- Joined
- Nov 30, 2017
- Messages
- 1,176
- Reaction score
- 3,615
Thank you. I’m glad you are enjoying the reading.
It looks like your friend has a lot of good boats for sale. There could be people here interested, but no new boats for me.
-
Happy Tell a Fairy Tale Day! 😺👢, 🔒🐻🐻❄️🐼, ❄️7️⃣
Mégiscane River, Québec
- Thread starter Erica
- Start date
It looks like your friend has a lot of good boats for sale. There could be people here interested, but no new boats for me.
Will you be writing more on this trip? It seemed that the end of your last post implied there was more to come, but no rush. I have loved reading your trip reports, your writing style, humor, and photos.
I suggested Dustin Noel's (just an acquaintance really) used Dragonfly in my previous post because you once mentioned your poor Dragonfly had suffered terribly on one of your last trips. Did you ever get it repaired?
Just catching up on this Agatha Christie plot twist thread.
In the century-old tradition of "The Perils of Pauline", in which each episode ends with a damsel-in-distress cliffhanger, Erica punches out the best cliffhanger closing lines I've ever read in a trip report, including the "wrong river" little bird.
Erica, I knew you could get over that downed tree if you could get out of the canoe and push-pull it over the low end. But I can't figure out what that black pole thing is in between the two paddles.
In the century-old tradition of "The Perils of Pauline", in which each episode ends with a damsel-in-distress cliffhanger, Erica punches out the best cliffhanger closing lines I've ever read in a trip report, including the "wrong river" little bird.
Erica, I knew you could get over that downed tree if you could get out of the canoe and push-pull it over the low end. But I can't figure out what that black pole thing is in between the two paddles.
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2025
- Messages
- 10
- Reaction score
- 63
Looks like a trekking pole to me... 
Looks like a trekking pole to me...
Maybe. Then there's the thing in the lower left corner that looks like a paddle blade with a reflection of a rare Quebec rodent-fish. (I have never been a taxonomic biologist.)
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2017
- Messages
- 1,176
- Reaction score
- 3,615
Second blissful day.
I fully intended to make this a rest day and that is what I did. I told myself I would read, admire the view, nap in the sun, and otherwise enjoy my little island.
It had rained the night before and inside the downhill side of the tent, a small puddle appeared. Operator error, not the tent, as I had been somewhat careless in setting up the tent. More amazing was that in spite of zipping closed all the doors and the fly, there was a little frog in the middle of the puddle.
This is the Northern Leopard Frog. I saw it, or several, at every one of my camps.
How he got in, I have no idea. He was not keen on letting me help him out, either. After chasing him around the tent, I managed to gather him up softly and put him outside. Then I napped some more. Got up for breakfast, my hot chocolate mix with the mushroom enhancer. Before you get too excited, this is just a chocolate mix with Rhodiola (vascular plant for fatigue), Cordyceps mycelium (mushroom for stamina) and Lion's Mane (mushroom for focus), All of which could be beneficial on a canoe trip. Along with the cocoa mix, I had a bit of my home made trail mix. I sat on the dock and watched the upstream view, which was calm and spectacular. I was alone. It was quiet. As long as I was sitting or lying down, I did not feel tired, which I took to mean the mushrooms were working.
The view upstream was spectacular with blue sky, dark green trees, blue water.
[view upstream]
The wind barely ruffled my hair as I tried to untangle the braids. I wrote a few notes. To be alone with myself, engaged in the mystery and beauty of the north woods was bliss.
Abruptly a mature bald eagle came into view. He must have been flying quickly to show up so fast. Another one in from the other direction. They were interacting, but not in a friendly manner. After a short while, having resolved the dispute in avian style, each retreated and faded from sight.
The easiest way to distinguish an eagle, in North America anyway, is by wing position. The lack of depth perception and reference points when viewing at a distance, makes apparent size not particularly helpful. When soaring, (of course wings are in other positions doing different things) eagles hold their wings out completely flat, at right angles to the body. This is contrasted with the vultures, who hold their wings in a "V" shape. ("V" for vulture, you know.) Before I was ornithologically experienced, I wondered how one would tell straight wings from V shaped wings. I saw lots of vultures. Maybe some of those wings were sort of straight? And then I saw an eagle soaring. The huge, flat wings are unmistakeable.
