Expedition Paddling Race - Muskoka River X
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Muskoka River X
Expedition Paddling Race
COURSE HERITAGE
The Muskoka River watershed is a vast area stretching from Algonquin Park, east to Georgian
Bay. From the northern lakes of Muskoka around Huntsville to the southern waters around
Gravenhurst. Historically, the Muskoka River watershed was part of the vast territory of the
Algonquin First Nations. It remained pristine and uncharted until war broke out between the
British and Americans.
Following the War of 1812, British expeditions began making their way into this previously
uncharted territory with the goal of finding water routes not vulnerable to American attack. Two
initial explorations in 1819 by Lt. Joseph Portlock and Lt. James Catty made their way into the
Muskoka watershed. A third exploration by Lt. William Marlow and William Smith occurred in
1826. It was not until Lt. Henry Briscue’s 1826 expedition that the Muskoka River was first
recorded in written form. This expedition, traveling north from the Severne River eventually
made their way by canoe into the Algonquin Highlands via the South Muskoka and Oxtonge
Rivers, up to Big Porcupine Lake (Algonquin Park) and east to the Madawaska River. After
several more expeditions occurred throughout 1827 the British Military eventually deemed the
route not appropriate for the construction of a canal.
In 1829 Alexander Shirreff began another expedition, funded by a private company, to build a
canal west from the Ottawa River to Georgian Bay. Shirreff made his way along the Petawawa
River to Tom Thompson Lake (Algonquin Park) and west to the Oxtonge and South Muskoka
Rivers. Although Shirreff did not find a route appropriate for the construction of a canal, he did
find a vast inland waterway of navigable lakes and rivers. The last and best-known canal
expedition was led by David Thompson in 1837.
Although these expeditions were unsuccessful in locating a canal route, they did bring attention to the Muskoka watershed, resulting in expansion into this area with railroads, logging, frontier towns, steam ships and grand resorts; all that continue to this day. The era of steam ships in Muskoka began when Alexander Cockburn launched the Wenonah in 1866, traveling Lake Muskoka north from Gravenhurst up the Muskoka River to Bracebridge. Other notable ships that traveled this route include the Nipissing, launched in 1887 and the Sequwin in 1925. The northern waters of the Muskoka River watershed saw steam ship travel begin in 1877 with the launch of the Northern. This steamer route originated from Port Sydney, where Mary Lake empties into the North Muskoka River, traveling north to Huntsville. Other notable steamers that traveled this route include the Florence in 1884, the Gem, and the SS. Joe (1900). The route from Port Sydney to Huntsville was made possible with the construction of the Huntsville Lock between 1873-1875. Steam ship travel on Lake of Bays began in 1878 when Alexander Cockburn sold his steamer, the Waubamik, to Joseph Huckins who then renamed it the Dean. From Baysville, the steamer traveled Lake of Bays servicing ports of call such as Dwight, Portage, and the ever-increasing grand resorts. Other notable steamers on the Lake of Bays include the Helna (1884), Empress Victoria (1894), Excelsior, Erastus Wiman, Phoenix (1901), and the Hamilton H. The Huntsville Navigation Company was started in 1884 by George March with the launch of the Mary Louise. The dredging of the canal between Fairy Lake and Peninsula Lake between 1886-1888 allowed steam ships to travel the full system of lakes of northern Muskoka including
Peninsula, Fairy, and Vernon. With the canal, ships such as the flagship Algonquin (1906-1927)
and the Ramona transported goods and people from Portage to Huntsville, and all points
between. They also supported the development of Deerhurst Resort in 1896, the grand resort of
the Huntsville area. With the development of the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Transportation
company in 1895, the wagon and coach link between Lake of Bays and Peninsula Lake was
eventually replaced by the small gauge railroad, the Portage Railway, which operated between
1904 and 1959.
It is these First Nations routes into their hunting and fishing grounds, and the routes of canal
expeditions, steamers, and railroads, that teams will travel along.
