No Roads Lead to Moose Factory

I have to apologize for not following through on my promise to post a weekly blog. Blogging may come easily to some, but not to me. It takes me forever to write... each word is carefully thought out, only finalized after several read-throughs... and I can't help it. But I've decided that instead of keeping True North Travels as a temporary site, I will extend its life beyond my 12-week placement in Moose Factory and continue to use it as a space for me to write occasionally on other adventures. Canada as a whole is frequently referred to as the true north, so the name still fits.

Anyway, I'm coming up to the end of my journey here in the James Bay region so I thought I would still try to share a couple more blog posts as my work load lightens up. Earlier this month I was able to join Meg and Jacob on their road trip to Toronto, Thunder Bay & back as my preceptor happened to have the same vacation days and I was well ahead with my placement hours. So off on a 4000km journey we set ... and I am sincerely shocked to tell you that it didn't feel nearly as long as I was anticipating. We spent 6 out of 10 days driving, and it felt more normal to be in the car than on land by the end of it. Here are a few things I suggest that got me through our trip:

1. Have the option to watch a movie - driving wouldn't have been nearly as fun if Meg and I couldn't snuggle up in the back seat together and get overly emotional while watching several

movies by Sherwood Films.

2. Don't drive 24/7, straight through the night - I think all three of us can say we needed a proper sleep in a real bed to keep us sane.

3. Remember to crack the windows when tough conversations get heated - by that I mean take a moment to breathe when you find yourself in a small space, talking about something controversial and things are getting intense ... not uncommon for two strong-headed people.

4. Don't underestimate the amount of fuel you need when driving long distances between gas stations - we ended up towing a group of young guys who were pushing their van down the highway 5 km before getting to Sault Ste. Marie ... and then on our way back from Thunder Bay Meg and I barely made it to Nipigon without finding ourselves in the same situation.

5. Have good music and good food, and you're set - nothing much more to say about that.

6. Keep an eye out for good scenery, and have your camera ready - although I thoroughly enjoy taking naps in the car, I also made sure to stay awake for those rare photo ops. If I hadn't I would't be able to share parts of the adventure with all of you!

So this road trip was quite unique than any other I've bene on. If you read my first official blog post on my travels up to Moose Factory, you might remember that I took the Polar Bear Express from Cochrane to Moosonee, just across the river from MF. But this time, heading south we ventured on the ice road. This is not a road covered in ice. This is a road made of ice (and compacted snow) - see below.

Its name is the Wetum Road and it exists only between the months of January and March. The Wetum runs 170km from the Moose Cree First Nation through forest and marsh to Otter Rapids, where it connects to Highway 634, which eventually leads to Smooth Rock Falls on Highway 11. The Moose Cree First Nation hires contract workers to create and maintain the road. It still amazes me that Ontario does not have any official roads leading up to this region (hence the title of this post)... all I can say is coming up here has allowed me to comprehend what remote really means in some cases.

Here is us coming up to the start of our journey through the wilderness... about to register at the first check-in point.

I think this is the first time I've ever checked-in to travel down a road ... but I don't question their initiative by any means. And neither can you until travelling 180km through the bush on an unlit, uninhabited, unofficial ice road, along which CAA will be of no help to you.

Road maintenance also looks a lot different in the North. On top of plowing, trucks carry flat heavy things behind them (for example, huge tires as seen in the second photo) to help smoothen the road. The Wetum, however, still promises the excitement of a bumpy ride... helps to keep you awake for taking in the whole experience... and apparently we had it quite good because no one hit their head on the car's ceiling!

It's not quite all bush, though... you do get to go across a few rivers as well. This is when it really sunk in that we were literally trekking through nature. I stepped out of the car at one point to take in the views, and maybe slide around on the ice a bit to stretch out my legs... well worth it.

After a couple hours we came to the second check-in point at the other end of the Wetum, after which Moose Cree First Nation no longer maintains and surveys the road. So with this picture you know that we did make it across alive, in fact with not even one bump or bruise whatsoever! Not longer after this point we drove through Cedar Rapids, home to one of the OPG's generating stations. Crossing over the Abitibi River was something else... you feel (and pretty much are) so close to the end of the bridge, looking over the lower level of the river. I did not get the best pictures to capture the view but you can still get an idea with what I did get below.

I figured I would show you this photo from the OPG's website as well, for a better ideas as to what exactly we were crossing:

From this point we travelled along a charted dirt road all the way to Smoky Falls. We spent the night in Iroquois Falls and got to Toronto the next day. It was quite interesting making the transition from such a small community to the largest city in Canada. But it was a nice opportunity to reconnect with some of the friends I had been missing so much. I also realized how fortunate I am to have very unique opportunities to live and learn in such different settings. Both places have stretched and grown me in many ways, and I am so thankful for that.

A few days later we set off north-west to Thunder Bay, where I was also able to see some friends and family. My dad and brothers were in BC to visit family and ski during the March break, but I did get some quality time with my mama... and I never complain about our girl time when we get it. The road trip up was one I had done before, but I had forgotten just how beautiful a few of the stretches on Highway 17 can be... especially when travelling directly along Lake Superior. This is a great incentive to have some of my Toronto friends come up and visit at some point, hehe. We just so happened to be driving through really pretty parts at sunset too... couldn't get much better than that.

One lesson to take away from this blog: appreciate the roads you have! Travel is much more complicated (and expensive) in the North ... and Northern Ontario isn't even as north as it gets! Too often we take for granted the simplest of things we ourselves might have access to on a daily basis. Another, more important thing: even if there isn't a clearly defined road ahead of you, if God calls you somewhere, you can trust that He will make a way! Not many were able to understand my desire to go to Moose Factory, but I was certain this is where He wanted me to be. And because of that I knew that he would work things together, and that His plan would unfold as He promised.

"Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters...: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." - Isaiah 43:16,18-19