RIVER TREK 1 - THE DUMOINE RIVER
JULY 7 - 18, 2004
DAY 1
After our 11:30am rendezvous in Ottawa, all trippers and guides piled in the 15 passenger P-Foot van and started heading north. We enjoyed a delicious van lunch at a picnic shelter in the wee town of Kazabazua, where singing for cookies was the custom of the meal. Numerous get-to-know you games were played in the van during the rest of the ride, including a rousing rendition of “IN THE WORLD”. Many naps and a pit stop later, we arrived in Parc de La Verendrye where we obtained park permits and began the 90+km tour down a dirt road towards our put-in. We were all ready to exit the van when we arrived at our put-in on Lac de L’Orignal. With night closing in and a light rain falling, the big baker tent was set up and a heart warming meal of grilled cheese and soup was prepared. After saying our goodnights, we all went to bed with wonderful and anxious thoughts of the trip that lay ahead.
DAY 2
Entry by Lawrence
OK! First day on the water! It feels really good to be in the canoe and I’m starting to get in the mood of the trip. It’s still raining and because of that, there’s like a whole bunch of mosquitoes who are eating us terribly! When we first go on the water, there were no mosquitoes and I thought there was going to be none for the rest of the day; I was so wrong! We all ended up with 100 mosquito bites each of us and everybody asked me for my afterbite.
When we first arrived in front of a rapid, we did it, but the three others we had to portage or slide our canoes on the side of the river. Our first portage was really cool (I think). It was raining really hard and I felt like in the middle of a jungle or something.
We did like 26km that day and we couldn’t find the campsite. So we went to that country house that stood on the border of the Baie de l’Orignal and asked the owners where we could find a place to camp; I was wishing so hard he was going to propose to camp on his land - and he did! We got to get a huge fire place to make our clothes dry and to warm up. We even had an outhouse. We I think about it, it’s a good thing we didn’t find that campsite!
Drawing of Aaron and Jeff standing soaked by the fire after tipping in the last set of rapids that day
DAY 3
Entry by Jeff
Its day three and by three I mean four, but I am writing yesterday’s journal. No bugs today ☺ no portages today ☺ no rapids today ☹. We ate granola for breakfast, the we thanked Mario for his hospitality and set sail and by sail I mean paddle.
We had a floating lunch of bean tortillas. We arrived at the mouth of the Dumoine River. Our campsite was most excellent - kind of like the cheese we had at lunch. Some members of the trip learned how to set up the baker. They were dubbed the baker buddies. After that, we had shish kabobs for dinner. Most of us were surprised at how tasty the tofu was. After dinner we hung out for a while and eventually we went to bed in the baker.
Jeff’s quote of the day: “Don’t even talk to me about Dairy Queen. They’re always like Get out of my store!”
DAY 4
Entry by Kasha
Today we started the day off with some delicious yet deformed muffins. We then had an enlightening circle meeting and we met Karen’s lizards: Tommy and Forgetful Jonsie. Next we learnt some flatwater skills. For lunch we enjoyed soup. It was gooood. We then had the opportunity to demonstrate our mad whitewater canoeing skills. It was a little bit awkward, as there were two random people watching us. Despite this, we all managed to stay upright. YAY!!! We then returned to camp for a well deserved dinner of (drum roll please) macaroni and cheese. YAY again! THE END (for today).
Drawings by Aaron of the Green Goblin eating the creature of unspeakable evil; and a lizard
Personal Goals for the Trip
Milene *** to accomplish going through sweet rapids
Natasha *** to learn how to canoe and do rapids
Aaron *** to paddle more
Lawrence *** to become a good paddler and learn how to hackey sac
Svetlana *** to learn how to stern a boat; to play the guitar better
Malcolm *** to finish carving this ancient weapon; to get to know cool people
Levy *** to have something to remember everyone by
Derek *** to start a fire and keep it going
Erick *** to learn how to become a successful guide
Steve *** to enjoy the moment! to take everything in
Sam *** to learn from everyone; to improve paddling skills
Karen *** to have good jam sessions; to pay more attention to group dynamics;
have a grrrrrreat time!
