Featured Park - Spanish River / Mississagi

Ontario Parks Insider

Spanish River Waterway Park is a magnet for wilderness park enthusiasts. The possible trips are endless and provide river routes for both novice and experienced paddlers, with trips as short as four days and as long as two weeks. Combined with the newly established Spanish River Valley Park, neighbouring Mississagi Provincial Park, and an addition to the Biscotasi Lake Provincial Park, an entire lifetime can be had exploring this region.  And what a region it is.

The best part of a trip down any part of the Spanish River watershed - whether it’s the moderate whitewater of the east branch, the more frothy rapids of the west branch, or the secluded lakes linking the river to Biscotasi Lake - is that it’s constantly changing in character. A trip can go from almost non-existent current to narrow swaths cut through islands of reeds, to ripples of water gliding over gravel lumps, and miniature rapids gushing between high canyon walls. Adding to that is the area’s rich history. This is ancient Ojibway country; they named the river after the kingfisher and adorned several rock slabs with pictographs. It was where the trapper and forest ranger, Archie Belaney, transformed himself into legendary conservationist Grey Owl.  It’s paradise – guaranteed – and it’s sitting there waiting to be explored. 

One extra gem to visit in the new addition to the park is found by portaging across from Biscotasing Lake to Indian Lake along the historic “Prince of Wales” portage. A set of rails that were placed here many years ago, in preparation for the Prince of Wales visit in 1939, is still in use today. Paddlers can either portage across the 200 metre trail or run their boat and gear across on the tramway. And once there, it is a couple hour paddle (12 kilometres) south on Indian Lake to the entrance of Tasker Bay where one can check out the remains of the lodge also built for the arrival of the Prince. All that is left behind, however, is a giant stone fireplace. The lodge was burnt to the ground and there are countless stories of why and who destroyed it. The most interesting theory is that the Prince of Wales arrived in Biscotasing and when stepping off the train found the blackflies so fierce that he walked back on the train, never to visit the lodge the locals built for his arrival. The builders were so upset with his actions that they burned the lodge to the ground.

The trials and tribulations of Étienne Brûlé - 400 years later

Ontario Parks Insider

Samuel de Champlain referred to him as “… my lad …” and he was considered an indispensable cog in the mechanism of the early fur trade. But to Étienne Brûlé, the fascinating freedom of aboriginal life was stronger than the duties bestowed upon a French ambassador in the new world.

Shrouded in mystery and locked in time, the full account of Étienne Brûlé’s accomplished life will never truly be known. Stitched together by third party mentions and historical references, what we do know is that Étienne Brûlé should be better known than he is today.  If the accounts stand, Brûlé could be considered the first coureur-de-bois, the first European to see all of the Great Lakes and the first French / Huron interpreter. The trouble is that Brûlé’s independent and courageous spirit got him into a bit of hot water. 

Étienne Brûlé arrived in Canada sometime before 1610. This was the year that a “youth who had already spent two winters at Quebec” asked Champlain’s permission to go and live with the Algonquin in order to learn their language. Champlain granted Brûlé his wish, making him the first European to attempt such a venture. A year later, in 1611, Brûlé returned to Champlain to tell him of a most positive experience he had living with and learning from the Algonquin.

There is a four year gap in any reports of Brûlé, and it is believed that he returned to live among the natives in Huron country. During this time, and the year before, he would have been the first European to see the region and make the long trip up the Ottawa, Mattawa and French rivers to Georgian Bay.

In 1615 Brûlé travelled south with a delegation of Huron to gather allied military support for Champlain’s skirmish with the Iroquois. During this three year trip, he was the first European to see Lake Ontario and he ventured as far south as Chesapeake Bay, which makes its way to the Atlantic Ocean.   On his return trip, Brûlé was captured by the Iroquois and received the unfortunate title of being the first European to experience their torture techniques. Through promise of prosperity or miracle from above, the truth only Brûlé would know, he was eventually released and returned to Huron country. 

There were many more expeditions, including an epic trip to, and possibly around, Lake Superior. But as time went on and Brûlé continued to embrace the native lifestyle, his respect in the eyes of Champlain and the missionaries began to deteriorate. In their eyes, Brûlé had chosen to live in debauchery and that was a sin that could not be easily pardoned. Adding insult to injury, Brûlé was also chastised for continuing to facilitate the fur trade after New France was captured by the English, rather than returning to France. For this Champlain accused Brûlé of treason and never saw him again.

Brûlé’s death is even more mysterious than his life. After 20 years of living among the Huron he was killed. Speculation has forever circulated around his death - a trade dispute, love affair, or some other unknown reason. What is known is that the event or circumstances around his death were so severe that it is believed Brûlé’s murder “breathed a curse on them (the Huron)”. Epidemics, hauntings and hardships ensued and the Bear Nation he lived with in Huronia deserted their village and disbanded. 

