I was thinking of taking the train to Moosonee and travelling to James Bay this winter by snowshoe or ski.
Has anybody done this on here? If so, or even if not, any suggestions, tips or advice?

Thank you,

Sam

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"It's healthy to be dirty" - Lars Monsen

Sounds ambitious! Are you planning on hot-tenting or cold camping?

I just love the area up there and would like to experience it in the winter. I would be cold tenting it.

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"It's healthy to be dirty" - Lars Monsen

Snowshoed from moose river crossing to Moosene 20 some years ago and it was an easy straightforward pull. Expect the rest of the route would also be straightforward as locals would be running snowmobiles packing things nicely.But no idea if the tidal surge is a factor. It wasn’t when we did it.

How many days did that take you?

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"It's healthy to be dirty" - Lars Monsen

Any polar bear issues?

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When a new source of taxation is found it never means, in practice, that the old source is abandoned. It merely means that the politicians have two ways of milking the taxpayer where they had one before.
Mencken
You can never have too much education-me

No polar bears that far South. Memory is that is 90km from trestle to Moosenee. Four days. There was no new snow and the river is wide and windswept packing the snow for easy walking. About the last 20km snowmobiles travel up river to hidden cabins, allowing you to walk in mucklucks and pull tobbaggan effortlessly

Oh, yeah??
Check this at 12:00 and onward to about 26:00
They called for extraction because they had no gun!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWJqJFYFjnM

_________________
When a new source of taxation is found it never means, in practice, that the old source is abandoned. It merely means that the politicians have two ways of milking the taxpayer where they had one before.
Mencken
You can never have too much education-me

I'm not an expert but I have been (somewhat) up close and personal with polar bears.

Those don't strike me as polar bear tracks, in fact I'm not sure they are even bear tracks.

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"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915

So did you go?

I lived there for a couple of years, and extensively paddled, snowshoed, snowmobiled, and even biked the area. And to be honest, while not trying to sound negative, it's not a trek I'd recommend doing in terms of "adventure". Especially in the winter, as its pretty straight forward, with flat monotonous topography.

And as for that video, (my two cents) not likely (though not impossible) that it was a Polar Bear. They typically do not ventured that far south. I do remember that once one did, and it was a pretty big deal that attracted a lot of the locals as sight seers (because it was so rare). Now if the number of sightings have increased since moving away some 20 years ago (wow, time flies) then "maybe"?

In my opinion, the area is far more interesting as a paddling adventure, than a snowshoe trek.

But if you did go and it was awesome, please share.

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"That's all I have to say about that..." (Forest Gump)

I did not go….yet.

I have been upgrading some equipment so that I am well prepared. I am pretty familiar with that area as I have paddled a number of James Bay rivers. I would just like to see what it looks like in the winter and maybe see some northern lights.

I am simply drawn to that area of our Country. It’s beautiful in its own way.


Sam

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"It's healthy to be dirty" - Lars Monsen

Well then...

my only "tip" (other than what I stated above) is to bring BOTH snowshoe and skies. Reason being, is that the ice can be both tumultuous jagged, and or wind swept flat (and sometimes even eerily blue and clear). So you might have to switch back and forth between shoes and skiies often. But it all depends on the winters character that year. You would think to just follow the snowmobile tracks, but that too is not always predictable.
If it were me, I'd trek south west from Moosonee towards the Kwetabohigan, or Cheepash or even Moose Rivers (depending how far you wanna go). It's more interesting, more variety in terms of topography/geography.

If you do go to the Kwetabohigan River, my cabin may or may not still be there (suspect it would be taken over by the locals)... its an A-Frame 24X20 on the north/west side of the River with a wood stove and loft. IF you find it, take pictures, would love to see it again.

Otherwise enjoy.

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"That's all I have to say about that..." (Forest Gump)

Hey thank you for the recommendations Swift! I think I will do one of those options instead. The Kwetabohigan would be fun to see and trying to find your cabin.

Thanks!

Sam

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"It's healthy to be dirty" - Lars Monsen

Lol, this is what happens when the city boys go exploring in Northern Ontario...Those are moose tracks guys! The prints themselves are larger and indistinguishable due to the soft mud, but the gait is a dead giveaway that they aren't bear tracks. But I guess these guys have very little experience with moose and bear tracks.

I still like their channel though! They give me a good chuckle once in a while with their scary bush encounters