This week, in part two of two stories, find out why you never know who you will meet on the Budd Car train, and for good reasons.
And fortuitously, it leads to many natural reflections and the connecting of new dots between wilderness and experience.
Last week, in part one of two stories, I introduced you to a wilderness canoe route – easier than you think – and with some differences.
The Spanish River is one-stop shopping, on the back roads, especially if you are looking for paddling routes. My long-enduring editor, Carol, who knows my prose, said under last week’s headline ‘Exploring Ontario’s Spanish River – A backcountry canoeing gem’ – “In northern Ontario, where water dominates the landscape, lies one of Canada’s most accessible yet wild canoe routes — the Spanish River. With its mix of history, scenery, and train-accessible drop points, it offers something for every level of paddler.”
It’s true. Weekly, I look forward to what she chooses for headlines.
Here is the map for reorientation.
(*And a regular reader, Tom Shreeve, this week, sent this along, about some vintage Spanish River logging history of the Graveyard Rapids… “As you can imagine, no photos (l expect they would not have been good publicity). Not many cameras back then either….
My memory, old as it is now, was that a number of men died there, hence only two crews were tasked to run the longboats through.
Watching that from the rock above the rapids was a sight- I remember the cook stove being one of the only cargo items due to its weight, as everything else was portaged, while the boats went through and we watched.
The dangers of that era could only be imagined in today’s time.”)
How this started
I have been on VIA’s Budd Car, now three times, which runs from Sudbury to White River. One story was in the late summer, a first-time run.
“Looking forward to returning and taking in the contrast of the moments of the winter landscape. Take the ‘Budd’ RDC car; it may disappear, and have a look at all of that water that you cannot access any other way. It is a pleasure, this.”
The other was a winter sojourn (two parts). In the second part. It was a come-by-chance meeting, and I was intrigued by what I saw looking at the Cartier station platform on a cold enough day.
It went like this.
“Cameron Welch is a 23-year-old machinist from Lambton. He now owns the Shooting Star Camp. With financial assistance, the century-old camp was purchased by his family. At age sixteen apprenticed with the previous owner, who owned it for fifty years, for a few years prior to.”
He knows what he wants to do in life.
Metagama and Sinker Creek are the stops for the lodge. In the other three seasons, they have seven outpost cabins along the Spanish River.
“With his friend, Connor Wright, die-hard Detroit Red Wing fans, they hand bomb sheets of plywood and metal roofing for a cabin refurbishment onto the freight part of the railcar. They repeat the performance at their stop. The large framed, encased window is a heavy item, and they are careful. Cameron is energetic; he sells wilderness.
“You sense the chi and northern passion of this young man, ‘I love what I do,’ and he hopes to do this for a long time. The train is the only way in and out, “except for a sketchy seasonal logging road.’ He caters to American fishers and some bear hunters.
“And you can canoe or kayak to your remote cabin, that’s what caught our interest. By the end of this train ride, we have booked for this coming September – another adventure in the offing.” Who does that on a train ride?
So, here we are again, months later, back on the train, starting at Cartier, north of Sudbury. On the way to meet the young entrepreneur again and utilize the remote cabins of Shooting Star Camp. We’ll get back to him, but first, the canoeists who tackled different sections of the river with reasons to consider.
The ladies
“The girls from Kitchener and Guelph, to be more precise, are home safe and sound.”
That from the group of “one adult and three seniors,” sent to Back Roads Bill, post-trip. That’s what they call themselves and have the t-shirts denoting their notoriety. I engaged them at Cartier, pre-trip.
They shared their trip log. The prose is revealing – the details of self with Nature.
“We had such a wonderful time. Even better than we expected because we completed the trip with no portages at all. We never want to get overconfident, even though if you look at the combined experience of the group, we could be ready to go anywhere.
Catherine Dover clarified, “Two of the seniors in the group had done this Spanish River trip 20 years earlier, and they encouraged the other two (of which one is me) to join them to see how it felt 20 years older and wiser.”
They undertake trips like this, “Because we love discovering remote areas that give us access to water adventures. In these new places, we remind ourselves that despite the addition of years to our age, we still want to do these adventures, and we still can. The oldest member of our group is 76 years old, and she, being the expert canoeist, is also the biggest thrill seeker. She taught our newest recruit and youngest member (51) to paddle this water, having never been on a canoe trip before.”
It is a canoeing trip.
“The 55 km from the Forks to the Elbow challenged us in many ways, but we loved being pushed and moved to try new things and to learn so much about ourselves and the world around us.
“The first day from the Forks to just past Upper and Lower Athlone rapids was a great first day to give us some confidence as we avoided two 400m portages! Water level was perfect, and so we risked it and had sooooo much fun. We scouted the water, and with Kristie and Linda’s confidence, we decided to run it. I am the nervous one of the group, but with their belief in me, I feel I could do anything.
You are never too old. “That’s what this is all about, getting out of our comfort zone. The feeling of being up close to those waves and constantly looking out for the danger lurking just around the next bend is so thrilling.”
Their second day on the water was from the Lower Athlone campsite to Cliff Rapids.
“Again, the thrill of the swifts (probably 20 of them on the map) mesmerized us and forced us into ‘the moment’ right there and then.
“There was nowhere else you could be. We bounced over waves and took water in the face and the boat. At the same time, a sensation of meditating and being ‘one’ with the river.