The courage and inquisitiveness Étienne Brûlé had as a young man sparked many achievements, unfortunately his free spirit attitude would ultimately be his demise.  2010 marks the 400th anniversary of Brûlé’s arrival in Canada.  Many of the locations that we now cherish as provincial parks were explored by this remarkable man.

Gourmet Camp Cuisine

Ontario Parks Insider

When it comes to food on camping trips there are generally two types of cooks. There are the survivalists who just eat to fuel up, caring little of taste. They stuff down boiled noodles and fill in the gaps with energy bars. Good luck to them if they happen to be out for more than a few days. They’re sure to crash. Then, there are the campers who live to eat. They take great pleasure in out-doing someone else’s recipe and would far rather plan and prepare their own meals than purchase prepackaged camp food. To them, a long trip is a welcome challenge, not something to endure until you get back to the world of fast food restaurants.

If you’re not a boiled noodles and energy bar person, then try making your own fancy recipes. The more glamorous the recipes are the more positive your camping group will be. Start off with hors d’oeuvres made of Pita bread fried in olive oil and garlic, coated with a white cheese, and dipped in salsa and tabouli mix, then washed down with a cocktail. The main meal could consist of regular fair, usually pasta or rice dish, but with fancy sauces and an even fancier names given to it. And make dessert extra special. Forget brownies. Try a double layered fudge cake with a raspberry centre and topped with white frosting and shaved chocolate.

If you served up a meal like that, especially halfway through the trip, you’d definitely have them praising your talents and abilities as camp chef.

Here are a few recipes to try out on your next trip. They’re easy to make but fancy to look at:

Parsnip and Pancetta Pasta

Ingredients

1-2 medium sized parsnips (peeled, quartered, cored and cut crosswise into small pieces)

6 slices of pancetta 

2 cups water

a pinch of salt

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

a handful of egg fettuccini noodles

1 tablespoon dried (or fresh) parsley

¼ cup parmesan

Directions

Step 1: Fry up pancetta until brown and take out of pan

Step 2: On medium heat, add butter or oil to frying pan and cook up parsnips until lightly browned (approximately 12 minutes). Remove from heat

Step 3: Boil pasta in a pot of salted water and then drain pasta but keep 1 cup of pasta water

Step 4: Add pasta and ½ cup pasta water to parsnips. Mix in chopped up pancetta and parsley and place on moderate heat for 1 minute. Add more pasta water if necessary. 

Step 5: garnish with parmesan cheese

Thai Coconut Chicken

Ingredients

2 cups jasmine rice

3 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 pieces frozen boneless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon curry powder

6 asparagus sprouts

1 cup snow pea

½ cup shredded carrots

1 red onion 

1 can coconut milk

* everything except the can of coconut milk can be dehydrated for a meal later in the trip

Directions:

Step 1: Boil rice in water and let simmer for 20 minutes

Step 2: Place chicken and curry powder in a Zip-lock bag and shake to coat chicken

Step 3: Cook chicken in oiled pan over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Then mix in the chopped up asparagus and onion, shredded carrots, and snow peas; cook for another 3 minutes.

Step 4: Pour in coconut milk and continue cooking until sauce has heated up and chicken is cooked through.

Step 5: Serve on a bed of rice

S’more Crepes

S’mores are pretty much down-graded versions of a fancy French crepe. Spread Nutella on a soft tortilla, sprinkle icing sugar and coconut shavings, roll up in a piece of tinfoil and roast in the campfire or Dutch Oven.

Orange is the new green – Make the drop with Orange Drop

Ontario Parks Insider

Ontario’s parks are one of our greatest natural and cultural resources. We enjoy them today and want to keep them sustainable and healthy for generations to come. That’s where Stewardship Ontario’s Orange Drop program comes in. Propane tanks and other liquids under pressure are potentially explosive. If you’ve got propane tanks, cylinders or canisters of any size, don’t leave them behind – and never put them in with your regular recycling or garbage, even when empty. Join Ontario Parks green scene by making the drop – the Orange Drop.

When you bring your used containers to an official drop zone, we’ll ensure that they’re recycled or reprocessed into new materials. It’s easy and it’s free. Visit makethedrop.ca and enter your postal code to find the drop zone nearest you. For our environment, for our children and for ourselves, it’s time to make the drop!

Interested in learning more about our 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) solutions? This summer, we’re bringing our Orange Drop education program to communities across Ontario. Watch for us, or check out our list of upcoming events. You can also tour our Virtual House to learn more about what you can recycle in your home and where you can return it in your community. Follow us on YouTube and Twitter to learn about our community activities, collection events and education tours and for updated videos and information.

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