Leaders Derek Cutler (Maurice) and Marianne Glazier (Maybelle)
Participants Lukash, Dulia, Adam, Chris, Katie, Amy
Maps Topo's
Number of Days= 10
Distance= over 100km
Number of Portages: Depends on what you run
Campsites: If there were any campsites I could rate them but there weren't.
Emergency Access Points Roads and cottages at the very beginning and top of this trip. Only one road in the middle of the trip. It was a bridge. WE saw atleast three vehicles cross the bridge an the span of a couple hours
Pace Relaxed - We could have done it in less time and we would have been fine.
Difficulty Some technical whitewater but it was all pretty simple. A few fun and safe drops were the biggest challenge.
Weather Gorgeous
Water Levels High -to- Low -to- Med. Controlled by an automatic Dam and a power outage changed the water levels pretty drasctically. Over a foot in a night
Falconbridge might be feeling fourth time lucky, following the the Ontario Ministry of the Environment's recent approval of their Plan #4 to dump the effluent from a new copper-nickel mine into a sturgeon spawning ground in a pristine stretch of the Groundhog River, and the given the difficulties citizen groups face in having appeals heard before the Environmental Review Tribunal.
Falconbridge's past efforts failed to gain approval for Plan #1 to dump the toxic effluent into the coldwater brook trout fishery in Montcalm Creek, or Plan # 2 to add massive doses of EDTA to slip the effluent through toxicity tests, or for Plan # 3 to build a ditch from the effluent through a newly designated provincial park which was created in large part to protect the Sturgeon fishery. Actually, the ditch was the centrepiece of Plan #0, but it had been tossed out once already because of the park designation; that rejection inspired Falconbridge's plan to dump the effluent into a tiny coldwater creek.
The Ministry of the Environment approved Falconbridge's newest "alternative" of constructing a 15 km pipeline from the mine site to the river in mid-August. Environmental are challenging the approval, and hoping to force a hearing before Ontario's Environmental Review Tribunal to review the controversial decision.
Falconbridge purchased the Montcalm nickel-copper property from Outokumpu Mines for $14 million in 2001, and is now in the process of bringing the property into production. Falconbridge is projecting that the Montcalm Project will produce a total of 5 million tonnes over its 7 years of operations, at a rate of 750,000 tonnes of ore annually. According to the plan filed with the Ministry of Northern Develoment and Mines, Montcalm ore would be milled for the first year at the Strathcona operation in Sudbury, and then at the Kidd Metallurgical Division in Timmins. Nickel concentrate would be processed at the Sudbury smelter throughout the mine's operating life, contributing 8,000 tonnes annually to Falconbridge's Sudbury production.
In July 2002, Falconbridge applied to the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) for a permit to construct and operate a mine water treatment system, and to discharge the mine effluent to the Groundhog River via a wetland and Montcalm Creek (Plan # 1). Several months later, Falconbridge withdrew that proposal, and in January 2003 submitted a new application. The significant change in the proposal was the addition of two options for discharging mine effluent, with one option (Plan # 3) being to build an 8 km drainage ditch from the mine site to the Groundhog River and the other option (Plan # 4) is to build 15 kilometres of buried pipeline to discharge effluent directly into the Groundhog.
Falconbridge has maintained a consistency of purpose throughout review of the several different options for getting their mine effluent to the Groundhog River. All options have the same goal in mind: get the polluted mine water into the Groundhog River, where the large volume of water in the river will "mix" with the mine effluent, hence lowering the measurable levels of contamination (seemingly, dilution is STILL the solution to pollution). Both the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of the Environment have acknowledged that the effluent will impact the receiving water in general and the sturgeon population in particular. MOE rationalizes this by placing the sturgeon population in a continental context and longer time frame, arguing that "it could take several years before we begin to see a local decline in the numbers of fish. The decline would be arrested when the project ceases operation assuming current exploitation levels and habitat conditions are maintained".
