Talk about a story overdue! It’s been awhile since I last posted I am sorry to report. Creativity is a most perplexing thing I have decided. It ebbs and wanes like a tide. This summer has been more like a tsunami at times.But our recent trip to the bush of Quebec brought certain things back into focus for me. A week in nature has the capacity to transform my demeanor and slow my thoughts. Perhaps it is the simplicity and the challenges that take us far from the norm when we arrive in our temporary homes away from home.There’s a certain fascinating aspect of planning for new and unknown destinations. An expenditure of funds and energy.But time is the biggest expenditure quite honestly. The moments when you challenge your decisions occasionally before you leave. Travel rarely disappoints. There’s always something special to be found. Even in challenge. The vastness of the Quebec bush leaves me speechless at times. Miles and miles of wild country that stretches in all directions. Waterways leading to more waterways. One can not live long enough to ever explore them all. That is the magic draw of wild country. A journey worth the time and effort. And the lost will find their way through if it is destined to come true. I am not sure if I can get this story right. But it’s worth a try!
I certainly didn’t prepare well for the trip early on. I sort of threw everything together suddenly just before we left. We were required to submit information to the ArriveCAN system 72 hours prior to our arrival. I downloaded the free app first. The process was fairly simple using our passports and vaccination cards. I was sent a confirmation bar code and checked that task off my list. Next came the assembling of clothes, rain gear, and fishing equipment. I always take 2 rods and several reels strung with new line. Once there equipment can’t be replaced easily if at all. Grocery lists were left till last and our assembled pile of gear became rather large looking. I threw in my portable fish finder at the last minute after our traveling companion Greg reminded me to bring it. And just like that it was almost time to go! I set my alarm for 3am. Greg was scheduled to pick us up at Camp Edith (aka Camp Chaos) at 5:30am. Needless to say I didn’t sleep long or well. We left on time with a sleepy Zane in the backseat of Greg’s truck. In Ogdensburg we topped off the gas tank and headed for the Ogdensburg/Prescott border crossing. Traffic was almost nonexistent and we soon reached the checkpoint. The border agent scanned our passports and never asked to scan our ArriveCAN barcodes. He asked the usual questions and gave us clearance with no delays. We were off and my anxiety eased off. What is it that always makes some of us nervous when we are about to cross into Canada? The fact that our whole trip depends on getting across the border!
We traveled in the darkness most of the way to the outskirts of Ottawa with light traffic around us. We soon found ourselves on highway 17. The main route we needed to reach western Quebec. We grabbed a quick breakfast at a Tim Hortons and people seemed to be staring at Greg. I guess it was his shirt or something. It had a rather interesting pattern of design but maybe it was something else. We were obviously pumped up and excited. Somewhat animated as we waiting in line behind people who were headed off to work. Three older gentleman stared at us with intense and somewhat unfriendly concentration. I ignored everyone at that point and focused on my breakfast. We made excellent time and the towns fell behind us. We left Hwy 17 and headed up a serpentine route known as 533. It’s the quickest way up into Quebec. We stopped for gas at a convenience store that was also an LCBO. Ontario’s only source for beer etc. since they don’t sell it everywhere. Shortly after we crossed the Ottawa river into Quebec in the mill town of Temiscaming.There’s a huge paper mill located just over the river. It employs some 600 plus people we were told. I would suspect that the town would disappear if it ever closed. We met tractor trailer loads of bush pulp as we traveled. We stopped to purchase Quebec nonresident fishing licenses. A bargain at $52 Canadian. Bait was pricey though. $60 for a full pound of leeches. Worms were about $36 a hundred. But walleye fishing is best with live bait we feel. We were running ahead of schedule.Our trip was about to take a turn for the worse though.
