ESCAPE to the NORTH
Page 6
Page 6
Now I am being pelted with rain and wind. I do not mind the rain so much, but
because I am in a totally open area with the wind blowing against the tent with
its strong force, it is making things rather difficult. If I did not have all
this gear in the tent, the tent would have been blown away by the wind. I had to
hold onto the tent walls just to keep it from collapsing. By 2 P.M. the rain had
stopped and the wind died down to a reasonable level that it no longer threaten
the fabric structure of the tent. I was able to make some breakfast now that
this storm has passed by. It was only now that I became aware as to how
vulnerable I was to the elements here on this little open island. This is not a
good place to be in a lighting or wind storm. During this lull in the weather, I
decided to pack up and head to the shore by the Montreal River Dam where I had
noticed a few people in campers and mobile homes that was located there. When I
had finally arrived there, after paddling hard against the wind, I beached the
canoe and walked over to a man who was by his camper, who was doing something
with his fishing rod. I introduced myself and explained to the man who's name is
John, that I had been camping on the little island, but because it was not a
safe place to be in this weather, would it be alright if I can find a spot here
where I would get some protection by the trees from the wind. John told me that
I had camped on Meadow Island and that was far too open a place to be in this
weather. He told me that I could find a place near by and set up my tent. I
found a little sandy area that was away from their main camp and set up my tent.
Just then, the thunder roared and the lightning flashed like a fury. The rain
came down like a waterfall and the wind began to shriek through the trees. I had
just set up my tent in time to avoid a real soaking. As the thunder roared and
the lightning flashed about me, I made a cup of coffee in my now protected tent.
Then I just rested from that heavy paddling I had to do, against the wind, to
get here. Everybody was in their campers, waiting out this storm. I managed to
make a sketch of the Montreal River Dam. It continued to rain for the rest of
the evening and most of the night.
Montreal River Dam
June 25th. This morning brought a cloudy day. A light breeze from
the south. I walked over to the group of campers after I had my breakfast just
to say hello. The people in this group come here every summer to camp together
in this spot. The people in this group of campers are John, the person whom I
had spoken to, and his wife, Sheila. They are from eastern Canada. Eva and
Charily are from Toronto and Amma and Mack are from the local area. I believe
that Amma and Mack are native people, though I had not asked them. They were
able to tell me a lot about the local area. Especially about the Matabitchuan
River and its local history. It was real nice talking to them. Here is what they
told me. The word Matabitchuan, means "the meeting of the waters". The river is
controlled by a concrete dam at the head of the Matabitchuan River. The
Matabitchuan River runs almost parallel with the Montreal River, merging with it
at the western shore of Lake Temiskaming. In earlier times the two rivers did
not meet at the lake. Huge sand bars extended out into the lake, and it is said
that travel from Ontario to Quebec on the sand bars was possible, and as well,
was often accomplished. Meadow Island is where I had camped at the mouths of
these rivers, on Lake Temiskaming. The dam was built in 1910 and is located 39
kms south of North Cobalt, Ontario. The water to the station flows through a
canal about 0.8 km (0.5 miles) from the Main dam. The canal is 5.5 m (18 ft)
wide and about 213 m (700 ft) long. The watershed covers an area of about 906 km
which include White Bear, Rabbit, Bear, Trout, Bass and a number of smaller
lakes. The main water storage is at Rabbit and White Bear Lakes where three dams
have been built which a 6.4 m (21 ft) head of water may be stored. With all of
these dams that I would encounter, I decided to tackle the Matabitchuan River
and its river system some other day, at another time. By noon I was ready to
leave and carry on with my journey. After paddling a little while, the wind
started to pick up so I set up my sail. Now I was really going along. By 1.30
P.M. I was rounding Point Barbe and passed the outer edge of an Island.
Everything was going so well that I made for the Quebec side of the shore, for
that is were Ville-Marie lay. When I had arrived to the Bay Laperriere, I
entered the bay all the way in only to find out when I had docked at a family
privet home that Ville-Marie was on the other side of Point Temiscaming. I had
mistakenly took all of these houses, buildings and roads to be the town of
Ville-Marie. I was out of cigarettes, so I asked the lady of the house how far
was it to a store where I was able to buy some. She had informed me that
Ville-Marie was the closest place but it was a few miles by road. It knew that
it would take me a long while for me to paddle around Point Temiscaming. So I
asked the lady if it were possible if she could take me there with her vehicle.
I told her that I would gladly pay for her effort. She agreed to give me a lift
but did not want any money for it. So we, The lady and her four children and
myself all got into the vehicle and went into town. After I had bought my
cigarettes, I treated the family to a chicken dinner, (take out), for the lady's
kindness. When we arrived back to the house, we had us a sort of a picnic. After
we had all finished our chicken dinner, I told the family that I had to be on my
way before the weather got too bad. I could see the dark clouds moving overhead.