References:
Long, Gary. (1989). This River. The Muskoka. The Boston Press: Erin, Ont. ISBN 1-55046-012-9
Tatley, Richard. (1983). The Steamboat Era in the Muskokas. The Boston Pess: Erin, Ont. ISBN 0-919822-50-9 (vol.1)
MUSKOKA RIVER X COUREUR des BOIS
Start: Whitney, Ontario
Finish: River Mill Park: Huntsville, Ontario
Total Distance: 220km
Number of Portages: 36 (approx 11,800m / longest: 1700m)
Estimated Duration: 26 hours to 48 hours
MUSKOKA RIVER X CLASSIC
Start: River Mill Park: Huntsville, Ontario
Finish: River Mill Park: Huntsville, Ontario
Total Distance: 130 km
Number of Portages: 20 (approx 7000m / longest: 1700m)
Estimated Duration: 13.5 hours to 24 hours
Sunrise: 0653hrs Sunset: 1937hrs Total daylight: 12hrs 44min
Average Daily Temperatures
High: 18.8 degrees Celsius Low: 6.5 degrees Celsius Average: 12.7 degrees Celsius
Other Weather Statistics Average Daily Wind speed: 12km/hr Average Monthly Rain: 111mm Average Days with Thunderstorms: 3 Average Days with Fog: 5 MRX Coureur des Bois Stage: 89km Whitney to Oxtongue Lake The River X crew is excited to announce an expansion course to the Muskoka River X Classic. Building on the heritage of the canal expeditions of the 1800’s, the Coureur des Bois will challenge even the most experienced expedition and marathon paddlers. Teams will paddle the routes of the canal expeditions leaving Whitney and traveling west through Galeairy, Rock, and Whitefish Lake. After traversing Lake of Two Rivers, teams will make their way to Cache and Smoke Lake. From Tea Lake teams navigate downriver on the Oxtongue River before finishing Day One with a long and exhausting portage around the mighty Ragged Falls. With 89km and 16 portages (4800m) under their belts, the Coureur des Bois will enjoy a mandatory overnight at Oxtongue Lake. Day 2 will begin with an early morning shuttled to Dwight beach at the northern most point of Lake of Bays. Paddling past Portage Bay the Coureur des Bois will merge with the MRX Classic teams. From here, Coureur des Bois teams will finish the MRX Classic Stage 1 at Baysville and continue on with Stages 2, 3, and 4. Traversing the wilderness of Algonquin Park and circumnavigating the Muskoka River system, the Coureur des Bois is truly the ultimate in backcountry expedition racing. MRX Classic Stage 1: 33.5km Huntsville to Baysville Stage 1 is primarily lake paddling. The race will start in downtown Huntsville at the River Mill Park. Paddling east along the Muskoka River into Fairy Lake, teams will continue east into the canal that links Fairy and Peninsula Lakes. As teams pass the legendary Deerhurst Resort, they will continue paddling east to the take-out at Wolfbay Road. At Wolfbay Road teams will portage 1700m from North Portage (Peninsula Lake) to South Portage (Lake of Bays). From South Portage, teams will paddle 20km south on the large and expansive Lake of Bays, arriving at Baysville. Baysville is location of Checkpoint #1 and ends with a 218m portage around the Baysville dam. Consistent with seasonal weather, you may experience early morning mist or fog making navigation challenging. By the time teams reach Lake of Bays, expect the wind to have increased; head winds are common when leaving South Portage and the exposure of Lake of Bays also brings risk and challenge associate with wind and wave. MRX Classic Stage 2 (45.7km) Baysville to Bracebridge Stage 2 is entirely downriver. Teams will leave Baysville and paddle the South Muskoka River, arriving at the historic town of Bracebridge, the location of Check Point #2. Not only is Stage 2 the longest section of the race, it is also the most physically demanding. Included in Stage 2 are at least 11 portages ranging from a few meters to a 1283m portage around the Muskoka Falls hydro dam. The first 10km of the river will present teams with numerous opportunities to line their boats or portage over shallow, swift moving rocky rapids. The remainder of the river is wider, deep and slow moving, although the presence of westerly wind may be a factor later in the day. MRX Classic Stage 3 (29.8km) Bracebridge to Port Sydney
Stage 3 is entirely upriver paddling. Teams will leave Bracebridge, paddle north along the North Muskoka River and arrive at the small town of Port Sydney. Although the North Muskoka River is generally wide and slower moving, expect overall padding speed to be reduced by 1-2km/hrs as a result of the current. Additional features that make Stage 3 physically demanding include 5 portages, most notably a rugged 360m, 65 vertical feet uphill portage around High Falls. Teams will also be faced with portages over the rocky faces of Balsam and Duck Chutes, both with put-ins against current. Stage 3 finishes with a 650m portage ending at the Port Sydney dam where Mary Lake feeds the North Muskoka River. As the day moves on, teams will be racing against impending darkness and the challenges associated with navigating at night. MRX Classic Stage 4 (19.4km) Port Sydney to Huntsville Stage 4 is a mix of flat-water lake and river paddling. Teams will depart Port Sydney and paddle north on Mary Lake to where it is fed by the North Muskoka River. Teams will paddle up-river, portaging around the Huntsville Locks and into Fairy Lake. From Fairy Lake, teams will make their way north into the Muskoka River and the Finish Line at the River Mill Park. Although stage 4 is the least demanding of the all sections, most, if not all teams will be completing stage 4 under the cover of darkness and will be navigating by headlamp, compass, and map. Historical References and Links http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsville_and_Lake_of_Bays_Transportation_Company#Steamboats http://www.loba.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/A-Link-to-the-Past-SS-Bigwin.pdf http://www.portageflyer.org/ http://www.lakeofbaysheritage.ca/resources/heritagebooks http://yaktraveller.blogspot.com/2010/05/trip-4-south-muskoka-river-there-and.html http://www.myccr.com/canoedb/routeDetails.php?routeid=38 http://www.theheartofmuskoka.com/main4.cfm?id=0BB15F81-920A-39DE-82C57529359D1436 http://www.muskokaoutfitters.com/active/activity-page.php?activity=Canoeing http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/david-thompson http://www.encyclopediecanadienne.ca/articles/huntsville http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Params=A1ARTA0005568 http://www.encyclopediecanadienne.ca/articles/bracebridge http://images.ourontario.ca/muskoka/43956/data
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