I was the last to have this paddle, but I suspect Hillbilly has it now. Awesome concept, proud to have been able to be part of it.  In the private/small group practice of wilderness tripping, an online community is proud to serve and connect through such a simple act.
 
We picked the paddle up from the Marchs and headed up to Latchford on Saturday Aug 30.  Launched from Sandy Inlet on Sunday to warm weather and sunny skies.  Here it is with Liz at Wanipitei Chateau just before we head out for a week in Temagami.

The weather was awesome the whole time we had the paddle.  The rest of the trip? Well, that's not the paddle's story. 
 
 
Breakfast on Chee-skon-abikong Lake.  I doubt I was anywhere near as careful with it as Laurie.  Paddles are great for moving canoes, propping up tarps and as cutting boards.  Nice paddle, a good size for rolling tortillas on.

 
It's now at Alex's place on Obabika Lake, passed off to his daughter as he wasn't there. I mentioned that it should get to HeavyK during the Changing Of The Seasons Ceremony held every September on Obabika.  It's an awesome event where people can participate in a First Nation ritual surrounded by old growth forest.

David Sullivan
 

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Paddle #087:
 
It was such a privilege to be asked to start out one of the paddles in the Paddle to the Sea Project that we deliberately chose an historic route -- the Mattawa River -- to baptize the Canada Canoe Museum's terrific little idea. The Mattawa runs from Trout Lake near North Bay some 65 kilometres to Mattawa, on the Upper Ottawa River. It is the original Trans-Canada Highway route and when you travel down it, you are travelling on exactly the same stretches of water that carried Champlain, Brule, Alexander Mackenzie, the great fur traders Radisson and Groseilliers, the voyageurs and the loggers who ran the great white pine from here all the way to Quebec City. The main difference is they didn't have Kevlar canoes, nylon tents and instant-dry clothing. Nor, apparently, were there any speedboats in a couple of the lakes that have cottages and even the odd year-round home.
 
But do not let the sounds of the nearby Highway 17 or the motorboats fool you. This is still the Mattawa. And the portage around Talon Chute remains exactly the same one that Mackenzie said was "the worst" he had encountered, given its relatively short length. The portages are not long, but some are very, very difficult, especially in wet weather. The problem is mostly due to huge rounded boulders that require perfect balance for a canoe carrier.
 
We encountered, sadly, but a single other tripper in the run. He actually fell ass-over-teakettle on the Talon Chute portage but, fortunately, he was using the same ugly and fairly heavy plastic canoes we had rented. They may not be particularly graceful, but they're perfect for a river run that features a great deal of paddling in deep water along with some stretches where the canoe is simply bouncing off the smooth rocks as you head down the swifts and run-able rapids. In high water and during the annual North Bay to Mattawa race, the experts and nutcases will do it in eight hours. We took three days. It was just about ideal and we consider it one of the best trips ever for us. The history gave it a special feeling that you cannot experience until you are actually there and realizing that you are but one paddler in a dozen centuries of native, New France, North West Company and timber wayfarers along the Mattawa.
 
It is a spectacularly beautiful river. And easy, despite the grumblings on a couple of the portages.
 
The paddle was only used in clear deep water -- we used hard plastic and metal paddles for the rough going -- and used almost exclusively by Ellen, sitting in the bow. We went with her sister, Jackie, and her husband, Ralph, who live on Trout Lake. It is the first time for any of us that we paddled from the backyard into the Canadian wilderness, for there are lovely and treasured stretches on the Mattawa where you do feel you are a million miles from anywhere, with nothing around but the river, the high majestic cliffs, the wind in the pines, and the soft gurgling and happy sounds water makes as it is caressed by a good paddle.
 
Thank you for the privilege of taking #087 along on this wonderful ride. I know exactly where the paddle goes next, to a man who has spent his live on the rivers that run into the mighty Ottawa and who knows more stupid songs from teh 1960s than anyone should ever be allowed to shout at the top of his lungs along a portage.
 
 
Roy MacGregor

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Here are a few shots that illustrate the serious action the paddle enjoyed.  For most of our trip Camille Fraser, a 12 year old, from Ottawa, adopted the paddle as hers so the others on the trip did not get much chance to use it although all of us put the paddle in the water over the course of the 11 days.
 
A couple of the photos show the serious action.   The two paddle shot shows the Paddle House on the Nahanni where the Kraus Hotsprings are located and each group that travels down the Nahanni is encouraged to carve and hang a paddle in the building.  Paddle 084# was even hung for a short while among the rafters.
 
I can report the delight of all who were introduced to the paddle's story wanted to be part of it and were excited about the concept you have launched.
 
I am leaving on yet another adventure so will not be able to get caught up with my story obligations.  
 
Just to let you know I have had to bring the paddle back to Toronto with me.   I am still seeking a way of getting it to the ocean. (Arctic, Pacific or Atlantic) so it may be a while before it gets back to the museum.

 Michael Gourley

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