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Tumpline NEWS | PROFILE | TRIPS | HERTIAGE | CANOES [ NEWS ]


When it comes to the sheer variety and complexity of challenges, it woud be hard to best veteran trail builder and guidebook au- thor Hap Wilson’s latest project—an 850-kilometer canoe route through Northwest Ontario. Establishing and mapping the route


is a logistical, political and environmental feat with more snags than an alder swamp, but when completed, the Path of the Paddle will form a vital link as the first water route acknowledged by the Trans Canada Trail. —VM


Te Trans Canada Trail initiative hit a big snag in Northwest Ontario. Insur- mountable obstacles like swamps, lakes, riv- ers and creeks rendered a land-based trail system too expensive and difficult to build.


When I was approached by the TCT, I thought it was a joke. Dan Andrews of the Ontario chapter asked me to write a guidebook for a new water trail from Manitoba to Tunder Bay. I liked the idea of incorporating Canada’s oldest and first known trails—Aboriginal canoe routes— into the cross-Canada inventory. It would also include one of the most celebrated historic fur trade and exploration routes via the Pigeon River and Grand Portage.


It wasn’t easy trying to please bureau- crats, politicians, environmentalists, history buffs and First Nations when it came to naming this section of the Trans Canada Trail. To give credence to all man- ner of paddlers, we borrowed the title from the well known Bill Mason collection of books and films, Path of the Paddle, with the blessing of the Mason family. Bill’s premier paddling days were spent at a camp on Shoal Lake close to the headwaters of the TCT route.


Field-truthing began as soon as the ice was off Lake of the Woods last May, concentrating on small creeks and rivers to get an idea of spring waterflow and white- water challenges. It is 500 kilometers from Manitoba to Tunder Bay as the crow flies, but the route twists and turns across the full breadth of Northwest Ontario.


Knitting the quintessential Canadian [ PROFILE ]


wilderness canoe route through North- west Ontario was a daunting task. Ravaged by logging, mining, road build- ing and worse, this part of Ontario has some serious issues. Te infamous, 1969 Experimental Lakes Agreement between the Canadian and Ontario governments set aside 58 small lakes for “ecosystem- scale experimental investigation” including mercury loading and adding estrogen used in birth control pills. Ten there were the so-called Green Zones, a collaboration be- tween the MNR and hunting/fishing lodges to prohibit non-Canadians from camping on Crown Land. Te TCT is looking for an amendment to this restriction along the Path of the Paddle. Ultimately, the route is more interesting for having to find ways around all these things.


You can access and egress the trail from several points and run it from either direction. I was surprised at the impressive landscape and the sense of isola- tion, particularly following the internation- al boundary along the Voyageur Route.


Te guidebook isn’t my typical style. It will be a more compact, three-ring binder, but the cartography and artwork will main- tain a traditional, hand-drawn look instead of digital maps. Parts of the guidebook should be ready for the 2012 season with completion slated for 2013.


Te final phase of the project will estab- lish partnerships for water trail mainte- nance and stronger community-based eco- or adventure-tourism development. More information is available at www.tctontario. ca or www.eskakwa.ca. —Hap Wilson


In April 2011, six paddlers left Vancouver to ca- noe from Pacific to Atlantic in a single season, ad- vocating for the importance of Canadian fresh- water resources. Te team pulled into Saint John, New Brunswick, in October after 149 days. Te project worked to raise awareness for the


CROSS CANADA CANOE ODYSSEY


22 SPRING 2012


Canadian Heritage River System and was recog- nized as Te Royal Canadian Geographic Soci- ety’s prestigious 2011 Expedition of the Year. “Our route included four Heritage Rivers and


two designates, waterways important to Cana- da’s environment, heritage and cultural identity,” says expedition leader Ross Phillips. From the iconic Fraser and North Saskatche-


wan rivers, they continued east across two Great Lakes and retraced historic voyageur routes in


Path of the Paddle


Te route is divided into five sections, from the Manitoba border to Tunder Bay.


ANISHNABE TRAIL Falcon Lake to Kenora, an amazing, 120-km canoe or kayak route with only a couple short carries.


RUSHING RIVER TRAIL Already park status with a circu- itous 190-km trail east to Dryden.


MAUKINAK TRAIL Named for the Ojibwa word for snapping turtle, the trail takes in the Turtle River and White Otter Lake en route 200 kms to Atikokan.


QUETICO TRAIL A new 220-km route through the park and one of my favorite sections because it eliminates some hefty portages. Ends at Northern Light Lake just outside the southeast corner of the park.


VOYAGEUR TRAIL Named after the historic fur trade path along the Granite and Pigeon rivers. Tis 110-km route follows the international boundary, ending just shy of the Grand Portage where Canada has a new take-out to meet up with the land-based TCT.


the Ottawa Valley. Paddling the St. Lawrence into the Saint John River basin finished up 7,100 kilometers of canoeing and 900 kilometers of portaging. Phillips’ team possessed a diverse skill set.


“Our crew consisted of two hydrologists, a nutri- tionist, a fitness coach, a paramedic and an un- dergraduate forestry student,” he says. Te six were united by a keen awareness of the


need to preserve Canadian waterways as well as their shared passion for canoeing. “We are proud of our accomplishments and grateful for all the kindness we were greeted by along the way,” says Phillips. —Michael Mechan To learn more about the Canadian Canoe Odyssey pad- dlers and their route visit cancanoeodyssey.sportisite.com.


PHOTO: HAP WILSON


PHOTO: ROSS PHILLIPS


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