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Well, our trip started a few weeks ago when Scouter Cara,
Scout Eric, and myself met at the Peterborough Public
Library to look over some guide books to local canoeing
spots. We found our destination in Kevin Callan's book,
Cottage Country Canoe Routes. After pouring over some
topographical maps at Trent University's Bata Library, we
decided on the Mississagua River.
This river flows between Mississagua Lake and Buckhorn
Lake. It is about 17km long and has 20 marked portages.
While this may sound like a lot, most of the rapids could
easily be run or lined. At least 3 broken canoes displayed
along the way let us know that the river had to be respected
and some portages had to be taken.
Scouter Heather dropped us off with one canoe (I had
taken one up earlier in the morning). She would be picking
us up later on at Curve Lake, the end of our journey.
We spent Sunday night at The Trapper's Inn and Marina.
Getting there in time for supper at the restaurant was very
worthwhile and a trip there is highly recomended. After
dinner, we retired to the tents to go over the itinerary one
more time. Roy, the owner of the Inn, opened the washrooms
for us before we retired for the night. We experienced a
wonderful thunderstorm during the night, but by morning, it
was over.
An overcast day greeted us with temperatures being
comfortable for paddling. Once we each downed a red can, we
were off. The lake was an easy paddle and we soon reached
our first portage around a dam. You can put in here as there
is a parking lot.
Once on the river, we paddled for a few dozen metres then
had to walk our canoes over a low section. It was here that
Eric learned a valuable lesson. If you lose your hat, don't
try to reach for it while lifting a canoe off a rock. He
tried, slipped, and pinned himself under the canoe...I mean
all of him, head and all. Good thing I was right there and
grabbed him just as he went under while Mark lifted the
canoe off him. We found the hat later.
A few more metres of river and another portage over a
road, then 25 metres of paddling, then portage, then across
the river and portage again, then a few more metres and
portage again. Regardless of water level, portaging was
necessary as two broken canoes were graphically displayed
along this stretch.
As we had crossed the road, the park warden was checking
water levels. He was due to let some through the next day!
He said if he had known people were onthe river, he would
have done it that day. Well, maybe next time.
The next few kilometres posed not problem, just some nice
paddling and a few more portages...some long, but we
survived. We stopped for lunch at a campsite - cheese, milk,
apples, and trail mix. Just before we called it a day, we
tried one small set of white water...not much more than a
few ripples really. Mark and Eric went first and seemed to
be doing all right.
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Cara and I then took the first drop (1 foot) and took in
half a canoe of the wet stuff. We continued, and would have
made it if we weren't carrying all that water. We passed the
other canoe that had grounded out and just as we were
getting to the end of it, we caught a boulder and filled
right up. Time to empty! The river was only waist deep, but
bailing with a helmut and cup took a long time.
It was getting dark as we pulled out for the night. The
next few minutes were a blur. BUGS!!! A quick meal of pasta,
a phone call to let our home base know we were ok, and it
was in to bed. Wow, was it ever warm. Then the storm came.
Rain for most of the night, but by morning, clear skies and
bugs again. No time for breakfast, just get on the river and
eat later. Mark and Eric tried the set of rapids by the
campsite with an empty canoe but low water levels grounded
them a couple of times.
The day was perfect, except that the deer flies really
liked Cara's ankles. The most impressive sight along the
river was found on this day. An old logging bridge over a
waterfall. Even with low water levels, there was some
serious H2O going down this drop. We all commented that
being here in the spring would really be neat.
Just before lunch, we hit Buckhorn Lake and were locked
through. We had a wonderful conversation with another pair
of paddlers who were paddling the Trent-Severn in his 16'
cedar strip. He said that they had paddled the Rideau System
last summer. They were camping at lock stations along the
way. After locking through, we had lunch at the
restaurant.
Dark skies and 3 foot swells met us after lunch. Not fun.
We pulled off the lake onto a small island and decided to
wait it out. We set up the tent, and sat. Almost as soon as
we had relaxed, the winds died down, the lake was calm again
and we were off once more. This next part of the trip was
the longest and most difficult really. I think that I've
never really liked lake travel, if only for the reason it
seems like you never get anywhere fast...the distance always
looks far away. On rivers, there is always the unkown around
the next bend, but on a lake, this doesn't happen.
We paddled for hours, thinking more than once that we had
missed our turn off. But eventually, after a couple of phone
calls to check things out, we found our cottage.
We unloaded the canoes and settled in with hot showers, a
great pork chop dinner, complete with bannock, potatoes and
veggies. Bed time was not far off.
Tuesday mornig came and we fished, hiked along the
cottage roads and waited for our ride home. Eventually,
Heather arrived, we loaded one canoe on the van (I picked up
the other the next day) and left for home.
Even thought we never did make it all the way to Omeemee
like we originally planned, the trip was still a success.
Sore backs and other pains cut the last leg out, but we
intend to finish it in the near future.
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