THE MIGHTY MADAWASKA

The last canoe trip of the 2011 season was a short trip on the Madawaska, at Madawaska, of course. Rudi and I put in just off the highway, behind the community centre, which has a brand new gravel ramp and high quality dock. There were a few other boaters there, a couple putting in a small aluminum outboard boat, and a family returning with a larger sport boat.

A few hundred feet south of the put in is the old trestle from the Ottawa, Arnprior, and Parry Sound railway (pictured) which has been modified to accommodate the recreational trail now in its place. three trestles have been removed, and new approach ramps installed. I suppose the cost of maintaining the old bridge was probably quite steep.

Beyond that we looped under the highway bridge, where the Madawaska begins to open into Bark Lake, one of the largest in the area. After turning under the bridge, we returned, passed our put in, and then headed upriver for about forty five minutes before returning.

The old trestle of the Ottawa, Arnprior, an Parry Sound Railway at Madawaska, with new approaches for the multi-use rail trail.

The Highway bridge, about 100 metres south of the old railway bridge, just enough clearance to get a sport boat underneath.

Heading north on the Madawaska, about half a mile from our put in.

After turning around, and heading back south. Like many rivers in the area, the Madawaske is very deep and wide, with little vertical change in profile.

CONROY MARSH - THE TAKE OUT

After a long hiatus (my apologies, there are reasons) I have once again returned to the blogs... This is a photograph of Rudi at our take out at Conroy Marsh, after our big paddle looking for the Ghost of AJ Casson. About 100 feet to the left of the picture is the put in, right into a bay off of the main channel, which then runs directly away from my (the photographers) position, toward the hill in the left background, and then to the right to proceed down between the hills. If you click on the picture, you should be able to just make out the blue line of the main channel. This was late mid summer 2011, some time after which we hung up the paddles, stored the canoe, and headed back to Tavistock, and school for Rudi and work for me.

CASSON AND THE CONROY MARSH - EPILOGUE

Quite a few years back, driving as a courier, I was asked to do a late afternoon delivery from Kitchener to Newmarket. Knowing that it was already after two in the afternoon, the delivery would put me in Newmarket just in time for a gruelling two and a half hour drive home, and late for dinner. Making a hundred odd bucks didn't really appeal to me that much, but I was the only driver able to do it, and had been able to make it home in a timely fashion for at least the previous week.

Twenty minutes later, the box had been picked up, and I was on my way. I arrived in Newmarket around 4:30, and within ten minutes had dropped off the package, filed some paperwork, and reported the delivery as completed. I restarted the van, and began what would be a long, hard drive back to Tavistock. Turning on to Davis Drive, I suddenly realized that Dave and Judy, very close friends of Katherine's parents, were probably only a five minute drive away. And I was somewhat certain I had heard them say "drop by anytime..." not realizing of course I was the type of person to take another up on an open offer like that! Now was the time!

Driving by memory, as I didn't have either their phone number or address (good couriers do have some skills!) I soon found their house, parked the van, and walked up the steps to the front door. I had a brief second thought about simply walking up and inviting myself in, but there was that open invitation, AND the fact I had participated in their Christmas Dinner and charade game experience! How the heck could they not happily let me in! Confidence restored, I rang the doorbell...

...And Dave answered, completely surprised of course! I was warmly greeted, and upon explaining the reason for my unexpected visit, I was ushered in for dinner... Which was leftovers... On the grandest scale! There was soup (chilled cucumber I recall) and another appetizer for starters, mains of yesterdays roast chicken, along with fresh steamed veggies, and dessert of pie and ice cream, along with a couple of glasses of wine. But better than that was the conversation, specifics long forgotton, but burned in my memory the laughing and fun we had, especially with Judy's real time commentary on the operatic style performance of the neighbor behind, bellowing and singing (lovingly of course) at her errant kids, goading them to do their chores, help with laundry, tidy up, and get to dinner on time!

Two hours and two phone calls later updating Katherine, I thanked them and took my leave. It was closing in on seven in the evening, and the drive home was not even 90 minutes, calm, quiet, cross country, and very relaxing as well...

Judy Gordon passed away this summer after a short battle with cancer. She was sixty nine years old, and left her husband Dave, and children Heather and Bryan. She will be sorely missed by many, including those upon whose living room wall hangs a small but beautiful painting titled "Conroy Marsh" by AJ Casson; the wedding gift from her and Dave.

