A fiery sunset casts a reddish glow on the smooth, brown granite that slopes down into Obatanga Lake. It’s been a bit of a scramble getting this trip together, but as I sit on the warm, smooth rocks and draw a lung full of pine-scented air, I realize that it’s been well worth the effort.
Francine and I don’t see our daughter, Islay, nearly enough. We also don’t paddle as much as we used to. So when our 22-year-old clears a few days to spend with her parents, we decide to have our visit in the wilderness.
Like a well-oiled machine, we spring into action: Islay packs the food, Francine gathers the camping gear, and I take care of loading canoes, fishing gear, and choosing where to go.
In Algoma Country, selecting a paddling route can be daunting. In an area that includes the coast of Lake Superior and an undulating landscape cradling interconnected lakes and rivers, we are presented with a wealth of options when choosing where to dip a paddle.
For this short trip, we are looking for accessible wilderness and established campsites amidst boreal surroundings where there’s a good chance of catching a walleye dinner.
In the end I choose Obatanga Provincial Park west of Wawa, and as the sun disappears behind the spindly spruce of the far shoreline, all the ingredients are coming together—except for the fishing, and I plan on taking care of that in the morning.
Obatanga Lake is central to the 9,400 hectare non-operating Provincial Park, and it takes half a day of paddling across lakes, wading up rivers, and portaging around rapids to reach the 5-km-long lake. Like other lakes in the park, Obatanga has good fishing, but after sliding my canoe onto the calm waters of early morning, I’m having trouble getting enough fish for a feed.
- James Smedley