§6 
FOREST AND STREAM; 
Cruise of the Red and the Gretn. 
A Canoe Cruise in the Lake TemagamJ Region, 
BY ARTHUR L. WHEELER. 
The Story which won the Thiri Prixe of $J5 in "Forest 
and Stream" Canoe Cruising Competition. 
The region about Lake Temagami is probably the 
finest in the world for the canoeman. For some years 
we four had been trying to "take to the woods" to- 
gether in that country, and in the present year the im- 
possible came to pass: we were all able to go when 
the appointed time arrived. The time was July i. On 
the evening of that day we took the night express from 
New York, over the Rutland Railroad, and landed in 
Ottawa the next day in time for lunch. Shifting then 
to the Canadian Pacific we reached Mattawa in the 
evening of the same day. 
Mattawa is a town that once enjoyed a "boom." 
The "boom" has departed and left the town in a half 
developed condition, with a large French Catholic 
Church, apparently far too splendid for the town, and 
a remarkably full collection of large boulders evidently 
removed from the roadways. A good deal of business 
is, nevertheless, transacted, for the town lies at the 
confluence of the Ottawa and Mattawa rivers, and is 
the point of departure (by means of a branch railway) 
for Lake Temiskaming and the newly opened farming 
country to the north of that lake. Indeed, the stam- 
pede into that very rich region may bring back its 
lost "boom" to Mattawa. 
Rising early and donning our outing clothes we 
found our supplies all ready for us in the store of L. 
H. Timmins, to whom we had sent our order by 
letter, and who can be recommended as a thoroughly 
reliable and intelligent outfitter. Practically everything 
was packed in two wooden boxes of convenient shape 
for our canoes. With these boxes and the rest of our 
personal outfit, we boarded the train on the branch 
line for Temiskaming, which we reached at about noon. 
Temiskaming lies at the foot of the very long and nar- 
row lake of the same name. At this point the lake 
narrows and a short distance below begin the rapids 
of the noble Ottawa River. In fact. Lake Temiskaming 
is so narrow for forty or fifty miles above these rapids 
that it seems but a widening of the river. 
To Temiskaming we had sent on ahead our two 
canoes, and our first move was made on the freight 
house. If the canoes were not there, it meant vex- 
atious delay. We were soon set at ease, hewever, for 
we soon found them, the Red and the Green, and they 
had come through from Old Town without a scratch. 
Then followed a dash for the hotel, where we stored 
away a good dinner with the serious thoroughness born 
of the knowledge that it was to be our last civilized 
meal for nearly a month. 
Early in the afternoon we took steamer up the lake 
for the mouth of the Montreal River, and while the 
steamer is plowing her steady way northward between 
the high cliffs of Lake Temiskaming, stopping now and 
again to drop a mail bag at some lonely landing, I 
shall have time to describe in detail the canoes and 
the outfit with which we made our trip. 
The two canoes, which were .christened the Red and 
the Green, on account of their respective colors, were 
made by the Old Town Canoe Company. They were 
i6ft long, with an extreme beam of 32in.; depth, 
ii^in. The construction was the well-known canvas 
over cedar, gunwales of spruce, posts, decks, thwarts, 
and seat frames of white ash. Weight, about 65 
pounds. " Cost, $30 each. 
These canoes proved thoroughly satisfactory in every 
way They are much faster than a birch canoe, and 
yet are much safer, for they have a very full bi ge, 
which gives them great steadiness m the water, ihey 
never leak unless very roughly used, and are easily 
repaired in case the canvas skin, by any chance, is 
broken We had but one leak to repair on the trip, 
and that a very slight one. They will stand a sur- 
prisingly heavy sea (we were often out when the white 
caps were rolling), and though heavier that a birch 
canoe, we found one a perfectly comfortable load tor 
one man on a portage. Through some misunderstand- 
ing the canoes came without center thwarts, but we 
managed to carry them very well with our tump lines. 
The thwart and paddle method is, however, more con- 
"^'^Oursupphes were as follows: 35>4!bs. bacon, iilbs. 
salt pork, 20lbs. shanty biscuit, 3olbs. flour, islbs. rice, 
^qlbs granulated sugar, slbs. maccaroni, slbs. corn meal, 
61bs coffee, 2lbs. tea, plbs evaporated peaches, 3lbs. 
baking powder, ^Ib. pepper, slbs salt, lolbs. maple 
honey (in can), 12 cans evaporated cream, 5 cans con- 
densed milk, 6 small jars McLaren's cheese, 10 small 
tinVof chicken, 4 small tins of tongue, 4lbs. raisms and 
prune , 2 palls' lard, Slbs. butter (in can) 61bs. sweet 
Chocolate 61bs. bitter chocolate, 2lbs. Baker's cocoa, 
r bottle vinegar, i pail strawberry jam 1 package 
eU-raising flolr, 3 glases orange marrnalade, 4 bars 
^mn matches, both in boxes and bottles. 
lis Siit Sows tUi we had a good v*nety. It 
should be added that part of the supplies were pur- 
chased at the Hudson's Bay Post, on Temagami Lake, 
viz: 2olbs. of sugar, lolbs. of biscuit, 5 cans of con- 
densed milk, besides a few luxuries like eggs, fresh 
yeast bread, and a little milk. We were, therefore, 
somewhat lighter at the start than the list would in- 
dicate. 
