Reservoir Manicouagan QC Aug/Sep 2025

As a lifelong night owl I can relate to odd hours, feeling bright-eyed dusk to dawn and greeting both whilst missing mid-day entirely isn't conducive to a social life. Might be wonderful under calm clear skies on a portage free trip.
The bbq chicken wouldn't have made it to the Manic put-in, and would've made for greasy steering wheel fun.

scratchypants said:

Yet I feel compelled to remark at the absolute incompatibility of our tripping styles.

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It's certainly an acquired taste. Luckily, my mentors instilled the crack-of-noon paddling discipline into me in my formative years, so Recped and I jived at first blush. Been duck-soup since...

August 30 - Day 11
Distance: 10.5km (Total 158.9km)
Time: 3hr 39m
Caltopo Map: https://caltopo.com/m/B8MTMST

I was awoken at 8:45, I could hear the faint sound of a motor, was it a boat, a truck on the highway? It took 90 minutes of idle smoking and a mandarin orange before I managed to boil water for tea and ponder my breakfast options. I decided that a nice 4-egg omelette would be suitable, much to my annoyance my folding spatula was not to be found, the flipping process was only partially successful.





I have been up for three hours, I have not done any packing, I wonder about the odds of getting on the water by 1:00pm. There was a nice mix of sun and cloud, earlier it had been very calm but that was changing somewhat as is the norm most afternoons. As I was packing I found my salamander friend from last night, he was under my Mondo pad. He looked squashed, not moving at all but with a little prodding, he came back to life.



I managed to beat yesterday’s late start but only by less than 5 minutes (2:25pm). No worries, by the end of the day I will have covered about two thirds of the projected total distance, this puts me 3 or 4 days ahead of my theoretical schedule.









I am heading ESE toward the large island and then through the east channel. A modest headwind slows my pace somewhat as I made my way over. I paused in the calm water along with a pair of loons.













While there was a partially sunny sky overhead, ominous black clouds were gathering far to the west, it was time to move on. While paddling toward the narrows I met up with a loon family of five. Just after that encounter I heard the motor sound again, no question about it a motorboat coming north through the narrows. It is moving along the east shore at a moderate pace no doubt headed to the northern inlet where there is a cabin (the three inlets in that section each have a cabin of some sort).

















When I entered the narrows, I was hit with a gusty headwind, after moving over to the eastern shore it became a strong tailwind! I had hoped to paddle for another 2 hours, if the storms are moving my way I should probably be looking for a sheltered camp and take the first reasonable one I come to. Another 45 minutes of paddling and I reached a couple of small bays, I found a reasonable spot here. Different from most of my previous camps, there was a lot of driftwood accumulated along the shore, scattered boulders here and there. Fortunately, there was a clear flat space just the right size for the POD so I set up camp.

At sunset, the gusts of wind ceased and all was calm. Tonight’s MIAB is from Happy Yak, a Quebec company that makes some good stuff (top of the price range as well) including many veg options. I am having Pad Thai with Peanuts; it includes many veggies that you can actually identify, a pretty good meal that filled me up. I followed that up with a slice of Cranberry Orange walnut cake (loaf) that I broke out a couple of days earlier. Off to bed relatively early, I am going to make a serious effort to cover more territory that today’s pitiful effort.

August 31 - Day 12
Distance: 18.9km (Total 177.8km)
Time: 5hr 45m
Caltopo Map: https://caltopo.com/m/B8MTMST

At 8:00am the motorboat passed by heading south, I went back to sleep until 10:00am. Around 11:00am the boat was back, heading north, this time I can hear fragments of music and conversation. Slight delay on the morning tea, had to switch cylinders, munched on bread and cheese. At 11:45am I hear the boat again, I did not see it but I think it was returning south. It was mostly cloudy with a modest wind from the northwest, if I do not waste too much time I should be on the water by 1:00pm.









I set off at 1:52pm, I am not sure I will make my 20km target. In theory I should have a favourable wind today. This was the case as I paddled south to where I would turn to the east. After making the turn, it was more mixed with small waves from the southeast that did in fact slow my progress somewhat. I passed a series of bays eventually reaching a large one that is about 5km across, it’s was 6:15pm, if I paddled hard I could reach the far point before sunset.



































After an hour I was getting “close”, close enough to pick what appeared to be a suitable camp location, once I was within 100m I began to wonder if it really would be suitable; at 10m it became clear that the spot was actually quite unsuitable. I had to find something fast as the sun had fallen below the horizon, paddling along the shore I finally found a good spot right near the tip of the point. There was a small area of wet sand with lumpy grass further back. Other than being totally exposed it was a good spot with great views in all directions. I quickly grabbed the POD, set it up, and pulled out my headlamp to finish moving my gear. After getting into some warm clothes, it was time to make some fresh tea and dinner. Tonight I will be having Alpine Aire Kung Pao Grilled Chicken, heavy on the rice & peanuts, a little light on the chicken. There are a couple of brands offering Kung Pao, I can never remember which is better but they are both moderately spicy and filling. After a break, there was more tea and a good slab of Orange Cranberry loaf.







