Le Chemin Oublie. ( The Forgotten Path)

Posted on August 21, 2025August 21, 2025 by Greg Washburn

Blogging certainly hasn’t been on my list of priorities lately! I went home in July after never really telling the whole story of what’s gone on. But life moves fast it seems. I returned home on July 18th without ever really updating my adventures here. I suppose I will tell the stories in a Star Wars movie episode fashion. Forward, backwards, and all over the place. What may truly matter in the end is telling the stories at all. My photo gallery serves as proof of days lived and memories made. Time and task. I am thankful for that! For writing often must take the backseat as I push forward. Never what I intend but a constant. This has been a rather full summer. Many miles traveled. Here and back home. And those that connected the dots of a roving me. So we must fast forward to the present. No longer July but well into August. So very much has transpired and the world moved on whether I told my stories or not. I am small and humbled in that realization.

Let’s fast forward past my time back home in July into August. I returned here to Camp Sparrow Song August 12th. I had been home about 3 weeks. Upon returning I set out to fish the big lake here again but it was rather tough for me. Wind and waves were a problem. I decided to fish a set of rapids below a dam close to here last week on Thursday. I was tired of my struggles on the big lake and needed a break. I had good luck and my confidence was renewed. So much that I decided to pack up my canoe and camping gear for a couple days away. There was a big music festival in town close by and I really didn’t want to be part of it. So off to the ZEC Restigo Gracie and I went Friday afternoon. I chose a remote lake that we had paddled back in July. Lac Goeland. The two days I spent there are worthy of their own story. Camping out of the truck in a tent and fishing were the main activities. Solitude on my first ever camping trip in the bush in a tent.

Since my return I have fished with a couple neighbors and have enjoyed some success. Yes you guessed it! Another story! Today I decided a hike was in order for a change. I have been curious about a set of rapids in the Kipawa River near Brennan Lake. Brennan Lake is a rather large lake within the ZEC Restigo boundaries. I had paddled Brennan Lake back in July but didn’t get to explore the river. I have wanted to see the rapids as they are listed as a point of interest on the ZEC Restigo map. A roughly 5Km trail leads to you to the falls according to the map. Sounds easy right? Sure it’s 6 miles round trip but that’s doable. The weather was good for hiking. Mid 70’s and somewhat cloudy. Plus the bugs haven’t been bad lately. So it was on once I secured my ZEC permit at the office where Highway 819 begins just outside of town here.

There wasn’t a wealth of information on the trailhead but I found something after Goggling it. And after my time here I was tuned in to the landmarks they mentioned. So up the 819 I went around 11am. It took me awhile to get to where the trailhead was supposed to be. It appeared to be off an old logging road that I found without too much trouble. The logging road was dry and pretty brush free. Not something that I encounter here when I explore. But after heading down the logging road I found no trailhead. I studied my map and phone app. My GAIA app is indispensable in the back bush. It shows my GPS location at all times. No cellular phone service needed. But where was the trailhead? No markers. No signs. Nothing.

There was however, an old beat up travel trailer sitting in a small clearing with a possible trail behind it. I guessed it a simple hunting trail when I first scouted it. It was rather overgrown and couldn’t possibly be the trail that was marked on the ZEC map. I drove back and forth searching for the trail with no luck. I finally decided to follow the trail behind the beat up travel trailer sitting in the clearing. I guessed that I was on a wild goose chase just following some moose hunters trail. But I was out of options and I had pounded dusty, rough roads to get to my destination. I wasn’t ready to quit that easy.

Once I started down the trail behind the old camper I decided that I was in the right place after all . I was obviously following an old logging road. It was molded and leveled. No question about it then but it was pretty overgrown. However, someone had taken time to cut some of the hanging brush back with a chainsaw. I was carrying an axe and began laying tree blazes behind me. Something I had read about years ago from back bush trappers. I also found pieces of survey ribbon laying around. I stuck some in my pocket and marked the trail occasionally. Getting lost here would be very bad!

The trail was pretty rough walking but ok. There were plenty of overhanging tag alders choking the trail. I broke off smaller ones leaving an obvious trail behind me. I also turned around and studied the terrain behind me. Always a good idea. I kept hanging survey ribbon pieces in strategic locations. I wanted a clear path out! Some sections were nice walking. Rather open but others were tough with waist plus berry bushes choking the path. But I was ok. I got to thinking that everything was good. The old logging road was obvious. No getting lost while following its signature through the bush. The bush is very alive and thriving. Noteworthy.

I reached a beaver meadow. Once the site of a huge pond it appeared. The berry bushes and jewel weeds were unbelievably high. And the bugs found me then. Deer flies and mosquitoes liking my sweat and heavy breathing as I soldiered through. I began to question the adventure then. This was ok but 3 miles of it? I was expending lots of energy. Gracie too. I lost her for a moment suddenly. She wasn’t behind me and couldn’t hear her. I yelled and became very worried when there was no sound. Losing her here would be very bad. But suddenly I heard her rustling through the dense berry bushes. This was becoming a bit hellish. My shirt was soaked with sweat and my legs were getting scratched bad. Shorts had seemed like a good choice. Not so much now I mused.

And then the unexpected happened. While wading through waist high berry bushes the ground below my feet disappeared and I tumbled forward. The old logging road had washed out and there was a huge gulley. I survived my tumble intact but suddenly realized that this was a less to be desired trail. No one had been through it in sometime. I guess it’s not a popular destination reaching the falls.

After my fall I found my way out to the open space of the former beaver pond. Vegetation was lighter there so it was easier walking until I hit a muddy section. Gracie took a dip in a weedy pool. She was struggling and I could tell. Old age has its disadvantages I suppose. There were moose tracks in the mud and I had seen moose droppings along the trail. They were smart. Taking the path of least resistance. They don’t worry about getting lost I suppose.

After the beaver damaged section the trail played out. The chainsaw and axe wielding trail stewards had given up it appeared. The trail just stopped. Yes the old logging continued but it was so overwhelmingly overgrown that it was pure folly to keep following it. I was hot and scratched up from the berry bushes. It was a defining moment. Persist and push forward? Reality ruled the day. Based on my GPS app, I had only covered about one mile of a three mile hike. To continue would be ill advised. Common sense kicked in despite my disappointment of failing my objective. It wasn’t easy to do in some ways. But there was a sense of relief in the concession. This was no place to mess around.

I was disappointed to not make it to the Turner Falls. But the maps had indicated a trail. I had counted on a herd path. Who knew? And I certainly gained more respect for the bush. It is hellbent to return to its natural state. And I respect the power that lives there. I’m weak in the face of that power. Frail and vulnerable. And there’s a lesson there that I thought I had learned. But the lands of the valley where I have spent most of my life are very different. The Quebec bush is a much different place. So tonight I count my good fortune and wear my scratches with a certain sense of pride. I earned them today. They will heal and my internal turmoil heals in the doing of such adventures. I wouldn’t have it any other way I suppose. And BTW. Maybe reaching the Turner Chute, aka the Turner Falls by water might not be such a bad idea. I am a stubborn one at times. And I had reasons for torturing myself today. That’s all on me. It’s what I wanted. And I got what I wanted. The universe spins in mysterious ways.✍️

What’s Been Learned?

Posted on July 17, 2025July 17, 2025 by Greg Washburn

July 17th and lots has been happening here since my last post. I returned to Quebec with the boat on June 20th after a week back home. Zane and I had tried out the new 15hp Honda motor and it’s quite the powerhouse! It trailered up well and there were no incidents fortunately. I launched it that night and went out for walleye but only caught a couple little smallmouth bass that I threw back. But it was a beautiful evening with a spectacular sunset! Catching fish isn’t everything after all.

The next day would become very memorable! Gracie and I set out on rather calm water to try for lake trout in a couple locations. After quite a bit of trolling I finally caught a small throwback 17” long. They must be 26” long to keep here now and your limit is one. 25 years ago you could keep two if they were 20” if I remember correctly. We had good luck catching them back then.

I was pretty happy to have caught a lake trout despite the fact that I wasn’t sure which lure to use. It’s no longer legal in Quebec to use the frozen real minnows we used for bait years ago. That gave us an edge I guess. They worked well! I heard a William’s W60 blue and silver spoon was a good choice for lakers here so I planned to buy one or two locally if possible.

