JOURNEY #36 - June 28, 2003

Madawaksa River (Burnstown-><-Springtown): "This River Just Smells Good"

PICTURES

It was bound to happen. No camera.

TRIP REPORT

We didn't think we had time to get on the water today, but after all that wretched humidity we had to take advantage of the decent weather. We didnt' even start getting organized until 2:00, so we were looking for less than an hour's drive. We ended up on the Madawaska River. It's a straightforward drive - down 17 and then a left onto the 508 until arriving at the public launch site near Burnstown. We were charged $4 by the young lad sitting on a stool. I never thought to ask if he actually worked for the township. Ah well, in either case, it's good to support young people taking some initiative.

We set off heading southwest towards Calabogie. The plan was to go as far as the picnic area at Springtown and then head back. There was a lot of action near the launch. Mostly swimming and fishing. We'd see lots of both of those activities for the entire stretch. There were also idiots trying their best to pollute with both noise and fuel, but not too many.

Since we didn't get on the water until about 4:00, there wasn't a lot of fooling around, just some good hard paddling. We did catch an otter sliding down a muddy bank and plunging into the water, and there were a few blue herons who chose to put up with the noisy motorboaters.

It was almost exactly 13 km before we reached the turnaround area. The water is shallow and rocky here, but there wasn't much of a current in evidence. A middle-aged fella was fishing from the picnic area while his wife read a book. It was such a pleasant seen we didn't have the heart to tell him he was fishing in about 4 inches of water. He might well have known that and just didn't care.

Although we were heading upstream on the first leg, we didn't really notice the current at all. On the way back we took some breaks, as 26km in 4 hours is pushing it a bit. Thankfully, all the powerboaters were eating dinner, and it was a lovely return trip. The water was like glass, and the scent in the air was heavenly. A warm breeze carried cedar and other nice smells that had us stretching and breathing cheerfully, despite experiencing some sore feet and hands.

The sun was getting low but visibility was still excellent as we caught site of the little township beach, signalling the end of our journey.

The statistics for the day:

Total distance: 25.5 km

Totaly timne: 4 hours

Average moving speed: 5.9 km

Max speed: 10.4 km

Some other trip reports we have seen recommend this as a one-way downstream trip, but we can't imagine why you would drive all the way to Springtown for just a two-hour paddle. But if you were to do that, definitely drive up in the early evening. It will be quieter, and the scenery more beautiful as sunset approaches.