INTO THE WILDERNESS
For hours, we traveled through remote wilderness with almost no signs of civilization. At times, it felt as though we had gone more than 100 miles without encountering a stop sign or major road crossing. Wolf and moose tracks crossed the snow, while forests stretched toward the horizon. This was the Canadian Shield in winter: vast, remote, and beautiful, the kind of landscape that makes you feel small in the best possible way. There were a few minor mishaps along the way, including a stuck sled and some gear that escaped from a tunnel bag, but nothing threatened to put an early end to the trip. We arrived in Wawa expecting a routine stop at the local dealer for oil, only to discover that nearly the entire town was closed for Ontario’ s Family Day holiday. After some scrambling, we came up with a plan to get the supplies the following day and keep the expedition moving.
ARRIVAL AT TURNER’ S
The final ride into Manitouwadge delivered some of our best and most challenging conditions yet. Strong winds swept drifting snow across powerline sections, obscuring tracks and landmarks and making navigation difficult despite freshly groomed trails. When we finally reached Turner’ s Northwoods Adventures, we’ d hit a major checkpoint. The sleds needed maintenance, equipment needed checking, and we needed answers.
The next leg would take us beyond established snowmobile corridors, where maps and GPS could only get us so far. Fortunately, Kevin Turner had years of experience traveling the region and a massive wall map showing much of the countryside. As we studied routes and discussed options with Kevin and his wife, the reality of what lay ahead began to sink in. The first half of the adventure had been about getting there. The second half would be about finding a way through. Beyond the forests, logging roads, powerlines, and unmaintained routes, an entire side of Lake Superior awaited us.
The next morning we left Manitouwadge with a route
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