Partridge River

Partridge River

LOCATION - Ontario, Canada

Route - Source to Moosonee

Distance - 200 miles

Duration - 8 days

Date - June 2001

Overview
The Partridge River is a small river running from a lake of the same name in northern Ontario to James Bay several miles east of the mouth of
the massive Moose River. We accessed the remote headwater lake by driving to a bridge over the upper Kesagami River, which was followed
for several days to Kesagamai Lake. After getting across the lake we made a short portage to Partridge Lake and ran the small, but exciting
river to James Bay. At the end of the trip our team paddled a short distance on the bay and up the Moose River to the village of Moosonee
from where a train was taken back to Cochrane, Ontario near our starting point.

The Headwaters
After the full day’s drive north from Saint Lawrence University to
Cochrane, Ontario the traveling was almost over. That first
night was spent just outside of Chochrane and in the morning
we met up with a local guide that would be driving us to the put
in for our trip. The drive lasted for nearly two hours and took us
up the Detour Mine Road to a spur that lead to a bridge over
the upper reaches of the Kesagami River. Since the Partridge
River has no road access it was necessary to paddle the upper
Kesagamai to Kesagamai Lake, from where it was possible to
portage into the Partridge drainage.

At the bridge the Kesagami was a fair sized stream flowing deep
and having the classic tannic acid induced tea coloration of all
rivers in the boreal forest. Progress through this first stretch
could have been quite fast had it not been for a series of tress
blocking the river. Many of these spruce had been cut and
appeared to have been intentionally dropped into the river.
Perhaps this was done by fishermen or camp owners on
Kesagami Lake, a world class fishing destination, to keep
boaters away from fishing “their” waters. While the obstacles
certainly would have made getting a craft with a motor to the
lake difficult if not impossible, they were little more than
nuisance to our canoes. The land is very flat and swampy in
the region and I distinctly remember hacking a campsite of thick
shoreline alders that evening.

The following day the Kesagami quickly grew in size and much moving
water was encountered. We paddled many easy rapids and enjoyed
warm and fair weather with relatively few flies. Being able to enjoy
sunshine and warm days in the north without having to wear a head net
is always a treat. In many places we saw large fish swimming upstream
through the shallow swifts and class II rapids. While it was difficult to
identify these fish, I believe that they were spawning Walleye owing to
their size and shape. Near the end of the day a few thunderstorms built
and once again we bushed a campsite in the thick forest.

On the third day we completed paddling the fast and enjoyable upper
Kesagami and emerged from the confines of the thick forest at the
southern end of Kesagami Lake. To reach the main lake we had to
paddle the full length of a twenty kilometer long bay. The land is still
very flat in this area and the stunted trees and wide open spaces make
this lake especially vulnerable to the effects of the wind. Throughout the
day a stiff northwest wind continued to build and to make progress we
had to paddle a few feet from shore and put a lot of muscle into each
stroke. At times I thought that progress in my solo boat would be
impossible, but a solid effort eventually carried us to a narrow passage
between the southern bay and the main body of Kesagami Lake. Camp
was made at a cleared site where several large freighter canoes were
stored by the Kesagami Lake lodge. The narrows are a favorite fishing
spot especially when the main body of the lake is too windy for travel.

Kesagami Lake

When setting up camp that night little did we know that it would
be our home for the next two days. That night the wind picked
up and became gusty even at our well protected site. By
morning the big expanse of shallow Lake Kesagami was a
heaving mess of whitecaps and odd shaped rollers. Paddling
out there was out of the question. We were windbound.

This first day was spent napping, fishing for pike, and exploring
the immediate surroundings. We found piles of snow in the
woods where huge drifts must have been deposited by snow
blowing off of the lake this past winter. Several times fishermen
from the lodge trolled past our campsite and one Cree guide
came down to talk to us. He was friendly, but unable to help us
predict the weather. He did say that the wind would likely not
continue for more than a day or two, but added that it often took
the lake a full day to settle down even once the wind stopped.