Gracie and I headed in for lunch and a break before considering our move for the evening walleye fishing. It was looking like rain and a possible storm. I got to talking to some fellows in a rented cabin down by the outpost docks. They had two big boats for four guys. They were planning on trailing their boats to a section of the lake where they had fished in the past the next day. So they were sitting around having beers and talking. Nice people!

It started sprinkling but I decided to put my rain suit on and head out anyway. The lake was rolling pretty good and there were some big waves to travel as we headed to the “Beauvin Narrows”. I had a spot in mind there to try. A point that jutted out into the narrows. I had seen a boat there on Friday night.

There were no other boats around as I attempted to anchor the boat in 20’ of water on the point. I couldn’t get my anchors to grab. I was forced to hunker down behind an island nearby where I could hide from the waves. I had one bite but that was it. The wind and waves subsided some so I made a second attempt at anchoring on the point. I was successful that time! The rain had stopped at this point and I was happy about that!

Almost immediately after dropping my bait float and leech combo, I had a bite that I missed. But soon after I caught a beautiful 17” walleye! A fighter but I managed to net it. Shortly after that while tossing a jig with a worm I caught a second 17” walleye! This was great and I felt pretty fortunate! The bite suddenly stopped though as the wind picked up again.

A gust suddenly lifted my new hat off my head and I tried to hook it with a jig. No luck! I was forced to lift anchor and give chase after my fast moving hat! I retrieved my hat and suddenly noticed the black sky and fast moving clouds. Soon after I felt stinging rain drops and decided that I needed to get back to the dock! But I was suddenly hit with wind and a heavy downpour. I could barely see to steer the boat and the wind whipped up huge waves. Thunder and lightning added to the moment although it was off in the distance.

And so began a wild ride back from the narrows! I was soon soaked despite my quality Frog Toggs rain suit. But this was no ordinary rain storm! This was much more! I eventually reached the dock and one of the cabin renters came down to help me carry my gear to my campsite. Very nice of the fellow named Todd to do that! I was happy though as I had two nice walleye to show for my effort! I cleaned them in the rain and froze one.The other I kept out for a Sunday fish fry.

Sunday’s fishing was uneventful and I had no luck. But I enjoyed a wonderful fish fry! Yum! My neighbor Rick invited me to go in his boat up to a place in the lake called Lindros. Retired hockey player Eric Lindros has a fishing camp there. We would also fish a location called Sunnyside. It once was farmland they tell me. Flooded when the dam was built and the water rose to bury the buildings. Pretty wild stuff to consider!

Monday’s trip to Sunnyside was rather uneventful. We couldn’t find the fish on Rick’s high profile fish finders. He has all his favorite locations marked and numbered. It’s rather impressive! Rick managed to catch two small throwback walleye while I caught nothing. Any walleye under 14.5” and over 20.75” must be thrown back . It’s known as the “slot” size. Important to obey as the fines are steep for violating the rules. Anyway we tried and I now was familiar with Sunnyside and Lindros. I decided not to fish Monday night and take a break.

The next day I headed out early and tried out a new spot for walleye. I only got one that was right at 14.5” and I threw it back hoping for a larger one. A move that I would later regret but I was overconfident at that moment. I did not catch anymore after that. That afternoon I trolled for lake trout on an upper section of the lake. I was totally unsuccessful but enjoyed the nice sunny weather! Fishing was proving difficult on the big lake I was learning. Other people were struggling as well to catch walleye and a fellow named Randy said they had lockjaw! He’s a veteran fisherman here and when he’s not catching most likely others aren’t either. It was time for a new strategy!

A sunken snowmobile at an abandoned Squabe camp. ( local name for squatter)

I pulled the boat from the lake Tuesday night and removed the motor and trolling gear. My new friend Bob, his BIL Rick, and I were going to use my boat at a nearby remote lake to try for speckled trout. It was once a hotspot for them. We would use Rick’s electric trolling motor to move around the lake. The day was sunny and calm fortunately. The setup worked well but the trout were sparse. Bob and I both got 13” speckled trout. Bob gave me his. It was a fun outing listening to Rick and Bob share stories about the old days fishing there making large catches. The Canadian government no longer stocks speckled trout in the lake unfortunately. But I learned a new place and a new fishing technique. And the trout was yummy! I ate the smaller of the two.

The next day Bob, BIL Rick, neighbor Rick, and I took two boats to fish nearby Temiscaming Lake. We were headed to a spot called the “volcano”. The tree pollen was everywhere on the surface just like in Lac Kipawa. Some said it was affecting the fishing. Rick and I were in his big boat while Bob and the other Rick were in his. I catch nothing yet again and Rick managed to bag two throwback walleye in our boat. Bob got a feeder and Rick got a really nice 23.5” walleye. Another tough day of fishing for me. But another lake learned.

Pollen in the water of Temiscaming Lake.

Later that evening I drove back to the ZEC Restigo to scout out a new lake for possible fishing. The mosquitoes were horrible! But I reached the lake only to find a camp there. And a questionable bridge to cross as well. I decided to pass on the lake. I saw a cow moose on the way out though! Very cool!

Saturday morning I pulled my ZEC Restigo permit to paddle and fish down the De Jardins River. There was an interesting lake on the map that it flowed through. I packed a lunch and headed out despite the cloudy conditions. The river was running rather strongly and I was going with the current. The bush came right down and actually hung into the water. Tag alders mostly being a water tolerant species. I soon reached a wide swampy area where the Bleu River dumped in. I explored a little of it before moving downstream. There were moose stands on the edges of the bush, a salt lick, and even a camp up on an esker. Signs of people who hunted in the fall here. The river wound through an even larger wetland that became huge. There was no place to get out for a break unless a person wanted to stand on old rotten beaver huts. This was a wild place! Almost spooky in some strange way. I reached the lake I sought but it was nothing but a shallow, weedy place so I turned back. The wind and current made paddling difficult for me. I was disappointed and almost angry with myself for choosing this location. But after a moment I pulled myself together to be grateful for a location for what is actually contains. A thriving wetland that moose must love. Thickly forested bush on the distant ridges. No other people in sight. Just me and Gracie far from camp in a most remote setting. There were ducks and distant singing birds when the wind died down at times. By the time I had reached the point where the Bleu River merged with the De Jardins, I was ready to continue my adventure. I tackled the current up the Bleu, past the camp, and headed towards the sound of a distant set of rapids or waterfall. The river narrowed and the beaver were trying to dam it up. Unsuccessfully at the moment though.

Eventually I reached the rapids and could paddle no further. There was no way to portage around either as the bush was super thick. I wedged the canoe into the brush and started fishing. Maybe trout lived here! I soon had a strike but it was a small slinky pike. I kept tossing my lure and managed to catch more small pike. There was a calm eddy right on the edge of the rapids and it looked fishy. I managed to get my lure into it and was rewarded with a strike immediately! The fish turned out to be a 15” walleye! A keeper!

I stayed in the rapids for two hours or so. I caught 6 small pike and the walleye. I was eaten alive by biting black flies and a few deer flies. Mosquitoes also. But I was totally content. I had been in the canoe for hour as there was no good place to land. It was that thick there! I was a little wet from rain as well but didn’t care to put all the rain suit on. I leave the rapids and paddled back to the landing where the truck was parked. I was very tired and super sore. In the rapids by the launch I caught one more tiny pike that I mortally hooked in the gills. I quit fishing then. It was a memorable day and I sadly acknowledged that I probably would never paddle there again.It was just too rugged and there were many new places left to explore.

I ate my 15” walleye that night. I had worked hard to get it! I made a plan for the following day. A new lake and a new adventure. My sprit energy was refreshed and my spirit batteries were recharged. What had I learned? Many things actually. I had learned that this rugged area challenges a person. It is beautiful but harsh at times. Fish just don’t jump into the boat. You must work for them. And I ask myself if I am still tough enough for this sort of thing? I enter the bush full of energy and leave exhausted. Sometimes feeling down by my poor success at catching fish. But perhaps I put too much emphasis on my success in fishing. Am I missing something by doing that? What I am learning is to take the time to be grateful for this experience. This grand experiment that I have undertaken. The people and the places that make it grand. I have learned to catch my breath and smell the scent of sun soaked forest and tan colored water rushing over the rocks. Fish has never tasted so good either. I am strong and capable of making this happen. Someday I may not be so fortunate. Wanting more is not always the best approach. Just being here should be enough. But I do love the thrill of a striking fish tightening my line as it rushes away and the battle begins. That is addictive and thrilling. It is a complex spin I suppose. I have learned to enjoy the complexities of this spins and to let them give me cause to reflect.

