8th June 2018

Our route wound through the forest on either bank, some areas much drier than others, but the variety of spring blooms on display was delightful. Sadly, the only ones we recognised were the wild strawberries. We stopped frequently to photograph the many cascading waterfalls before reaching a narrow wooden bridge, where we rested for a while in a refreshing breeze, grateful to be out of reach of the millions of flying insects intent on sampling Palmer flesh.

Pressing on through thickening undergrowth, we came across fresh bear paw prints, clearly made that morning and following the same path as us. Sue expressed concern and, I noted, tactically took up position behind me as we continued. After about half a kilometre, the prints disappeared, and I think we both felt considerably more at ease. A little further along, we passed a young woman heading in the opposite direction, straight into the bear country, headphones on and seemingly oblivious to our presence because of them. Well, Mr Bear may have missed his opportunity for breakfast, but I suspect brunch was well on its way.

The sun was still shining as we returned to the car, so we sorted ourselves out and set off back towards the Trans-Canada Highway.

There was little traffic on our easy drive up to Cochrane; at times, it felt quite lonely, with nothing appearing in either direction for long stretches. Occasionally, we would pass a neat and well-maintained homestead, each time wondering what had inspired someone to build a home in such a remote location. I would have dearly loved to stop, knock on the door, and ask the residents that very question, but we are British, and we don’t do that. Besides, we’ve seen Cabin in the Woods and The Blair Witch Project, and we know exactly how that would turn out.

The SatNav took us through Cochrane and out the other side of town, cheerfully informing us that we had reached our destination in the middle of a small cluster of houses. After doubling back and enquiring at one of the motels we had passed, we were directed to the correct location, about half a kilometre away. Well done, SatNav. Very funny.

Before Cochrane was founded, it was used as a summer camping ground by indigenous people and a stopping place for fur traders. In the early 20th century, the National Transcontinental Railway was built through the area and a railway town formed. It was incorporated on January 1, 1910, and named after politician and merchant Frank Cochrane, a former mayor of Sudbury.

We checked into our room and then set off to locate our destination for tomorrow morning: the train station. We are booked on The Polar Bear Express up to Moosonee and wanted to confirm a few details about the journey. The station was easy to find, and after a few queries to the helpful young woman at the booking desk, we were satisfied that we were fully prepared for our next adventure.

Lunch was a quick stop at a nearby fast-food outlet before we parked up alongside Lake Commando (named after a local Indigenous figure) in the centre of Cochrane. We enjoyed a pleasant walk around the lake, admiring some of the properties lining its shore. Today was Election Day in Ontario, and much of the foot and vehicle traffic we passed was connected to the voting, as there was a ballot station at one end of the lake. There was wall-to-wall coverage on TV, making it nearly impossible to avoid the repetitive political messaging. From what I gathered, the resident Liberals were in for quite a shock, having recently been embroiled in corruption accusations. Nothing too different from the British system, then!

Back at the motel, we settled in for a quiet evening.

Tomorrow’s plan involves a five-hour journey to Moosonee, a three-to-four-hour stopover to do something, and then another five-hour return trip. We had originally intended to stay overnight in Moosonee, but after receiving no replies to several emails to the available, sparse accommodation and failing to get through on the phone, we decided to return the same day. It’s not the sort of place you’d want to find yourself stranded without accommodation and no return train ticket for several days!