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Namewaminikan River

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Geraldton, Ontario
Just got back from an awesome trip with my students. I try to run a couple of trips every fall. I had to cancel the first one this year due to torrential rains that raised the rivers by over a foot. The water is still very high for the fall.

We decided to revisit the Namewaminikan River this year. I had 13 kids going, most of them greenhorns. However, they proved to be quick studies.


Paddling downstream from our departure point.


We were headed for Coral lake. Our intention was to explore the entire shoreline, looking for potential new campsites and interesting geological features. This was a very easy trip, with no ports. My real agenda was to kill time and keep them paddling as long as possible.
Coral lake

We found several potential campsites, and lots of very interesting landforms. It is a beautiful little lake!

In the old days of our club, girls were cooks and guys set the big tents and processed firewood. Today I like to make everything non-gender specific, so girls set their own tent, boys cook, etc.

Rope tents are our favorite method of putting up the 12 X 14 prospector tents. No trees need to be cut down, and it is fast. The two girls shown below were attaching the ridge rope on either end. They turned out to be very proficient tree climbers and knot tiers.




There is always a race between the boys and girls to see who can make the fastest tent and the best tent. The boys won this time, due to having some very experienced tent setters.




Meanwhile, back at the kitchen, the new little “peons”, grade nines with no rank yet, were processing firewood. These guys worked like dogs and ate like horses. I always like to see kids eat a lot, these modern days of 14 year old kids worried about their diets is a bizarre thing.


This guy is altogether too happy!


Meanwhile, the girls were catching up.


Staff doesn’t bother with all that work , we stick to the tried and true Eureka Timberline Outfitter. Unfortunately, after the Timberline has been around for decades, Eureka has discontinued it. One can get an the replacement model in the States, but it is no longer a single wall tent, there is mesh at the top. The old single wall was multipurpose, and I have used that tent in all types of weather. Bah humbug, a pox on progress.



Much loafing and hot chocolate drinking made up most of the day and night. However, despite the down time, the kids were super, very hard working and good spirited. They are really looking forward to this year’s spring trip, the Marshall Lake Loop.

 
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Another good looking trip. A Timberline was my first tent. I loved it. I passed it down to our eldest son who loved it too. He passed it on to??? I don't know, but I wouldn't mind getting it back. Say memaquay, is there any current to that river? Could you put in at Kinghorn and do a trip out and back? I'm interested. Nice scenery? Good camp sites? I see there are rapids and falls 30+ kms downstream.
 
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That stretch of the river to Paint Lake is quite placid, we routinely travel upstream. However, past Paint Lake, where the river takes a jag north, the current becomes quite stiff, and the run from there to Lake Nipigon is primarily a white water trip. Scenery is good, but not spectacular, fishing is OK, but not like being up north. I will probably never do the river to Lake Nipigon again, as I lost the dam building fight, and there are now two dams being installed on the river.
 
Thanks for the reply memaquay. Maybe I'll ponder further north instead. I'm thinking 2 years ahead. Marshall loop and Kap loop (you posted awhile ago) looks nice. This no-port trip was a nice introduction to tripping for these paddlers. I like how you divided the chores and responsibilities.
 
If you follow the river on Google Earth it appears one of the dams is mostly built. I wondered why it went from a skinny river to a big fat one at Long Rapids, but that is the new impoundment upstream of the dam.

Ok, Brad, 2 years for a trip on the Marshall Lake loop, we can make that.
 
If enough of you come up before I'm dead, I'll do the Marshall loop with you. Guiding price is each person carries two extra beer for me.
 
If enough of you come up before I'm dead, I'll do the Marshall loop with you. Guiding price is each person carries two extra beer for me.


Man, that's not bad. Bud light in cans?

Who carries the chainsaw?
 
Ha ha, I'll make sure the kids go through first in June so all the ports are cut and extra firewood is stacked at the campsites...in fact, that will be the case this summer. I'm open to experimentation with beer brands, as long as there is alcohol in it, no "near-beers". Hmmmmm....anyone interested in a trip this summer?
 
For clear trails and fresh wood, I'll bring you whatever you want. I know some really oaky local wine that costs $30 a bottle too. I hate it, you'd probably love it!
 
Wine is good, oaky is really good. I'll post a route description in a bit so people can have a good gander at distances and stuff.
 
So Mem, it is 100 miles (160 km) around the loop? How many days comfortably with some time for quality fishing too?
 
I have a six canoe trailer, plus one or two on my truck racks, just say'n, in case 16 people want to go, cause that would be 32 beers carried in for me, now we're getting serious!
 
Bud-Light-30.jpg
 
How much does a 30 pack weigh? Maybe I can hire one your or my wife's students to be my porter. Those kids need something to do over the summer.

You know that beer is mostly water. We could carry in some 190 everclear and mix with lake water and save a lot of weight.
 
Yes, I'll do a review of the racks when it stops raining. Hard liquor is bad, it makes for cranky people in the morning. It's really lite beer if others carry it for you.
 
Okay. I'm in. But I can't guarantee my beers, sorry, your beers, won't develop a few "leaks" in their cans over a couple of those ports.
 
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