So what have I learned? All this and more. I can handle solitude and being far back in the bush where I must depend on myself to get out. I have learned that Gracie the dog is a first rate companion to me and someone to talk to and listen to my profane outbursts at times. She doesn’t even pay much attention really. Selective hearing dog style. I can snap like a brittle twig sometimes. The bugs,the wind, a tangled fishing line, or snagged lure can push me to the limit. But in the end the scenery will quiet me and remind me of why I am here. Perhaps I am learning to slow down a little? Doubting that as I plan my next adventure chugging maple syrup infused coffee each morning. Time will slow my body down.Of this I am most certain but I will resist giving into it. Here I am free to run wild in wild country. It is enough!

Life At Camp Sparrow Song

Posted on July 1, 2025July 17, 2025 by Greg Washburn

Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦 July 1st sure arrived fast! I have spent this entire day playing catch up here at the outpost. I’m calling my base camp at the outpost Camp Sparrow Song. It’s connected to the random arrival of white throated sparrows at the Homestead back in the spring and the one who remained behind singing each morning for a it longer before heading north. I decided to join my bird friends here ultimately. One white throated sparrow greets the daylight here most mornings and the message wasn’t lost on me. Hence the name. I hear them every day here and they always boost my spirit energy.

Things get busy when I am chasing adventures and the campsite can get rather untidy. Not with garbage or anything like that but rather disorganized in a gear sense. Some things had never gotten unpacked since I arrived even. Wow! I sure did bring a lot of gear! But my adventures are rather multi faceted I suppose. And being prepared makes for the best possible experience! Things are flowing rather well as a result I’d have to say. And the details are numerous to say the least. Where to begin?

Getting the Airstream here was just step one of a bigger plan. I still needed my boat and motor here. I rented a boat from the outpost owners on my first two full days here so that I could begin to learn the lake. That was quite the experience unto itself! Kipawa Lake is huge! And while I didn’t get lost out on it, I did have trouble finding the narrows that I wanted to explore for a bit. It was a little intimidating out on the big water in a small boat that I later named “The Cork”. When the wind blows here the waves get big in a hurry! I tried a little fishing for lake trout after rigging up my portable down riggers and auction bargain fish finder. No luck catching trout but I got back into running my old lake trout fishing gear that has sat idle for 20 years give or take. I spotted fish on my sonar at a depth of 70’ mostly but they didn’t bite. I had to take a break from the waves in the afternoon but got out for the evening walleye fish. That proved unproductive as well unfortunately. But I had found the narrows and learned the lake some. It was enough.

Sunday would find me out again exploring further up the lake with my rented boat fishing for trout again. Boats were constantly running up the lake to the north past me. Apparently the walleye were biting in a place other campers called Sunnyside. Everyone said that the walleye wouldn’t bite down by the outpost until July and August. Strange to me really. Weren’t there walleye everywhere in the lake? But the boats ran north with a predictability that soon was commonplace. I got no trout that day either and I was the only boat fishing below the narrows for walleye that evening. This was proving interesting! The once elusive narrows was now mapped out in my memory and I had explored quite a big section of lake before heading down closer to the outpost. This place was huge was the revelation!

Monday was a rain day and I used it to my advantage to research the ZEC territories. The ZEC’s are controlled harvest, public access areas where permits are required to camp, fish, or hunt. I was curious about one in particular. ZEC Restigo. The closest to my location. I picked up a map from the nearby ZEC office in town and began my research. The ZEC Restigo isn’t entirely unknown to me actually as we have passed through it the past three summers to reach our bush fishing outfitter each August.

Tuesday would bring more rain and I would venture up the wide logging road known as the 819.It starts out paved for a few kilometers then becomes dirt for the duration. It’s a wild ride! Sometimes smooth and other times rippled from traffic. It takes focus not to spin out sometimes as you careen downhill at about 80 kilometers per hour. 48 miles for you non metric folks. I do the math automatically these days in my head as I am too lazy to switch my truck’s dashboard over to metric. It’s easy really! Multiply .6 to the metric speed limit and you have your answer.So 80 kilometers per hour equals 48 miles per hour. Easy right? No one follows the speed limit on the 819 anyway. Crazy drivers will pass you like you are standing still,flinging rocks and dust. Full glass coverage on your vehicle is optional but highly recommended. I love speeding down the 819 to a degree. It’s rather infectious in a dangerous way. And really gives you a true bush driving experience if you are into that sort of thing. Which I am, btw.

The 819.

So I spent the day exploring all sorts of back roads off the 819. Some were decent while others needed occasional grooming. I carry a bow saw and trimmers for just that sort of thing. I learned that 3 years ago. Trees and bushes are often lying across the these little traveled roads. Experience is a great teacher!

The week would continue to be rainy and not great paddling weather. I had brought my canoe and was wanting to use it back country. A nice lady at the ZEC office had mentioned free map downloads of the ZEC territories using the Avenza app. Totally free so I downloaded everything. I also got turned onto the GAIA app. GPS mapping that works even when you don’t have cellular service. Avenza works in a similar fashion. I suddenly became armed with a modern, double edged sword of modern technology in a remote part of Quebec. Always under the satellites that marked my location, I felt secure yet left with a pensive feeling. Not to mention that I was carrying. No, not a gun but something equally powerful. My Iridium 3 satellite phone that’s in my survival gear pack. It could be a game changer in an emergency. I came here to have an adventure not be a statistic. And while I know that I could die out here in a remote place, that wasn’t part of my plan. So the questions begin then. When I wear my blanket of technology am I a true adventurer? I suppose if I am not totally dependent on it. Let me tell you something! If you got lost in this bush, you would be really hard pressed to be having a great time! I love the bush. And I respect its power. It could break the strongest person with ease. And that’s the draw for someone like me. The power of nature outside my norm. Humbled and submissive to the environment. My technology is only as good as my battery supply after all. Chew on that for a moment. I stand humbled before the bush. It could break me like nothing.

The Rivière De Jardins. A future venture.

Armed with my apps, I set off one morning with my canoe intending on paddling somewhere. The places I reached just didn’t feel right for some reason. There were camper villages set up next to the boat launches. Absent of people yet not exactly what I had expected. I kept moving and eventually settled on a quiet river landing near a bridge. We had been there in 2022 when we were hopelessly lost trying to find the way through to reach our outfitter for a fishing trip.What a day and what a story! I told that story in an older blog post.

My river destination was known as the river Pin Blanc. It connects two lakes as it meanders through bush country.On the map it looks tiny. It’s actually much larger. But that’s what I am learning here. Everything is huge! Lakes. Rivers. The bush. Gracie and I set out to explore the Pin Blanc and did some fishing a long the way. I got bites immediately that I soon learned were tiny, voracious northern pike! Slinks or hammer handles we call them back home. I ended up catching five of them eventually. Fun as they are scrappy rascals! And it grew late and the skies were gray and ominous. The bush seemed oppressive then and the water was almost scary suddenly. And I felt small and insignificant in the midst of it all. It was humbling yet empowering in the moment. Thrilling in the intensity of my fragile nature. Nighttime was approaching and I would be miserable if trapped here. The truck was a welcome sight but ironically I was still many kilometers from civilization.

It was Thursday night and I needed to return to New York on Friday to grab my boat and take care of business back home. Step one had happened. The Airstream parked and my base camp was established. The realities of the size of this country were just beginning to sink in. Had I made a good decision to come here? It was far too early to say. And there was work to do here still. A big lake to learn. Rules and regulations as well. Was the romantic dream still the same? It’s the kind of thing that can’t be answered overnight. It will take time and living the life to know for sure. Deeds not words some say. My days are measured differently here far from my comfortable surroundings in the St. Lawrence Valley. This country will measure my true resolve of that I have no doubt. Will I hit the “slot” or become a throwback? Time will tell. It is on. ✍️

Operation Overland

Posted on June 16, 2025June 16, 2025 by Greg Washburn

It’s been a rather hectic time since my last post! I have been recovering from my knee scope procedure that I had done on May 15th. My knee has signs of major wear and tear. My doctor repaired some damage and cleaned up things as best he could. The bottom line is that my knee has a finite amount of time left in its present condition. I will life with that and move forward. Recovery has been quite fast though and I only had about one week of major downtime. I continue to begin to resume normal activities but my decisions on how to spend summer 2025 are anything but normal. It’s a rather complex story that continues to unfold with each passing week.