And all this is based on the best-case scenario that Falconbridge and their consultants have painted with respect to the acid generation and metal leaching potential of the property. Northwatch's initial concerns with the project were related to its potential to go-acid, given its close proximity to the notoriously contaminated Kam Kotia mine site, and what Northwatch is concerned has been an inadequate amount of sampling. Falconbridge and the Company's consultants agree that the ore will be highly acid generating. However, they are predicting that the rock surrounding the ore will not be acid generating. The waste rock will be brought to surface in large volumes and any potential for it to "go acid" could have long term environmental impacts. Acid generation leaches metals and chemicals from the rock, and makes the mine effluent more polluting as well as potentially impacting the pH levels of area receiving water.
Northwatch and the Partnership for Public Lands are each seeking leave to appeal the controversial permit, as is a local resident concerned with impacts on the Sturgeon fishery and other applicants with more general concerns. Northwatch's application focuses on the water quality concerns and the Partnership's on park policies. Under Ontario law, applicants must make the case that "no reasonable person" would have approved the project in order to be granted a hearing. In the interim, Falconbridge is free to proceed with the mine development. A decision on the Application for Leave to Appeal is expected mid-October.
Northwatch News, Fall 2003
GROUNDHOG RIVER AT RISK 每 PIPELINE FOR MINE EFFLUENT APPROVED
Fall/Winter 2003
The Environmental Review Tribunal has denied all appeals of a Ministry of Environment approval for discharging mine effluent into the Groundhog River. This decision opens the door for mining company Falconbridge Ltd. to pump wastewater carrying heavy-metals from the Montcalm mine site near Timmins into the Groundhog River just outside the boundaries of the newly established Groundhog River Provincial Park.
We must send a message to the new provincial government that putting industrial demands ahead of protection of waterways and species is not acceptable. Two independent scientific reviews of the proposal by Falconbridge Ltd. to dump the mine waste upstream of important sturgeon spawning beds in the Groundhog River have raised serious concerns about the potential toxic impacts of the project.
Please send a message to Environment Minister Leona Dombrowsky today asking her to immediately review the decision by her Ministry to approve this project. This is the Minister＊s chance to show that her government is committed to a protecting water sources and water quality in Ontario!
Hon. Leona Dombrowsky
Minister of the Environment
135 St. Clair Ave. W.
Toronto, ON
M4V 1P5
minister@ene.gov.on.ca
Here＊s a letter example/starter
Dear Ms. Dombrowsky
I feel great relief that after 8 years of Conservative government, we came to our senses and elected a Liberal government. I hope for many improvements, as you and your colleagues rebuild our decimated infrastructure. As seen in the recent provincial, and the upcoming Toronto municipal elections, awareness of environmental issues is growing with the voting public.
It was disappointing therefore to read about the Ministry of Environment approval for discharging mine effluent into the Groundhog River, opening the door for Falconbridge Ltd. to pump wastewater carrying heavy-metals from the Montcalm mine site near Timmins into the Groundhog River, just outside the boundaries of the newly established Groundhog River Provincial Park.
I had hoped that the days of that putting industrial demands ahead of protection of waterways and species were over. Two independent scientific reviews of the proposal by Falconbridge Ltd. to dump the mine waste upstream of important sturgeon spawning beds in the Groundhog River have raised serious concerns about the potential toxic impacts of the project.
Please immediately review the decision by your Ministry to approve this project. This is the your chance to show that this government is committed to a protecting water sources and water quality in Ontario.
Sincerely,
2 hrs late to Temagami Momay arrived to meet the Rad＊s at 7pm. Everyone＊s favourite bus driver, Dickson, was surprised when we told him we were driving towards Folyet and not Waltham Station (about an 800km surprise). We stopped in New Liskeard＊s Pizza Hut for supper and a Tim Horton＊s in Timmins for a coffee/pee break. During the ride we talked about our lack of knowledge of the route. It was 12:30 by the time we arrived to the intersection of the groundhog river and hwy 101. We stayed on an open lot on the north side of the river. Momay made a discovery that they need to keep their tents as far away from the noisy Rad＊s as possible. Get those paddles ready!
130392 (Hwy 101) 每 154458 (middle of Camus rapids)
Km 每 9
Hrs 每 no watch on the trip; half day paddle
Weather 每 cold morning but sunny warm afternoon
Meat
Rapids & Portages每
135426 每 short swift followed by a pool above a set of falls. P left 200m, easy
155456 每 Camus rapids; marked as 12 bars on the topo.
