TOURduPARK
While I tossed the line into the rapids Angela spent her time relaxing and taking photos. We did this for about 20 minutes or so before deciding to move on. The next stretch of river would have us paddling for a while before reaching the next portage. At this point the river straightens out a bit and heads through another huge marsh land – and a widening of the river named Moose Lake. Surely there would be a moose browsing the lily’s in Moose Lake. We paddled at a leisurely pace, keeping quite around each corner but never spotted a moose. A solid hour later we hit Moose Lake and slowed the pace even more. Oddly it was windy here but the wind was blowing towards the west. Of course it is, because were headed east. Crossed Moose Lake and not a moose to been seen for miles and miles. I was beginning to loose faith that we would even see a moose on this trip. As we re-entered the narrow river we continued downstream with ease. This part of the river is pretty much straight lines with the occasional curve. We passed a campsite that clearly does not get much use. I decided not to get out and check it out because it was getting a little late in the afternoon and there were two more ruin locations I wanted to see. We continued paddling and reached the second campsite past Moose Lake on the river – this one is really high up on a steep sandy bank. It would be a real pain in the butt to get water from way up there. I wouldn’t stay here unless I absolutely had to. It was just after 3pm when we arrived at the landing for the fourth portage of the day, a quick 230m around some shallows in the river. I had skipped this one in the past and planned to do it again. There are only a couple shallow spots you need to get out and wade (in order not to scratch the crap out of your boat) and the rest is deep pools. Angela heard rapids so she opted to grab her camera gear and take the trail. There aren’t any rapids here but some rocky areas that may sound intimidating to someone who knows nothing about white water. I paddled around the portage without having to get out, and very minimal scraping.
I picked up Angela at the other end of the trail and we continued downstream. A few minutes after the potage we arrived at a little swift that required river walking. The water levels were still fine so I offered to allow Angela to remain in the boat while I walked it down the deeper parts of the swift. She agreed and that’s what we did. It was nice to dip my feet in the water as it was still a warm day despite the rain earlier. Once we passed the swift I was back in the boat and we continued to paddle downstream. Shortly after 4pm we arrived at the fifth and final portage of the day and trip. A 915m portage leading to the Nipissing Delta on Cedar Lake. This was also the location of two ruins I wanted to check out – one at each end of the trail. The ruin on this end of the trail was a cave, and the other end supposedly has logging camp remains.
We landed at the portage and unloaded the boat, keeping everything off to the side and out of the way in case someone else arrives while we are searching for the cave. I grabbed the camera and GPS and we got to work. I knew the cave was located between the portage and the river, and within about 150m or so of the west end of the trail. Luckily the gap between the river and the trail isn’t very wide, so we had a reasonable area to search. We first spotted a huge rock that looked like there may be access to somewhere underneath but upon further investigation it turned out to be nothing. We continued the search but had to be very careful as this entire area was littered with huge boulders and deep gaps between them. After about 15 minutes Angela spotted another huge rock pile and it looked fairly promising. We walked up to it and it looked like it could possibly be a cave, but the entrance was so small I doubted anyone other than a small child could get in. We walked back up to the trail and gave it another look. This rock pile seemed to be it, so we approached it from the other side. Headed down the steep rocky trail we approached the pile from the east and BAM! I instantly knew we had found Ald Charron’s Secret Cave. I recognized the entrance from a photo sent to me by a fellow tripper who had spent a lot of time looking for it. Inside the cave was space enough for a person to hide away in foul weather and remain fairly protected. The inner walls were perfectly flat and situated in such a manner that it almost appeared to be a little room. On the back wall of the cave were a few carvings; one of his name, one of a native man’s head with full headdress and one of a lady friend to make those cold nights just a little warmer. I was so happy we had located this cave, as I tried once back in 2013 and failed to find it. This trip was a complete success from a historical perspective so far and it wasn’t even over!
Day 5: Nipissing River to Cedar Lake
In the early morning light, I opened my eyes and it was just bright enough to see around the tent. I was still kind of tired, but this was the last morning of the trip and I wanted to make it special. I quietly exited the tent and retrieved the food so I could make some coffee. I took the stove down to the river bank as to not wake Angela with its use. Minutes later I had a nice mug of hot coffee in my hand and the sun was just beginning to rise over the valley. I sat my chair at the edge of the river and kept quiet while enjoying my coffee, still hoping to see a moose. Time passed and no moose showed up. A second coffee and another hour with the same result. I wonder where the all the moose went? They certainly weren’t here, but hopefully somewhere down river. Around 8am Angela emerged from the tent and put on some water for coffee. We were both feeling a little sluggish from the late night and drinks and at the same time we weren’t overly interested in moving quickly today. How can one be eager to leave The Park? The silver lining in leaving today was the fact that there was 20km between us and the car – a full day’s adventure.
Finally found it! Ald Charron’s Secret Cave
Finally! A beautiful sunny morning that looks like it may last the whole day!!
Sun rising over the Nipissing River
The downstream end of P175 on the Nipissing River
A warming morning fire to get the chill of the night out
Today’s breakfast wasn’t anything special, just oatmeal and coffee. It was a beautiful sunny morning and maybe, just maybe, this would be the only day of the trip we don’t see any rain. Breakfast done and the dishes washed, we still weren’t eager to go anywhere. Angela really loved this campsite and was excited to return to this spot for 5 days next month. We took our time packing up the inside of the tent and eventually the tent itself. It was such a nice day we decided to hang out just a little while longer and make the trek back to the car at noon. I could tell Angela really loved this campsite because normally on the last day she is eager to pack up and go to get a head start on the long drive home, but here – she said she felt totally at peace and loved the surroundings.