The half-moon had set; it was very orange as it dropped below the horizon. Stars became visible, not quite as bright as they had been for the first couple of days but better viewing than the past week of cloudy skies. Fortunately the forecast indicates no wind concerns, this is good because my location is very exposed.

Ok, so we all know the Toronto bluebirds are playing in the special baseball series or whatever it is - and between the silly games and your addiction to the Circus (which I recognize is a terribly disturbing and distracting clown show at the moment) I understand that your attention is elsewhere. BUT, this trip report is going on 7 weeks… and the highlight has been the chicken… !!! Rome was built quicker! Ye gods, man, time management !! Bring us full circle !!

VA paddler said:

Rome was built quicker! Ye gods, man, time management !! Bring us full circle !!

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You know recped as well as anyone, VA, but I suggest two possibilities.

One is that recped never actually returned from Manicouagan. In fact, according to YouTube, he may have actually disappeared on day 36 of his 51-day trip on the George River in 2018.

Secondly, it's probably tedious to write-up reports of every single day of a marathon trip, especially if many days are similar. Perhaps a more efficient procedure would be to lump a bunch of days together with highlight photos, perhaps around different themes, so as to finish the trip. I've noticed other long distance trippers taking this sort of approach. I'm still procrastinating about writing up a four-day and two-day trip I took this year.

For some of us canoe tripping is part of our slow life pleasures. No hurry no hassle. Recped's pace works for me.

Odyssey said:

For some of us canoe tripping is part of our slow life pleasures. No hurry no hassle. Recped's pace works for me.

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Hear, hear!

Glenn MacGrady said:

In fact, according to YouTube, he may have actually disappeared on day 36 of his 51-day trip on the George River in 2018.

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Burn!

September 1 - Day 13
Distance: 14.1km (Total 191.9km)
Time: 4hr 12m
Caltopo Map: https://caltopo.com/m/B8MTMST

Just after getting into my sleeping bag last there was an outbreak of avian anger(?), a gaggle of geese were honking. The wet sand where I was camped had many goose prints; I suspect they were unhappy with my takeover. After about a minute of that brought out an asylum of loons who were clearly annoyed by the uproar from the geese (and did not care at all about my occupation of the point). There was some back and forth but in the end, it seemed that the loons had won and the geese had moved on.


2025-09-01 07-17-59_P1070266








After the usual sleep in, I made a quick breakfast. It was a perfect day, clear skies (other than the ever-present haze at the horizon), gentle breeze and comfortable temperature. My departure time was a not very impressive 1:45pm! The water was super smooth, just a few ripples. I paddled along at a modest pace taking time to gaze at the hills, cliffs and variations in colours. Much of the shoreline in this area is covered in boulders of all sizes.























There is a series of bays, starting small and growing to 5km+. On a windy day crossing these bays, point to point, would often be a chore but today it is a pleasure. I came to a deep bay, here I spotted another motorboat (second of the trip), they appeared to be trolling along the far shore. By the time I was halfway across the bay they had moved over to an island to the south, shortly after that they power up and disappeared into one of the channels heading south to the Manic-5 dam.

After completing the crossing I started to look for a camp, it was another 45 minutes before I found a good spot that was free of boulders. Set up as usual, sat around snacking, smoking, getting my notes updated. Three hours later it was time for dinner, today’s special, Backpackers Pantry Lasagna. Every brand seems to have a version of Lasagna, they all have one thing in common…..it is not really lasagna, just some sort of knock off imitation. That said this version is just ok, it did fill me up so not to terrible (I think the Mountain House version is a bit better).

After dinner, I went out a few times for some moon watching then latter some stargazing. I caught a couple of shooting stars and there was a very modest display of the aurora in the northern sky.







My plan for tomorrow it to “round the bend” and head north to the big Mount Babel inlet. I am thinking about checking out that area for a couple of days before heading to the takeout. Right now it is time for cake and tea and then off to bed aiming for an early start.

"Just after getting into my sleeping bag last there was an outbreak of avian anger(?), a gaggle of geese were honking. The wet sand where I was camped had many goose prints; I suspect they were unhappy with my takeover. After about a minute of that brought out an asylum of loons who were clearly annoyed by the uproar from the geese (and did not care at all about my occupation of the point). There was some back and forth but in the end, it seemed that the loons had won and the geese had moved on."




2025-09-01 07-17-59_P1070266

Orrrrr, you were visited by flocks of poultry poltergeists angered by your devil-may-care consumption of Costco chicken.
Seems obvious to me. Occam's razor and all that.