Top portion (3 bars) 每 CII, we ran easily 每 P right 200m
Bottom portion (9 bars)每 CIV, really big water, we portaged 每 P left 500m
There is no pool between the top and bottom portion. There are, however, clear shoreline eddies.
Campsites -
134432
137433
148447
154453
155458
Cottages/Roads/Access points 每 Road meets river at 135426
Notes 每 bridge marked on topo at 135426 no longer exists.
Potatoes
The morning was cold. I guess it＊s finally kicking in that we are up north. We started the day off with fruit salad & oatmeal over a chat about sex drugs and rock & roll. That morning everyone was introduced to Mobelle as we enjoyed a game of volleyball. We were on the water soon after and were met with cool North winds and the morning mist. We were kept warm with the excitement of paddling North along a river we knew very little about. The shorelines were marked with submerged vegetation, cedar and ash with the occassional spruce and aspen dominate the forest. We made good progress in our high spirits and made it to a our first moving water of the day. We ran a swift above Upper Falls, which we all portaged around except for Mobelle who swam down the 4m drop with no difficulty. Soon after this, we stopped for an open section for a workshop on strokes and a lunch of veggie sandwiches. As the late afternnoon approached, we arrived at camus rapids. We ran the top section to a campsite along the rapids where we spent the night. After portaging all the canoes down over the really huge water in the bottom section we enjoyed our first swim of the journey. Tofu stirfry was on the menu for supper. Amy & Lucas wore goggles for safety in case any of the mushrooms flew up into their eyes. Suckers! Brownies for desert is a great way to end a great day. As a little joke the Rad＊s thought it would be humourous to collapse Momay＊s tent as soon they fell asleep. Two words: It＊s on!
154458 每 210550
Km 每 quite a few.
Hrs 每 no watch on the trip; full day
Weather 每 cold morning but sunny and hot later in the day
Pork Chops
Rapids & Portages 每
162482 每 CII 每 pretty easy 每 no sign of portage
170514 每 we ran easily 每 ledge at the bottom 每 no sign of portage
194542 每 CIII 每 big water! - We portaged on river right (700m?).
Campsites 每
172521
210550
Cottages 每 about 5 km before the rapids at 194542 on the right side.
Carrots
We slept in a lttlie bit to let the sun rise a bit more and take the chill out of the air (That＊s my story and I＊m sticking to it). As we slowly made our way out of our tents (or sleeping bags in the case of the boys who slept outside), a breaky of tofu burritos were being whipped up. A early morning game of headball with Mobelle led to a quick packup as she fell down the rapids known as Camus. Momay grabbed a couple packs and ran down the trail to make sure she was O.K. As they arrived to the bottom, Mobelle was nowhere in sight. They relentlessly bushcrashed back up the rapid suffering many bumps, bruises and even a couple wasp stings. But there was still no sign of Mobelle. Momay walked back down the portage trail to break the gloomy news to the rest of the RAD＊s. We solemnly made our way back onto the water. We didn＊t want to just leave her but we didn＊t have a choice. We decided that before leaving her behind for good that we would have a moment of silence. Just as we were finishing up, Katie＊s eyes lit up with excitement! She saw her! She saw Mobelle! We all looked but then she was gone again. We raced back to the bottom of Camus and tracked up the bottom section of the rapid. May jumped out of the canoe and ran up the shoreline. It was her! Mobelle was not only there but she was fine, she was just rolling around in a hole with a big smile on her face. She swam down the CIV rapid completely unscathed. With our new found glee we were back on the water heading north into the unknown. Within a shorth while there was another set of whitewater. Scouting from the boat we opted for river left＃ fun ride! After this success we continued on downstream to another rapid within a few km. We ran the top section with ease and then shot over a ledge on river right... SUPER fun ride! We were soon greeted by some cottagers (Adam called then ＆Hicks＊) who warned of us the dangerous rapids ahead＃Dun-dun-dun (scary music sound effect). Only 2 miles away＃ yeah right＃ we got the rapids and blew through the portage on river right. After the portage we paddled for a couple km and then camped for the night. Upon arrival everyone went for a swim before a late lunch of chick pea salad followed immediately by a supper of mac＊n cheese. The usual laughs, chit-chat, scary saw fights (Katie and Lucas) & dreadlocking before we buckled down for another night.