My friend and I were wanting to return to Quebec this summer for our annual fishing trip but had been unable to connect with our outfitter. I began searching for other alternatives when I stumbled upon an outpost close to the same area that rented Rv sites. But before that happened , I was looking out at the Airstream one morning with the truck parked close by, when I realized that I have not been using them to their full potential. In fact the Airstream never even left the Homestead property last year. We did use it there in a certain capacity for a time but not for traveling. So an idea began to percolate. What if? And one thing quickly led to another after that.

Research of the outpost prompted me to call the owners there. It’s called Kipawa Outpost. Located on the shores of Kipawa Lake near Temiscaming, it is about 70 miles from our summer fishing destination on Lake Dumoine. I considered the possibility of establishing a comfortable base camp setting using the Airstream and then branching out for other activities. It offered a possible win,win opportunity. Kipawa Lake is a place I know to a degree. Over 20 years we fished out of an outfitter in the nearby town of Laniel on the very same lake. The lake is mammoth in size and that’s part of its charm. I have fond memories of fishing there on three different occasions. So what if? What if I could combine a blended experience of exploring the surrounding bush country for a custom adventure? I was hooked on the idea quickly!

A phone call to the outpost owners sealed the deal. They had a site that they would rent me for the entire season at a discounted rate. The rental would run from May through September. It seemed like a solid idea. Take the flexibility of a long rental season and build a series of adventures around the dates. I booked the site! At the site I would enjoy full hookups and a place to rent to dock my small boat right on their lake frontage. There was a bath house and laundry available. In the town of nearby Temiscaming, I could buy groceries,bait, and gas. The base camp plan made total sense. The big question was when would I arrive?

Post surgery recovery was the big variable but one that was quickly resolved after my follow-up visit to my doctor. I hoped to leave for Quebec no later than June 13th. But could I get everything ready in time? I created an extensive list of tasks that I needed to complete. Itemized into separate categories they helped me make an organized list of things that I needed to accomplish. The Airstream generated a decent sized list by itself. Insurance upgrades, spare tire concerns, inspection, and registration to name a few. And there was a similar list for the boat. I decided that my 22 year old 9.9hp Johnson outboard was not going to be big enough to tackle Kipawa Lake. I ordered a 15 hp Honda 4 stroke outboard motor. The Johnson would be held in trust for the time being. I felt no need to sell it for what I could expect to receive for it. So the boat, trailer, and motor were made ready to travel to Quebec. My friend offered to tow it up if his schedule permitted. I had numerous other details to wipe out that I will not bore you with here. Things like fishing gear, food, clothing, and many others. Gracie the dog would accompany me as well. That meant updated rabies vaccination and dog license. One by one I began to cross off the items on my list. A costly venture unto itself as I soon found out.

It soon became apparent that my friend couldn’t tow my boat up to Quebec until sometime late in June. So I revamped my departure date to June 6th. It really tightened my schedule up though and I had a lot to get done! June 6th became an important date for me as it coincided with the date of the 1944 D-Day invasion of World War 2. With the present state of political instability in the world and in our own country at the moment, I found a certain irony in my decision to launch a friendly invasion of Canada on June 6th. I named my adventure “Operation Overland” in honor of the 1944 D-Day invasion that was called “Operation Overlord”. Not to mention that I could quickly rename my adventure “Operation Overload” if things went horribly wrong. So the planning continued to ratchet up as I readied for my departure. Knowing that I would be returning for the boat helped a lot. If I needed something more for the trip I could grab it later.

Thursday June 5th. A packed truck and Airstream were ready to rollout Friday morning. I felt flustered but quite well prepared. How would the border crossing go? Had I forgotten important things? Was this adventure still a good idea? All these things kept me awake that night. But I knew certain things were fine. Zane was settled in and doing well at lineman school. The camp would be watched by my sister. The Homestead was secure and should be fine. People keep an eye on it for me anyway. Oh wait! Where was my boating license? I had taken the required course to satisfy NY state law while recovering from my knee surgery. The province of Quebec would honor my credentials I had learned. I remembered then that I had already stashed it in the truck so I found something else to worry about!

Friday morning started early for me and I was anxious to get moving. I have been living at Camp Edith since Memorial Day weekend so I made the quick drive to the farm to hitch onto the Airstream. I got Gracie settled in the back seat of the truck and did a quick light check on the trailer once I was connected. All was well! We were ready to roll! Taking off on this adventure with just Gracie for company was something that I had been a little apprehensive about but my choice of destinations had made all the difference! In the familiar turf of the Temiscaming region on Lake Kipawa, I felt certain that I would manage just fine. And establishing a base camp would be an easier approach to finally beginning to think about hitting the road with the Airstream. A small step with big possibilities. A chain of events had been set in motion and there was no turning back now!

We reached the border and crossed the bridge after paying the higher toll required for having extra aisles. $8.50 Canadian that costs. We rolled up on Canadian customs and only had a short wait to approach the booth. Things went very smoothly and we had a very amicable customs officer. He asked me the usual questions and inquired about Gracie’s credentials. I had deliberately not brought any milk, eggs, or cheese like I usually would do. The regulations were a little confusing actually. I exchanged some banter with the customs officer and he handed me back my passport before wishing me a good trip. I recently read that American tourism to Canada is down this year and vice versa. The provinces are working to present a more welcoming tone for people desiring to travel into Canada. Having a smooth and seamless entry into the country certainly helps with that! So just like that we were in Canada!

Traffic was light at first headed north on highway 416 towards Ottawa but became brisk as we got closer. All was well and the trailer was towing like a dream! Airstream’s have a reputation of being great rigs to tow. With the camera system mounted to the rear of the trailer I can easily keep track of what’s behind me. As we got near Ottawa the highway split and we headed west onto highway 417. It was jacked busy with 4 lanes of fast moving traffic. I picked the safety of the second lane and maintained a steady speed while traffic zipped in and around me. After a while the highway drops to 3 lanes then to 2 and eventually becomes a single lane highway where you meet oncoming traffic. The transition is gradual and little by little the volume of traffic disappears as the city scape and buildings that make up suburbia fall behind to the east. The highway winds through mostly farm country with streams and rivers showing up periodically. Traffic was light and there are sections where an additional lane allows traffic to pass you and surge ahead. I maintain the speed limit mostly although 90 kph seems rather slow. Translated it’s 54mph. So I towed at about 100kph. 60 mph is a good towing speed. Nothing over 65 mph is recommended. Having power brakes on the trailer with a decent quality weight distributing hitch system helps immensely. I use a “Blue Ox” hitch system. Mid grade quality and price range. It performs well. Things were going well. It was warm and mostly clear as we moved west mile after mile. We had left the Homestead around 8:15 am.Our eta was calculated for around 2:00 pm. A trip of some 327 miles total.

Rear camera test at the Homestead Friday morning.

We eventually reached the small town of Mattawa and had to get gas. In Mattawa we pick up highway 533 and headed north again. It’s a shortcut route to Quebec albeit a windy, bumpy one. Our progress slowly dramatically once we reached the mid section of the shortcut as it gets narrower and has many curves. Eventually the highway opens up and gets wider before connecting with the road towards Quebec albeit. I stopped and let Gracie have a roadside break before we ventured onto the final leg of our journey. The route we were driving is very familiar to me as I have driven it several times over the years. I was feeling a sense of relief as we neared the Ontario/Quebec border. Things had gone well! No traffic jams or accidents. No blown tires or mechanical problems. All was going well. I finally got tired of listening to music after the hours of traveling so I turned it off. We began to catch glimpses of sections of the Ottawa River as we neared the border of Quebec. As we dropped down towards the river crossing ,the large paper mill complex that employs quite a few workers there became visible. Its large presence sits near the river and crossing the bridge over the river brings you close to it. We picked our way through a small section of town and headed uphill towards Kipawa Lake. We were close now! It was all a little surreal in a certain way. Back in Quebec again!

