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6-day Agawa Canyon & Kwagama Mountain Backpacking Expedition

September 29 to October 4, 2011
Greenwood and Grootenboer Townships
Algoma District
Wawa, Ontario, Canada

Last revised on August 21, 2016 4:38 PM

Notices & advisories regarding
Michael Neiger's
wilderness adventures

Forewarned is forearmed

A participant's failure to physically and mentally prepare for this adventure; acquire the necessary skills and equipment for this adventure; or recognize, take responsibility for, and avoid the unknown and unpredictable hazards and perils that will present themselves on this adventure will likely result in the participant's serious injury, paralysis, or slow, painful death.

Accidents and injuries

Wilderness adventures—especially remote, foul-weather travel; bushwhacking cross-country; cliff and steep slope travel; climbing; canyoneering; cave exploration; river fording; swimming; canoeing; portaging; skiing; snowshoeing; winter camping; ice travel; ice crossing; deep cold; high winds; etc.—involve unknown and unpredictable hazards and perils.

• Hypothermia• Burns
• Hyperthermia• Fractures
• Dehydration• Lacerations
• Frostbite• Joint injuries
• Eye injuries• Near drownings
• Flu• Falls through ice
• Colds• Car accidents
• Giardia• Et cetera

Accidents, injuries, and problematic incidents are not something that only happen on other people's wilderness adventures or to other wilderness trippers. They have happened in the past on Michael Neiger's adventures, and they may happen on this adventure as well. Click here to learn more about past accidents, injuries, and incidents.

Medical and dental exams

As with any strenuous activity, it is strongly recommended participants visit their physician to make sure he or she approves of their participation in this adventure. A dental exam is also highly recommended.

Safety glasses

It is highly recommended eye protection—safety glasses—be worn on this adventure, especially while bushwhacking, as several participants have suffered near-incapacitating eye injuries in the past.

Cotton clothing

Avoid wearing or carrying cotton clothing on this adventure as when—and not if—it gets wet, it will be extremely difficult and time-consuming to dry.

On past adventures, wet cotton clothing and its tendency to conduct heat away from the body much faster than other fabrics has led to numerous cases of hypothermia, which is the number one killer of wilderness trippers.

Clothing fashioned from nylon, supplex, polypro, fleece, microfibers, wool, etc., are much safer and easier to manage during prolonged bouts of foul weather.

Survival kit

An on-your-person (in-pocket), survival kit—folding knife, waterproof matches, firestarters, compass, mini-light, and whistle—secured with loss-prevention lanyards should be carried during this adventure.

Allergies to bee stings

If you are allergic to bee stings, consult your physician before participating in this adventure; inquire about carrying an injectable epinephrine unit—such as an EpiPen or Ana-Kit—in your first-aid kit.

First-aid kit

The only first-aid equipment available on this adventure is that which is carried by each participant. Consult your personal physician to determine what items, including medications, you should carry.

Emergency medical care

There will not be any doctors, nurses, EMTs, paramedics, or other trained emergency medical personnel on this adventure.

No one will have first-aid or other emergency medical training. At best, other participants may only be able to render the most basic and rudimentary of aid.

Search & rescue

No one on this adventure will have training in rope handling, rappelling, climbing, caving, ice travel, high-angle slope travel, swift-water travel, etc. N

No one will have training in rescue from these situations either.

Insurance

No insurance coverage of any sort is provided for participants on this adventure. It is highly recommended that participants consider purchasing their own insurance policies:

  • Trip cancellation insurance
  • Dental insurance
  • Medical insurance
  • Prescription insurance
  • Evacuation insurance
  • Disability insurance
  • Life insurance

Emergency communications

No emergency communications gear such as cell phones, satellite phones, or satellite beacons (ELTs, PLBs, & EPIRBs) will be carried during this adventure.

The only way to summon search and rescue personal or emergency medical personnel during this adventure will be for another uninjured participant to walk, snowshoe, paddle, peddle, etc. to a point where help can be summoned.

The wait for assistance may be very long—sometimes measured in days—and could possibly be very painful, maybe even fatal.

Since the evacuation process will be both very difficult and costly to arrange, participants should consider carrying their own communications gear as well as purchasing evacuation insurance, as noted above.

The expedition

During this free, 6-day, public backpacking adventure, we'll ride the Algoma Central Railway (ACR) down into the Agawa Canyon, bushwhack westward, summit and bivouac atop Kwagama Mountain, before returning to the Canyon where we'll board the ACR.

Highlights:

  • Peak fall colors
  • Numerous canyon-wall waterfalls
  • Awesome view, sunrise, and sunset at summit of Kwagama Mountain
  • Wildlife including bear, wolf, and moose

Note: Two steep, but not-technical routes will be used to ascend and descend the west wall of the Canyon.

For the latest info and updates about this trip, visit the trip discussion thread on Backpacker Magazine's Midwest Forum.

 

Our area of travel will be in the Algoma District's Greenwood and Grootenboer townships, which are situated adjacent to the remote backside of Lake Superior Provincial Park, well south of Wawa, Ontario, Canada.