210550 - 200790
Km 每 28
Hrs 每 long days paddle
Weather 每 cold morning but sunny warm afternoon
Fillet Mignon
Rapids and Portages 每
In our water levels we found that there was runnable channels down all of the whitewater encountered today. However, some of it was class III due more to technicality than to danger. Instead of UTM references for this day, we will refer to rapids by their km mark as done in the myccr.com trip report.
#1)
At 30 km
Set of rapids and 3 m waterfall
Carry over rocks on left side
Put in below the falls
* We ran it all on river left. Even the ＆waterfall＊ on river left was runnable and safe on river left in our high water.
#2)
At 33.6 km
Set of unrunnable rapids with sharp bend in the middle
P 80 m R over ridge
* We hopped from eddy to eddy on river left down this rapid until the middle section. We then ferried across to river right and then lined a ledge and put in below to finish the rapid running river right. Top was CI, middle was CIII and bottom was CII.
#3) & #4) At 38.4 km
Small rapids 每 no portage 每 CBR
&
At 41.6 km
P 300 m R around rapid along old tote road or CBR
Immediately after, two small rapids CBR
*Straightforward. 5km stretch of fun set after set action. Safe, minimal scouting done basically just rock dodging ducky style.
Campsites -nothing seen
Cottages - Don＊t think so?
Notes 每 Road access at the river＊s edge by Flying Post Indian Reserve
Quinoa
We lost the report on this day guys. The tickle trunk leaked one day. But this is what we remember about Day 4＃＃.
We had a breakfast of oatmeal. The first rapid was the one with the approach to a waterfall. Mo ran it down with Katie and May ran it down with Julia. Then Momay ran down the waterfall in an empty canoe with no problems. Then we got full of ourselves and ran the waterfall in a loaded canoe and dumped at the bottom after going over a rock. You guys essentially just laughed at us. We then got to the rapid with a big bend in it. We jumped from eddy to eddy and then lined the middle section. We ran the bottom section that had lots of big water. Amy and Julia ran it down backwards. We stopped for a lunch of cracks and cheese? Below on an island. Then there was a fun stretch of 5km or so where we ran all the whitewater with ease. This was probably the best whitewater day of the trip! After we looked for a campsite and saw nothing at all. We paddled for what seemed like forever singing lots of songs (Bohemian Rhapsody). We finally stopped on Flying Post Indian Reserve by the old shack. We didn＊t want to cook anything so we just ate WASA crackers and cuc＊s and PB and J and a whole bunch of fresh food.
G＊night
200790 - 154798
Km 每 6.5
Hrs 每 short day
Weather 每 clear skies
Chicken
Rapids & Portages 每
189791 每 CII 每 Rapid below a bridge. Either side of island can be run. We ran river left. Big standing waves where the currents meet. Only one hole to miss.
SIX MILE RAPIDS
181794 每 154798 每 We ran this whole section with never leaving the boat to scout. Straightforward rock dodging with only two areas where caution is needed. 178795 & 155799 are two drops found along the way. We never had any major trouble running them but they could be trouble in different water levels.
Campsites 每 154798 每 not a developed site.
Bridge - 189791
Yams
We had an earlier than normal wake up as the open field let the sun hit our tents as soon as she made her way above the horizon. We packed up quickly (which was helped along with a sighting of a bear swimming along the opposite shoreline) and made it in a flash to a rapid below a bridge. We ran down with great success and hit an eddy below on river right to stop for breakfast. As Mo cooked up some pancakes a la choco chips, May took the RAD＊s out to work on some ferrying, eddying and most importantly some surprise dump tests＃hehehe. Once the pancakes were finished the Rad＊s dragged their wet bodies out of the water for a taste＃Yummy! After breaky, Mobelle wanted to go for a swim so we all ran her back up to the top of the rapid nd swam down with her. After picking off the leaches, we headed off down towards＃dundundun＃Six Mile Rapids! We were met with a large cow moose and her calf. With no place to sleep in sight we ventured down the six mile long rapids. We ran 3 continuous miles of ＆rock dodging＊ and ledge running with only a single mishap. Julia and Amy rammed the Momay canoe and launched May into the water. As May dried off, we found a rock outcrop that looked suitable for a campsite. We pulled over and pitched our tents with the joy of knowing we had the rest of day off. We kicked things off with some Tabouli for lunch, followed up with some more dreadlocking, lemon bread baking, swimming/rapid rappelling (The PEPO game), reading, hair braiding, laundry, body cleansing & a whole lot of chillaxing. Lucas and Chris headed up a din-din of spag before we retired for the night.