Photo credi below. I wanted to demonstrate the very flat wings when soaring.
Photo by Guy Bevan on Unsplash. Using this photo with permission as expressed on his website: https://unsplash.com/@guysbevan[/URL]
I mentioned this in the Cree River report, but I have noticed the Canadian Bald Eagles are much more spectacular than the ones in south Florida. We have Bald Eagles who live and breed in Florida and don't go north for the summer. But they seem a little bit washed out to me. They are splendid and all. But the Canadian ones just scream Splendid with every pose, with every wing beat.
When I stood up it was my body screaming. My left shoulder shrieked piercingly. Pain lanced through my right hip. I was exhausted. Maybe the mushrooms weren't working after all.
There were no mosquitoes or black flies on this island. None. It was heavenly. I could lie out on the rock all day if I wanted. My shoulder and hip were suggesting I do just that.
Until I got bit. And bit again. It turns out there was a mess of ants who took objection to my presence in their territory. The vanguard approached followed by a skirmish. Ants struck fast and retreated. Picadors came to mind.
I headed for the tent.
I spent several days on this island, trying to recuperate from my previous stressful days. But it was taking much longer than typical recovery. One day should have been enough. But it wasn't. In addition to ongoing pain in my hip and shoulder, I was experiencing a level of exhaustion I had never before known. I carried the weight of the day as though it were iron chained to my breast. I wondered if I had somehow damaged my heart with my exertions on the first night of this adventure.
Yes, that first night that I did not have the strength to address at the beginning of this narrative. I'll give it another go here and see how far I get.
While still on the train, I realized that in spite of my planning and putting every item in a pack based on when and where they were needed, I neglected to have a flashlight available when I disembarked from the train and I had no idea where one was. I usually bring at least two flashlights. Well, I thought, I have my cell phone flash light. That should do the trick.
It didn't.
At first, I needed no light. Up on the trestle a full moon shone down on the tracks, illuminating everything up here.
I spent some delightful time gazing at the moon and trying to get a picture with my iphone. Eventually, I had to get down to business and remove myself to a camping site down by the river.
The southern side went almost straight down. The northern side, where I expected the portage to be, was unclear. Thick vegetation covered the railroad embankment except just before the trestle. Here its ballast-covered slope was bare of vegetation, descending at what looked like a manageable angle. It really didn't resemble a trail, but walking west had revealed only thick brush.
I took myself down the rock slide and discovered it was too steep to walk down safely. The angle required to walk down without falling forward was so close to the ground it was easier and safer just to slide on my butt. There were a couple of places where a log or much larger rock created a bit of a ledge to stop my slide.
The rock slide ended in a spruce forest, but the slope continued. I could walk in this area by holding and supporting myself with tree trunks. I shown the light around looking for a further trail, but every part looked dark and forbidding.The moon could not pierce this darkness. The pitiful flashlight from the iphone did not penetrate much more. I picked a spot between two trees and started navigating through the trees and brush, searching for the remnants of a camp, or indeed any roughly flat space to put up my tent.
There wasn't any.
So I smashed my way back up the the scree of the slope and clawed my way back up to my gear.
The night was cool, but in just a tee shirt and lightweight capilene sweater I was sweating profusely. Sweat was dripping into my eyes, which made seeing even more difficult. I was wasting a lot of energy moving up and down the slope, trying to see things with the iphone light, and getting more frustrated by the moment.
I was unable to carry any gear down the slope, it was too sleep. So I got the rope, handily tied to the canoe, and started lowering down one pack at a time.
This was not as effective as it sounds. There were little bits of rock and brush to catch on and I would have to tease the rope up and down, or worse, scoot down to the pack, un-stick it and send it down again. Rinse and repeat. For all the bags. Well, not all the bags because what was easy to carry on the level was difficult on the slope. I had some canvas bags, open, and I couldn't get them down. The canoe was on the south side of the slope and I felt a need to get it down. At this point I was so exhausted I could hardly breathe. You know, the shortness of breath so severe you are bent over at the waist, gasping for air.
I decided to try to find a better flashlight in my gear, most of which was at the beginning of the forested area. The brush and trees were too thick to lower anything by rope. I squatted down and started examining the interior reaches of some of the packs when I just toppled over backwards. This backwards somersault could have gone on forever except for two trees conveniently positioned to catch my left shoulder on one side and my right hip on the other. It was an abrupt stop that forced the air right out of my lungs.