DAY 5
Entry by Svetlana
This morning we woke up to “Happy Birthday Derek”. He was 14, wow! Then we had otameal and we (Svetlana and Jeff) had to clean the sticky, gross pot “ew!”. It took soooo long! Then we took off towards the rapids. The first set was fun and the second we had to portage. That was fairly exhausting. Afterwards, we paddled for quite a while until lunch. This was comprised of pita, onion, mustard, miracle whip, tomatoes and a lot of cheese while we listened to Eric and Steve sing and rap (that was pretty funny). Then we paddled for some more time and arrived here.
Once darkness arrived, a birthday celebration for Derek took place. This consisted of a sparkler-lit procession along the beach, followed by a wish being made as the “cheese rock” was tossed into the water, followed by the breaking of the pińata man and ‘smores by the fire.
DAY 6
Entry by Milene
So we woke up to “Another day in Paradise”. Unfortunately for breakfast we had cream of wheat. But I guess the brown sugar made it kinda better. Once on the water, we checked out the “Alligators” (Kind of a steam engine on water - something to clear log jams). Then, a short portage over the SWEETEST rapids in the world. We took a short dip and paddled off. And yet another portage (YAY, I got to carry a canoe... hehe). For lunch, we ate pitas with humus. Followed by numerous lemon juice shooters (especially Aaron). We met other travellers. Fecal matter! They were staying at our campsite. The good thing is we got to stay at a closer, better campsite. As we got there we (Steve, me, Natasha, Jeff and Sam) started unloading the boats, watching the others swim over. Once done, we decided to be gunnels bobbing. Jeff and I tipped after barely 10 seconds. We got T-rescued a few times. And I finished the chill time on the water by having a wrestle with Erick.
After setting up a kick-bum baker, we all watched Steve “climb” to great heights in a white pine. For supper, awesome pizza (thanks to Steve). Then Sam introduced this game called “Death by Words”. Then Lawrence and I jammed on the guitar and after, I stayed outside with the guides for a late night tea, watching cans burn in the fire. In my opinion, this was an AWESOME day. For sure, tomorrow’s gonna be a big one. Well, that’s it for today. And P.S. Karen taught Lawrence how to break-dance.
Drawing of Steve very high up in the majestic white pine
DAY 7
Entry by Karen
We said goodbye to our sweet site on Lac Manitou and made our way down some swifts and three Class I rapids. It was now time to encounter the portage known as “The Grunt”, aptly named because of its rugged and seemingly endless 1.5km trail. The Grunt was not to be our downfall though, as we chose to break it up into segments and avoid portaging its entire length. With many grunting noises to help us on our way, we portaged around the first falls. Then, we were able to get in our boats and paddle to the next Class I above the second falls. Here, we got out and lined our boats to the next portage. After the second falls, we got in our boats again and padded in a beautiful gorge to the third and final set of falls. It was a mere 80 yard portage around this falls, and grunting helped us all the way. An amazing view of the falls and an energizing lunch of humus, gorp and tortillas was our reward, as well as some surfing in holes at the bottom of the falls.
It was a short paddle to “Bridge Rapids”, where we found a makeshift teeter-totter (that was unfortunately covered in biting ants). As our “tour guide” led us past the sketchiest bridge known to humankind, we scouted our route on this Class II with our canoeing partners. Clean and fun runs were had by all. This set led quickly into three Class I’s, which were great rapids to read and run.
Upon arriving at “Little Italy”, named for the peninsula land formation in the shape of a boot, we scouted for a site. After deciding not to stay on the somewhat creepy site in the middle, we found a site with a nice little beach and one of the more slanted baker set ups - however, the Baker Buddies were up to the challenge. :) Some jammin’, breakdancing and chillin’ was enjoyed around the fire before heading off for a well earned slumber time.
