- MoisieManitouMap.jpg
Moisie and Manitou rivers.
- MoisieTall-10.jpg
The QNS&L railroad.
- MoisieTall-11.jpg
Moisie headwaters.
- Moisie-21.jpg
John Little with the monster wanigan.
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Falls on the upper Moisie .
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Wendy above a canyon on the upper Moisie.
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Wendy and Al lining a ledge on the Moisie.
Photo by John Little - Moisie-14.jpg
Foggy day on the upper Moisie.
- Moisie-15.jpg
John and Al lining a ledge.
Photo by Wendy Scott - Moisie-16.jpg
Lower Moisie canyon country.
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Lower Moisie sand banks.
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Running a ledge in canyon country.
Photo by John Little - Manitou-1.jpg
Jim Higgins and Dave Boedy in a tight spot on the Manitou.
- ManitouTall-10.jpg
Al on a nasty Manitou portage.
- ManitouTall-11.jpg
Nasty portage part 2.
- ManitouTall-12.jpg
Nasty portage part 3.
- ManitouTall-13.jpg
Dave, Al and Jim recoving from a portage.
Al Stirt, Wendy Scott and Friends: Canoe Tripping in Northern Quebec and Labrador
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Moisie and Manitou Rivers
These two rivers drain into the North Shore of the St. Lawrence.
I paddled with Rosie Powell, Jim Higgins and Dave Boedy on the Manitou in 1983. It was the first of many trips on the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway (QNS&LR). Hardly any information was available on the upper Manitou. It is a small watershed that had low water when we traveled on it in August. We faced many rough portages over thick country with plenty of ravines and no trails.
I smile to myself when I reflect on the fact that this trip, rather than discouraging me, led to many more.
Wendy and I and John Little paddled the Moisie in 1987. This was more of a known quantity, having been featured in Rugge and Davidson's The Complete Wilderness Paddler. It had great whitewater and stunning scenery but felt less remote than the Manitou.
The photos I took on these trips are not the best quality but I'm including them to give a sense of the country.