Heritage Days

 A very big THANK YOU to all the wonderful Coureurs de Bois volunteers, Renée, Don, Twyla, Tim, Maret, Ruth, Bev, Keith, Mara, Don, Nikki, Jane, Sirje, Rosemary, Emily, Karla & Jack, who came out and helped at the Street Dance. Your help was very much appreciated.

Denison Mine Road Area 2026 06 27

 Three was the magic number for this week hikes and the company was great 

RAFO Rive-Nord

 Are you a Francophone? Have you (or do you know someone who has) lived in the town of Elliot Lake? Did you (or do you know someone who) work in the mines in their early days? Did you open or work in another business during the booms and recessions? Did you survive the mine closures? Do you have fond childhood memories of Elliot Lake? Have you (and your family, your neighbours) experienced victories and challenges as Francophones in our community? Would you like to share your story of arriving during the mining boom? Have you (or do you know someone who has) worked for Francophone rights in Elliot Lake? (Our schools, our church, etc.) etc. etc.

RAFO Rive-Nord is preparing to stage a play that will highlight the resilience of Francophone pioneers during the early days of Elliot Lake. Would you be willing to share your memories? It would be a simple discussion about your experiences, anecdotes, and daily life at the time. Depending on your preference, you could share them individually with us or with other participants, in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. Our goal is to share and preserve the memories of those who built our community. 

We will be collecting testimonials in August 2026. Would you like to participate? Would you like to share this message with someone who might have some great stories to tell? 

Please contact us via Facebook (via comments or Messenger), by email ( lcharbonneau@francorivenord.ca , dsavard@francorivenord.ca ) or by phone (at 705 208 6057). 

Please reply by July 7th. 

Many thanks in advance and looking forward to chatting with you.

Cup & Saucer June 25, 2026

 After following the weather forecast for the past two days and seeing 75% chance of rain from 8am till 9pm I am going to cancel the hike to the Cup and saucer on Manitoulin Island this Thurs June 25th. If its possible I will try to reschedule it at a later date.

Pine Point Trail 2026 06 23

 June 22 was such an inviting morning with clear, blue skies and mild temperatures that three of us decided to accept the kind invitation. 

We explored the area south and east of Angel Lake.  ELATV trail 2 brought us to Jake's Lake for a brief rest. 

 The A frame structure has been removed. Not sure why. 

Some evidence of bonfire and party  debris were seen around the rocky shore line and juniper bushes.

Lady's Slippers were still blooming in patches here and there along thr trail and on Pine Point. Blueberry bushes covered the ground. 

Our trail from ELATV 2 to Pine Point starts just up a hill from Turtle Rock.  The trail needs some TLC. 

 The swamp is almost dry. The huge beaver lodge is high and dry . The occupants have moved on to other ponds in the area. 

The bugs were well fed!  We decided to return and clear up the Pine Point trail.

5.5 KM and 3 slap happy hikers. 

Today it was decided to clear the last 250 meters of trail from the ELATV trail to Pine Point. 

The red markers had all "disappeared"  from the trail. There was debris from windstorm etc since last summer. A power pruner came in handy for this job. 

We took time to enjoy the early summer flowers : ox eye daisies, orange and yellow hawkweed, purple vetch, dandelions , and buttercup. 

A mourning cloak butterfly posed for the camera. An acrobatic caterpillar climbed up its web. Maybe it was auditioning for Le Cirque du Soleil!

Great way to start the day.

PHOTOS

RYE LAKE 2026 06 20

 Rye Lake

A beautiful sunny day after endless

rain and grey skies.  A quartet of energetic CdeB hikers set off to Rye Lake.  No mud/water hazards, few bugs and expanses of lush green forest made our hike along the old road very pleasant.  Spotted false trilliums, some strawberry plants and blueberry bushes (no berries yet).  Tadpoles and a loon were enjoying the water of Rye  Lake.  Birdsong and our chatter were all that broke the quiet on the trail and the lake.

A very enjoyable outing on the amazing trails at our doorstep.

PHOTOS

Kayak/ Canoe Outing

 Tim will be going for a kayaking jaunt on Quirk Lake Wednesday 24 June at 10 am. Meet at the boat launch approx. 9 km along Stanrock Road, launch is on the north side, parking on the south side. A nice outing to see Rooster Rock and a landing area a little further north.

Dunlop Lake Boat Launch 2026 06 13

 We were a positive group for the first thirty minutes... for the last 30

The rain came so the rain gear came out.

All glad we went.

PHOTOS

Sherriff Creek Yellow Trail and Beyond 2026 06 09

 Flexible plans make for great adventuring!

Three Wonderful Women met and discussed a possible change in plans for a shorter route to avoid getting caught in the rain ... and so it began.  Plan B was to take us along the yellow trail in the Sheriff Creek area and then up to the cliffs on Horne Lake ...  however ... a short way in, another trail beckoned to us.  Emily simply outlined the possibilities but it was a unanimous decision to follow the steeper trail upwards, afterall, the path had been blown clear of leaves for us!  Each junction further along followed the same routine, options by Emily and voting  - and never the easy way for the Wonderful Women! ... so upward we continued, past THE erratic and on toward the summit.  Eventually the decision was made to exit the trail system at the area near the bench on the Lookout Tower Road, not in defeat by the challenge but to escape the unrelenting mosquito attacks.  Highlights along the way included a beautifully picturesque stream, many bird calls identified by and sometimes returned by Emily, sprouting acorns, a patch of unusual red lady's slipper along with several other beautiful wild plants getting ready to bloom (Emily knew their names!), bear scat presumably by a solo young bearcub, and even a frog hopping along in the middle of the forest!  The return along the road proved proftable - we collected $1.00 in refundable drink cans and we saved on reduced blood donations to the insect hordes!

Was Plan B shorter? - sure didn't feel like it!

The weather?  - actually fully cooperated with our adventure, ushering us to our car under sunny skies!  Ahh, another great day spent communing with nature.

PHOTOS

Camp Thompson 2026 06 08

 Three willing CdeB hikers were ready at the trailhead to follow the ATV trails to Camp Thompson, but one of our number had to return to town due to car issues. As we were there, and all kitted out to hike, two of us hit the trail.

The trees are in full leaf.  Ferns, wildflowers and grasses are overshadowing the leaf litter from last fall.  Birdsong, the buzz of mosquitoes OUTSIDE of our bug nets and the drone of horseflies circling our heads provided the musical background for our hike. Lost our way on a side loop that avoided most of a mucky section, but found the way back to the trail without too much kerfuffle. Unfortunately,  I forgot my phone/camera and can not provide any photos of our hike.

Beautiful sun, light breezes, warm temperatures and amazing scenery. Glad to be out enjoying a couple of hours