FOREST AND STREAM 
73 
Items of Outfit. 
As this region is practica'ly unknown and up 
to the present, one might almost say, not on the 
map, items of one’s outfit must in main be 
brought in. Cochrane is the nearest village to 
the Bell River District where any selection of 
supplies and outfit can be secured. 
Canoes—Undoubtedly the ideal canoe for this 
region, and in fact for all Height of Land waters, 
is the canvas-covered type. The Hudson Bay 
Company at Cochrane can supply canoes for 
cruises of the Abitibi District, as well as tents, 
blankets, etc. The new camps will have new Old 
Town 17 foot canoes, because the writer has pick¬ 
ed this type as being unsurpassed for cruising and 
hunting purposes. The 17 foot length has proved 
to be quite as easily handled and quite as fast, 
if not faster, than the 16 foot length, at the same 
time carrying fully 50 per cent, more duffle. No 
keels are recommended for this region, as many 
of the smaller paddleways are 'shallow. 
Tents.—Unless one brought his own tent, these 
A Hudson Bay Post in the James Bay Country. 
any water which is contiguous to the new steel. 
It might be pointed out, in closing, that an ex¬ 
ceptional opportunity will be found on August 
cruises for getting good photographic chances at 
moose. This should appeal strongly to outing 
visitors, to which the Indian life to be encoun¬ 
tered along the various paddleways adds a fur¬ 
ther kodak or camera attraction. 
For trips prior to September a rifle need not 
be toted, in fact it would be far wiser to leave 
it at home, as the probability is its presence might 
often lead to infractions of the game laws. A 
good belt gun, .32 or .38 cal., would be all the 
firearm necessary and I very much doubt the 
neceessitv of even this. If cruisers do take along 
a .22 rifle, for the sake of all saneness, refrain 
from potting at such game as moose or other 
large animals with it. I mention this because I 
have too often seen tourists in the North during 
the fly season spitting little .22 pills at everything 
they run across. 
In conclusion possibly it might be well to point 
out further that these are absolutely virgin cruis¬ 
ing areas and much yet remains to be learned 
from “been there” exploration as regards actual 
conditions; it is quite possible that musky, for 
instance, may be found in waters they are not 
now suspected of inhabiting. To attempt any 
lengthy cruise from steel without a guide that 
can be relied on would be very unwise, even 
risky, and I would urge prospective visitors to 
consult a competent source of information in ar¬ 
ranging for outfit, guide and route for their con¬ 
templated cruise- Forest and Stream inquirers 
may have the benefit of any assistance I can ex¬ 
tend in planning cruises in any section of this 
new district. Do not be afraid to ask ques¬ 
tions. They will be answered to the best of 
our ability. 
At Height of Land, N. W. Quebec. 
can be secured also at Cochrane. For two-man 
parties, using a small size, say 7 x 7, I strongly 
recommend ordinary duck, as the silk tent, para- 
fined or otherwise coated, in these small sizes 
especially, when closed up, gives no ventilation 
and the air in it soon becomes close and un¬ 
healthy. If bringing one’s own tent, there is no 
better model for cruising than the Baker type, 
and in this the silk material can advisedly be 
used. This type is, of course, a little more bulky, 
but this is more than offset by the favorable fac¬ 
tors found in the open-front make up, both for 
sleeping purposes and for heating without a stove. 
Blankets—The nights are always chilly in this 
region and two pair of heavy blankets can al¬ 
ways be used per man. There is no better blan¬ 
ket made for such trips than the regular Hudson 
Bay 3% or 4 point. These cost in Canada around 
from $6.00 to $7.75 respectively, fluctuating 
slightly according to current price of wool. An 
allowance of two double blankets should be made 
for eadh member in party. Many prefer sleep¬ 
ing bags and, especially for cruising, personally I 
On the Coffee River, Favored by Speckled Trout. 