September 2 - Day 14
Distance: 19.6km (Total 211.5km)
Time: 5hr 30m
Caltopo Map: https://caltopo.com/m/B8MTMST







I was up just after 8:00am, while there were no clouds the haze continues. After an hour of doing nothing, it was time for tea and oatmeal. In the POD it was quite hot even with the screens open. The forecast high is 23c (73.4f) and only dropping down to the upper teens overnight. My odds of getting on the water before noon, very slim, by 12:30pm, theoretically possible. I didn’t quite make it! I left camp at 1:05pm.









It is another beautiful day, a few clouds here and there, a light wind from the southwest made for easy paddling. After a while, I passed the motorboat that I had seen yesterday. After making the turn to the north I could see the islands that are directly across from the start/finish. The closest of the islands was sheer cliffs on the west side; I will get a better view of them on my way to the takeout (whenever that will be).







I passed “Gull Island”, a small rock island covered in guano. Gulls of various types were common throughout the entire trip although usually only in small numbers while here on this rock there was quite a flock.







Along the shoreline of the big island, there was a long section of interesting cliffs, interesting for the variation of rock that was included. When the cliffs ended I started to look for a camp location, the “beach” here was not very wide and covered mostly in medium boulders. I would see a potential spot I the distance but on arrival, it was not good. As I turned west into the big inlet, it was getting late, the sun was setting and for the very first time on this trip I was paddling directly into the sun. The sun was blinding, it was impossible to clearly see the shore ahead so I had to paddle a short distance and then look back to see if there was a good place to camp. I stopped a couple of times for a closer look but found nothing usable. Eventually I found a small patch of sand amongst the boulders that was suitable. I hurried to get set up, managed to be settled in before the darkness took over.














Tonight’s menu; Alpine Aire Grilled Chicken Jambalaya. This one is pretty good, decent amount of chicken, seasoning that is at least tolerable if not very authentic. Tomorrow I plan to paddle around the inlet, see if I can get a better view of Mt Babel and check out a couple of cabins.

SAD about the 10 day wait for this instalment!

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you're like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.


September 3 - Day 15
Distance: 0km (Total 211.5km)
Time: 0hr 0m
Caltopo Map: https://caltopo.com/m/B8MTMST

I was up before 9:00am, the sky was mostly clear but there was a somewhat blustery wind from the east. I was in no hurry (am I ever?) so I hit the snooze button for a couple of hours. Today is intended as an exploratory day, with no particular destination in mind other than possibly getting a better view of Mount Babel or maybe finding a cabin where I could “camp”.









11:30am – The wind had died down somewhat, the sky above me was still mostly clear but there were dark clouds both east and west of my location. It was definitely time for a new weather forecast.



1:30pm – The forecast is not great; more of those storm cells are on the way. Worse than that, the long-term outlook is not good. Tomorrow might be ok, some more wind from the east, getting stronger later in the day. The two following days are supposed to have steady easterly headwinds at 20+kmph with gusts exceeding 40kmph. This level would make an open crossing to the takeout exhausting at best and potentially risky.



2:00pm – The storm cells are getting closer, if I go deeper into this “bay” I might get stuck there, it would be a very long day to get out and do the open crossings in one day, there is a risk that I might have to hang out for several days waiting for better conditions. A better option would be to head for the island with the big cliffs, maybe find a sheltered place to camp. From there it should fairly easy to do the open crossing and the last section to the takeout.





2:30pm – The wind has been picking up; some whitecaps are starting to appear so I have decided to stay put and start my exit paddle tomorrow. I do not need to get all the way out, if I can get over to the area of my first camp I would be left with about 10km on the following day, only about 7km would be exposed to an east wind, how bad could it be?

3:30pm – The wind has suddenly changed direction, black clouds just to the south of my location.

3:50pm – The rain begins, the door of the POD has been open all day since there were no bugs but know a swarm of mosquitos have joined me in the POD, I spent 10 minutes on a killing spree which I finished at about the same time as the rain stopped. There really had not been much in the way of bug issues since the first few days of the trip, mostly it had been black flies with just a few immature mosquitos. Today’s skeeters were more of the same, not really biting and easy to squish.





4:00pm – the rain peters out; there is even some sunshine lighting up the north side of the bay. If I could have just jumped in the canoe I could have easily gotten out to Cliff Island, I know better than to try because it would probably take a minimum of an hour to pack up camp and get loaded, who knows what the conditions would be at that point given I am still hearing distant thunder.





4:20pm – Time for a pick-me-up (or more likely put-me-to-sleep) session along with fresh tea and some snacks.
5:00pm – Dark clouds are moving in again along with persistent thunder and lightning which gets louder and louder. Eventually the rain returns and lasts for almost an hour.

6:00pm – With the rain over small patches of blue sky start to open up. It is still mostly cloudy but it seems the dark clouds are finally moving off to the northwest.



7:30pm – Sunset time, a reasonably nice one at that. Time for dinner, tonight it is Alpine Aire Grilled Chicken Quattro Fromaggi Pasta. That is a long name for a “meh” meal, could definitely use a little seasoning, I am too lazy to try to find my pepper grinder so I “suffer” without.