Path of the paddle (Page 2 of 2)
Inspired by age-old travelways, a new canoe route knits together the Trans Canada Trail
Story and photography by Hap Wilson
|A wharf spider appears trapped in the
Path of the paddle (Page 2 of 2)
Inspired by age-old travelways, a new canoe route knits together the Trans Canada Trail
Story and photography by Hap Wilson
|A wharf spider appears trapped in the palm of an ancient pictograph. (Photo: Hap Wilson)
The Path of the Paddle Trans Canada Trail follows
one of the best displays of Precambrian-era geological
activity in Canada. Examples abound: the 2.7-billionyear-
old massive cliff along the north shore of Saganaga
Lake; the two-billion-year-old microfossils along
Gunflint and North lakes; the height of land of the
continental divide that separates the Hudson Bay and
Great Lakes watersheds.
Social history is no less impressive. The trail has been
used for almost 10,000 years by Paleo-Indian, Archaic,
Laurel and late Woodland cultures and their Ojibwa and
Cree descendants. It was also used, to a lesser degree, by the
Sioux, Blackfoot, Bear and Slave peoples. Archaeological
surveys along the route have uncovered more than 200
pictograph sites, dolmen stones (used at grave and ceremonial
sites), way markers and pottery shards.
In an effort to break up the trail into manageable pieces,
the Path of the Paddle is divided into five sections (some of
the trails have yet to be finalized). The Anishnabe Trail
starts at Falcon Lake, Manitoba, passes through Shoal Lake
No. 40 First Nation Reserve at the Manitoba border and
continues east to Kenora. Part of the route near Shoal Lake
follows the meandering Falcon River, once used by fur
traders as an alternate route to Lake Winnipeg to avoid the
strong current on the Winnipeg River.
The Eagle-Dogtooth Trail — at 251 kilometres, the
longest portion of the Trans Canada corridor — connects
the towns of Kenora and Dryden. Passing through two
provincial parks, it boasts some of the most scenic stretches
of the Path of the Paddle. Not that you would be able to
linger: the trail features several ďgreen zonesĒ established by
the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) that
disallow non-residents camping privileges over much of the
route. (Trans Canada Trail Ontario is negotiating with
MNR for a solution to this restriction.)
The Maukinak Trail runs southeast from Dryden to
Atikokan, the canoe capital of Canada. Quetico Trail takes
a less travelled easterly trek through Quetico Provincial Park
as far as Northern Light Lake. Finally, the easternmost
section, the Omimi Trail, touches the international boundary
along the historic Boundary Waters canoe route on its
way to Lake Superior.
For those who can persevere, this is a challenging slice
I lie there on the warm rock, eyes closed to the hot
July sun, stripped naked as a jaybird, sucking in the piney
air and thinking, Itís not so bad. The canoe is tied up and
bobs offshore, waiting patiently like a sled dog eager to get
back to work.
I am still a little shaky after being hit by lightning the day
before — it knocked me about one metre into the air and I
couldnít hear anything for at least five minutes — and it is
hard getting into the usual easy rhythm of pathfinding. I
know full well that I could be lying on the shore of Saganagons
Lake, fried like a piece of bacon, had I been a few metres one
way or the other. But thatís the immutable truth about wilderness
travel — the more time you spend out here, the
greater the chance of being struck by lightning.
I am no expert in any field and remain a student of
nature. I can find ancient trails and locate the best routes,
read rapids and gauge water levels. But I acquiesce to the
vagaries and conditions of the wilderness as my teacher.
There are obvious and often perilous gaffes in the national
topographic charts and seriously outdated canoeing information
in this country, or no information at all.
But after working on this project for a year and a half, I am starting to know these trails like the back of my callused
hands. Some sections of the water trail are much more
difficult than others. This is not intended to be an easy
paddle for the casual cottager. There are long, arduous
portages, violent whitewater rapid