MY FAVORITE PLACE
Many decades ago, writer John Buchan penned: "The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is attainable but elusive, a perpetual series of occasions for hope."
These words echoed in my head as I waded along the shoreline of the timber-strewn beach, casting for unseen quarry in the lake depths below. Though it was only late summer, the breath of fall was in the air. I was deep in the wilderness of Canada's Quebec province, staying at Marmette Lodge, owned by guide Luc Rousseau. It was a long plane ride away from nowhere. This was pike and walleye country shared by bear, moose and wolves. A place where it was not uncommon to hear the shrill cry of loons mixed with the howls of wolves on a clear summer night. I had come to live the stories I had heard for years, about the great fishing this unforgiving land held for the adventurous.
Shuffling my feet in the clear waters of the lake, I came to a spot that seemed to have a need to be fished. I dug in and cast along a thin grass line, a likely place for toothy northern pike. I selected this spot not only for the potential ambush, but for its aesthetics as well. Facing me, across the narrow water channel, was a sheer rock wall of granite. Surrounding its massive ledges were small pine saplings struggling to keep a toehold on this barren outcrop. They looked as if they had been forced to grow there, for beyond this line was a wall of pine forest stretching more than 200 miles back to the U.S. The view, the reflections, the solitude gave one the sense of place. Wilderness.
Only a few steps away from where I fished were deep moose tracks that led away from the beach and into a small meadow. Here the tracks disappeared among the fallen timber and spongy ground. Running parallel to the moose trail along the beach were the tracks of two wolves, looking fresher, anxious and evidently on a mission. The quiet scenario evoked a haunting feeling for this place of survival.
The silence was shattered by the distant sound of a small outboard engine. I continued to cast as the drone grew closer and louder. A lone Indian standing erect in a motorized canoe appeared, towing another small skiff. More than likely he, too, along with the wolves, was on a moose mission. It was the only boat I had seen in five days.
A final cast brought an explosive strike from the weed bed. The pike tossed its head, made a short run, then surrendered. He was released for another day.
This scenario was not uncommon along this pristine shoreline of the mighty Gouin Reservoir, with its 3,000 miles of erratic shoreline, countless hidden coves and a continuum of changing scenery painted by nature herself. The trip had met my expectations, satisfying my love for adventure and the wilderness.
Charlie A. Petrocci lives in Salisbury.
MY BEST SHOT
Banff's liquid treasure
Brian Buddemeyer, Baltimore
The spectacular turquoise water of Peyto Lake was a highlight of our trip to the Canadian Rockies last July. Located in Canada's oldest and most popular national park -- Banff -- the lake has an unusual color that is caused by minerals in the glacier-fed water.
READERS RESPOND...
What is your favorite Civil War site?
Fredericksburg, Va.
Justin F. Gleichauf, Columbia
"This represents the worst and best of war: the stupidity of Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside, who lost 12,000 men in repeated futile assaults, and the valor and compassion of a young Confederate sergeant who risked his life bringing water to wounded Union soldiers lying helplessly before the sunken road."
Andersonville Prison, Ga.
Jeni Schmitt, Baltimore
"Here more than 32,000 Union prisoners occupied only 26 acres during the last year of the Civil War. Visiting the site of such immense suffering really humbled me. It made me realize how important the fundamental human needs are: food, shelter and clothing. These people suffered despair and deprivation of such magnitude that we couldn't possibly imagine."
Gettysburg, Pa.
Dr. Ronald W. Scates, Lutherville
"For me, there has always been a mystique about it. Not only its hallowed ground where thousands paid the ultimate sacrifice, not only because it was the turning point of the war, but because one Capt. James Madison Scates of the 40th Virginia survived Pickett's Charge. For that, his great-grandson is thankful."
More Next Week
Because of the large number of readers who wrote to us with their favorite Civil War sites, more responses will be published in next Sunday's Travel section.
Pub Date: 03/28/99