When you see this rock, head down the slope and take a peek under it
Once back at the boat we loaded up our packs for one last time and began down the portage. This trail is fairly straightforward with only one big hill near the beginning. As we passed the location of the cave I immediately knew how anyone who wasn’t looking for it could walk right by it and never know. I wondered how many thousands of people have crossed this portage without a clue of its existence. I wonder what else we walk passed in the bush with a canoe on our heads. In about 15 minutes we arrived at the other end of the trail and unloaded. Once again I pulled out the camera and returned to the campsite about 30m down the trail. Behind this campsite there are supposedly some logging camp ruins so I poked around for a bit. I spent a good 15 minutes there and couldn’t find anything other than a bunch of old cans. I found this odd as my source for this particular ruin was very reliable and I had confirmed the information before leaving for the trip. Satisfied with all the other ruins we located on this trip, I decided to save this one for another time. There was another ruins symbol at a campsite on Cedar Lake just north of the Nipissing Delta but it was getting late in the day and I figured it was time to get going. We loaded all the gear in the canoe and continued down the river. Once passed the double campsite the river makes a left turn and you are in a huge marsh land.
We followed the current of the marsh instead of cutting through the reeds – that plan can be hit and miss. A beautiful paddle through the marsh was our last hope at seeing a moose. Once again we were skunked because within a half hour we were about to enter Cedar Lake proper. By now the wind had really kicked up and it was blowing towards the east, funnelling down the west arm of Cedar Lake. Angela was not happy about this but I knew this was typical Cedar Lake behaviour – we were just really, really lucky on day one when we paddled up the west arm. I told her to tighten her life jacket and just stay focused as the next 20 minutes are going to suck (not for me, but that’s cause I’m a little insane). The wind was rough and the waves were too, but constant attention and manoeuvring kept us upright. I couldn’t head directly towards Brent as that would have the wind coming at us directly on the left side. I aimed the boat about 600-700m west of Brent which allowed the wind and waves to come in at a 45-degree angle instead. This plan worked and after a fairly intense 20 minutes we made it to calmer waters near the point of land just west of Brent. It was nearly 5:30pm and as we rounded the point of land we could see the beach and parking lot. It was only a matter of a few hundred meters now and it was all over. The point of land provided 100% shelter from the wind and the last few minutes of the trip we spent paddling a completely calm and windless bay of Cedar Lake. We landed at the beach and were greeted by a huge family of Canadian Geese ho were enjoying the sand and water. Angela retrieved the car and began to load up the packs and other gear while I spent a few minutes scrubbing out the boat – I always make sure she is perfectly clean and ready for the next trip, no matter what the weather is when the trip is over. I’m that weird guy who will wash his canoe out in the rain before loading it on the car. With the canoe shiny and clean, I loaded it on the car and changed into some fresh clothes.We left the tiny town of Brent and decided to make a quick stop at the Brent Crater viewing deck for a few photos. You get a great view of the crater along with Tecumseh and Gilmour Lakes from here, if you’re passing by and you have time on the way out it’s definitely worth a stopover. After snapping a few photos, we walked back down to the car and continued up the gravel road to the highway, and eventually back to Toronto.
The entrance to the cave
The Brent Crater as seen from the observation deck along Brent Road
All in all, this was definitely the most exciting trip I’ve taken so far this year, and definitely within my top 3 favorite canoe trips of all time. From locating over 5 different ruins sites, to saving a baby loon and reuniting him with his family, to a ring presentation/proposal from my fiancée. This trip was so full of awesome events, I wish I could do it all over again and do it exactly the same.
Nipissing River to Cedar Lake
Back at the portage, about the complete the last one of the trip!
Like all good things in life, our time at the campsite had come to an end. As noon approached I loaded the packs and other gear into the canoe while Angela had the privilege of completing the last ‘once over’ of a campsite for this trip. With nothing left behind we began the downstream paddle and arrived at the first of five portages of the day. This was a simple 365m trail around an old logging dam. At this point we were travelling very light so the load up, carry over and unload process was a breeze. We crossed the trail in about ten minutes and relaunched onto the river. The weather was still sun mixed with clouds but no rain so I was happy. It wasn’t long before we arrived at the next portage, a quick 175m around an old bridge crossing and small rapid. We crossed the trail without issue and were making good time as it had only been 45 minutes since we left the campsite and we already had nearly 4km and two portages down! But I was wrong about the rain. Within minutes of finishing the portage the sky opened up. We rushed to get out our rain gear and put it on. So there we had it, it rained once a day for all five days of this trip. With a slightly slower pace due to the rain, we continued down the winding river while keeping quiet with hopes of a moose sighting. Half an hour later we arrived at the third portage, another short trail at 245m. The rain finally ended and I was happy to not have to wear my rain jacket on the portage – I hate that! There is a campsite on the other end of this trail that I wanted to show to Angela because I had stayed there on a previous trip. After we made the quick carry over we backtracked for about 20m to visit the upper campsite. It’s pretty cool, but not much privacy from anyone on the portage and it’s a good walk to get fresh water. It did the job for me back in 2012 but I doubt I’d stay here again. Its interesting how your taste for a campsite can change or evolve over the years – like the one I mentioned at the north end of Cauchon Lake on day 2. Once back at the canoe, we pushed out into the little pool at the end of the rapids this portage circumnavigates. I wanted to do a little fishing for fun, as I knew Bass had made it up the Nipissing to this point – I caught one here in 2012.
tr 62: Little Cauchon - Erables - Nadine - Nipissing
The inconvenient campsite on the Nipissing River
Doing a little fishing at the end of the rapids at P230 on the Nipissing River
All packed up and ready to move on