Quirke-Whiskey: Soloing a Lost Canoe Route 

Do you have that route listed anywhere? I'm looking to get to McCool, Caribou, Corner lakes in that area. Would be awesome to make a loop

Hah that's too funny! I was invited on that excursion but had other plans unfortunately. I'm hoping to get a full report back to them regarding the trails. They were in bad shape when I went through, but I know of a few parties who saw the video and my map and put some work into reclearing the old trails. It's a gorgeous area to paddle!!

Ah, too bad, it would have been nice to meet you too. I've paddled portions of this route and agree... beautiful area!

Andy We thanks!!!

Spring is coming!! 😁 Thanks for watching

She's tough with a few bushwhacks, but thankfully they're pretty short. Gorgeous area! Recommend running the Serpent River before the low water of late summer, or you'll be doing more walking and less paddling!

@@ExploreTheBackcountry cool thank you

Northern Scavenger thanks guys! Put it on the list for a harder route ;) not sure what the fishing is like though... Didn't have time!

westenderSSM aha thanks! That route's not too far from the Soo. Was living there when I did it. Amazing area!!

Cya out there! Happy paddling!

I only get on a few solo trips per year, always people to paddle with! There's just something about a solo trip that's extra special tho.

@@ExploreTheBackcountry yep there is

Brian Spencer hey thanks ms for watching Brian! Canoe always holds up well (this trip was even after a partial wrap)

It's such a gorgeous region, but yes the portages have sadly been decimated. It would need a crew to go through and clear with chainsaws 😥 But the effort to get in is definitely worth it 😁

TheWildhood Thanks!! Certainly was. It's an awesome area to explore! One of my favorites.

I've been meaning to get there at some point...hopefully in the cards at some point this summer. I'm enjoying the tic-list of your Lost Routes though! So much to explore!

ps...when is that updated QEWII map coming...??? ;)

TheWildhood ahh, many more 'lost' routes to come! Bit of extra hard work, but the rewards are worth it! Map is 97% done. One more round with parks and then I have to tweak the scale. It's a massive project that I'm just whittling away at in my free time. Nearly done though! Will probably release just after ice-out. We'll see how busy I am...

Awesome news...and best of luck! I can only imagine the efforts involved; but we are all incredibly grateful!

Decent Diversions awesome!! Sounds like a great trip! Always cool to explore the abandoned routes. You'll almost certainly never encounter people! Keep on exploring!

Awesome!!! Recently, or while it was in better shape??

Thanks!!

Haha!! Yeah it's great. We will have just that 115L pack and a 30L food barrel and we've got everything packed for up too two weeks for 2 people.

This was just 2 full days and roughly 70km I believe. Pushing it in the end as those portages were non-existent bushwhacks. You certainly get more of a wild vibe paddling through the seldom travelled areas!

PrestonthePathfinder awesome! Do you know which one? We paddled the Summers-Mace loop last year as well. I'm keen to return, there's plenty of awesome routes out that way!

We did the Elliot to esten lake route. It was nice paddling!

PrestonthePathfinder awesome! I've eyed that before. Will keep that in the paddling list for another route to check out!

There are a fe sites on those lakes. Most are not well used, but still suitable for camping. There's a beach on the large island in Whiskey that would make for a nice site, however you can see a few cottages. There are a couple rocky points that would suffice as well. Two nice spots on Bear Lake though! I made a map available on myccr in the routes section. As for Dunlop Loop, there was at least one site on Ten Mile. It was small and on the portage landing to Gibberry. There are likely others in the bays though. Its a very scenic region to paddle!!

Hey Jordan, great question! I go over some resources in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jwIhrNjKqtE.html It really depends on the route. Some are documented in old MNRF route maps, others are just best guesses based on old topos, aerial photography and notes in old journals etc. Really depends where we're going. The research is half the fun. Lots of time combing the internet and library for tidbits of info. I usually start by looking at topos and satalite imagery and then the sleuthing begins. I made a map and report of this trip on myccr: www.myccr.com/canoeroutes/quirke-whiskey-lake-serpent-river Cheers!

Bikepaddle pour over various maps and sat imagery. Search the net for any route info (often nothing or a 30yr scanned document). Find out what's a decent distance for both driving and possibly paddling then go for it!

mattyb201 sweet! Bring a saw and a conpass! I was only able to clear a few of the portages. Really was 2 full days and an evening. 3-4 days given the conditions and all the connected side lakes to explore should be good. I've got a map if the area I can pass along if interested.

Did you end up doing this route recently? I am planning on doing this route from Quirke to Pecors this weekend. Not the full loop. I think I'll tidy up the portages by chainsaw/boat ahead of time.

Wow! Really? That sucks... It's a gorgeous lake. If I ever returned I had hoped to stay there on one of the islands.

That's a Simon River... I think it was 10years old. I bought it off a fellow adventure racer. I think it was 5 piece carbon at 230cm. This one has unfortunately burned up in a vehicle fire.

@@ExploreTheBackcountry thanks for the info take care

Lucky!

Truly is! have a few more bucket list trips in the area to paddle!

This was a Prospector 16 in TuffStuff Expedition Layup + Skid Plates.

