So how and why did we pick Woodland Caribou? What was our reasoning? How did we put it all together?

First and foremost we wanted a wilderness experience. We did not want to run into other canoers on a daily basis. We don't mind fly-in fishermen, they're usually zooming about in the middle of a lake whereas we're meandering along the shore and they're gone in a flash. We also know that they'll not be taking up campsites along the route. Sure they'll probably use some as shore lunch spots and they might even leave a fire pit that needs rearranging before we can use it. Also, if there's a commercial camp along the way we might be able to use them as a resupply point.

We wanted a mostly flat water trip, moving water up to Class II is OK with us but it seems that there are not many moving water routes of the duration we're seeking that lend themselves to circular travel. We wanted to plan a trip that would be within the reach of most canoeists that could envision themselves doing a 60 day trip.

We wanted to leave home in early July (to avoid the worst of the bugs) and return around September 10 so that I could get ready to leave again at the end of September for moose hunting - isn't retirement wonderful?

I had called Claire at the Woodland Caribou Park office previously and requested the map and information package on Woodland Caribou so I had a chance to review the map with the idea that we might go there someday. The size of the park, it's seemingly inexhaustible choices of routes, the reasonable length of most portages, the promise of decent fishing, the possibilities of seeing Woodland Caribou and it's ability to lend itself to circle routes certainly impressed me.

I tried to find other information about the park but it seemed that others had only scratched the surface.

On the way home from one of our Gogama trips we met Richard and Debbie Munn for dinner in Sudbury. (Richard was the brains behind CCR - one of the best sites for Canadian canoeing) I asked him then if he had heard of anyone who had traveled extensively in Woodland Caribou or how we could get more information. He related that he'd spoken with Claire and Doug and that they'd love to have more routes publicized on CCR but they weren't getting canoers that were recording and sharing their trip reports.

THE LIGHT WENT ON!!!!

Over the next few months I corresponded with Richard about the idea of using CCR and the expertise of its users as well as the input of local outfitters to plan and execute a 60-day trip through Woodland Caribou.

What you see here is the outcome of that plan.

What were the logistical steps we needed to take to insure that we'll have a safe and healthy trip? For instance, we'd already made dental appointments for June 5.