Judith Lauder Gordon

CASSON AND THE CONROY MARSH - PART 5

After checking out the duck blind, and about ninety minutes on the water, we turned around and began to head back to our put in at Mayhew Landing. Unfortunately, nothing of the scene depicted in Casson's painting could be identified specifically, however the painting had a number of elements that we did see examples of on our paddle. We covered about one-third of the length of the Marsh, so it is quite possible the scene depicted was at the western end, somewhere near where the York River enters the marsh, as we have entered via the Little Mississippi, and I could not recognice the scene there either.

Noodling through the grasses and lilypads, looking north toward the hill at Craigmont, the location of an old corundum mine.

Very little of the land bordering the marsh is privately owned, virtually all is crown land, except for this obvious location,

A close up view of the blight on the landscape. A more thoughtful owner could have done a better job clearing

Rudi looking back as we head toward Negeek Lake and the take out.

CASSON AND THE CONROY MARSH - PART 4

A further half hour of paddling and noodling around brought us to another large 'lakelet' just to the south of the main channel. A few hundred metres ahead I could make out a small structure, of wooden poles fastned together. We paddled over to it, the water generally about a foot deep here, and took a closer look. My first guess from its size was that it was a hunting blind, as it was large enough to park a small aluminum boat in.

Looking southwest, the Craigmont hill is just out of the frame to the right. The main channel carves an arc from behind us, out to our right a few hundred feet, and then cuts across to the left just past the grasses at the near horizon.

A close up of what I think is a duck hunting blind. I have no idea what age, it could be decades old. I am not sure how much human traffic enters the marsh, though it could be as little as a few each day.

CASSON AND THE CONROY MARSH - PART 3

After playing leapfrog with the Beaver for a few more minutes, we continued paddling westward, exploring the marsh areas to the north of the main channel. The water level of the Marsh is controlled by the Palmer Rapids control dam, which is one of a series of several dams on the Madawaska river that are situated and operated to control water levels for the 'large' hydroelectric dam at Arnprior on the Madawaska, near its outlet into the Ottawa River.

The Marsh level, based on some reading, is roughly four feet higher than prior to the installation of the control dam, and must have altered the habitat and ecosystems of the Marsh to a degree. Currently, the marsh has a river channel that varies between 100 and 300 feet wide or more, which is quite deep, upwards of 10 to 20 feet in most places. The rest of the marsh appears to be made up of two different ecosystems: Flooded shallow lake areas, with a water depth between one and four feet deep, thick with water lillies and other fully aquatic plants; and fully saturated areas with ground that rises slightly above the water level, completely covered in wet loving grasses and sedges.

Looking south west into the Conroy Marsh. About two miles ahead, past the near hill on the left, is the entry of the Little Mississippi River. The York River opens into the marsh about five miles directly ahead.

Looking to the west now, and Craigmont Hill. We are paddling in the shallow flooded areas, which are populated with lilies and other aquatic plants. Directly ahead are grasses that stand at water level or therabouts, I imagine it could be possible to walk through them, if you enjoy being knee deep in muck.

Looking west still, and now we are on the extreme south shore of the Marsh, in the main river channel. The small spot on the hill ahead is likely the opening of the shaft of the Craigmont Mine.

CASSON AND THE CONROY MARSH - PART 2

After stopping in Combermere at the internet hotspot / cafe / laundromat for a maple blend coffee and to find out if there is a fair place to put on the north side of the Conroy Marsh, we drove south on old highway 517 and then Lower Craigmont road to the hamlet of Mayhew Landing. Unlike the vast majority of Ontario cottage country, the road access here was on the lake side of the waterfront properties, and in Ontario would generally be considered a public allowance: I tried knocking on two of the cottages closest to the end of the road to ask if we could use their waterfront or even dock to put in, though there was no answer. We took our gear and canoe to the first dock, and loaded up.

Immediately looking out to the left, the marsh continued just a few hundred metres before opening into Negeek Lake on the Madawaska River. This is where the marsh channel, actually the York River, ends and empties into the Mighty Madawaska.

We turned west, and paddled into the marsh, which stretched away at least five miles in front of us. Just fifteen minutes of easy paddling brought us to a large beaver lodge. As we approached within about fifty feet, there was a quick flash of brown, and a large slap of a beaver tail against water! Knowing that they were aware of us now, we turned to the left and away from the lodge. Immediately beneath and to the right of the canoe there was a large turbulence of the bottom silt, with large clouds of muck roiling away underneath and alongside the canoe, moving ahead as we paddled forward. A panicked thought of  mammoth canoe tipping beavers flashed into my mind, quickly dispelled of course! Within half a minute, a brown head popped up fifty yards ahead of the canoe! We paddled towards it, and after closing half the distance, he dove under, only to appear a few hundred feet further along. 