I took a few minutes to catch my breath, express gratitude I hadn't fallen further, and assess the damage and situation. All the parts seemed to work, but my position was exactly like that of a beetle flipped on his back. I was on my back, head downslope and my legs and arms were essentially in the air. Moving my arms and legs had no effect on my position. There were no nearby bushes or tree branches to grab onto. I was as helpless as that beetle.
I’m still sweaty and am thrashing around ineffectively and had to stop myself and think. Of all the situations I had considered I might need the emergency SPOT SOS call, this was not one of them. I pictured myself stuck in this position, gradually withering away from dehydration. Or more likely dying of hypothermia. Or possibly being eaten by a bear while pinned in place.
But I wasn’t going to hit the SPOT SOS. Besides, it was in my little pack around my waist where I could not get to it. As always, I need to find my own way out of this.
But how?
I fully intended to make this a rest day and that is what I did. I told myself I would read, admire the view, nap in the sun, and otherwise enjoy my little island.
It had rained the night before and inside the downhill side of the tent, a small puddle appeared. Operator error, not the tent, as I had been somewhat careless in setting up the tent. More amazing was that in spite of zipping closed all the doors and the fly, there was a little frog in the middle of the puddle.
This is the Northern Leopard Frog. I saw it, or several, at every one of my camps.
How he got in, I have no idea. He was not keen on letting me help him out, either. After chasing him around the tent, I managed to gather him up softly and put him outside. Then I napped some more. Got up for breakfast, my hot chocolate mix with the mushroom enhancer. Before you get too excited, this is just a chocolate mix with Rhodiola (vascular plant for fatigue), Cordyceps mycelium (mushroom for stamina) and Lion's Mane (mushroom for focus), All of which could be beneficial on a canoe trip. Along with the cocoa mix, I had a bit of my home made trail mix. I sat on the dock and watched the upstream view, which was calm and spectacular. I was alone. It was quiet. As long as I was sitting or lying down, I did not feel tired, which I took to mean the mushrooms were working.
The view upstream was spectacular with blue sky, dark green trees, blue water.
[view upstream]
The wind barely ruffled my hair as I tried to untangle the braids. I wrote a few notes. To be alone with myself, engaged in the mystery and beauty of the north woods was bliss.
Abruptly a mature bald eagle came into view. He must have been flying quickly to show up so fast. Another one in from the other direction. They were interacting, but not in a friendly manner. After a short while, having resolved the dispute in avian style, each retreated and faded from sight.
The easiest way to distinguish an eagle, in North America anyway, is by wing position. The lack of depth perception and reference points when viewing at a distance, makes apparent size not particularly helpful. When soaring, (of course wings are in other positions doing different things) eagles hold their wings out completely flat, at right angles to the body. This is contrasted with the vultures, who hold their wings in a "V" shape. ("V" for vulture, you know.) Before I was ornithologically experienced, I wondered how one would tell straight wings from V shaped wings. I saw lots of vultures. Maybe some of those wings were sort of straight? And then I saw an eagle soaring. The huge, flat wings are unmistakeable.
Photo credi below. I wanted to demonstrate the very flat wings when soaring.
Photo by Guy Bevan on Unsplash. Using this photo with permission as expressed on his website: https://unsplash.com/@guysbevan[/URL]
I mentioned this in the Cree River report, but I have noticed the Canadian Bald Eagles are much more spectacular than the ones in south Florida. We have Bald Eagles who live and breed in Florida and don't go north for the summer. But they seem a little bit washed out to me. They are splendid and all. But the Canadian ones just scream Splendid with every pose, with every wing beat.
When I stood up it was my body screaming. My left shoulder shrieked piercingly. Pain lanced through my right hip. I was exhausted. Maybe the mushrooms weren't working after all.
There were no mosquitoes or black flies on this island. None. It was heavenly. I could lie out on the rock all day if I wanted. My shoulder and hip were suggesting I do just that.
Until I got bit. And bit again. It turns out there was a mess of ants who took objection to my presence in their territory. The vanguard approached followed by a skirmish. Ants struck fast and retreated. Picadors came to mind.