I had a hard paddle with the wind coming at me from my broadside, I finally had
to land on a long beach when the wind got too strong for me to paddle against
it. By now the clouds were very dark and threatening as the wind picked up that
told me that a real heavy downpour was soon to come. I had just set up my tent
when down came this torrential downpour. I still had to get the gear out of the
canoe and I got drenched in the process. I managed to put things away and dry
off. Then I went about to tidy up the place. After a little while, I was able to
make some coffee and smoked a couple of cigarettes while I rested. I noticed
from looking out from my tent that I was only a hundred yards away from the
National Historic Site of Fort Temiscaming, that had been a trading post for
Nouvell-France, and the Enchanted Forest of twisted ceder trees which is a very
unique phenomenon this far North. After about an hour had passed by, the rain
seemed to stop. I went out and climbed the long stairs that brought me to a very
high class Restaurant, named, La Bammik.
* 
What a beautiful view of the bay
I had gone there to explained my situation to the owner or
manager of this establishment and asked permission to leave my tent on their
beach, just untill this heavy weather had passed by. Just then a loud thunder
clapped shattering the silence in the dining hall. It sounded like one of those
old time cannon had been shot off very close by, followed by a big bolt of
lightning that crackled as it lit up the entire sky as the rain came down in
buckets. The owner, Leucine Pallerin told me that I could leave the tent were it
was and that he did not mind me being there as long as I did not have an open
fire on the beach. I ordered a steak supper with red wine, even though I was not
really hungry. The food was excellent, and the staff, well you could find none
better. I had a beautiful view of the whole bay being this high up in evelation.
My table was next to a large picture window. The owner, Leucine provides many
services that cater to tourists in his establishment that are too numerous for
me to mention here. You can better see for yourself by clicking onto Leucine's
web site that will give all the information about his establishment, La Bammik. I recommend that you view
his web site.
Buy the time I had finished my supper, the rain had let up enough to allow me
to get back to my tent. I paid my bill and went back down to the beach. The
owner, Leucine and I had been talking for a while and he told me that I could
leave my tent on the beach for as long as I need to. He also informed me at what
time I would be able to take a tour of the Fort and Enchanted Forest tomorrow. I
thanked Leucine for his kindness. As soon as I got back to the tent, lighting
flashed all about me with the crack of a whip, and the thunder sounding off,
shaking the still air. This was almost a repeat performance from what had been
while I was at La Bammik. What a downpour that came as the thunder and lightning
show continued to disturb the stillness that had been here just a little while
ago. It continued to rain heavy all through the night. Well, at least while I
was still awake at 11.30 P.M. I thought to myself, how lucky I was to have
stumbled right to this place where the Fort is located just a few yards away. If
it would have been fair weather today, or had the wind come from behind to carry
me onward, I just know that I would have passed right by this spot. I have
noticed that things seem to work out pretty well despite what happens.
June 26th; This morning has an overcast sky. After breakfast at La Bannik, I
strolled along the beach. I spoke to Marrio and his wife who look after the
beach area and the dock. They are very nice people and friendly. Jean Guy who is
the general caretaker of La Bannik is one of the nicest person you can ever
meet. He is a person with a very kindly, gentle heart. I will be able to tour
the Fort and have a look at that Enchanted forest today.
Site of the Trading Post, Fort Temiskaming.
When the establishment opened, the entrance fee was only five
dollars. It is well worth the price for the displays that are there. After I and
other people went through the entire display area, a group of us went on to see
the outdoor display on the various activity of the fort.
One of the outdoor displays. A hand made birch-bark canoe made by the local
indians at Fort Temiskaming.
The Fort was used as a traging post for the gathering of the
fur pelts that were brought in by the local indians. Though I do not recall of
actually seeing a Fort like structure on the site. I once saw an old Fort
structure, that was a trading post. It was made out of logs, like the kind you
see in western films. It was located somewhere in southern Alberta. While there,
it was like actually stepping back into time. One really felt while there, that
you were living back in those days.