154798 - 123917
Km 每 20
Hrs 每 half day
Weather 每 clear skies turning to thunderstorms in the evening
Mouton
Rapids & Portages 每
SIX MILE RAPIDS cont＃
154798 每 131809. Same as before. One ledge at the very end 131809
Campsites 每
129830 每 just after six mile rapids
123917 每 confluence of the Ivanhoe
Onions
On this fine morning we woke up on the right side of the river, the sunny side! After a breadfast of some tasty granola and milko. Some swimming in our persomal site swift (whose levels had droped a foot) we promptly put on our helmets and L.J.s to compete the rest of 6 mile rapid. After some high performance rock dodging through the boulder garden we reached the last ※ledge§. We thought pulling over to scout at the center island would be a good idea but after T-boned by Julia and Amy who slowly drifted backwards and dumped promptly by Lucas and Katie who abandoned ship as their boat went over backwards. 2 down!!! May and Mo to the rescue- oh wait, they dumped to＃.. again! 3 down!! With 3 boats to collect the pieces of at the bottom, Adam and Chris surfed down the set without a hitch. Once we were re-collected we made on our way.
We had a floating lunch of hummus soup and bread and spag that was accompanied by a conversation of who＊s who in cliques. Is he a Gino? Is she a Gino? Where are the jocks? Hippies? Nerds? Puck bunnies?
Our group was also introducen to Mitch Hedburg who＊s jokes quickly made it into our skit＃.8times!
Time was flying by and before we knew it we arrived at our campsite @ the conluence with the Ivahhoe river. There shores were ideal for only 1 thing, CLAY MUD BATHS. We all got down and diry in the clay, eventually we could no longer stand the itchy, covered in flies feeling so we all dove in for a rinse.
We then rounded up teams for canoe wars. Katie and Lucas, MayMo, Julia and Adam, and the unsuspecting Amy and Chris. ※You two are the weak link yelled Mo to Amy and Chris§ ＃. Needles to say they won our best of 3 rounds, full of sneak attacks.
Just enough time to pull into shore, get our supper of pizza＊a started and set up our tents when the rain came. We all scrambled to protect the toppings and put up a tarp
Bonne nuite to all!!!
123917 - 175065
Km 每 20
Hrs 每 If you haven＊t figured it out yet we never brought any watchs on the trip; 3/4 day
Weather 每 cloudy w/ sunny periods. N winds
Summer Sausage
Rapids & Portages 每 NONE
Campsites 每 NONE
Cottages 每 2
one along the right hand shore, forget where exactly
another after the confluence of the Nat River - 175065.
Notes 每 No campsites, we stayed on the lawn of a guy＊s cottage.
Spaghetti Squash
We had a semi-sleep in at the Ivangoe River confluence. The rain had stopped but it was still overcast and a little cool. As the RAD＊s very slowly inched their way out of their tentsm Maybelle, put together her secret recipe of just add water oatmeal muffins. Delicious as usual. Mobelle went for her morning swim and we were soom after her in our canoes to start off the day. Our first stop was at the Montcalm creek confluence a little over a km north of the campsite. It looked like every other creek that flowed into the Groundhog. Only a few metres wide with cedar and spruce lining the shoreline. We mayhave passed by it without ever noticing or remembering its existence had we not known that the Falconbridge mining company purchased the Montcalm nickel-copper property in 2001 and were planning on dumping its mining effluent into the Groundhog River at a wetland and Montcalm Creek. The ministry of the Environment had concerns about this so a new proposal was made to put the effluent into the water via a pipeline and not Montcalm Creek. However, paddling through this section of the river gave us a chance to reflect on what kind of a world we are living in. I wonder if we will be able to do this route ever again in a few years. I wonder how the groundhog river and its surrounding environment will react to the leaching of metals and chemicals. It all sounds pretty solemn but by seeing the reaction of the RAD＊s to this and by hearing your points of views it gives hope for the future. Our spirits were put back on high as we conjured up plans for our skit. Bohemian Rhopsody will steal the show. Not much else happened today. There was no whitewater. A simplle lunch of flatbread sandwhiches to break up the day and without a campsite in site we stayed at Frank＊s cottage and fishing lodge. We almost sank his homemade pontoon boat as we ate a meal of pesto pasta. Once again on early night after many larghs, stories, and a game of cribbage. Better luck next time Lucas and Amy.