I headed for the tent.
I spent several days on this island, trying to recuperate from my previous stressful days. But it was taking much longer than typical recovery. One day should have been enough. But it wasn't. In addition to ongoing pain in my hip and shoulder, I was experiencing a level of exhaustion I had never before known. I carried the weight of the day as though it were iron chained to my breast. I wondered if I had somehow damaged my heart with my exertions on the first night of this adventure.
Yes, that first night that I did not have the strength to address at the beginning of this narrative. I'll give it another go here and see how far I get.
While still on the train, I realized that in spite of my planning and putting every item in a pack based on when and where they were needed, I neglected to have a flashlight available when I disembarked from the train and I had no idea where one was. I usually bring at least two flashlights. Well, I thought, I have my cell phone flash light. That should do the trick.
It didn't.
At first, I needed no light. Up on the trestle a full moon shone down on the tracks, illuminating everything up here.
I spent some delightful time gazing at the moon and trying to get a picture with my iphone. Eventually, I had to get down to business and remove myself to a camping site down by the river.
The southern side went almost straight down. The northern side, where I expected the portage to be, was unclear. Thick vegetation covered the railroad embankment except just before the trestle. Here its ballast-covered slope was bare of vegetation, descending at what looked like a manageable angle. It really didn't resemble a trail, but walking west had revealed only thick brush.
I took myself down the rock slide and discovered it was too steep to walk down safely. The angle required to walk down without falling forward was so close to the ground it was easier and safer just to slide on my butt. There were a couple of places where a log or much larger rock created a bit of a ledge to stop my slide.
The rock slide ended in a spruce forest, but the slope continued. I could walk in this area by holding and supporting myself with tree trunks. I shown the light around looking for a further trail, but every part looked dark and forbidding.The moon could not pierce this darkness. The pitiful flashlight from the iphone did not penetrate much more. I picked a spot between two trees and started navigating through the trees and brush, searching for the remnants of a camp, or indeed any roughly flat space to put up my tent.
There wasn't any.
So I smashed my way back up the the scree of the slope and clawed my way back up to my gear.
The night was cool, but in just a tee shirt and lightweight capilene sweater I was sweating profusely. Sweat was dripping into my eyes, which made seeing even more difficult. I was wasting a lot of energy moving up and down the slope, trying to see things with the iphone light, and getting more frustrated by the moment.
I was unable to carry any gear down the slope, it was too sleep. So I got the rope, handily tied to the canoe, and started lowering down one pack at a time.
This was not as effective as it sounds. There were little bits of rock and brush to catch on and I would have to tease the rope up and down, or worse, scoot down to the pack, un-stick it and send it down again. Rinse and repeat. For all the bags. Well, not all the bags because what was easy to carry on the level was difficult on the slope. I had some canvas bags, open, and I couldn't get them down. The canoe was on the south side of the slope and I felt a need to get it down. At this point I was so exhausted I could hardly breathe. You know, the shortness of breath so severe you are bent over at the waist, gasping for air.
I decided to try to find a better flashlight in my gear, most of which was at the beginning of the forested area. The brush and trees were too thick to lower anything by rope. I squatted down and started examining the interior reaches of some of the packs when I just toppled over backwards. This backwards somersault could have gone on forever except for two trees conveniently positioned to catch my left shoulder on one side and my right hip on the other. It was an abrupt stop that forced the air right out of my lungs.
I took a few minutes to catch my breath, express gratitude I hadn't fallen further, and assess the damage and situation. All the parts seemed to work, but my position was exactly like that of a beetle flipped on his back. I was on my back, head downslope and my legs and arms were essentially in the air. Moving my arms and legs had no effect on my position. There were no nearby bushes or tree branches to grab onto. I was as helpless as that beetle.
I’m still sweaty and am thrashing around ineffectively and had to stop myself and think. Of all the situations I had considered I might need the emergency SPOT SOS call, this was not one of them. I pictured myself stuck in this position, gradually withering away from dehydration. Or more likely dying of hypothermia. Or possibly being eaten by a bear while pinned in place.
But I wasn’t going to hit the SPOT SOS. Besides, it was in my little pack around my waist where I could not get to it. As always, I need to find my own way out of this.
But how?
Last edited:
Similar threads