The wind continued to blow all night and spats of rain slammed against the tent walls. In the morning nothing had changed. With limited time and
food we decided to follow a rough trail in the woods to the fishing lodge to see if there was any way they could help us. Phil struck up a
conversation with the owner and they agreed to motor us across the main expanse of Kesagami Lake and drop us off at the portage to Partridge
Lake.

Late that evening a few guys came by with large freighter canoes. We fixed our gear in the big boats and had an exciting ride across the lake.
The swells must have been five to six feet tall and the way the freighter canoes pitched and slammed off of these at twenty miles an hour was
pretty intense. The guides were really friendly, they didn’t charge us, and even threw a few snacks our way while we unloaded.

After being dropped off we made the several hundred meter carry to Partridge Lake and were thrilled to find its waters calm and almost glassy. A
few kilometers on this lake were paddled in dusky twilight until we reached the outlet of the lake and the start of the Partridge River. One fishing
camp was located on this lake and the occupants did not seem happy to see canoers on “their” lake. We ended up bushing a campsite in thick
woods that night again. Happy to be off of Kesagami Lake we slept well.

The Partridge River
Our first day on the Partridge was under clear skies and great weather.
The outlet of Partridge Lake was only about five feet wide, but it ran deep
and fast. The upper parts of the river were surprisingly narrow and swift.
Alders lined the shores and the fact that the riverbed was often little more
than two or three times as wide as the boats made this stretch feel like an
amusement park ride. Caution had to be exercised as the fast current
often lead to class I and II rapids. We also came up on a few log jams
very quickly, but all were dealt with easily enough. By the afternoon a few
ponds contributed more water to the river and increased its size.

The fast nature of the river continued for several days. The Partridge
probably averaged twenty to thirty feet wide at this point, but in many
places it narrowed considerably and dropped through countless fun and
easy class II rapids. The gradient was surprisingly uniform and much
good traveling was had. Only one or two bigger drops had to be portaged
or lined. Phil also found out that the brook trout fishing in this reach of the
river was surprisingly good. Although they were tiny, there seemed to be
an abundance of these gorgeous fish.

At one point the river was running fast and deep and two huge outcrops of
ledge closed in ahead. At first it looked as though these ledges might
completely block the flow, but a narrow chute barely wide enough for our
boats made a drop of two or three feet and allowed for an exciting run.
The intimate nature of the Partridge River through this upper section was
quite unique and very pleasant. I believe that we were lucky that there
was a late spring this year since there were no flies and high water levels.
At lower flows it is likely that some of this upper stretch would be very
shallow. If flies and mosquitoes had been present the narrow and
confined nature of this run would have made finding breezey spots to
avoid them almost impossible.

The river continued to widen the next day and we ran a long set of named
rapids that were very entertaining. For five kilometers the Partridge
dropped through continuous class II and III whitewater that contained
some rocks and medium sized waves, but nothing to be overly concerned
about. After this long set of marked rapids our river changed its
character, was less continuous in nature, and became interrupted by
numerous ledges typical of previous rivers we had run in the James Bay
region.

The Ledges
To me, this was the most entertaining part of the Partridge River. I am
drawn to the rivers of northern Canada for many reasons, but it is hard to
match the beauty of the rock formations produced by the Canadian Shield.
Running a ledgy river is great because relatively little gradient often
produced exiting rapids. Each horizon line requires a scout, paddlers can
stretch their legs, and monotony is never an issue.

The two days that we paddled through the ledge filled reach of the
Partridge was classic cold and raw northern weather. Many of the drops
were runnable class III and the pinkish rock formations added to the rugged
feel of the place. Scouting, lining, and running the drops through here was
very entertaining. I made the mistake of charging blindly over one small
drop and flipped, but I managed to climb my sorry butt out of the water
quickly enough that my gear did a good job of keeping me dry.

Several tricky portages were made, one in particular involving a short climb
to reach the water where the river plunged over a small and narrow, but
clearly unrunnable falls. A big wood fire was kindled while eating lunch in
snow flurries and its warm flames were very welcome. It’s hard to believe
that the weather up here can change from hot and oppressive one day to
cold and snowy the next, but such is the north. All it takes is for an arctic
air mass to dip south and there you go, snow in June.

