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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-09-27, Page 18Crossroads 18 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)