About the Trip

So how and why did we pick Woodland Caribou? What was our reasoning?

First and foremost we want a reasonably wilderness experience. We'd like not to run into other canoeists on a daily basis. We don't mind fly-in fishermen, they're usually zooming about in the middle of a lake whereas we're meandering along the shore and they're gone in a flash. We also know that they'll not be taking up campsites along the route. Sure they'll probably use some as shore lunch spots and they might even leave a fire pit that needs rearranging before we can use it. But, if there's a commercial camp along the way we might be able to use them as a resupply point.

We'd like a mostly flat water trip, moving water up to Class II is OK with us but it seems that there are not many moving water routes of the duration we're seeking that lend themselves to circular travel.

We'd like to be on the water around July 10 and return around September 10 so that I can get ready to leave again at the end of September for moose hunting - isn't retirement wonderful?

I had called Claire previously and requested the map and information package on Woodland Caribou so I had a chance to review the map with the idea that we might go there someday. The size of the park, it's seemingly inexhaustible choices of routes, the reasonable distance of most portages, the promise of decent fishing, the possibilities of seeing Woodland Caribou and it's ability to lend itself to circle routes certainly impressed me.

I tried to find other information about the park but it seemed that others had only scratched the surface.

On the way home from one of our Gogama trips we met Richard and Debbie for dinner in Sudbury. I asked him then if he had heard of anyone who had traveled extensively in Woodland Caribou or how we could get more information. He related that he'd spoken with Claire and Doug and that they'd love to have more routes publicized on CCR but they weren't getting canoeists that were recording and sharing their trip reports.

THE LIGHT WENT ON

Over the next few months I corresponded with Richard about the idea of using CCR and the expertise of its users as well as the input of Doug and Claire to plan and execute a 60-day trip through Woodland Caribou.

What you see here is the skeleton of that plan.

What are the logistical steps we need to take to insure that we'll have a safe and healthy trip? For instance we've already made dental appointments for June 5, 2003.

Well, we’ve corresponded with the local outfitters – they’re excited about the idea and both Albert Rogalinski of Goldseekers and Duane Ridelle of Chimo Air have agreed to provide all the local advice and help they can.

Now it's up to us - the community of CCR - to pitch in and create the kind of plans that will serve this trip and in turn lead to a valuable resource for future trippers.

We'll gladly share our lists, planning documents and spreadsheets in the hopes that they'll get improved and what you'll find here initially is just that - the lists etc that we've been using for the last few years now.