Journals from Michael Neiger's prior summer Canadian expeditions

2010 :: 2006 :: 2005a :: 2005b :: 2004a :: 2004b :: 2004c :: 2004d :: 2002

Photo albums from Michael Neiger's prior summer Canadian expeditions

2010 :: 2006a :: 2006b :: 2005 :: 2004a :: 2004b :: 2004c

 

Itinerary

Thursday (September 29): At or after 12:55 p.m., we'll flag down and board the passing northbound train (No. 631) on the Algoma Central Railway at the old, abandoned Frater Station near Mile 102. Frater is located inland from the mouth of the Agawa River, which is located in Lake Superior Provincial Park. Once aboard, we'll ride this bush train down into the canyon, disembarking near Mile 114.

Once on the Canyon floor, we'll check out a couple waterfalls before ascending the west wall of the Canyon via a non-technical route.

Friday thru Monday (September 30 to October 3): Once we clear the Canyon proper, we'll spend several days bushwhacking to and from the summit of Kwagama Mountain, atop which we'll bivouac to take in the panorama of colors, view of Lake Superior, sunset, night sky, and sunrise. We'll likely spend our last night bivouacked in the Agwa Canyon, along the bank of the Agawa River.

Tuesday (October 4): At or after 1:55 p.m., we'll flag down and board the passing southbound train (No. 632) on the Algoma Central Railway at the Canyon Station near Mile 114. Once aboard, we'll ride this bush train up out of the canyon, disembarking at the old Frater Station near Mile 102.

 

Participant requirements

Participants should be adults (18 or over) who are experienced, fully-equipped, foul-weather backpackers who enjoy unscripted wilderness adventures, and can do so without campfires, tobacco, or alcohol.

Note: Participants must be swimmers and in very good physical condition as this adventure is not suitable for the unfit or overweight.

Bivouacs will be in pristine, non-campground settings

 

Fees

While there is no charge to participate in this adventure, each participant will be responsible for his or her own expenses, including train fare, which is estimated to be under $100, and payable to the conductor at time of boarding.

 

 

 

 

 

Specialized equipment

  • Water-hauling capacity: Everyone should have the containers—water bottles and bladders—to haul 4 quarts of water if needed. While we won't normally carry this much water, it may be necessary to pick up water in the afternoon for use at both dinner and breakfast if we end up bivouacking far from water.

    One simple, lightweight solution to this issue is to carry two, one-quart Nalgene water bottles and one, two-liter, Platypus-brand, 1.3 ounce, Platy Bottle (pictured at right) from Cascade Designs.
  • Water-fording footwear: In addition to hiking boots, everyone should consider whether they want to also carry footwear for fording waterways and flooded areas.
  • Safety glasses: Participants must have one pair of glasses for protecting their eyes while bushwhacking.
  • Survival kit: Participants must carry a survival kit on their person.
  • Insulated jacket and pants: Participants must carry at least one insulated jacket and one pair of insulated pants, preferably with sidezips, to stay warm--without a fire--during rest stops, long lunch breaks, and at our bivouac sites.

Equipment recommendations

 

Rations required

  • Breakfasts: 5 days
  • Snacks: 6 days
  • Lunches: 6 days
  • Dinners: 5 days
  • Backup: 1 day

 

 

 

 

Land navigation info

Canadian 1:50,000 quadrangles:

Ontario Provincial 1:20,000 quadrangles:

Click here to learn more about land navigation gear.

 

Preregistration required

If you would like to participate in this free backcountry adventure, or have any questions regarding it, please provide your full name, trail name, city, state, e-mail address, and phone number to the organizer:

Michael Neiger
Marquette, Michigan
1-906-226-9620
mneiger@hotmail.com

Registration: participants will receive a registration form by e-mail prior to the trip.

Liability waiver: participants will receive a liability waiver to sign prior to the trip.

 

Attention!

Expedition advisory: This is an expedition, not a highly-scripted trek through well-traveled bush. The organizer has never visited or explored this bush, or talked with anyone who has. Like most of his expeditions, the route was laid out after pouring over detailed quads and reviewing satellite imagery. Come prepared for an adventure; expect the unexpected; be ready to improvise, adapt, and overcome..

Warm clothing advisory: Bring plenty of warm clothing, as well as an extra set of essential clothing in case you get wet, as this area is known for its cold, windy, wet weather, due in part to its proximity to Lake Superior.

Campfire advisory: Do not plan on having warming or cooking fires as we will be working hard just to find body-sized bivouac spots in many areas. And much of this region is pristine, scar-free wilderness where it would be inappropriate. Also, the fire hazard may be high, perhaps so high that the Ministry of Natural Resources may have a full fire ban in place.

Bivouac advisory: We will be working thick, tangled, untrammeled bush, so all of our bivouacs will be challenging at best.

 

Photos courtesy of the Algoma Central Railway.

 

 


 

 

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In God's wilderness lies the hope of the world,
the great, fresh, unblighted, unredeemed wilderness.
  — John Muir, 1838-1914, Alaska Wilderness, 1890

If you've been able to read this Web page...
thank a Teacher;
If you've been able to read this Web page in English...
thank a Veteran.
 —Author unknown

• Copyright notice •
Content Copyright 1984 to 2011

By Michael A. Neiger

• All rights reserved •
No part of this Web page or this Web site protected by copyright law may be reproduced, transmitted, or used in any form—including graphic, electronic, Web, mechanical or other form—or by any means—including photocopying, recording, taping, Internet distribution, information storage retrieval system, or by other means—for any purpose, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages, without the prior, express, written permission of the author.

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Web site URL: www.MibSAR.com

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