We headed to the small town of Kipawa situated on huge Lake Kipawa. where we expected to make contact with the outfitter and get detailed directions to the landing where we would get our boats. We couldn’t get anyone on the phone so we asked directions at a provincial park checkpoint. We were headed in the right direction and had a basic idea of where to go. Epic mistake! The pavement turned into a wide and dusty dirt road . Other vehicles were flying down it at reckless speeds. Dust everywhere! We reached kilometer 38 where we thought we were supposed to make a left turn. There were numerous outfitter signs on a post but our outfitter wasn’t listed. We figured our turn was further down the dirt road. We eventually reached a four way intersection. There were signs once again but nothing obvious for our outfitter. We knew the road to the right was in the wrong direction so chose to go straight. We didn’t travel far before the road became almost impassable with huge cobblestones slowing us to crawl. The thick bush crowded the road on both sides and turning around would prove difficult. There was no cell service but we could find our vehicle on the truck’s navigation system. The number of lakes on the screen defied the imagination! The bush was sprinkled with dozens of them! We eventually located our lake but it was some distance away with no clear roads leading to it. We decided to return to the intersection and make some sort of decision about how to proceed. Greg and Zane suddenly spotted a small sign partially hidden by brush and weeds! We had found our way! Not too far down the much narrower and very rough road we hit an unmarked intersection. No signs of any kind. We decided to head straight through once again. A short time later we hit another intersection. Still no signs save one for a nearby lake where there was some sort of fishing camp. We decided to go ask directions there. After a bumpy drive down an even narrower road we found the camp but no was there! So off we continued into the unknown. Progress was slow on the gravel roads that were little more than old logging trails. There was evidence of former logging activity. Slash piles and overgrown log landings. Tall,single trees that had been spared stood high above the new growth of a healing bush. Berry bushes and brush that would be almost impassable it appeared. The bush was hilly but never mountainous. We crossed small creeks and the occasional beaver pond. Some old and littered with dead and formerly flooded trees. Others active and full of dark swamp water. The time was speeding past and we suddenly began to worry about being lost. It was a land of numerous intersections and few signs.
We continued to consult the truck navigation gps and were heartened to see our lake getting closer at times. The bush country was still a maze of lakes on our screen and we were amazed at the amount of territory we were traveling through. We hadn’t even seen one other vehicle to ask directions or any inhabited structures. Breaking down or running out of fuel would be a disaster! We continued to inch closer to our lake on the screen but never seemed to find a clear route through to it. We reached yet another confusing intersection. We chose the better maintained of the two roads and eventually passed a couple camps. Once place looked like someone lived there. Why we didn’t get out and ask directions still baffles me honestly. I guess I thought we were going to make it through with stubbornness alone. We continued down our new road but the gps showed us getting further from our lake so we turned around. We passed a road going up over a severely washed out hill and decided to check it out. It soon got very narrow with brush scraping at the truck. No way we decided. So backtrack to another intersection and down it. Encouraging on the screen and we suddenly felt more confident. We passed a small camp with a vehicle out front then crossed a small bridge over a tiny but beautiful river. The road suddenly turned into a four wheeler trail! No way through and Greg had to back all the way out to the bridge! I decided to go up to the cabin and see if anyone was home. A generator was running so I knocked on the door. A gentleman came to the door in just a small set of underwear. He barely spoke English and had no clue which direction we should head. New to the area he told me kindly. Things were getting discouraging and we were suddenly facing the need for a serious decision.
Greg mentioned an turn way back the way we had come so we backtracked once more. It was slow going and we were becoming concerned by the time. We were also getting irritated by the lack of any signs to help us through. We made it to the turn finally and headed down it. It brought us right back to a road we had just been across. Let’s go back one more time I suggested. We passed a motorcycle but didn’t flag him down since he was tooling right along. We passed the occupied house again and kept going until a gate blocked our way. Back we went towards the occupied house. Let’s stop and ask directions this time we all decided! We were in luck as there was a woman outside! She was friendly and helpful! I apologized for disturbing her but she was happy to get us straightened out! I introduced my self and she said her name was Bianca.Very French and attractive I must add. She and her husband live in the bush year round she explained when I asked. Solar power and generators. Snowmobiles to travel the logging roads to town.She wasn’t a bush lady as I might have envisioned and I so wished to interview her! It turns out that the washed out and brush choked road we had once started down was a way through. She offered to escort us if we experienced further problems. She also said never hesitate to stop and ask directions in the bush. People will be glad to help. We suddenly felt encouraged once again and set off down the horrible road. I had to get out several times and remove brush from the road. It continued to get later as we inched forward and we knew that we probably wouldn’t get to fish our first night. Eventually we reached the road that would lead us too our landing. Also narrow and brushy. This was wild country most certainly! One final turn and we reached the base camp. We had reached Lake Dumoine.What an adventure and not a great one either. And things were about to get even more interesting! ( to be continued).✍️