175065 - 145231
Km 每 30.
Hrs 每 full day
Weather 每 sunny w/ a few clouds. NW winds
Turkey
Rapids & Portages 每
168071 每 134085 - a rocky boulder garden. Easy to follow channels throughout.
TEN MILE RAPIDS
130222 每 145231 每 fast water easy to avoid the few rocks that were seen.
Campsites 每 Take a guess＃ NONE!
Cottages 每
185104
128222
Stuffing
We awoke in the morning to prepare a quick and simple breaky of granola. With no sign of Frank, we decided start off before he arrived. Mo paddled w/ Lucas giving him an ecology lesson along the way. May w/ Katie came up with some crazy musicals. Chris w/ Amy dreamed about hashbrowns while Adam & Julia discussed philosophy. Mo w/ Lucas and May w/ Katie＃now if that＊s not asking for trouble＃ Well, sure enough after May splashed Lucas the rivalry began. The ＆Goat§ pulled along side the ＆Crayon＊. Lucas jumped out of his boat and boarded the ＆Crayon＊. May strucken with fear left the ＆Crayon＊ and boarded the ＆Goat＊ with Mo. Now it was Lucas and Katie on the bow seat in the ＆Crayon＊ while Mo & May sat on the stern seat in the ＆Goat＊. Katie shoved Lucas out of the boat but in an effort to stay aboard he grabbed onto the gunnels and brought the boat with him into the water. Although, Mo and May reconciled in the ＆Goat＊ she took revenge on Lucas for dumping her boat by grabbing his personal pack and sending it for a swim. Lesson to be learned: Always waterproof your gear even when it＊s a nice day with no whitewater! Soon after this fiascal, we stopped for a lunch of pasta salad. Lots of lemon! May seeked even more revenge by smothering Lucas＊ hair full of sunscreen and then launching him out of boat. We continued North in search of a campsite. Surprise, surprise＃ no sign of any campsites. The bush crash potential looked so glum we decided to shoot the easy top section of ten mile rapids in search of some flat rocks. After a rew kilometres＃. PARADISE. The rocks weren＊t flat but there was lots of space, awesome swimming and everyone was planning on sleeping outside anyways. We pulled the boats ashore and did some underwater rapid climbing to receive a full bady massage. Good times!Meanwhile May whipped up her special potato, shickpea and quinoa curry. Afterwards, the usual dreadlocking, dishes and musicals took place. Lucas and Chris headed up a brownie baking expedition. Milk-o or not.....that is the question of the night. As an afternote:the RAD＊s all decided that MO＊s shorts are too short. Close your legs, wear some underwear or get new shorts you＊ve got some choices.
145231 - 248440
Hrs 每 1/2 day
Weather 每 too sunny
Bacon & Eggs
Rapids & Portages 每
The rest of TEN MILE RAPIDS was all on big boulder garden. No significant dangers.
Portage 每 248440 - river right along trail around dam (100m)
Campsites 每 0
Toast
We slept in this morning and woke up to the smell of hashbrowns being cooked over the open fire. Delicious breakfast. After the personals were packed up we met up with the Caribean workout guy on TSN. He led us thru some morning stretches. Later, he siad that this would be a great place for some solo time, so all the RAD＊s took a stretch of rock and twirled their thumbs. After we finished up this we decided to eat lunch before putting the canoes into motion. So, some cheese was cut up and some black beans were opened for a meal of burrito＊s. Once on the water we blew thru the rest of ten mile rapids in a flash and began to notice some consistent tailwinds for the first time yet this trip. Katie and Mo put up a tarp that attracted all the boats over. Before we knew it the S.S.J-Lo was ressurected. Chris and MoMay with the sail in the stern, Lucas and Katie with the sail in the bow. Julia and Adam with the rudder and Amy with the sunscreen soaking up the rays. The crew of the S.S.J-Lo delighted the creatures of the forest with their randition of Bohemian Rhapsody. Another Pee Break made us notice a sign ※Danger Oarrage Ouvert§. That might explain why all the vegetation on the ground was ubmerged and why the landscape looked nothing like the topo was describing it. We paddled up to the dam and portaged along the trail on the right collecting firewood. Below the dam was campsite paradise number two. When we arrived to Paradise we went for a swim and devoured a din-din of veggie chili. Most of it made it to our stomachs but unfortunately for Lucas, Katie and her clean white shirt some of it made it＊s way onto them.
