A couple of years ago I heard about an old
growth white pine forest that lies about 50 kilometres north of
home. It's on the western shore of a small lake in Marconi
Township, but nowhere near any of the well-known canoe
routes.
One of the maps I consulted is Craig
Macdonald's Historical Map of Temagami. This map covers the
huge area between Wahnapitae Lake and Lake Temiskaming. It
shows where people travelled more than 100 years ago, long
before roads and railroads changed the face of the land. (The
map is available from Craig Macdonald, RR 1, Dwight, P0A 1H0,
705-635-3416.)
The Macdonald map shows portages in and out
of Shee-shaw-gee Lake, but were they still passable? Two
friends and I decided to give it a try.
Newer maps guided us along logging roads that
come within three portages of Shee-shaw-gee Lake. We drove for
more than an hour north of Capreol; along the Wahnapitae River,
through narrow gorges, along sandy flats, and into a very young
forest of planted pines.
Strips of uncut forest dotted the landscape,
and we found the first portage in the middle of one of these.
Being right beside a pretty good road, this portage was well
used. Perhaps too well used. It was muddy and a bit chewed up
by all-terrain vehicles.
The second portage was very good, up and over
a small hill and into a pretty little pond.
We had some trouble finding the third
portage. The beavers had long ago disappeared, and their old
ponds were gone. We had to carry everything along the old
shorelines to get to the old portage.
I wrote in my journal: "Over the hill, the
trail is a bit rough - but the forest is magical. A couple of
long-dead very old red pines still stand near the beginning of
the trail, lots of healthy old white pines along the way. Some
very large cedar, and a few yellow birches. Near the end of the
portage-a very large white pine! Probably four feet in diameter
- or more. Beautiful big branches emerge from two-thirds of the
way up."
We spent the second day exploring the forest.
After all, that was the main reason for choosing to go so far
from the beaten path. We found a forest of very old trees. Some
were more than four feet in diameter and perhaps 300 years old
or older. Many more of the pines were three feet in
diameter. Over the past century or two,
fallen trees have opened the canopy of the forest, allowing
more light, and new trees to grow - some now
nearly as tall as their parents. It was a
wonderful day within this classic old-growth white pine
forest.
At the campsite that evening, we looked back
across the lake toward that beautiful hillside of pine. My
friend looked at the smile on my face, and could feel the joy
in my heart as we watched the sun set over this beautiful
little piece of landscape. He wondered aloud, "You live in the
forest, by a beautiful lake every day of your life. Yet, when
you come deeper into the wilderness, your spirit leaps like a
child's at the splendor."
Does the magic of the spirit of nature
diminish with exposure? Absolutely not. Nature nourishes the
soul, and the more time we spend within it, the more peaceful
and joyful we become.
Viki Mather lives by a lake near Sudbury.