You have that so right!!! This route is especially under fire from development... Such a shame 😥 There's often a lack of awareness now that the ministry maintenance and promotion has long since faded. Ah! For those shots, I had a camera mounted to the canoe with a clamping mount. I can tighten it to the seat, gunwales or bow/stern plate. The video perspective can be flipped in post production.

silver birch outdoors that's a Nova Craft 16ft Prospector In TuffStuff Expedition Layup

Thanks! Sorry the soundtrack wasn't to your liking. Paddle it yourself with the tunes (or lack of) of your choice :D happy paddling!

I really wish we could ditch the schedule, but when you head out on a weekend trip and need to get back to work on Monday, it's pretty tricky to do so. Some trips, like this one, are more objective based. I actually don't film 50% of our trips, many of those being the more laid back outings, as there isn't a storyline and I can just focus on photography or fiddling with other things. I'm a big fan of objective based trips that push me; the end result is an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. I went into this trip to retrace the canoe route and map it so that others could follow, as it had been largely abandoned by paddlers and was threatened by development. Portage and river conditions were a little worse than first thought, so it slowed me down some. Hands down, I'd do it again, with the same timeline as well. There's a time and a place for every type of trip depending upon what you want out of it in the end. We get out around 70-100 nights a year, so theres ample room for variety!

@@ExploreTheBackcountry 70 to 100 nights per year,, I envy you. I'm a little older, houses are paid for, kids adults, work when people want me, and take my canoe or sailboat and head for the country when allowed, not lucky enough to have a mate,,, laughing,, but it begs the question, "Who would have me?" (Nearly no one.) But when I plan, with few exceptions,, I plan with days extra. If I have a book ended trip,, I put on miles early,, so I can loaf a bit later. I will say clearly, lose the windy or stormy days. It is your life and all the future trips you risk,,, not just being late. The 'be at work Monday morning syndrome' is dangerous. I know,, I have been there,, and Mother Nature has pounded the ever lovin' **** out of me. Some trips are a timed or sprint,, that has its place. I have done 40+ mile days back to back,,, but the stuff passed on the way !! I still remember and regret not stopping. Regrets of that, places unseen, peace not soaked in, those are what I remember most of that 80+ miles. So,, the 600 miles,, and the 1300 miles,, I learned,, I built in cushion,,, and of all your skills,, and you lack not there, the one I would suggest to you as an improvement, take your time. And having said that,,, I have a permit for a river in Idaho,, and it is book ended,, so yes,, I am guilty as charged. Hmmmm Room yet on the permit,, interested ?,, late June.

The possibilities for routes are virtually endless up here! Many are historical trade routes used by First Nations and voyageurs alike. There's something extra rewarding about slogging for days to weeks on end and never encountering another soul. This route isn't even that remote by comparison, but still offers a wonderful escape. I love keeping a little part of our past alive by keeping these routes open for future travelers!

I respect the difference of opinion, it's really just a personal editing style. I make a film in the manner as to how I want to remember and relive it. Editing is half of the fun for me as I get to express some creativity and produce a product I enjoy watching and reliving in the end. Im personally not a fan of silent videos with a slow pace, I often skim through them quickly and don't find them as engaging. Music adds a pace and flow to production. I realize this will alienate some, but I've structured my productions this way for a while and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. There are plenty of music free videos out there if that's what your searching for. The best part about the internet/RU-vid are the many niches. There's something for everyone, but everything isn't for everyone. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Cheers!

I'm not sure if there's a particular scene you're referring too? On the river it's easy to pick up the blade the wrong way for a few strokes if you've been in and out of the canoe and it's shuffled for a few strokes. The camera rolls on - but you'll feel it. These blades are scooped and they'll really only pull one way - these are old SRS ones. The top is conclaved while the bottom is flatter for entry. If you're suggesting the concaved section goes in first, it will have a greater resistance and won't pull properly. This blade burned in a vehicle fire in 2016 and has since been replaced by an epic. I paddle double only occasionally and mainly to train for adventure racing where they're used in canoes. I know it's not the purists approach, but that's the sport. I paddle mostly single blade all season See for an example of us using it in a race. Paddle starts at 1:36 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-H1E58ZcNSj8.html

@@ExploreTheBackcountry Oh, cool. I see now that I could have been mistaken, but no, I wasn't talking about reversing the direction of the scoop. That Epic paddle that you are using in the adventure race has a shape that's very different from that of the typical paddle. The farthest-reaching corner of the blade is along the bottom edge, and upper portion of the blade extends farther from the spine on the top half. Typical paddles have exactly the opposite shape profile from this (see the paddle used by your stern paddler or by the stern paddler of the canoe that's immediately to your right at the beginning of the race). The "normal" blade shape of those other paddles maximizes the amount of blade area that's in the water with minimal submergence, and I don't know why the Epic paddle is different. Maybe it's designed for a higher-angle stroke that passes as close as possible alongside the hull (you don't accomplish that when paddling your canoe, but it would make sense in a kayak if the shaft were a lot shorter). Anyway, that is why what I saw in the other video caught my eye right away. It sure looked "wrong". And checking your page further, I see that it was bad luck to stumbled upon that video first, and have that be my first impression. My main beef with double-blade paddles is the manner in which most people use them, which is so that they never learn the traditional basics of boat control (much of which can't be done nearly as well with a double-blade even if they did intend to learn such things). I'm sure the Adventure-race rules about using double-blade paddles were made so that all those rank beginners who want to compete would be able to go fast and control their direction of travel far more easily than if traditional paddles were required. .