We soon reached the lake and followed the gps to the outpost. This area was new to me and more settled than I remembered. Numerous houses and cottages dot the lakeside. The outpost soon appeared and my camp site was the closest to the road. I recognized it from photos that the owners had sent. We had arrived with no incident. Getting the trailer backed in was easy but getting it level took some effort. I was finally ok with it and detached the truck. Then the process of electric and water hookups. I didn’t bother with the sewer line at that moment. I put down the outside camping rug and set up my outdoor cooking table. It’s a repurposed gem from the Lake Clear garbage transfer station. I found a place for Gracie’s runner and got her settled. My site is semi shaded and the black flies began to attack us.

I located the owner and paid her for my site in cash. A funny story of many small bills that were all the bank had that day. $20’s and $5’s making up a total of $1200. That made for some counting! After setting up camp we headed to town for groceries, bait, and my fishing license. Back at the camp site I made a simple dinner and got settled for the night after meeting with the owners briefly. I made plans to rent a boat for Saturday and Sunday. Things had come together. I wandered down to the dock and ended up talking with a fellow who had been there all week fishing with friends while staying in one of the two cabins the outpost rents. They had had some luck fishing but the walleye were hitting far up the lake at the northern branch. The vastness of the lake became very apparent as I gazed out over it. This was some big water I thought to myself. I settled into the Airstream well before dark and considered the day. As was well! Operation Overland was a successful venture! I had many unanswered questions that perhaps could be answered on Saturday. It had truly begun! The adventure was real now! The planning had paid off and I settled! It was enough to consider as I drifted off to sleep in my cozy home away from home. I had everything I needed and more. The adventure was just beginning! Time to charge my batteries! ✍️

May Morel Moments

Posted on May 19, 2025May 19, 2025 by Greg Washburn

It’s been a rather detail oriented month so far as spring continues to ramp up. I have been occupied with a list of items that I needed to complete before my knee scope procedure that was done last Thursday. Creating lists is easy but completing the tasks on them takes some doing quite often. I have assembled an impressive series of lists which encompass a larger vision of a 2025 summer adventure but that story will wait for the moment as the recent foraging for morel mushrooms has been my focus. It’s been quite the season!

I started looking rather early this year as I knew my window of opportunity was somewhat shorter than normal. Surgery on the 15th would basically keep me out of the woods for an undetermined period of time. Early searching for morels came up empty and I felt that it had been a little chilly overall. We had two nights of frost just ahead of May 1st and that isn’t actually the best for morels to sprout. Fortunately we have had an abundance of rain which always works out for better foraging. I knew that it was only a matter of time before the first morels would be found if I spent the time searching for them. Success would arrive small scale on May 2nd when a rather intense search yielded up a dozen small ones. They were in a location where we have been finding them for a couple years now. They were actually showing signs of age so we decided to pick some of them. I think the frosty nights had kept them a bit subdued. But we were happy to know that they were turning on! Fried up in butter and served with venison steak, they were fabulous! Not to mention that we had some fresh cowslips to eat as well, that we also foraged for that afternoon.

We hunted again on Sunday and found a few more on that outing. Some we had left on Friday had continued to age without growing further so we added them to the count. I returned to the hunt on May 5th in the evening in a random location near the Homestead that we hadn’t visited over the weekend. I decided to check out a small elm tree surrounded by brush that had died in the last year. I struck a bonanza rather suddenly and unexpectedly! I scored a nice haul of over 60 morels scattered across a small area. They were decent sized and I left a bunch behind for seed. Or spores for morels. I checked some other locations after but that was to be my big find of the evening.

My enthusiasm for finding the abundant crop of morels was suddenly curbed when I spotted a white ash tree take appeared to be stricken with the EAB. Emerald Ash Borers. They have been active nearby for the past several years but I had never seen any indication of them on the farm property. I have yet to confirm my observations but will investigate shortly when I recuperate from my knee procedure. White ash are not a dominant species around the farm Homestead property but dot the forest here and there. One small section of pasture does contain quite a few smaller ones though. If the trees are indeed infested then they will die and add to our collection of dead trees that are a standing reserve of firewood. A reserve that is much too large to completely harvest or use in a reasonable length of time. If only dead trees could be saved longer. But I do consider myself fortunate that the red elm trees last for quite a few years before rotting away. We have targeted them quite frequently these past two winters for stove wood for the cabin. Also for Camp Edith firewood last fall. Having the white ash for firewood really wasn’t necessary. We will know more shortly.

The big find of morels on May 5th would supply me with more morels than I could possibly eat by myself. With my foraging partner Zane away at school this was a given. So I borrowed my sister’s dehydrator and dried a bunch out to save for Zane. They turned out great and I stored them in a small glass jar. I returned to morel hunting again the next day and got enough for my dinner that evening. I was needing to hunt hard for them and they weren’t showing up in places where I thought they should be growing. But it’s important to remember that it was still very early in the morel season. They often grow well into the month of May. My grand total numbers were growing nonetheless and I was happy to be finding them. I knew that Zane was missing our annual hunting forays as much as I missed him being there with me. But such are the responsibilities of life for a young man working towards a career. I decided that I would continue to search for morels to dehydrate even though I needed to continue to complete my projects. The draw to go to the forest was strong!

It’s important to note that the ticks are a continuous concern while foraging! We employ different sprays and techniques but they still manage to get on us occasionally. If found early, they can usually be detached. I have removed several this season before they deeply imbedded. Gracie has eaten her Braveto flea and tick tablet also. Too bad there wasn’t a human version! A new idea this year that I tried was white Tyvek coveralls. My first pair was cheap and was soon ripped to shreds but they did work well for spotting crawling ticks. My second pair lasted longer but still were unable to survive the thick brush of the forest. But it was money well spent each time a crawling tick was spotted and tossed before it reached my skin. Diligence is key to avoiding ticks. And necessary these days.

On May 8th I decided to go hunt morels on a friend’s property after he said I could hunt them there. We had hunted there in 2024 with a certain degree of success so I wished to return. After several hours of searching I had found 23 nice ones that I cleaned and prepared for him to try. This involves gentle washing and halving. A true morel is hollow from the stem up. Insects love to get inside sometimes so a thorough inspection is always needed. I soak the halved morels in a slightly salted water bath. Any insects will generally show themselves if the rinsing missed them. Morels can be rather fragile so a gentle touch is always recommended. After returning from my friend’s property and eating a hearty lunch, I decided to hunt for more morels. I just couldn’t get interested in doing much else actually. It was a cool,cloudy day anyway and the black flies weren’t bad. Not to mention my white Tyvek suit is easier to tolerate on a colder day. I searched for hours through familiar turf and my morel count continued to grow. My number for the day was respectable and I was really enjoying myself but beginning to tire. But stopping was difficult so I decided to continue into a final location before calling it a day. And my persistence would pay off with a mega find of 58 in one location! Big ones too! It was the perfect way to end my day of searching and my daily total was impressive. But I had spent my entire day just hunting morels. But I knew that my lists of tasks would remain long after the morel season had ended. And that is what is truly important to embrace!

So as my day of intense searching ended, the work began. More morels to clean and dehydrate. I ate some for dinner and saved some for the following day. I contacted Zane and let him know that I was putting more way for us. He had hunted some for morels near Kingston but had not found any. We left for an Adirondack camping trip that Friday so morel hunting was put on hold. Zane come home briefly for Mother’s Day and managed to hunt the farm property for morels for a short time. I was happy to hear that he found some! His passion for one of his rural heritage traditions runs strong still. I am looking forward to hunting morels again with him someday. Following the camping trip, I took some time last week to hunt morels one evening after a busy day of roofing work at Camp Edith. I found a few here and there but at my last location as darkness approached, I hit a respectable patch. The tree frogs were singing all around me and I knew that this was most likely the end of morel hunting season for me with the impending surgery that Thursday. My count that evening totaled 42. Enough for dinner and some to dehydrate. And more time had been invested to my hobby with carefree regard mostly. This annual event of spring builds MOONTABS of a special nature. Each season holds promises of further connections to nature. Foraging brings one closer to the earth in the time spent afield. I have had a wonderful morel season this year! We will enjoy the dehydrated ones in a different season and the memories will remain. That’s what MOONTABS are all about. Connections to nature. It is enough!✍️

Running Out Of The Sugarbush

Posted on May 1, 2025May 1, 2025 by Greg Washburn

May 1st already! Wow! Things have really started to green up recently that’s for sure! There are lots of spring ephemerals all over the woods here right now. Some showed up while we were still sugaring. We call the one species,May flowers but they actually have a different name. My Picture This app called them Roundlobe Hepatica. They are beautiful whatever name they go by. Some are actually violet and there are mixed ones also. Next came the leeks with a burst of sprouting energy. We picked a few for our spaghetti sauce one day. Potent stuff! The trout lilies are in full bloom at the moment as well as Early Saxifrage. I also learned a new plant that’s always a green of early spring. It’s called Ebony Spleenwort. It grows around the sugarbush in numerous locations. The trilliums are also beginning to bloom as well. The meadows are sprouting green well ahead of the woods and pastures it’s important to note. But the marshy areas are leading the pack for greenery at the moment. And the leaves are gaining everyday now. The temperatures have been fluctuating quite a bit overall and I have been burning wood in the cabin stove quite regularly.

