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OCTOBER An island of snow
OCTOBER Environment commissioner sees ecological threats ignored in new plan Ecological integrity was sacrificed in last year's parks-and-Crown-land- recreation plan (TIP), according to the annual report of Ontario's environmental commissioner. The commissioner (ECO), Gord Miller, a northerner and frequent visitor to Temagami, dedicated a section to Temagami in the report.
In the TIP plan, he reports, MNR
compromised between
"
The report criticized Ontario for caving in to political pressure and granting lifetime extensions to private land-use permits (leases by any other name) in parks, contrary to MNR's own policy. There are private leases on Lady Evelyn, Solace, Bluesucker, Scarecrow, Willow Island, Sucker Gut, Pilgrim and Selkirk lakes. The 200-meter boundary from water's edge in waterway parks (Obabika River, Sturgeon River, Makobe River, and Solace) has long been considered little more than window dressing to protection. Mining leases and logging along boundaries continues to threaten parks. When unauthorized motor access does occur the plan does not explain how it will be enforced. Nor does it give direction on decommissioning roads. Miller expressed skepticism over MNR's long-term commitment to campsite and route maintenance. The commissioner is appointed by the Legislature and audits government activities, but has no direct authority to make, or change, Ontario's laws or policies.
(Temagami: p. 71) |
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Bald eagle still at home on Lake Temagami
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OCTOBER Who you gonna call?
You've busted up your canoe. Your
leg is broken.
911. But your satellite phone might not connect. The backup: 888-310-1122. You get through, but to the dispatcher sitting in an urban office Florence Lake might as well be in Mongolia. GPS coordinates are vital, otherwise any help will be delayed for hours, or longer.
This is what happened during the
Obabika Falls incident. Without GPS
coordinates the OPP's Emergency Response Team, which does not know the
backcountry, scrambled to find the location. And when it did, it called
the local conservation officer for help with the maze of logging roads
Don't count on the OPP to scramble one of its helicopters. If it can get to you by road, then it will. And it took officers over an hour before anyone got in a cruiser bound for Obabika Falls, at least two hours from the detachment office. However, if you have a medical emergency the Air Ambulance helicopters based in Sudbury are capable of immediate response. But you must make the medical urgency clear to 911 and have those GPS coordinates handy. And if you see a helicopter, or expect one, place yourself out in the open and wave when it is in view. From the air, you are not as obvious and you may believe, and the crew may see more than one group of canoeists and be uncertain which called for help. Before you step in the canoe, make sure the satellite phone and GPS unit, packed in a waterproof, shock-resistant carrier, are easy to reach, even if you lose the canoe.
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Two fragments of the canoe pulled from the river and left at the lower portage landing, August 14. |
OCTOBER Canoeists go over Obabika Falls By Brian Back August 4 was the first day of a five-day trip for brothers Paul and James and their dog, Baby. They descended the Obabika River and missed the portage takeout above Obabika Falls. Paul, the experienced canoeist, troubled with other matters, paddled mechanically. He did not see a falls on the map. They entered a swift and ran it. They entered a rapids and ran it. They swung around a turn to the right and the falls thundered in warning. The river propelled them toward the fury. It was too late to pull over. They shot into the void. In that second of falling, Paul would later say "it felt like jumping out of an airplane." The river, probably the highest it has been in 35 years, narrowed into a tumultuous, two-step, 20-foot plunge. They were in their seats when the red canoe hit the churning pool. The fiberglass burst into three pieces. The rapids and rocks tossed them around, but they made it to shore, bruised and battered. Paul's dog of nine years was gone. A search found all their gear and packs except part of the tent, the car keys and map. But still no dog.
They got out of the water and set up camp on a logging trail
off the portage.
He continued to At this point, night was coming and without a map, they had no idea how they would get help, or get out.
The following morning a Keewaydin Camp trip was loading canoes at the upstream landing. The guide, Matt McKean, had seen the broken canoe below the falls. It looked liked a recent disaster and he wondered if anyone had been hurt. A disheveled man ran up, startling them. There was blood on his jeans and shirt. He was missing a topsider, limped, and duct tape was wound around his left leg.
The guide asked him about the duct tape. "I'm using it as a splint." McKean, a trained Wilderness First Responder, offered medical assistance. Paul refused it. He said his companion was injured. "Do you want me to your check your friend?" McKean offered, while not knowing the person's whereabouts. Paul refused.
"No, no, not necessary. Definitely not necessary." He was offered food. Paul refused it.
McKean asked him when the accident happened, but he was
evasive. S
Unfortunately, the phone did not pick up a signal. McKean realized the urgency for help, but he needed to change location to get a signal. Knowing that more Keewaydin groups were within minutes of arrival, he decided to move on to a place he could get a satellite connection. He told Paul to stay there and wait for help that would come from park staff. Paul did not stay put. He went to his campsite, packed up and with his brother started walking along a nearby logging road. The Keewaydin groups missed them.
McKean's McKean acquired a signal over four hours later at Wawiagama Lake. He phoned the park office in Temagami. Park Superintendent Kevin Pinkerton called the Ontario Provincial Police, which conducts search and rescue. Pinkerton spent time e-mailing maps to the OPP and helping them find the location, determine access and get more information from McKean through the poor satellite connection. Communication stretched from Paul to McKean to the park office to the OPP. It was more like a telephone-circle game. Paul and James walked eight kilometres on logging roads to Lower Goose Falls. In the afternoon a passing ATV gave Paul a 25-kilometre ride to Manitou Lake Lodge on Hwy 805. Owner Mike Allen responded to the stranded man's plea for help. He drove to Lower Goose Falls and picked up James, the dog and gear. Then he put them up for the night and drove them to Sudbury the next day. He topped his generosity off with money for a bus ride to Toronto where the paddlers would retrieve another set of keys for the car still parked at Wawiagama.
Shortly after getting in their car, the police learned
f
On October 1, when I spoke to Paul, he admitted his surprise that the OPP had been trying to find him or that anyone thought he needed to be rescued, despite McKean explaining that he was going to call the park for help and telling him to stay put until help arrived.
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Maps and information herein are not intended for navigational use, and are not represented to be correct in every respect. All pages intended for reference use only, and all pages are subject to change with new information and without notice. The author/publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for use of the information on these pages. Wilderness travel and canoeing possess inherent risk. It is the sole responsibility of the paddler and outdoor traveler to determine whether he/she is qualified for these activities. Copyright © 2000-2014 Brian Back. All rights reserved. We do not endorse and are not responsible for the content of any linked document on an external site.
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