248440 - Fauquier
Km 每 21.5
Hrs 每 half day
Weather 每 thuderstorms all morning and night. Overcast in the afternoon.
Beef Jerky
Rapids & Portages 每
Just swifty＊s that were all scouted from the boat.
Campsites 每 Right at the takeout in Fauquir there is a field by the highway.
Cottages 每 many closer to Fauquier
Chick Peas
Written in the style of Thmoas King's 'Green Grass, Running Water'
※Good morning§ said the cloudy skies to us.
※Good morning§ said we.
※Good morning§ said the rocks we slept on.
※Good morning§ said we.
※Good morning§ said the bugs that kept us up at night.
※Good morning§ said we.
※How about cous-cous?§ said May.
※How about Muffins or Oatmeal?§ said we.
※O.K.§ said May.
※Good morning§ said the man from the dam.
※Good morning§ said some.
※Good thing the power stayed on§ said he.
※Why is that?§ said we.
※The dam is automatic§ said he.
※Huh?§ said we.
※If the power went out the dam would open and flood the campsite.§ Said he
※Whoa§ said we.
※Good morning§ said the thunder.
※Good morning§ said we.
※Tell a bear story§ said some.
※Which one?§ said Momay.
※Anyone§ said some.
※O.K.§ said Momay.
※Good morning§ said the polar bear portaging his wannigan and kayak down the portage trail.
※Good morning§ said we.
※Goodbye§ said the thunder.
※goodbye§ said we.
※Hello§ said the water.
※Hello§ said the paddle.
※Hello§ said the canoe.
※Hi§ said we.
※Hello§ said midday
※Hello§ said we
※Hello§ said the leftover chili
※Hello§ said the stomach.
※Yo§ said we.
※How long do you think it would takes us to drift the whole way to Foe-Kee-A?§ said some.
※Long§ said others.
※How long?§ said some.
※At 0.5 km/h we＊d be in Foe-Kee-A by 5am.§ said others
※Let＊s do it!§ said some.
※O.K.§ said others.
※Hello§ said the lifejacket to the marker.
※Hello§ said the marker.
※Hello§ said the cribbage board
※Hello§ said the Momay.
※Goodbye§ said the current.
※Goodbye§ said us.
We stopped moving.
※Let＊s paddle§ said some.
※Let＊s§ said others.
※Hello§ said Fauquier
※Hello Foe-Kee-A§ said we.
※Hello§ said the pickerel fisherman.
※Hello§ said we.
※Catch fish?§ said we.
※Yep§ said the son of the pickerel fisherman.
※Hello§ said the Depanneur.
※Bonjour§ said we.
※Ah! Tu parle francais?§ said the Depanneur.
※No§ said most of we.
※Oui§ said the rest of we.
※Hello§ said the highway diner.
※Hello§ said we.
※Hello§ said 2 eggs, bacon, 2 toasts, hashbrowns and a Coke.
※Hello§ said Lucas.
※Goodbye§ said 4 dollars.
※Goodbye said Lucas.
※Hello§ said the highway
※Hello§ said the thunderstorms
※Hello§ said we.
※Hello§ said we to our tents
※Hello§ said our tents.
※Who＊s the hottest celebrities?§ said Lucas to Katie.
※Hello§ said Chris
It was an early pick up in Fauquier (Foe 每 Kee 每 A). When we crawled out of our tents at 7am, Dickson was there with a cup of coffee ready to go. It was a quick getaway to prevent Dickson from collapsing our tents. Back into camp in a single trip! Ya-hoo!
Mo 每 derek@thegreenpages.ca
May 每 ma_glazier@hotmail.com