Mayflowers.Roundlobe Hepatica the app stated.

So since the last post the sap buckets and mini tubes have been brought in for cleaning.Zane and I washed about 260 buckets one day last week and I finished the last 184 a few days later. So basically what remains is pressure washing the sap pans and storage vat. It’s taken some time to get it done but that’s pretty normal. We were able to sell the bulk syrup a bit earlier this spring which was helpful as Zane was there to help load it. Jug syrup to sell to customers is in short supply this spring but we can fill most of the orders to date. That warm spell in March really hurt the sap quality. The tractor was finally repaired last week and fortunately it was nothing major. Getting things done around the farm is difficult without it going! I call the sugaring season successful as most everything held together especially the old evaporator. We burned up most of the firewood but there’s a little towards another season. I have really been reflecting on the best way forward into next year’s sugaring season. Much will depend on Zane’s work schedule and situation. These unpredictable weather events last year and this year really make me wonder how best to proceed. We ran a total of 647 taps at one point. That’s quite a few for the amount of sap that we harvested. I can honestly say that I did have an enjoyable season for the most part. We now have a fresh supply of syrup to get us through the upcoming months.

The big event that has taken place is Zane heading to lineman school in Kingston,N.Y. last Sunday. He was excepted during the winter for summer class. I followed him down to the school and helped him get settled. I found the semi country setting of the school reassuring as we walked around the building and grounds. The second dorm rooms are set up in 3 bedroom suites with a large open space for the kitchen and living room. The former athletic yard is dotted with the climbing poles and line equipment. They have really nice line trucks that look almost brand new. A CDL permit was required to start school. The students test out at some point for their CDL license during the 15 weeks that they are there. It’s nice that the dorms, classrooms, and training yard are all in one location. I am really happy that Zane chose this school! Things seem to be going well for him. But it’s week one and it’s a lot of climbing poles he said. Thank goodness he is fit and rather fearless. A few students dropped out this week. One of Zane’s roommates after the first day sadly. But apparently becoming a lineman is tougher than some realized. I have little clue myself. I am proud of him for taking on this training and do find myself missing him already. I am planning something very fun for us after his August “rodeo”. That’s a type of graduation they tell me. These are exciting times. And I am planning a big adventure at the moment.Time to fly! ✍️

Stepping Through The Sugarbush

Posted on April 9, 2025April 9, 2025 by Greg Washburn

April is upon us and this morning it was a chilly 17 degrees! We had a snow squall yesterday and it’s rather strange weather lately. We’ve run a gamut lately that’s for sure. As for the sugaring season? It would not be immune to the wild weather swings. Despite the deep snow that hindered us in early March, the season would change rapidly and with consequences far beyond our control. But that is the nature of the beast as it is called. Nature being the key word. And we have persevered doing the best that we could as we now reach the conclusion of sugaring season 2025. It has been challenging and memorable in so many ways. I suppose a continuation of my previous post from March 7th might best describe the highs and lows of it. Ironic it seems. For it would be the highs and lows of temperature that would shape our progress. One must follow them after all, as a sapsucker here on the rocky ridges of the farm Homestead. And in the end it has to be enough. But to truly understand perhaps the season just past must unwind here.

The weather stayed fairly stable following our first gather and we continued to set taps out. We also continued to bring in a little sap and by March 11th I was able to flood the evaporator. There was a minor leak near one of the draw off valves that I was able to seal fortunately as I fired the evaporator for the first time. The boiling sap gums up small leaks at times and allows you to keep going. Luck was on our side! I didn’t have enough sap to batch out that morning as it takes time to set up the evaporator on a first boil day. Eventually the sap in the various sections of pans has less water in it and batches will come on a regular timeline. Fresh sap is always trickling into the back pan as a float allows it depending on the depth I set up and the boil rate. I went out that afternoon after cooling the evaporator and brought in more sap so I could boil the next morning. On the second boil I made syrup finally. We were off and running!

Zane and I continued to set buckets and our tap grew to 551 by March 13th. The weather cooperated and we brought in more sap and boiled again on the 14th. That day the temperatures jumped significantly and we had a prodigious sap run! We gathered sap until 8:30 pm as the moon rose in the east. We were exhausted! Saturday would find us in the sugar house for a long day of boiling. More sap was brought in and we had a pancake breakfast in the sugar house on Sunday morning after I made a batch of fresh syrup. There were 7 of us total enjoying eggs and pancakes while rain fell outside. Such moments are a big part of a sugar season. The temperatures had risen into the 60’s for two days and that’s never a good thing. The snow was melting fast and mud became the new thing for us. Things were changing fast.But we had secured close to 30 gallons of nice quality syrup. Things were going well!

We got a tornado warning later that Sunday after I had finished boiling and had settled into the cabin for a rest. We didn’t get a tornado but got hit with a wild storm with high winds and soaking downpours.It was almost scary at one point with thunder and lightning! Not typical March weather. We chugged a long getting what sap came and by March 19th the temperatures hit 71 degrees. Zane and I decided to do a night boil to get as much sap boiled away as quickly as possible given the temperatures that would spoil it quickly. But the syrup turned dark and fell into commercial grade. We began filling one of our stainless steel syrup barrels. They hold 30 gallons when full. The syrup was sweet but had a slightly distinct after bite. We call this “buddy” as in tree buds. The warm weather we had been having was causing the tree buds to grow. There was nothing we could do about it except continue or quit. Barrel syrup has a market but we knew that it had come much earlier than we had expected. Several days of above normal temperatures was all it had taken. Unfortunate but very real. The weather shifted back to more normal temperatures and I decided to set more taps on the 22nd in a section of the sugarbush we call “ The Lane”. We do a mix of buckets and mini tune runs here. It’s a surviving stand of maples that was part of our former sugarbush. These big maples always produce well. The signs were obvious as some smaller maples began to stop producing sap. We hoped to see the syrup turned dark and lighter with the fresh infusion of clear sap.

So we continued to chug a long making dark syrup and working to fill our barrel. The weather swings determined when we needed to gather and sap continued to flow but not everyday. On March 25 I pulled buckets off the Great Northern Loop as they stopped producing. Zane and I bounced around in the upper fallow Meadows and added about 35 taps on some miscellaneous maples there.Later that day I hit a section near the cabin at the base of the Gap Ridge and added the final 38 new taps of the season. We were chasing sap and trying to keep our sap intake coming in. It was working out for us. It turned cold over the weekend and there was a break in the action. An ice storm hit that Sunday though and we couldn’t get out for a cleanup sap gather until Monday.

Monday would find us having a decent amount sap to gather and it was going well, until the tractor quit late in the afternoon. We tried to figure out the problem quickly but nothing worked so we used the side by side to gather the remaining sap. The next day I boiled and Zane gathered everything he could with side by side. Wednesday morning I tried to fix the tractor but still no luck . So it’s been side by side gathering ever since. A friend helped me tow the tractor out of the woods on Thursday after I finished boiling sap. But the weather turned super warm by Friday and I decided to have Zane make a final gather of the newest taps. Most of the trees had stopped running anyway. And so it ends just like that. And I will follow up on the conclusion of the season in my next post as I reflect on the season as we enter the next phase. It’s worthy of words I feel. Things have happened fast and it’s been a blur. But that’s how this hobby works!✍️

Wading Into The Sugarbush

Posted on March 7, 2025March 7, 2025 by Greg Washburn

Yes it’s that time again! Sugaring season has begun! I have been preparing for a while now actually. It started with getting the sugar house plowed out after the blizzard a few weeks back. I haven’t seen snow this deep in years! It took some time and serious tractor work but I got plowed out. Trying to break out the old road that is our main sap haul road was a different matter. I got part of it passable but it was rather futile. I decided to wait and let nature melt some of the snow which happened last week fortunately. We kicked off our sugaring season by building some strings of sap tubing down on the steep ridge near Beaver Creek. I wore snowshoes the first day but it was a total pain so I just waded through the deep snow the following day. We got about 40 taps in that first location. Our next stop was on the Gap Ridge across the meadow from the cabin. It was super tough going there as well! I managed to get the tractor across the meadow after the snow started to melt. Unfortunately I got the side by side stuck! But it was easily pulled out with the tractor. We gained an additional 20 taps in the second location. Progress was slow but still progress!

