| Author |
Message |
bcmz
Member
Post Number: 4
Registered: 07-2012
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 - 12:32 pm: | 
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Hi,
My wife an I are planning a mid-August trip of 12-13 days (while the kids are at Wanapitei). We are interested in doing a point to point fly-in route that would finish up at the north end of Lake Temagami. We are reasonably fit at 50, have whitewater tripping experience (albeit a little rusty), and don't mind the odd long or technical portage, or long day, but otherwise want to take it a bit easy, with at least 2 off-days to read and hike a bit, and typical travel days of say 6-7 hours at a relaxed pace. Any suggestions? |
bcmz
Member
Post Number: 5
Registered: 07-2012
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 - 12:35 pm: |
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...and we'd likely be doing 2-trip portages, I think (we like our camping comforts) |
ed
Moderator
Post Number: 1284
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 - 2:32 pm: |
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I assume you are thinking about flying from Wanapitei and leaving your vehicle there?
You might consider flying to Florence Lake, going north to the Ladty Evelyn and taking the North Channel to MacPherson and then Sucker Gut Lake. Go to Hobart and climb Maple Mountain and then go into Lady Evelyn Lake to Diamond and back into Lake Temagami through Sharp Rock and go to Sandy Inlet either via Napoleon Portage or paddle around and into Ferguson Inlet and back to Wanapitei.
You could stretch this out to 13-13 days. If you thought you had some extra time when you reach Katherine Lake you could travel the South Channel route into Willow Island Lake and use up another day. |
canoeguitar
Member
Post Number: 4
Registered: 04-2012
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 - 4:52 pm: |
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You could fly into Paul Lake on the Sturgeon River, and then cut through Solace Park, up into Florence, then down the Lady Evelyn River and back to Wanapitei via Diamond Lake & Sharp Rock. I've done this trip before - killer.
(Message edited by Canoeguitar on July 9, 2014) |
grncnu
Member
Post Number: 344
Registered: 08-2010
| | Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2014 - 12:36 am: |
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Finally- someone who's not on a marathon!!
With that length of trip, even at your "civilized" pace, the fly-in basically gives you all of Temagami.
All you need is a fly-in lake that is doable at your pace in 9-10 days (subtracting the rest days) back to Wanapitei via an interesting route... which means pretty much anywhere.
Ed's and Canoeguitar's routes are both excellent suggestions, but if you fly into Florence you could equally get back via Ames Creek and the Misabi route, or from Paul via Stouffer-Chiniguchi-Maskinonge-Wawiashkashi-Temaga mi.
Or you could fly into Smoothwater and go Sunnywater-Gamble-Lady Evelyn...
The point is you have a lot of possibilities on a one-way non-loop trip like that. |
eddy_turn
Member
Post Number: 49
Registered: 03-2011
| | Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2014 - 2:12 pm: |
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As an amendment to canoeguitar route: you can fly to Paul lake, then go down the Sturgeon river to Pilgrim triangle, then cut north through Yorston lake to Pinetorch and Nasmith creek east towards Temagami lake. You will miss Florence lake and Lady Evelyn river and will get instead 2 (may be 3) days of class 1-2 whitewater on the Sturgeon. Nasmith/Pinetorch is a tough going, or so I heard. |
bcmz
Member
Post Number: 6
Registered: 07-2012
| | Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2014 - 9:47 pm: |
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Thank you for the brilliant ideas. I feel badly about all the great brainstorming you have done, given that I over-estimated the time we have available. We will only have 9 full days, and we are still keen on at least one, maybe 2 full days off. We would also consider arranging ground shuttle, rather than flying in.... and yes, we would see if we could fly out from Wanapetei, and leave the car there....
Thanks again.
Chris |
grncnu
Member
Post Number: 345
Registered: 08-2010
| | Posted on Thursday, July 10, 2014 - 11:04 pm: |
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If you can't ditch the kids/in-laws/work for the full 13 days, then Ed's route is hard to beat.
I would get an early fly-in to Florence so you can spend a full day there, next break at "Shangri-La" on the LER, then an extra night at Hobart to climb Maple Mountain. |
eriktheviking
Member
Post Number: 10
Registered: 04-2013
| | Posted on Friday, July 11, 2014 - 7:22 am: |
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How challenging is the route from florence down through blue sucker and through the pinetorch CR back into wakamika? We are planning on doing this first week of august. |
bcmz
Member
Post Number: 7
Registered: 07-2012
| | Posted on Friday, July 11, 2014 - 2:20 pm: |
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Yes, thanks grncnu, I'm thinking that Ed's option looks pretty ideal, and we would have option of shortening if find we are not on pace to get up to Maple Mountain.
thanks everyone |
bcmz
Member
Post Number: 8
Registered: 07-2012
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 5, 2014 - 12:52 pm: |
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Hi again,
So we are all booked for the Florence Lake to Ferguson Bay trip (magically back up to 11 nights!). We are relying on the Temagami area canoe maps (+/- 1:50K). Just wondering if much scouting will be needed on this route? Any waterfalls or nasty holes to be wary of?
Thanks |
bcmz
Member
Post Number: 9
Registered: 07-2012
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2014 - 12:07 pm: |
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...and we are debating about whether to bring the fiberglass or the ABS boat. We'd rather avoid the weight of the ABS and don't mind scratching up the fiberglass some more, but if we are going to be bumping through lots of rock gardens, then we might reconsider. From what I gather, the whitewater will be pretty easy stuff, so should not otherwise be concerned about the stress on the fiberglass. Thanks... |
brian
Moderator
Post Number: 1644
Registered: 02-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, August 7, 2014 - 8:54 am: |
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Hap Wilson's book is superb on the Lady Evelyn River. It will answer all your questions about falls and holes. |
grncnu
Member
Post Number: 352
Registered: 08-2010
| | Posted on Friday, August 8, 2014 - 12:14 am: |
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If there is a big weight difference this might be a good time to take the fibreglass- several of the NLER portages are physically brutal as well as technically difficult.
On the other hand, the ABS would slither over a lot more rocks, assuming the water is actually high enough to run many of the rapids- which is not always the case in August... why doesn't this sound more  helpful?
It might depend on whether you tend to take the portage (fibreglass) or slip and crash down some of the shallow rapids, getting out and tracking where necessary (ABS).
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Temagami canoe routes & backcountry travel