09-Oct-2004 -- I had been thinking of visiting a confluence for quite a while. I finally became so bored with life that I packed up my gear and went on an adventure.

The long drive to the area was just that. Long and boring. Much of the land in that region has been raped by the logging companies and it looks terrible. I arrived at the bush road leading to the confluence at about 11 PM. I didn't want to risk driving over any cliffs or into a mud hole in the dark so I parked just off the highway at the start of the bush road. I slept in the truck that night because it was raining a bit and I was just too lazy to set up the tent. Morning came and the sun woke me up around 7:30. I started the truck and let it warm up while I got out, stretched and surveyed the immediate area. A gorgeous sunny morning was waiting for me. There were plenty of large trees there, so I guess that either the loggers hadn't cut that area yet or it had been a long time since they had been there. There was a cliff towering to the west and the road curved north and then west around it. Finally the truck was more or less warmed up and the windows had defogged, so now it was time to go bag a confluence!

I drove for quite a ways on that narrow road with trees and scrub scraping at the sides of the truck. Eventually I got into an area that had been logged and I could now see the landscape more clearly. I followed the roads and with guidance from the GPS. I picked my way to the top of a barren hill where the road was blocked by a fallen tree. I took this as my invitation to start my trek on foot.

I got out and grabbed my GPS, camera and water bottle. Because it was moose season I also donned my hunter orange tuque (that’s a close fitting knit hat for you non-Canadians) and safety vest. No point risking getting shot at. And so off I went. The road went over the hill and down toward the edge of the clearing. On my way I saw a pile of bear poop. Lucky for me the bear was long gone. I continued on to the tree line and then pushed into the brush with my GPS in hand.

Now I'm from SW Ontario and live on a farm. I'm used to walking through the forest and I consider myself to be a bit of an outdoorsman. But this was nothing like I had ever experienced. Just look at the photos. It was really tough going. The ground was very soft from fallen leaves and branches and trees were down everywhere. If I had known how rough it was going to be I might not have gone through with it. I eventually made it to the confluence and after stumbling around for 10 min. or so I got all zeros. Woo Hoo! Then I got dizzy and almost fell over. I had forgotten that I hadn't eaten for about 18 hrs. Brilliant, eh?

I sat around and drank some water. There were some berries nearby but they tasted bitter so I decided not to risk eating them. The only thing to do was head back. It was just as bad or worse on the way back to the truck. It was only 1.5Km but it still took almost 2 hrs. to slog through the bush. I got back to the truck and downed a couple of cans of fruit cocktail.

I was alive, I made it to a confluence, I had the proof and I had seen a new part of my beautiful country. Now I'm happy, at least until the next time I'm bored and need another adventure!