DAY 8
Entry by Karen
We began our paddling this morning as a moderate rain began falling from the sky - perhaps nature’s way of telling us it was time for a shower. Two Class I’s were our warm up for today’s bigger rapids. Following a short lift-over, we encountered our next Class III rapid known as “Canoe Eater”. Undaunted by the name, we held to our individual courses (and Svetlana held onto the boat) as we ran this 200 yard rapid. Fortunately, every boat remained undigested by this rapid at the bottom of the run. After dumping the excess water out of our boats, we were ready for the next Class I technical, followed by a riverside lunch.
Up next was a Class II technical, also known as “The Sleeper”. Thankfully, no one was having an after-lunch siesta during this rapid, and we all made it to the bottom of the set upright. This type of rapid set the tone for the rest of the afternoon. Class II after Class II followed: “Double Choice”, “The Snake”, “Thread the Needle”, “Log Jam Rapids”, and “Gooseneck Rapids” were all awesome rapids that kept our minds off the ensuing rain and on the thrill of whitewater manoeuvring. Continuing on past the “Hobbit” campsite, we approached “Little Steel”. A Class I moving into a Class II technical covering a distance of one kilometre, this rapid was indeed a highlight of today. Many thrills were had a most boats went right beside, if not right through, an exciting hole on river left. Regrouping at the bottom of the set, we pulled everything we had together to get through another portage around “Little Steel Falls”. Careful manoeuvring was required on the portage, as mountain goats would no doubt have been more accustomed to the trail than humans.
With superhuman strength, the group carried on to run two more rapids and some swifts before reaching a campsite on the next lake. A hearty heart-warming soup was the reward after another great day on the river. Everyone deserved a pat on the back and a massage for the hard work and awesome paddling that we did on this 10km day on the Dumoine. Goodnight all!
DAY 9
Entry by Karen
We awoke to a hearty breakfast of oatmeal and brown sugar, and hit the water for our first rapid of the day. That Class II was a real “Cliff Hanger”! Swifts led us into the picturesque Burnt Island Lake. We began to encounter our first signs of “civilization” farther down on the lake, as there are a few cabins, an old log slide and the remains of 18th century farm. We lined the first bit of “Big Steel” rapids and enjoyed the rest of the 800 yard run.
After a floating lunch of beans, tortillas and cheese, it was continuous swifts for the next 10 km to our peaceful campsite on the side of the river. This downtime on the river afforded lots of time for singing and telling stories, not the least of which included a rousing rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. The scenery was splendid and the company even more so, as we enjoyed yet another great day on the Dumoine.
DAY 10
Entry by Derek
Another big day on the water. We woke up to clearing skies. After packing up, we spend the first few kms without many rapids. Before lunch, we came up to Grande Chute, the biggest portage of the trip (1.5km). We stopped for a group photo over the falls before starting the daunting portage. It turned out that it wasn’t as long as it looked on paper, and we completed the portage surprisingly fast. Then we had our lunch of humus and smarties ☺, before the sunny weather turned quickly into a torrential downpour and a thunderstorm. After maybe 20 minutes in a lightning drill, we headed off (and the sky was CLEARING!). Just before we got to our campsite, we hit two sets of big class three rapids! It was really fun. We found out campsite beside the next set of rapids, and we set up camp and ate a dinner of noodle soup. After dinner we were all in bed pretty quickly, for a long sleep - we didn’t have to paddle on day 11. A great day!
DAY 11
Entry by Karen
Welcome to duff day #2! And what a great day it was. We awoke to steam coming off of the rapids right beside our wonderful campsite at Red Pine Rapids. This meant that we were in for a much appreciated sunny day. A fabulous breakfast of pancakes and syrup set the day off right, as we headed for a spot in the woods to do a “day sit”. This downtime sitting alone in nature afforded not only the opportunity to collect one’s thoughts and find oneself again, but also the chance to really observe the wonders of the nature that has been surrounding us since day one of the trip. Upon coming back together after our time alone in nature, each of us shared something with the group that we had been thinking about.