Looking east from Mayhew Landing, across the York River, and the outlet of the Conroy Marsh, to the hills across Negeek Lake (hidden from view behing the low bank of green).

Paddling westerly, about 500 metres from Mayhew Landing. A large beaver lodge is ahead of the canoe. The 'mountain' in the background is about two to three miles away, and is the location of the historic Craigmont corundum mine.

A close up of the beaver lodge, The Conroy Marsh enables lazy beavers, as they do not have to do any dam building whatsoever..

AJ CASSON AND THE CONROY MARSH

My wife and I received a lovely framed print of "Conroy Marsh" by AJ Casson for our wedding. It was wonderfully thoughtful, as the Conroy Marsh is very close to our cottage near Barry's Bay, and is also a lovely examply of fine Canadian and Group of Seven art.

It took up residence in our formal living room at the Field house, above a wonderful little nearly antique bookcase. There it hung for many a year, and still does, occasionally reminding me of a still mostly wild part of Canada. Upon getting serious about canoeing about four years ago or so, my wife reminded me of it, and I then purposefully thought about finding the Conroy Marsh, to explore it via canoe.

After exploring various ways in to the Conroy Marsh over the last two years, my father in law recently reminded me of the painting, and suggested Rudi and I look for the site the next time we get into the marsh.

THE REPLACEMENTS!

We finally got to the cottage for the first time this year, and on the way, picked up an older, relatively well used, repainted fibreglass canoe, for use while the 'Cottage Coleman' undergoes it's slow and tedious restoration. I needed to find a canoe for a hundred and change, and not out of the way of our drive up to Barry's Bay. A few visits to Kijiji later, and I found a gentleman selling a canoe located just outside of Bancroft. She ain't pretty, but she floats, holds a line well, and paddles easily. Here is a picture of Rudi with our gear after taking out of the Conroy Marsh at Mayhew Landing near Combermere.

CARSON LAKE - Finding Sleeping Bear Rock

I headed out for a short canoe trip with just Alexander, down the lake along the shore and the old Ottawa, Arnprior, and Parry Sound railway line, just for a bit of fun. An interesting little trip it was, as we encountered a boat with four divers in scuba gear beginning a one hour search of the lake just below a large boulder railway embankment, at the bottom of which (as legend has it) lie the entombed remains of a short freight train! Having paddled the area numerous times, I have never seen rotting railcars peering from the murky depths, but one of the divers was insistent that he saw such a thing while paddling in the area a number of years back.

Further along, Alexander and I made our turn around at 'Sleeping Bear Rock', a near 100 tonne boulder that closely resembles a napping black bear cub!

THE LITTLE MISSISSIPPI RIVER - Into the Conroy Marsh

Monday following our short trip on the York, Rudi and I abandoned Alexander with mommy and headed out to the Burnt Bridge Road put-in, this time heading north along the Little Mississippi and into the Conroy Marsh. Total trip time was roughly two hours paddling, with a fifteen minute break exploring a point with a couple of rock ringed firepits, Rudi excitedly proclaiming there to be an abundance of minerals, including quartz, mica, and fools gold present in some of the rocks. 

Noodling down the Little Mississippi. The main channel generally is about 75' to 150' wide, in a wider wetland from 300' to 500' or wider here

The channel widens out, and the opening of the Marsh appears. The long line of hills trends to the Northwest, leading the marsh to its outlet in Negeek Lake near Combermere

Another view of the opening into the Conroy Marsh. Around the small headland on the right, the marsh opens up to roughly two or threee kilometres wide

Once again we played leapfrog with a pair of Great Blue Herons, and this time I was able to shoot one... Finally!

Sedge Bending! The term courtesy Richard Powell, author of "100 Lakes On Vancouver Island", click to visit his absolutely stunning blog!

Almost back to the put-in, the Burnt Bridge Road bridge over the river is just visible, as well as the trusty Ford Freestar!

Yes, the little (big) kid does paddle a bit! A well graded boat launch we used for our put-in is directly ahead of the canoe

THE YORK RIVER - Back to the 'Hunt Camp on York'

After returning toward our put-in, we stopped to chat again with Gus Zylstra who we met on the way out. Gus owns a house and some rental properties in the area, and is also owner of Pinecone Publishing, the complany that publishes The Country Connection, an awesome little magazine covering country and cottage life, especially local to Eastern Ontario 

Gus and friend (oops forgot to ask her name) at the Pinecone Forest

A much needed break

THE YORK RIVER - Conroy Rapids

After passing our put-in and continuing downstream, we caught a pair of kaykers exploring the shoreline, and eventually rounded a corner, hearing the unmistakable roar of rushing water. Not a really load roar, but these rapids only drop the river about five or six feet vertically over a hundred yards or so. We noodled about above the rapids for a few minutes, testing the flow, and getting a few photographs, then headed back upstream toward the put-in.

