Missinaibi 2006

Missinaibi River Trip - June 24 - July 8, 2006

(Click on image for larger view)

Missinaibi Outfitters dropped us (Reg & Robert) off in the park at Mattice and we put in around 5:00p.m., Monday June 2
Rock Island rapids, which are rated Class II / III, showed up in less than an hour. The channel on the left side of the island had completely dried up. This left us slightly puzzled for a few moments about where we were. It was also our first clue that water levels were seriously low. We decided that the Class III stacks (now Class I tec / II) offered the best chance at minimizing rock damage to the canoe.
We spent our first night on a postage-stamp sized piece of grass on a tiny island about 2km above Black Feather rapids. This site and several others on the route reinforced the importance of using a tent with as small a footprint as possible.
Tuesday morning, downstream from Black Feather rapids	Black Feather rapids presented another rock avoidance exercise. It was here that we first began to notice fresh paint on the rocks from two canoes; one red, one green. Allthough we did not see any other canoesits during our trip, I later learned on the Canadian Canoe Routes website that these paddlers had been travelling a few days ahead of us.
A tiny small picturesque river diversion from the main channel at the bottom of the portage around Kettle Falls on river-left.	Wednesday morning 6:25a.m. at Bare Rock Point
A now familiar scene: hung up on another swift in the middle of the river!
The initial waring sign for Thunderhouse Falls (THF) is 500 metres upstream from the falls and as long as the brush is kept cleared, it's going to remain visible from several kilometres away. There is another sign, 150 metres before the first portage. We reached the falls around noon Wednesday, June 25.
We took a refreshing swim on the beach at the entrance to the THF portage trail	Lots of camp craft at the site overlooking the falls
At low water the second set of rapids just above the falls didn't look too challenging but due to the potential consequences of an upset and being aware of the deaths that have occurred here over the years we opted for the first portage.
We camped at the site at the end of the THF portage trail. The view was pleasant and the gentle breeze reduced the numbers of bugs in our cooking area to nearly zero. The rock provided a nice swimming area.
Friday, June 29, the gravel bars continued to force us to walk our canoe
It was rare to have more than 24 hours without storm. In a light rain we completed the "Long Portage," past Hell's Gate, around 2:45p.m.. THF and Hell's Gate mark the transition from the Canadian Shield to the James Bay Lowland. From here on massive rock outcropping and majestic rock faces would be replaced in large part by sand and gravel.
With rain falling off and on we had hoped to knock off early, for the day, down river at Bells Bay but some fly-in fishermen from Pennsylvania had staked out the place for a week. Around KM 239 our tent fit snugly into this site beside a tiny stream. Once again we had managed to find protection from winds for our tent while having an open area to cook in with relatively few bugs. We noticed that we weren't the only ones that liked this site.
A beautiful July 1st morning on the Missinaibi
An isolated grave site on river-left, downstream from the Soweska river, apparently maintained by an American Boy Scout troop. They installed a plaque dated June 1984
Sunday, July 2: A beautiful start to the day as Reg finishes loading the canoe at our campsite near the Rabbit river. Later a one-year old male moose swam across the river in front of us and took a leisurely stroll along the river.
In 1999 we saw dozens of moose between Brunswick and Mattice on the middle section of the Missinaibi. On this trip we saw a number of eagles on a daily basis and a few other birds of interest but this sighting was our only moose and one of very few mammals seen.
	At noon a pleasant lunch break on a gravel bar. We were surprised to make it through Deception rapids without touching a rock and the stacks there were still high enough to be fun. Later in the afternoon a thunderstorm forced us to camp around km 110
Monday, July 3, 7:00a.m., getting ready to break camp at km 110	Looking down river from the campsite
	Shortly after noon on July 3, just past the confluence of the Missinaibi and Mattagami rivers, where the Moose river begins, a thunderstorm began chasing us. There were no nearby places to set up camp, so with one of the few tail winds on the trip helping out, we raced for what looked like a sandy beach on Nicoll island, about five km down river.
Once again, we lucked out. The storm quickly passed. Cliff swallows put a lot of pressure on the large flies in the area.
The winds took care of the mosquitoes, we had a great beach for swimming and the view was gorgeous.
The flowers on the beach added to the beauty.
Tuesday, July 4 was decision day. The Moose river is notoriously shallow. Should we catch the train at Moose River Crossing or finish what we had started and continue on to Moosonee? Earlier in the trip we had appropriated a few poles from a beaver lodge and rigged a mast. Headwinds confronted us during much of the trip and we hadn't gotten in many minutes of sailing, but today the wind seemed to be encouraging us.
As we zipped effortlessly along toward the railroad bridge we abandoned any thoughts of quitting early and set sail for Moosonee	Of course the wind stopped as soon as we reached the bridge. The river widened as we approached the limestone caves on river-left, just down river from the bridge.
We then began a process that was repeated every few minutes throughout the day; trying to determine where the main channels were. When we failed, which was often the case, we had to drag the canoe over gravel bars. We ate lunch on a gravel bar and discovered two Sand Hill Cranes who accepted our presence with just a few squawks. Head winds set in but we still managed to paddle about 56km before camping for the night.
We managed to reach a beautiful campsite on river-left, just above the confluence of the Kwetabohigan and Moose rivers, at abount km 21.	On Wednesday, July 5 we paddled against headwinds and an incoming tide. In less than three hours we reached the town's water-taxi dock and our little adventure was suddenly over.
Counting our first and last day as half days, we had spent nine days on this fascinating journey.
	We spent a few days getting to know people in Moosonee and Moose Factory. George Elson (see our Hubbard expedition trip) lived in this house, which he aquired when Revillon Freres stopped trading furs here. When I was last here, eight years ago, the museum was an interesting tourist destination. Today it's closed due to lack of funds.
Finally we headed for the Ontario Northland's Little Bear train to Cochrane where our heavily-scratched canoe became the only passenger on the legendary canoe car.

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