While many trippers used their free time to play cards and hang out, the guides honed their paddling skills by running different lines on the rapids above the campsite. Surf was up at the end of the paddling session as Steve, Erick and Karen took to solo boating on the hole across from the site. “Chill” was indeed the word of the day, as before supper there continued to be plenty of time to draw, and write, and just enjoy each other’s company.
Steve and Erick prepared a fine dining experience, as they wrestled up some “chilli bombs” (of which we literally didn’t hear the end of for days!). The stars came out as we enjoyed some time around the campfire with the guitar, harmonica, spoons and random percussion instruments. A great end to a great day on the Dumoine!
DAY 12
Entry by Karen
The day started off with some whitewater fun, as we ran the remaining rapid at Red Pine - a Class I technical. This rapid offered a great opportunity for new sterners to practice, as well as the bows-people to get a lap full of refreshing water. Following this were three more Class I’s, as well as some swifts. As we ran the first Class I, some peculiar jungle animal noises could be heard. (?!?)
After the only portage of the day, we enjoyed a floating lunch on the three kilometres of continuous swifts leading up to Bald Eagle Cliff. A magnificent view of the 550 ft. cliff was taken in by all. It was certainly a “Kodak moment”.
After setting up camp on the final portage of the Dumoine, vigorous preparation for the Talent Show began. The true stars really came out that night on the Dumoine.
2004 Dumoine River Talent Show Extravaganza Programme
★ Welcome and Inspirational Words Steve & Karen
★ Hat tricks by The Hat Brigade Kasha, Svetlana & Malcolm
★ Mr. Sandman Svetlana, Kasha, Karen & Steve
★ Words by Steve Steve
★ “Yo Momma” Jeff vs. Karen
★ TKD vs. PF Derek & Jeff
★ Busta Freebies Erick & Steve-O
★ A Little Ditty Karen
★ Song by Steve Steve
★ Gospel Lawrence, Milene & Sam
★ The D-Moine Crew breaks it down yo! Lawrence and Karen
★ Montage Levy
★ Mr. Dopamine (a Milene original!) Milene
Following the talent show, the Personality Trait Burning Ceremony took place. And to finish the night off, trip bracelets were given to each group member.
Quotes of the day by Derek: “Is everybody out of the cow?!?”
“When is the fashion show starting?”
DAY 13
Entry by Karen
Wow! Who could believe that it was actually the final day of the trip? For many, the trip just seemed to fly by. After a breakfast of granola (which unfortunately became known as toxic granola) and the earliest polar bear dip of the trip, we set out to finish the last 7km of the Dumoine River and reach the Ottawa River. 6:30am is certainly a beautiful time of day to be on the water. At the mouth of the Ottawa River, we all rafted up and had some chill time to reflect on the past 13 days and how we can find a way to bring our thoughts and who we are out here with us when we go back to our homes and back to the city.
A calm morning afforded us an easy 3km crossing of the Ottawa River, and we arrived at Driftwood Provincial Park in plenty of time to rest and relax before the pick-up. People partook in various games of Ultimate Frisbee, Hell-a-Sketch Paddle-Hack and playing cards. A short hike on an interpretive trail across from the take-out was no doubt the highlight for some (as the hike turned into a free-for-all newly-ripened blueberry munching buffet). Yum Yum.
Upon piling into the 15 passenger P-Foot van, for our listening pleasure we were treated to Mr. Roboto (by Styx), among other various hits from the 80's and early 90's. The van was rockin’ when we pulled into Centennial Park in Petawawa where we were presented with a wonderful picnic lunch - filled with fresh veggies and buns and watermelon and peaches and brownies and cookies and yes, fresh lunch meat for those die hard carnivores. The time had now come to bid a fond farewell to all members of the trip. May the sun be on your face, the wind at your back, Mr. Roboto in your heads, and the memories of our time together on the Dumoine be in your hearts and with you always! Take care, Dumoine Crew and keep it real!