Then we all went to take a walk through the Enchanted forest. It was very
interesting to see the twisted shapes of these cedar trees, but I had no sense
that this place had the feeling of being "Enchanted". I did however had a
feeling, or rather a sense of eyes watching me, with a feeling of sadness. By
the time the tour was over, the sun had broken through the clouds with a light
wind blowing. So I decided to break camp and continue the journey. By now I am
beginning to think that my quest in finding a trapper is getting to be very
discouraging. It is a far different scenario than what I had first expected to
find in these parts. I bid my farewell to Leucine Pallerin and his staff at the
Le Bammik, Marrio and his wife at the dock and Jean Guy who waved to me and wish
me luck on my journey, as I paddled away. After passing the narrow gap of Point
Temiscaming and Mission Point, which is really about a 1/2 mile wide. I tried to
head towards Ville-Marie but the wind had suddenly shifted when I was about half
way into the bay which is called Bale des Peres. With a strong wind dead ahead
of me, I had to finally give up the attempt to reach Ville-Marie. Suddenly, a
strong blast of wind hit the mast and unraveled the sail that I thought the
canoe would turn turtle on me and heave me into the water. I quickly scrambeled
forward and tried to bring the sail down but somehow the mast had got itself
stuck in its socket that I was unable to bring it down fast. So I had to quickly
altered course so that I was running with the wind in the now choppy waters.
That was the only thing that I could do to save me from upsetting the canoe. I
managed to head westward at an angle to the wind that was now on my starboard
stern quarter. I was actually surfing the whitecaps. This allowed me to reach
some shelter somewhere near Paradis Bay on the Ontario side of Lake Temiscaming
in a very short time. I managed to find a landing area between two sections of
bare rock outcropping that was havely wooded. I unloaded the canoe and hauled
the canoe and gear further inland so that they were compleatly out of reach from
the waves and spray that were breaking upon the rocks and shore. With that done,
I surveyed my surroundings to find the best location to make camp.
I found a neat place right beside a brook to camp that was
completely sheltered from the strong wind. I made camp on top of a flat, almost
level area of rock, which is what you will mostly find around this part of the
shoreline, and settled in for the night. While I was having supper, I was
listening to the radio station from New Liskeard. I began to realize that this
trip will soon be over. I had not seen any trappers as I had expected and the
question began to filter through my mind, what to do now, Jean? I was thinking
that if I could not find a trapper, than maby they can find me if they knew that
someone was looking for one and was willing to help them in their trade. Hearing
about "The Speaker", which is one of the main newspapers that cover a very wide
area, on CJTT FM, New Liskeard radio station. I would place a AD in The Speaker
newspaper to inform trappers in the area of my request. That seemed like an
excellent plan at this time. Maby then I will be contacted by a trapper and
everything will have worked out and the quest will not have been lost. Given
that I now had a back-up plan, I felt more easy about this whole venture. That
night as I was listening to the radio, I thought that I heard something growling
somewhere near the tent. I shut off the radio and listen for the slightest
sound. The I heard the growling again, that seemed to be inches from my ear. It
sounded like a lynx or bobcat, I could not tell which. Then I noticed a nose and
a paw rubbing up against the tent wall right beside me. I picked up that large
frying pan and gave it a quick tap on the thing that was scraping at the tent
wall. I heard a loud "doink" that broke the stillness of the night. The tap from
the frying pan was not hard enough to really hurt it, I am sure, but I think
that it saw a few stars floating before its eyes. I heard a rustling sound going
through the bush and that was the last I heard of it. A short while later it
started to rain hard once again. This has to be one of the wettest June in
history. Make that May and June. I have encountered so much rain since I had
started this trip, that I am beginning to feel like I am going to get
waterlogged.
June 27th; I woke up to a sunny day at around 7 A.M. The wind I noticed was
from the North-East and it was quite breezy. It would be fruitless to try to
paddle against a head wind. So I went back to the tent and made some breakfast.
With that done, I noticed that the wind had not lighten up but had grown
stronger. I will have to stay here until the wind blew itself out or changed its
direction to the south. By now I was anxious to get to New Liskeard and get that
want-ad into the Speaker papers. I passed the afternoon by making a few pencil
sketches of my surroundings. By 5 P.M. the wind had started to die down a
little. I decided to have an early supper in case I had the chance to make a few
miles before it got too dark to find another camping spot. I took down the tent
and packed the gear into the canoe and waited. The weather forecast calls for
northerly winds for tomorrow. By 7: 30 P.M. the wind had died down altogether.
Quickly I got into the canoe and headed towards Haileybury. I continued to
paddle for some time and then there came a light wind from the north-east. This
will slow my progress somewhat, but I pushed on as I was watching the shoreline
for a possible camp site. When it started to get too dark to see the shoreline
clearly, I continued on. In a short time, I found myself in total darkness. I
had a real problem to follow the shoreline. This caused me to paddle well away
from shore in case I run up on some unseen rocks and damage my canoe with the
load I had on board. This I had no doubt cause me not to move along as quickly.