Approaching the Conroy Rapids

These two look rather bored, as opposed to absolutely terrified of their impending doom~!

Another view of the raging torrent!

THE YORK RIVER - 'Hunt Camp on York' to Slabtown

Slabtown Ontario is home to approximately three-fifths of one one-millionth of the population of Canada, so it is unmarked on any maps, and the average person has a better chance of winning the Lotto Max Jackpot than of ever accidentally wandering into this little town.

Rudi, Alexander, and I found it by following the old 517 from Combermere, the Boulter Road, Rivercrest Drive, and finally an old MNR track barely suitable for passage by the van. A few hundred metres from where we parked, we found a suitable put-in at a clearing with a small hunt cabin, and then headed east along the York to the Boulter Road Bridge in Slabtown.

Gearing up after parking on the old MNR forest track.

Passing a cottage located in Slabtown, on the south side of the York

The Boulter Road bridge at Slabtown

Returning past our put-in at the hunt camp on the York River

A SIMPLE AND POIGNANT OBITUARY

I came across this in the Waterloo Region Record a couple of days ago. It struck me not only for the theme, but also the beautiful simplicity in which the notice was written. And yes, it brought a few tears to my eyes. Why not select "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight" (The Beatles), song number 6 on the Popup player above, and read the following quote...

"With one silent Canadian J - stroke, Barb has propelled her canoe away from the shore and is paddling off on her next journey guided by another hand."

For the full obituary, please click here.
Barbara Lynn MacDonald 1954 - 2010

MAY TWO FOUR

Got to the cottage Friday evening after a fairly efficient drive via the 407, Port Perry, Lindsay, Bobcaygeon and bypassing Bancroft on South Baptiste Lake Road. I have never actually been through Bobcaygeon before! Didn't see much, probably a bit overhyped like many of these rustic little "cottage country old money" towns (of which Barry's Bay is not one!). The next day I assembled the bunk beds, mowed the lawn, had fun with an Eastern Milksnake and inspected the shoreline for a washed up body.

Michael Hinsperger Missing on Carson Lake (CBC.CA)

AND THE "LAKE OF DEATH"

This one hits close to home, as the search is being conducted as I type this on the lake our cottage is located on, Carson Lake, 'our' lake if you will. Please don't think I am callous for suggesting the missing man is dead, but if a canoeist goes missing like that, it is more than likely he has ended up drowning:

Canoeist Missing on Carson Lake (CBC.CA)

THE "RIVER OF LIFE"

Alexander ('number last', our two year old) booted me out of bed about 4 am, I couldn't sleep, so did a bit of surfing and found this documentary, a magnificent and honest portrayal of the challanges faced by a group of women (breast cancer survivors) participating in an epic canoe race. Skip that silly re-run of 'The Mentalist' and instead watch this:

CANOOZ IN THE NOOZ

From today's edition of our pretty gosh-darn-good mid-market circulation daily, The Record (formerly the Waterloo Region Record, the Kitchener-Waterloo Record, etc.) comes this nice article about what students do!

Large Lessons From a Small Canoe

Link will open in this window, click the return arrow to get back to The Accidental Canoeist. Read and enjoy!

A HAPPY RESULT OF WINTER CLEANING - A $700, 42lb CARBON FIBRE ALCHEMIST CANOE

There were a few abandoned canoe shells in some kind of potentially recoverable condition stored outside the 'factory' when I started helping out last year, so when Jeff did an 'inventory' of all the canoes that never made it out of the shop for some reason or other last fall - mostly 'cosmetic defects', a few 'demonstrator boats', and the odd prototype, we decided to salvage as much as we could to avoid taking anything to the dump.

Here is a perfect example. A three year old carbon kevlar shell that had blown away just after the top was cut off, and suffered from some minor structural and major cosmetic damage. I found a buyer, a friend who absolutely needed a half decent canoe that was as light as reasonably possible, yet didn't want to drop the two to three grand typically spent on a lightweight canoe. A fantastic structural repair and interior paint job by Jeff, a decent set of used gunwales, and all new interior fittings installed by me, resulted in a tough, durable carbon/kevlar boat with a final price tag of $700 and a weight of just 42.5lbs. Sweet!