The warm spell had settled the snow so I made another run at the old road hoping to break through which I did. I made it up onto our neighbor’s property and went down one of the sap haul roads for a short distance before deciding to turn back. Getting stuck would be no fun! The weather was turning cold so I took the weekend off spent it in Saranac Lake. I picked up some syrup supplies in Hermon to get further prepared. Every little bit of preparation helps. Zane and I had started to set up the evaporator and piping systems. That’s a necessary preparation also.The weather was promising Monday so I began putting out some mini tubing runs up on the neighbor’s property. We take them down each season and flush them out before storing them. They are numbered and named as to their locations. Mini tubes pick up several trees and flow into 15 gallon containers. What a time saver! Not to mention we build them where the trees are difficult to reach. Our father started building them quite a few years ago. We had quite a few at one time before the big sugarbush die off in 2016/2017. Most of those mini tube strings are worthless now. I have started repurposing them for parts.

It was so difficult getting around the woods on Monday that I decided to hang buckets beside the main sap haul road on Tuesday. Wading through the crusty, knee deep snow was exhausting and frustrating. Working beside the road was much less challenging. Zane showed up to help me and we got quite a few buckets hung before the rain drove us in for the day. We got back out on Wednesday and managed to do mini tubes and buckets in a section of woods on our neighbor’s called The Great Northern Loop. We got rained out again by lunchtime but went back out before dark and got more buckets done. The sunset was absolutely beautiful! We were pretty tired from wading through the snow but were happy with our progress.The tap count was growing!

Thursday would see a lot of snow melted and mud was beginning to appear in spots. We had gotten a lot of rain and the trails were tough going for the tractor. We tapped the remainder of what’s known as The Southern Loop. It’s a fraction of the size of the GNL. After lunch we decided that we needed to get the trailer set up to gather some sap before the cold snap hit. The weather was changing fast and the temperatures started dropping. We worked fast and the wind was blowing pretty hard. Then a light snow started. We ended up with about 120 gallons of sap that we got unloaded at the sugar house. It had been an eventful day fighting through the snow with the tractor. And also wading through it! But we were once again happy with our progress. We finished setting up the evaporator. Our tap count was now 386. We plan to have over 500 eventually. I like to hold some of the sugarbush in reserve in case the weather turns cold for a while like it is doing this weekend. The wind really howled last night and we got a little more snow.

Today was a little more laidback. With the colder weather there’s no sap to gather. I put out 23 more buckets near the sugar house in what’s known as Zane’s Bush. It really suffered during the big die off. Many tree were lost and that’s unfortunate because it had held such great potential given the number of young maples. We harvested so much wood out of there after the event. There are more trees needing to be cut as some continue to die.Some are barely living but we have so much wood around the farm that I will leave them for now.

We may tap more trees tomorrow but haven’t decided just yet. The weather warms next week again and we expect to see some sap runs. Late in the week the temperatures approach 60 degrees. Not ideal sugaring weather but the snow will certainly disappear. Sugaring seasons can be fickle these days. They have become more compressed and unpredictable. But we have to accept that which we have no control over. What we can do is blitz the forest with taps for a big play for sap. Wading through the snow has been challenging. I am happy to once again be outside every day making a play for maple syrup. We are down to our last half gallon almost. Putting it into my coffee each morning goes through it! But I need that battery charging to keep my spirit energy surging! It’s great living here on the farm and engaging in my rural heritage hobbies! It is enough I often write. And it truly is a blessing to be living in this moment. The transition is underway now. Soon all will look different here. And we will have gone through another syrup season. We still don’t know how bad the evaporator is going to leak this year. It’s a tense moment for me that is coming soon. For now we will continue setting taps and waiting for the big sap runs. Then we can begin the next step. It’s going to be a push! But when wasn’t it? It’s in my blood this sugaring obsession. And I am a most fortunate man to have experienced this annual event. I may not get time for another post soon. But I will eventually get you caught up!✍️

The Icewalkers Return

Posted on February 11, 2025February 23, 2025 by Greg Washburn

February has rolled in and we are experiencing a real winter for a change. Snow continues to pile up and getting the sugaring roads broke out shortly may be challenging. But the weather can change quickly if we happen to get a thaw. Zane headed up to our maple syrup buyer to pick up our returned syrup barrel from 2024. It never comes back right away after making its way to the east coast to be processed.It was a good time to pick up a few syrup containers etc. as well.Getting prepared never hurts that’s for sure! I was hungry for an adventure though last Monday and suggested to Zane that we ice walk down to the ice falls in the Beaver Creek gorge. We would need snowshoes but that wasn’t an issue. I decided that we would use the side by side to shortcut the section of the creek where I fallen through recently. I made us a hearty lunch of pan fried walleye! Yum!We packed up our beaver stick trekking poles, a survival pack, and the dog before taking off through the deep unbroken snow of the main meadow. It was tough going and the side by side was at its limit in the snow. Fortunately we would have our trail to follow on the way back after our trek.We were excited and ready! It had warmed up and started to rain though. We decided to go anyway.

We dropped down over the steep ridge just off one of the meadows in a gap that breaks up the grade. I have used this gap for years to get to the creek. We took to the snow covered ice soon after and cautiously probed our way along. The weight of the snow had flooded sections of the swamp recently and it had frozen in a cold snap after. I felt pretty confident that the ice was much safer overall then it had been on my first ice walking attempt. But there were still tricky sections to negotiate. Old beaver dams and grassy bogs that don’t freeze well we’re encountered. But the main channel of the creek was good traveling for the most part. We found some otter sign here and there where they had broken through thin ice to reach the surface. Always good places to avoid! Lucky for us they were rather obvious despite the layer of snow covering the ice.

Our trip was a route we had taken many times to reach the ice falls over the years. It passed landmarks that had been named for reference points. The Island, The Small Tumbled Down Rocks, The Peninsula, and others. We left the more wooded section of the marsh and picked our way down through a more open spot known as The Wide Channel. The Wide Channel is some of the deepest water you will encounter in this section of the marsh if you are in a canoe. I trapped here as a teenager and was amazed at how deep it actually was here! Fortunately The Wide Channel will usually have some of the safest ice you will travel during the winter! But I warned Zane about the section of creek below The Wide Channel where it narrows down. It has a tendency to not freeze well some years and is best avoided. The creek consists of numerous areas of questionable ice most years if you follow its entire length. Spring holes that never freeze dump into the creek in several locations as well as smaller creeks that join in. Learning these spots is important if a person plans a more lengthy trip on the ice. These days I rarely make it past the Ice Falls themselves.

Once we reached The Wide Channel we got our first look at the northern Ice Falls on the left side of the gorge as we headed downstream. They were quite well formed and we got quite close but weren’t interesting in scrambling through the thick brush and bony rocks to reach them. We instead headed to the far side of the gorge to the first set of Ice Falls there. However they were far smaller than usual for some reason. Zane and I decided that maybe we hadn’t received enough warm days yet for them to grow to their usual proportions. Zane crawled up to them though and played around them for a few minutes. We headed down to the next set of Ice Falls. Set 2 I call them. They were quite well formed but also were a bit smaller then normal. But they are still pretty impressive!

