Morning Paddle on Marshall LakeCrows. Whether they are cawing to greet the dawn at first light, or flying alongside my canoe as self-appointed sentinels to guard and guide me through this wild place, after five days of canoeing alone with two dogs in relative solitude, I realize I have come to not only expect - but to rely on their presence. Yet now, fully clothed and swimming alongside my canoe, one hand holding the line on the gunwale, the other pushing hard against the current in a sublime act of sacrifice designed to keep up all from drifting perilously back downstream, I can't hear anything except my dog's whining pleas for mercy and the sound of churning water as it forces its way past rocks and debris.
The Ogoki forest is 14+ hours or 750 miles by car from Toronto to the put-in at Marshall Lake, which can only be accessed via logging roads that run north-west off Highway 11, deep into the bush within the Township of Greenstone. Widely regarded as the Mecca for hunting and fishing, Greenstone is a microcosm for Northern Ontario. Sprawling across 2,780 square kilometers, this municipality is the largest incorporated town in Canada, larger than several countries yet host to less than 6,000 people. Although a hard-core mining and pulp and paper culture is still evident, with the Greenstone amalgamation in 2001 and a recently launched web portal in 2007, the north has clearly revitalized itself with a direct focus on tourism. In spite of the marketing and hype, canoeists seeking adventure in "shield country" are admittedly few and far between. But if the view of break-taking boreal landscape is what you yearn for, and solitude is your idea of a daily fix, the Marshall Lake Canoe route within the Ogoki forest is the drug that will take you to a place where magic begins.
Now as I scan the shoreline for a log or branch to hold on to, shoulder deep in "adventure", I must confess that onlookers would be justified to conclude this girl's gone wild! With sunglasses askew on my forehead, a torso soaked through to the bone, and hair gnarled with forest flotsam, it would seem the final stages of transmogrification were upon me. How ironic, that my wish for "magic" would be granted conditional to such comedic and grotesque distortions. Decorum gone, I refuse to be diminished by my situation, and in spite of my dogs' pleas to get back in the canoe where I belong, I continue my slog upstream against the current for another kilometer until finally, the water is calm and I can once again paddle safely to terra firma.
Whether you blame it on global warming or just the luck of the draw, with over 30 days of rainfall in the past 6 weeks, water levels in north-western Ontario have reached biblical proportions: an arc might have been a better choice! High water means fast water, and this makes paddling upstream impossible. Portaging through thick spruce, rock and blow-downs isn't an option, so it is walk, swim or battle my way back to the lake.
But decision-making is part of the drill, and the excitement of the boreal is it's wild and unpredictable nature. High winds on large lakes can keep you wind bound for days at a time, wildfires are not uncommon during the summer months and leaving a detailed trip plan with the Ministry of Natural Resources or the Geraldton OPP is well advised.
As I paddle my way back towards Marshall Lake, rain clouds loom dangerously low overhead and the temperature begins to drop. I need to get off the water and find shelter. Weary from my foray in the creek, I look along shore for a place to crash and am drawn to a low-lying rock ledge that juts out invitingly from a nest of conifers. Paddling closer, I'm thrilled at my choice. Cloistered within these 80+ year old pine and spruce are deep beds of lichen and moss. Lichens are not a single plant, but rather a complex group of plants that maintain a close association between a fungus and algae in a symbiotic relationship only nature could divine. Lichens are the primary food source of the Woodland Caribou, found only in old growth forests like Ogoki where the average tree is more than one hundred years old. In the harsh northern climate where vegetation is often scarce, lichens provide this prey animal with a much needed advantage for survival. Sadly, these majestic creatures and one of the most emblematic species of Canada's boreal wilderness are at risk of extinction in Ontario, where their range has dropped by about 50% in the last 100 years.
There is no question their biggest adversary now is logging. Since 1998, the Buchanan Group acting through its subsidiary Long Lake Forest Products has bee harvesting timber in the Ogoki Forest. The 20 year license issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources is now up for renewal. The current plan proposes harvesting via clear cut approximately 70,000 ha of Boreal Forest over the next 10 year period commencing April 2008. 70,000 ha is abou the size of the city of Ottawa! For a few moments I forget my beleagured shoulders and sit in silence, hoping to see any sign of Woodland Caribou. As I ponder the fate of the forest and the caribou, I wonder if it is a coincidence that the name Lichen means "dejection" and "solitude". 
The next morning, I awake to a bright and sunny day. The rain has passed, and I am eager to get back on the water. Sleeping on a bed of lichen is an unparalleled experience in comfort. I am revitalized! I pack my gear and command the dogs to load. After taking a careful inventory to ensure I have left no trace, I look around one last time to fill my senses with the sight and smell of this idyllic place.
In my canoe paddling towards open water, I smile. The crows are back, announcing to the world my arrival. I feel comforted once again by the cacophony of beating wings and rhythmic cawing as my blade cuts through the water. Straining my eyes, I look through the dense canopy to see where these mythological messengers of spirit and creation and hiding. Too smart to be goaded into view, they remain in the shadows, safe from predators while they boldly continue to mock and chide me. It's going to be another great day!
The above trip to the Ogoki Forest was taken in July of 2007. For detailed route information check out the Canoeing and kayking section under the Culture & Recreation tab in the Greenstone portal at
http://www.greenstone.ca/