It is never possible to estimate exactly what a party 
will eat in a given time unless its members have been 
on a similar trip before. We proved to be a trifle 
overstocked with bacon, lard, and rice, but a little 
short of condensed milk and cream. The rest of the 
supplies proved to be pretty closely estimated. The 
butter was, of course, not intended to last over a week, 
and the 61bs of bitter chocolate was a mistake — it was 
ordered as sweet chocolate. The total weight of the 
supplies was'about 25olbs., and we carried them in two 
pack baskets and the two wooden boxes furnished by 
Timmins. These boxes were of convenient size for 
the tump lines, and were thrown away when emptied. 
The cooking and rniscellaneous outfit consisted of 
I large water pail with cover, 4 small pails (4 quarts 
or less), 2 aluminum fry pans with adjustable handles, 
5 tin cups, 4 tin plates, 4 each of forks, and spoons 
(each man carried a sheath knife), i aluminum baker 
(collapsible), 8 or 10 wire pot hooks of varying lengths. 
All these articles, except the baker, nested in the large 
pail which was carried on one of the pack baskets. 
a small cotton bag which, when stuffed with extra 
clothing, made an excellent pillow. Going without a 
coat was an experiment which I had no cause to regret. 
A jersey is quite as good and much lighter. 
We took no guide. Two of our party had been in the 
country before, but it should be added that even on 
the first trip they had no guide, and nothing but a 
railroad folder for a map. Nor did we follow their 
route all the way. We went with a desire to get the 
physical benefit and enjoyment that came from doing 
all the work, and there is a joy about going into a 
new country on one's own resources — something ap- 
proximating the pleasure that an explorer feels. It 
would be difficult for one who knows the woods to get 
lost in that country, especially since he will invariably 
meet fire rangers every day or two. But I advise no 
one to go without a guide unless he knows exactly 
how hard the work is, and is prepared for the results. 
And now I must return to my narrative. About 
forty miles above Temiskaming on the western shore 
the two rivers, Montreal and Metabetchouan, enter 
the lake. These are the two gates to the wilderness, 
theMontreal to the northwest and the Metabetchouan 
to the southwest, and through the latter we had de- 
cided to enter. The steamer slowed down and stopped. 
Our duffle was lowered into the large dory, used for 
landing purposes, whither two of us followed, the other 
two being needed to take the red canoe ashore. AI- 
CHART OF COURSE OF THE RED AND GREEN. 
I wall tent (9ft. by 9ft.) without fly, provided with 
ropes, 4 rnbber blankets, 4 woolen blankets, I inner 
mosquito-proof tent of fine tarlatane, this was fastened 
up to the outer tent by safety pins and tape. 4 per- 
sonal kit bags of water-proofed duck, 2 large water- 
proofed kit bags with carrying straps, 2 axes, 2 braided 
cotton tow lines about 30ft. long, 5 paddles (one extra), 
4 rods and fishing outfits, i folding pocket kodak, 3%. 
x3^, I map (Geological Survey of Canada, sheet No. 
138). 
The large kit bags each held two small personal 
kit bags, two woolen and two rubber blankets. When 
thus packed, each would weigh 40 or solbs. The per- 
sonal kits varied so much that no one will serve as an 
exact type of all. But I will give my own in the hope 
that it may prove suggestive: i waistcoat (no coat), 
I pair double seated, woolen knickerbockers, 2 pairs 
heavy woolen golf stockings, i heavy felt hat, I heavy 
flannel shirt, 2 pairs heavy woolen half hose, i pair 
heavy cordovan shoes, hob-nailed, 2 suits light cotton 
underwear, i suit heavy woolen underwear (for night 
wear), i heavy blue sweater (for night), i blue 
jersey, i pair old flannel trousers, I pair rubber 
soled tennis shoes. Small articles, handkerchiefs, 
toothbrush and powder, comb, soap, nailbrush, 
sheath knife, water-proof match safe, pipe, tobacco, 
book, note book, pencils, etc. 
I could have dispensed with some of these articles, 
and should do so in a tramp trip, but in a canoe one 
ftwd not he quite so careful about weight. I carried 
most before the steamer came to a stop the green 
canoe was leaping through the water, propelled by the 
skilful strokes of an Indian who was landing at the 
same point, and who wished to do us a service and at 
the same time try the new canoe. Once on the beach 
it was but the work of a few minutes to load the 
canoes. We were soon paddling along the shore of the 
lake to the inlet at the double river rnoutli. Leaving 
behind the few houses which constitute the meager 
settlement, we passed the waters of the Montreal, tumb- 
ling down a long rapid on our right and entered the 
swift current of the Metabetchouan. A brisk paddle of 
two or three miles took us to the foot of the famous 
Clay Hill Portage leading to Bass Ponds. The sun 
was near its setting, we had to rearrange our duffle, 
and so we camped on the left bank of the river op- 
posite the portage. 
Attempting nothing elaborate in the way of a supper, 
we bent our combined energies upon the erection of 
the tent, which was soon up, and luckily so, for one 
or two of the showers which are always prowling about 
that country visited us almost immediately. The lov^er 
course of the Metabetchouan Js notorious for its in- 
sect pests, -and our inner gauze tent received at once 
a thorough: test. To o,ur great satisfaction we found 
that the ubiquitous mosquito was absolutely excluded. 
In the mdrning> hundreds- were vainly butting their 
bill-nosed, heads ag.ainst the . outside of the net, while 
their angry chorus was a cheering sound, indeed; to us 
who had often been iorced to bury ourselves in 