We were in for a treat when we got to the third group of Ice Falls known as Set 3. They sit up near the cliff top and it’s rather difficult to reach them. We donned micro spikes for the climb as our snowshoes were not going to help at all. Once up the the Ice Falls we were able to crawl in behind the icicles in one spot. Very fun! We found some beautiful tiny ice formations under the rocky ledge. I took a rather rough ride down north ledge on the way back down and got a big bruise on my leg from hitting a tree. This was no place to be getting hurt that’s for sure! It had continued to rain and we were getting rather damp at this point. It was time to head out and we had quite a trek out still. I reminded Zane of “The Icewalker’s Motto: The distance in must be traveled out.” Always a good thing to consider especially if you take a good soaking from falling through! But we were lucky and no one broke through. Our beaver sticks probing as we walked helped us avoid the thin spots. It had been a successful outing and I was glad that we had been able to do the adventure together.

It’s difficult to say whether we will return to the Ice Falls this winter. We are planning another exploratory trip to search for what we believe might be an old lakebed over in Jefferson County near the town of Oxbow. I made an attempt two years but never made it to the right location before I ran out of time and energy. One thing is for certain when it comes to the Ice Falls! They never disappoint! Nor does the trek through the marsh where we encounter active beaver colonies and their dams. It’s always a treat to see the otter sign also. They enjoy a rather safe life in this frozen sanctuary. I find the ice walk down through the gorge to be a great battery charging event for my spirit energy. There’s always something to see and always something to observe. I have ventured here many times over the years and I never tire of it. The remote location of the Ice Falls makes them special and we never see other people when we trek there. Snowmobilers used to visit them back in the 1970’s but they have gone from the creek now. The gorge belongs mostly to the birds and other wildlife who call it home. I too call it home after decades of adventures here. A true set of MOONTABS exists for me in the gorge. And a connection to nature that is never broken. It is enough!✍️

IPW 2025: Ice Palace MOONTABS

Posted on February 10, 2025February 10, 2025 by Greg Washburn

February is moving forward and winter is holding fast to the north country. It’s a welcome change after last winter’s up and down weather. We did hit 37 degrees last week for one day but the warm spell was brief and temperatures dropped down again shortly after. I am presently here in Saranac Lake for another day or so. There’s an appreciation dinner tomorrow night at a local restaurant for the volunteers who worked on the Ice Palace. This was year five for me volunteering and I put in my biggest group of work days ever since starting in 2021. Being as my GF (Amy) lives in Saranac Lake, I didn’t need to rent places to stay this year and that was a huge part of spending more time here in the first place. Saranac Lake has gotten to be like a home away from home here in the Adirondacks and I have spent a considerable amount of time here in the past several years. As December of 2024 drew to a close, I watched my emails closely for word of the date that the Ice Palace work would begin. The first start day was targeted for January 22nd as crews stayed busy clearing the ice cutting field clear of snow to help it grow. This was accomplished with shovels at first until the ice was able to support a 4 wheeler with a plow. We needed about 10” of ice typically to begin the build. The time was rapidly approaching!

The ice field in Pontiac Bay, Lake Flower.

Things got a little spun up for me when I received an email that the start date to begin the Ice Palace had Ben moved to January 17th. I was still finishing up the second ice saw that I would be bringing with me. It had been given to me in 2021 by a lady who volunteered at the ice palace build. It needed sharpening and a new handle. My chainsaw shop friend took care of the sharpening and my Amish friend Levi built a handle from a sturdy piece of ironwood. It was then up to me to wire brush the rusty saw clean and spray paint it black. I also stencil painted “JGO” onto it. Short for the Facebook group “Just Go Outside”, it was a surprise for my friend Patrick Bourcy who created and manages the group. I also spray painted my ice saw with MOONTABS so we would have a tandem pair of tricked out ice saws! I got the ice saws ready just in time and got my car packed to travel up that Friday morning for day one. It was on!

I met Patrick at the project site where other volunteers were already busy getting things ready for day 1. It takes some time the first day to open up the ice field and the float channel that leads to the cherry picker that lifts the blocks from the lake. We waited patiently for our chance to saw once the grid was scored by the gas powered ice saw. We cut the remaining several inches of ice by hand to create blocks that make 3 separate pieces once they are spud free by the 4 person spud crew. Each block weighs close to 600 lbs average. The blocks the first day were about 10” thick. Later in the build they were over 13” thick. Some say they even made it to 16”! We cut about 400 blocks that first day give or take. 10 rows of 40 pieces. We got plenty of sawing in on day 1 as we had to saw the length of the ice field to free the first row of blocks properly. It get easier after day 1 once the channel has been opened. A certain amount of overnight freeze will leave a thin section to open each morning next to what becomes the new first row. It’s rarely more than 1” of fresh ice.

Once the ice was cut for the day, Patrick and I needed new jobs to keep us busy. We helped fetch and pile fresh snow for the slush makers. The slush makers mix water and snow which is placed into buckets and sledded up to where the blocks are being placed for the walls. Day 1 gets a basic footprint established based on a blueprint design created months ago. Slushing is important as it helps hold the blocks together. As it freezes the palace walls get super strong. It takes a lot of snow to make all the slush that is required during the build. I ended up helping with slushing ice blocks before the day was done. Day 1 went smoothly and the Ice Palace had begun to rise! And I was just beginning! My volunteering run was to last for 6 days!

Day 2 was pretty much a repeat of Day 1. Cut ice in the morning. Take coffee break thanks to the ladies who bring it each morning! Then haul snow and slush up to the wall builders until lunchtime when a local caterer brings us “Roll and Bowl”. Hot soup and a nice big roll with butter.Yum! It’s always so yummy! Afternoon was spent with more slushing of blocks. Patrick had returned and worked with the slush makers. It was another busy day for everyone. I left early to spend time snowshoeing with Amy up Baker Mountain in the village. Things had continued to take shape and the walls were growing!

And that’s pretty much how things went for the next several days. I cut ice each morning then found new tasks to stay busy. I got to do some chainsaw work installing a conduit for the hidden electrical wires for the ice palace lighting. I also helped cut two large arches through the front walls next to the street. That was really fun and made for a bunch of scrap ice to clean up after. A local photographer caught me on film in action!

Zane came up to help on for a couple days this year and stayed with us for two nights. Out on the ice field he rejoined the spud crew like he had in years past. He never cared much for cutting ice so usually sticks with that. We split early for snowboarding on nearby Mt. Pisgah. It was a lot of fun but the conditions were a little bumpy overall. I didn’t fall all that much despite that but did take one rather tough tumble onto my side. Dinner was at the Rivertrail Beer Works right near the Rail Trail in the village. Walking distance for the three of us. We walk most of the time actually when we do things around town. It’s great exercise! Things were great and it was nice volunteering with Zane again! Just like old times! He returned to the ice with me the next morning and it was very cold! And another morning was spent engaged in various tasks. Zane left early to return home and I ended up staying all day until 3:30pm. I got drafted to work with another individual setting ice blocks up on a 10’ section of walls. It was tricky work and required micro spikes to maintain traction on the walls. Tractors were lifting the blocks up to us and we maneuvered them into position with ice tongs and shavers. Shavers are like ice spuds with thin pointed bottoms. They are great for prying stubborn blocks into place or shaving off rough edges. Guess we know how they got their name! I found working the wall fun but very tiring. I left the project sore and tired that afternoon.

Spud-man Zane in the muskrat hat.2nd from the left.

And that’s pretty much the story really. Daily ice cutting then working at other tasks. I had to leave after my 6th day of volunteering and return to the valley for two full days. But I returned on a Saturday morning to cut ice and stayed until I had put in 9 days of volunteering. That Sunday I got to cut 8’ blocks and work with others as the crane lifted them from the lake. Very fun! They were placed to span some structural places were tunnels were being created. Very neat! I worked with the ice carvers a little that weekend as well. Helped them move blocks around and cleaning up their work areas. They make a lot of noise carving with their chainsaws but I don’t mind that. Patrick returned on Monday which was to be my final day of volunteering. I nearly took a swim that morning in the float channel right on a corner of it! I caught myself on the far side of the channel and crawled to safety without even losing my shaver! One leg got a little soaked! A true Icewalker type of thing! The day passed quickly and I worked with the ice carvers again. But it was time to get back to necessary tasks in the valley. I left the project sore and tired but with a great feeling of accomplishment. It had been yet another great experience! A time to volunteer with people I knew and with people that I just met. Everyone works well together and the Ice Palace always gets built! I was sad that I couldn’t stay and help to the very end but it just wasn’t possible. The final Ice Palace is incredible! And just like that it was time to move onto something new. It’s truly MOONTABS In Motion!✍️