more night on the river.

Under a nearly full moon, in the fading light of the day, Irene and I paddle out to our island for the night.

Wednesday July 16, day 12
We sleep in. Paul and Laura come out to our island (bug free) for breakfast, then Deb & John and Leo & Nate come out once they’re all packed up, and we say our goodbyes. Then they paddled off and we ate breakfast. Lazy morning with a bright sun. We let clothing and dry on the warming rocks, then slowly pack up and head down the river.

Two quick portages, then we take out to scout a Class II-tech. And Irene finds wild onion! We pick a few to add to dinner.

A bit more flatwater and we find camp at the third portage at Glassy Falls. I suppose some hot shot kayaker could run it, but not us! There’s a big bedrock ledge on either side of the falls, and a nice large beach below. Either will give us relief from the mosquitoes, but what about no-see-ums? Or black flies? Its early yet, so we just hang out for a few hours and dry our stuff, nap, and explore. Soon our question is answered, as the no-see-ums come out in force on the rocks. Tonight we camp on the beach! Simple dinner of tortellini with feta cheese and wild onions.

Its so peaceful here, with the sand, rocks, a small amount of bugs, and just the four of us. We’ve had excellent weather all day - deep blue skies with little cumulus-humilus clouds. We’re hoping for good stargazing tonight.

Thursday July 17, day 13
There was no stargazing. Instead we get a very long steady light morning rain. We sleep in, and eventually it slows to a drizzle but the mosquitoes are fierce. We pack very quickly and escape to the sanctity of the river. The drizzle continues but eventually clears and we have sunshine. Around noon we arrive in Matice, with a brief detour to see a first nation cemetery beside the river.

We load both boats and all the gear into Paul’s car and drive to Hearst, transfer our stuff to my car behind the hotel, take a welcome shower, share a pizza, and begin the long drive home.

Friday July 18. Arrive home. Along the way we saw a mink crossing the road, a black bear eating wild strawberries, and we pick many of them ourselves.