This part of the run was pretty enough that it would have been possible to
spend an extra day or two exploring, but since we had been windbound for
two days on Kesagami Lake it was necessary to travel quickly in order to
complete the trip on schedule. Since only two trains per week left
Moosonee it was essential that we finish the trip in time. Although
interesting, spending more than a day or two in the northern communities
of Moosonne and Moose Factory would not be desirable.

Soon enough we had run the last ledge and the river made another quick
transition. The gradient all but disappeared, the course straightened, and
the banks rose to several feet. The last thirty kilometers of the river to
James Bat lay ahead of us.

James Bay
The final day on the river was pretty, but uneventful until we
drew near the bay. A few Cree fishing and hunting camps
were spotted the closer we came to tidewater. A
rambunctious black bear was spotted on shore and it even
followed us for a short distance before disappearing into the
thick forest. Shortly after the trees gave way to extensive
flats of marsh grass and the shores of James Bay had been
reached. The openness and exposure of these vast grassy
flats was surprising, but very interesting after days in the thick
spruce forests. We were not sure about how high the tide
would come so a gamble was taken and the tents set at a
nice looking spot.

While eating that night we heard gun blasts and geese
honking. I stood up to see what the commotion was all about
and found a freighter canoe with two older Crees opening fire
on a flock of Canadian Geese. These guys came over to talk
and provided as much helpful information as possible. They
said that the tides here on southern James Bay were very
unpredictable and varied between two and five feet
depending on the way the wind blew. They also said that if a

north wind kicked up it was completely possible that our campsite would go
underwater. When asked what they though the wind would do they shrugged and
wished us luck.

Luckily our tents were never submerged that night. When we woke up in the
morning we found low tide had exposed extensive mud flats in the bay that
extended as far out as we could see. Eventually the tide came in enough for us to
float the boats. Even with the high tide we had to wade and drag our canoes
across the flats until we found water deep enough to paddle in. A long morning
brought us to the mouth of the Moose River and by the time we turned up this
massive river the tide had turned and we were fighting an outgoing current and a
headwind. The exertion was tremendous, but we had to catch the Saturday train
so we paddled, poled, and lined our boats the twenty miles to Tidewater Provincial
Park.

The next morning we broke camp one last time and headed into town. A few
locals that had been out drinking the night before gave us some lip, but we
minded our own business and caught the train with only a few minutes to spare.
All in all, the Partridge is another great river flowing into James Bay.

Driving down the rutted spur road off of the Detour Mine Road on the way to our
put in.

The team negotiates a log that seemed to have been intentionally dropped into the
upper Kesagami River.

Group - Brad Bassi, Phil Royce, Mike and Carrie McDonnel,
Brian Russel, Brett Harvey, Hattie Shelton, and Lydia.

Carrie and Mike negotiate one of the numerous class II rapids on the Kesagami
River above Kesagami Lake.

Brad Bassi holding the skull of a small Moose found in the thick bush
along the upper Kesagami River in Ontario.

The team hunkering down and having enjoying dinner while windbound on Kesagami
Lake.

Phil Royce preparing to paddle away from one of the few drops that required a portage
on the upper reaches of the Partridge River.

Carrie and Mike McDonnell run a narrow chute on the Partridge
River.

Phil lining up for one of the many fun class II rapids on the upper
and middle reaches of the Partridge River.

Carrie and Mike running a nice dry line through a continuous section of rapids.

Everyone had great lines through this drop, one of the heaviest run
on this particular trip.

Lydia and Brian styling one of the many ledge drops on the lower part of the Partridge River.

A certain portage for the canoes. The open ledges along the river
made for an easy carry here.

The calm and gorgeous lower reaches of the Partridge River at sunset.

Brad posing with a Moose antler at the mouth of the Partridge on James
Bay. The flat grassy plains here were quite different than the thick spruce
forests farther upstream.

The team standing in ankle deep water out on the extensive mud flats of James Bay while
waiting for the tide to come in.