It is a very strange feeling paddling in total darkness. The moonlight could not
break through the overcast clouds.Then when I rounded a point, I noticed a long
string of lights in the far distance. They looked like sparkling jewels on a
long chain. What a beautiful sight. That must be New Liskeard, but where was
Haileybury? As I paddled on I noticed some lights seemed to float away from the
main group of lights. That must be the town of Haileybury, I thought. As I came
nearer, I saw buildings with many more lights all about. As I made my way
towards these lights, I passed a wharf and then I came upon a beach. As I looked
around, the place looked park-like-ish with camp trailers scattered all about
the area. I saw some people walking about but I could not make out their
features for the lights were still blinding me. I heard some voices so I called
out.. hello! I got out of the canoe and hauled it further up the beach. When I
had that done, some collage or university type young men came down to the beach
to meet me. I ask them if this was Haileybury? But they told me that I was at
Bucke Park.
Devil's Rock during daylight.
They told me that I had passed Devil's Rock before I got here.
I told the young men that it was too dark for me to notice any devil rock. The
young men invited me to have a beer with them, but because I do not like beer, I
settled for coffee. We talked about where I had come from and what caused me to
be paddling around 11 P.M. I explained that I had not been able to find a
camping spot because the shoreline was too steep and I was forced to paddle on
until I had arrived here. The young men had informed me that Haileybury was
further up the shore. That I could not miss it when I got there. Being that it
was dead calm out there now, with no wind, I decided to continue on towards
Haileybury. By the time I had reached Haileybury, it was well past 1 A.M.
Town of Haileybury during daylight.
I landed just south of the boat launch ramp in an area covered
with tall bushes. I tied up the canoe to a branch and stepped ashore. I walked
past the Marina and went up the main street. I had a look at a large map lighted
by the street lamps. As I walked further up the street, I saw a couple of young
men and asked if there was a restaurant opened near by. They informed me that
the closest restaurant that is still open is along the highway at a gas station,
10 miles away. They also told me that I could set up my tent by the bushes where
I had landed my canoe and no one would bother me there. I thanked the young men
and headed back to my canoe. Well what now? I asked myself as I was smoking a
cigarette. The night was warm, there was no wind and the lake was like a mirror.
I decided to take advantage of this calm night and carry onward to New Liskeard.
I got back into the canoe and headed to go around the Marina and continued
towards the string of glittering jewels strung out on a chain. By the time I had
reached lookout point, I decided to stop to make some coffee and take a break. I
got out my small camp stove and placed in on the old army foot locker and made
my coffee. Then I continued on. By the time I had reached the mill plant, dawn
was beginning to break. Now I was able to see where I was going. I still had a
fair ways to go before I reach what looked like a long beach area.
When I had reached the beach, I had to paddled up and down alongside the mile
long length of beach to find out where I was closest to the main downtown area.
By the time I had landed on the beach it was about 6 AM in the morning.
Here is a little history about this area. New Liskeard, was originally
inhabited by the Algonquin First Nation people. Joachim "Clear Sky" Wabigijic
and Angela Lapointe had lived by the mouth of the Wabi River where the city of
New Liskeard is now situated. In 1891, William Murray and Irvin Heard settled
here and two years later Crown Lands Agent John Armstrong arrived to supervise
development. This area is known as the Little Clay Belt, and is a rich
agricultural belt. The abundance of good, inexpensive farmland attracted people
from southern Ontario to the "new" Northern Ontario, and the town quickly grew.
It was incorporated as New Liskeard in 1903 and Armstrong became its first
mayor. The Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway arrived two years later,
helping to develop New Liskeard into the commercial centre of south Temiskaming.
The Nipissing Central Railway, an electric streetcar line, opened seven years
later. This railway provided commuter service by connecting New Liskeard with
the nearby towns of Cobalt and Haileybury, bringing regional business into New
Liskeard. It closed in 1935. The construction of Highway 11 also helped to link
New Liskeard with the south. Over the last 100 years, New Liskeard has grown. A
vibrant community, it continues to attract people from throughout the
Temiskaming region. The town has strong French and English speaking communities
and has a deep regard for its natural and cultural heritage. The largest town in
the district, New Liskeard has important links with Cobalt and Haileybury (which
together form the Tri-Towns) and remains the commercial centre of southern
Temiskaming.
This is the end of the line for me as far as I can ascertain at
this moment. I had not planned to try to go any further north via the rivers
that empty out into Lake Temiskaming, such as the Wabi River that passes right
through the center of New Liskeard or the River Blanche (white river) that flows
out into Sutton Bay, or that river that would take me to Notra-Dame-du-Nord. The
long journey to the North has finally ended for me here. What will happen now, I
have no idea. Jean Pall
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