HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-09-27, Page 18Crossroads
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Exeter Times -Advocate
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
From the Ottawa River to St. Joseph by canoe
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
LUCAN — "It was just incredible."
Those are the words former Lucan
resident Bob Mosurinjohn uses to
describe his recent 700 mile canoeing
trip from Ottawa to St. Joseph.
Mosurinjohn, who has lived in Ottawa
for the last 10 years but still has family
hi the area, including his father Elmer,
of Lucan, began his journey June 11 and
finished in the third week of August.
The trip is something Mosurinjohn
says he has wanted to do since he was
12 years old. He credits his father for
instilling in him a love of nature as a
child. He says "Huckleberry Finn"
inspired him to make the long trip, dur-
ing which he was impressed with the
kindness of those he met along the way.
On the other hand, he also comes away
from the trip concerned with the
amount of pollution he saw in Ontario
waters.
Mosurinjohn started his trip about 25
miles west of Ottawa on the Ottawa
River and, after portaging around a cou-
ple of dams, worked his way towards
North Bay, down the shore of Lake
Nipissing to the French River, over to
Killarney and eventually to Manitoulin
Island.
After taking the ferry to Tobermory,
Mosurinjohn then canoed along the
Lake Huron shoreline to St. Joseph,
short of his original destination of Grand
Bend, which he couldn't reach because
of canoe troubles.
Mosurinjohn also canoed a 500 mile
trip in the summer of 2005, which saw
him travel from Ottawa to Montreal,
down to Kingston and then up the
Rideau Canal back to Ottawa. He said he
loves being on the water and would start
canoeing early every day and stop to set
up camp before sunset.
"Both trips were just beautiful," he
said last week. "Absolutely incredible."
Despite the beauty of the trips,
Mosurinjohn came away from his recent
excursion with concerns about Ontario's
environment. He said he saw soap suds
in the water every day on his trip. Even
in some areas where the water looked
crystal clear and pristine, whenever a
power boat would go by and create
rapids, soap suds would appear. In the
south channel of the French River,
Mosurinjohn was impressed that he did-
n't see any soap suds — canoeing about
another mile, he found a family bathing
in the water with soap and shampoo.
He has since e-mailed several Ontario
government ministries outlining his con -
An eye-opening trip — Former Lucan resident Bob Mosurinjohn, now of
Ottawa, recently canoed 700 miles from Ottawa to St. Joseph, coming away
impressed with the generosity of those he met but also concerned about water
pollution. In his right hand he holds his 'bear spear,' which he luckily didn't have to
use. (photo/Scott Nixon)
cerns about pollution and the need for
the government to educate Ontarians
about the problem.
Mosurinjohn also blames cottage sep-
tic systems for some of the pollution
problems he saw and said "there are
hardly any fish left ... I think sport fish-
ing in Ontario is pretty much history."
Mosurinjohn fished every day of his trip
and only caught two, one of which was
an out of season bass he had to throw
back. He said he talked to many anglers
along the way who told him the fish are
disappearing. He says one of the reasons
tourism from the U.S. is down because
of the decreasing fish stocks.
Mosurinjohn also said he saw fish -eat-
ing cormorants "all over the place."
He said the farther south he travelled
in his trip, the worse the pollution got.
He advocates greywater from sinks,
showers and dishwashers being used in
gardens which would reduce the load on
septic tanks.
Mosurinjohn is an experienced out-
doorsman who once spent six months
living in a tent. To prepare for his recent
trip, he read many books on camping,
took the best equipment he could and
had marine charts to help him find his
way. He said one of the most important
pieces of equipment on a trip like this is
a hat to prevent sunstroke.
While he got lost a couple of times,
running out of food was never a worry
— Mosurinjohn always made sure he
had a food supply that would last him
four to six weeks. He ate foods such as
potatoes, spaghetti, lentils and a muffin -
like food called bannock.
Mosurinjohn didn't suffer any serious
injuries on his trip. He has wax build-up
in one of his ears that he said developed
when he worked in construction. That
condition forced him to stop for medical
assistance at a First Nations reserve
along the French River. Mosurinjohn
said the reserve was very prosperous
with good economic opportunities.
Mosurinjohn had one scary moment
when his canoe overturned when he
was pulling it through a set of small
rapids. He looked back to see his canoe
sideways and half full of water with his
supplies floating down the river. He lost
his frying pan, his rubber boots, a fish-
ing net and his first aid kit, but said he
was lucky his canoe didn't break from
the water. At the time, he was in an iso-
lated part of the Mattawa River and
could have been in trouble if his canoe
had been irreparably damaged because
he didn't have detailed road maps of the
area.
Fifty-nine years old, Mosurinjohn said
he hopes to make more lengthy canoe
trips in the future and he comes away
from his most recent trip impressed
with how friendly and generous people
were to him along the way.
"I think I always would have been
unsettled in my spirit if I hadn't done
this trip ... now I'm more settled."
Diagnosed with prostate cancer six
years ago, Mosurinjohn said he was
quite sick with the disease at one point,
but is feeling better now. His battle with
the disease is ongoing as he has opted
not to have surgery, although he said he
looks after his health and feels great
after his 700 mile trek, during which he
lost about 30 pounds.
Of his trip, Mosurinjohn sums up, "It
was even more beautiful than I could
have imagined."
Agricultural Donation–The ExeterAgricultural Society made donations to several groups Sept. 12
at the South Huron Rec Centre. Making the donations, which totalled $1,600, on behalf of the Ag
Society was board member Norma Cockwell (third from right) from left, Exeter Karate Club–Trudee
Balsdon, South Huron Canada Day–Nancy Rader, South Huron Fire FighterAssociation–Jeff Musser,
South Huron District High School band–Lana Shapton and South Huron Hospital–Matt Clarke.At
right, accepting the donation on behalf of the Exeter 4H Club were Katie Hern,Ashley McKnight,
Norma Cockwill, Jillian Clarke and Cody Hern. (photo/Pat Bolen)