Dumoine River, Quebec, 1962
Party consisted of Bob and Abbie Hatton, Paul McElroy and Linda Sprague, Jim Hallett and Stew Coffin.
Aug. 5 - Met at Maniwaki and proceeded to La Verendrye Park, one car already having been shuttled to Stonecliffe, and camped at Lac Larouche campground.
Aug. 6 - Had much trouble obtaining all the supposedly required Travel Permits, and wasted all morning being sent hither and thither by various uncooperative officials. Put in at noon at the foot of Bourque Dam (Dozois Reservoir), which is reached by a good gravel road off Route 58. Lined down heavy rapids for one mile on the right, lifting over the final drop. Found that these rapids can be avoided by taking a side road to launching area at foot of rapids. In 2 miles, came to a 5-foot falls that we lifted around easily on the right. Saw fair campsite here. Paddled down the Ottawa River, smooth water with current. Camped at a poor spot in a grassy, marshy area.
Aug. 7 - Continued down the Ottawa River to Grand Lake Victoria. Found an Indian family camped at Grand Lac abandoned HBC Post, and stopped to visit with them. Paddled northward on Grand Lake Victoria to Big Turn, then headed southwest down the lake. Camped at a good site near Big Chute, which is one of several outlets to the lake.
Aug. 8 - Continued southward to Triple Bay Lake. The shores here become steeper, rockier, and more attractive. Paddled up a narrow passageway, poled up a short rapid (Mother Rapid), and entered Lower Cawasachouane Lake. Nice lake with rocky shores and good campsites. Portaged 150 yards around Cawasachouane Falls into Upper Cawasachouane Lake, campsite seen here. Camped at a good site on a rocky point 5 miles up the lake on the right. The campsites are noticeably cleaner here, probably because the falls serve as a barrier to fishing parties in motorboats.
Aug. 9 - Paddled 6 miles more to head of lake. Just before reaching it, passed good looking campsite on right. Portaged left 150 yards into Lac Padoue. Two miles up Padoue, looked for portage trail on left into Lac Machin and headwaters of the Dumoine River. Found this trail overgrown and evidently not used recently, so continued on alternate route up Padoue, passing fair campsite with good views on left one mile from head of lake. Paddled through narrow channel, from which boulders had been removed, into Litvine Lake. Stopped at fire warden cabin on Litvine, hiked to lookout tower, and visited there with warden Joe Morin, an Indian. (This side trip will be long remembered for the meticulously neat condition in which the cabin, trail, and tower were all maintained, even though he had only about one visit per season, and we were the first that year). Paddled up small stream, lifting over three beaver dams, to Roger Lake. The country becomes marsh and dense spruce here (typical height of land), with no good campsites seen for several miles. At head of Roger Lake, portaged 300 yards over height of land to small lake, paddled 2/3 mile to a beaver pond, portaged left 150 yards, and camped at a poor spot in the trail. All these trails are open and well worn. Camp Wabun uses this route regularly, probably Camp Keewaydin also.
Aug. 10 - Crossed another beaver pond, portaged left 1/4 mile, paddled 1/4 mile to another beaver pond, portaged right 150 yards to a small lake, paddled 1 mile to a beaver dam, portaged right 300 yards over a hill to a small lake, crossed this lake, and portaged 1/2 mile into Crutch Lake. Saw campsite at end of trail. Good moose country. Paddled 2 miles down western arm of lake to outlet (Crutch Brook), portaged left 200 yards, and paddled 2-1/2 miles down Crutch Brook to Lac aux Ecorces (Birch Lake), finding a cold spring 1 mile from the mouth of the brook. Paddled 7 miles down the lake, and camped at an old fire warden cabin with fine views up the lake.
Aug. 11 Shallow, muddy passage into southern bay of lake was too low, so portaged right 50 yards into bay, dragged canoes through second shallow passage, paddled 2/3 mile to head of bay, and portaged 100 yards into Baie aux Chicots (Stumps) on Lac Dumoine. Sandy beaches along east shore, esker islands with Norway pines, all very pretty. Paddled 12 miles down the bay into main lake and found a fine campsite on a point just north of Quabie Island.
Aug. 12 - Passed good looking site on southern end of Quabie Island. Paddled 6 miles to outlet of lake, passing a good looking campsite on a pine covered point near the outlet. Ran moderate rapid at outlet, and then portaged 200 yards left around a falls. (Alternate route is to keep right by point, and portage 1/4 mile to below falls.) Paddled 2 miles winding river to Lac Brulart, paddled 1 mile to outlet (small campsites here), and another mile of winding river with birch shores to Lac Laforge. Paddled 6 miles down Lac Laforge to falls, portaged right 150 yards, and in another 1/4 mile came to a second falls which we portaged left 100 yards. Camped at a splendid site here on a rocky bluff (full moon too).
Aug. 13 - Paddled 2 more miles of lake, then ran an easy rapid, a moderate rapid, and then another easy rapid. Next, three falls that we passed by portages left of about 100 yards each, running some rapids between them. All these rapids and falls were marked on the 1:50,000 maps. Then 1/2 mile smooth water, 1/2 mile continuous easy rapids, 2 miles smooth water, some easy rapids, a chute which we ran, a drop which we lifted around on the left, and a strong rapid that we ran solo. The next 2 miles contain several strong rapids followed by easier rapids, all of which we ran. Camped at a small but pretty site on the left.
Aug. 14 - After some smooth water and a minor rapid, ran a long rapid around a large island, lifted around a heavy drop on the right, and ran heavy rapids just below it, filling one canoe. For next 8 miles, passed through several expansions, with fast current and easy rapids between them. Nice views of hills and cliffs to the west. Came to some old buildings and logging road on left shore, then several buildings and sporting camp at Sheerway, which is reached by an improved road from des Joachims. Paddled 3 miles slow water, with one small rapid, then 7 miles fair current and no campsites to be seen, to Grande-Chute. Met Wabun party of six canoes here. Poor campsite in grassy marsh.
Aug. 15 - The portage here is on the right along a road and away from the chute, then branching left on wide trail to foot of falls, 3/4 mile altogether. Ran two easy rapids, paddled 2 miles down Robinson Lake, ran another moderate rapid, and in 1/2 mile came to Rapide du Pin-Rouge (Red Pine). Scouted this rapid before running a tricky set of two drops, followed by an easy run-out (or can be portaged right 1/2 mile). Wabun swamped three of their canoes here. In 1 mile, came to a series of easy and moderate rapids, and in another mile came to a 6-foot falls that we lifted around right. In 2 more miles, passed by the foot of a spectacular cliff. In 2 miles more, came to a falls that we portaged left 100 yards, large campsite here. Paddled 3 miles slack water, and camped at the mouth of the Dumolne.
Aug. l6 - Paddled 2 miles across the Ottawa River to Driftwood Provincial Park and the end of the trip. Distance covered was about 150 miles, which we did in 10 days at a moderate pace.
This is a slightly revised version of my original 1962 report, made by scanning it with OCR and then making a few corrections and changes. Some of the information, such as roads and permits, is probably obsolete. I was later on the Dumoine River two more times, in 1979 and 1999. I have reported the 1979 trip under the title, Kipawa-Dumoine.
Stewart Coffin, April 2008
Other transcribed reports now available:
Timber Lake, 1962
Riv. du Chef, 1963
Chibougamau, 1964
Kazan River, 1966
George River, 1967
Kipawa-Dumoine, 1979
Romaine River, 1980
Ste. Marguerite River, 1981
Ugjoktok River, 1982