“We finished with the rapids at the Cliff and a beautiful campsite to sit in awe of this beautiful rock face. I think that was my favourite day. There seemed to be so much thinking and decision making, and of course, thrills to be had. I loved feeling the power of the water and the reminder to relax and let this majestic river lead the way. Less about powering the paddle and more about flowing with Mother Nature. I really think the river shows us ‘the way’ and pulls us in the right direction.”
They embraced the absence of time. “Campfire and cookouts make us all feel like kids again, and we spent hours laughing and giggling like we were all 13 years old. This is certainly not easy to do when we have responsibilities and grandchildren to worry about.
“The third day was serene and beautiful for me. I can never get enough of this feeling, being in an environment that hasn’t been manipulated by humans or at least not recently. The forests and the clear water were like medicine for my mind and body; it was again another day of seeing no one. We paddled fairly flat water to Spanish Lake and tried to swim, but only got in up to our waists as the water was pretty cold. We are all avid swimmers and love to include that on all our trips.
Their final night, they stayed up late, knowing it was the last night for a while that they could take in all this beauty. “It was the clearest night of all, and we looked up at the stars and enjoyed that there was no light pollution. We were reminded about how small and insignificant we really are in the big picture of the universe. We wondered why anyone would feel the need to leave this planet for adventure when we have “all this” right here.
Like always, you don’t want the trip to end. “The last day we awoke knowing we had two more sets of rapids. The Zig Zag rapids and the Tofflemire rapids. We needed to remain humble but secretly hoped we wouldn’t have to portage. We checked out the Zig Zag rapids from the portage path and decided to go for it. We could see some obvious right and left turns that were pretty abrupt, but we had those past rapid experiences behind us to move us along. More thrills for the three seniors and the adult! The end came all too soon, and it was time to pull out at the Elbow landing, where the car was waiting for us.
They all agreed that we would do it all over again, “If we had the chance, but there are still so many rivers to discover, who knows if we will ever be back to the Spanish. Life is funny that way, so we enjoyed each moment as best we could. It was definitely worth the work, and more importantly, we have come home with some wonderful stories and photos. We are a strong group of women who have a history of adventures together. We look forward to planning for next year, and right now we are open to just about anything.”
You can do this, they did.
A different perspective. The new Canadian, Claire Puharré, the “adult” in the crew shared as well.
“I recently became a Canadian citizen in October 2024. However, I was told I would not be truly Canadian if I didn’t know how to canoe. Seriously, how lucky was I to be part of this adventure! I have felt for a while now that real Canadians are born with skis on their feet and a paddle in their hand.
“I felt safe throughout the entire journey as I could see and feel the confidence these women project. They told me we would have to portage three or four times: we are back now, and I still don’t know what a portage is, as we didn’t do any. Nothing can stop these women when they are together. They are fearless, powerful women, extremely strong-minded, and that is most likely what makes them physically strong, too.
“They need to prove to themselves that they can still do adventures, and what drives them is their friendship, their mutual respect, and the pleasure they get from meeting up and being together. They enjoy life together, drinks and food.
“And me, like a French tourist, in the middle of nowhere, learning about campfire songs, like Kumbaya, Country Roads, and There’s a hole in my bucket.
I went because I didn’t really know what I was getting into and because they needed a fourth person badly! I just wanted to please, and also, I was curious to see the Canadian wilderness, the one I used to watch on French documentaries when I was a kid. No people for four days, no chance to get that in France anymore. Here, it was all about peace, silence, tranquillity, and just the river, which was speaking to us.
“If you asked me if I would go again, the answer would definitely be – oh, of course, just let me know when.”
There’s that assurance for the next time, the feeling returns time and time again. See their short video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTPUN3K7szQ of (Back Roads Bill at the 58-second mark and many photos taken of them.) They are also on the Back Roads Bill podcast.
Two Guys
TJ Williams is a railway engineer, and Dustin Hanninenis is a tall pipe-fitter from the City of Great Sudbury, a younger tandem. I also met them at Cartier before boarding. They told me that they had started tackling northern Ontario rivers a few years back, and the Spanish River was on their list. They had plenty of supplies and a cooler or two.
More endorsement.
Post trip: “Hey Back Roads, we finished (the start at Sinker Creek) our trip at the “Elbow” Saturday afternoon, I believe the route we took was about 75 km. The weather was great, other than the strong headwind on day one. We only had to do a total of three portages: Hook rapids, Breadner falls and C3 rapids.
Their motivation for trips like this? “Is that when we are older and no longer physically capable of going out on adventures like this, I will have the memories of all the ones I have done in the past.
“This was our first time on the Spanish River, and we can only compare it to the way Eddie Van Halen plays the guitar; it can be modest and melodic, intricate and technical, wild and overwhelming, while beautiful and addictive. We will definitely be returning!”
An Entrepreneur
Shooting Star Camp is one of the oldest remote tourism camps in northern Ontario.
I verified this with Northern Ontario Tourist Outfitters (NOTO) https://noto.ca/ Executive Director Laurie Marcil, who has worked in the tourism sector for about 35 years.
“NOTO was formed by tourism operators who were breaking new territory in the northern Ontario frontier. In March of 1929, fishing and hunting camps and canoe outfitters got together and believed that they needed a voice to Government. This outdoor tourism
“thing” was really becoming popular and needed some recognition and support through Government policies.
Laurie said the tourism sector is closely tied to the history of the railroad in northern Ontario.
“Looking through the history tabs on our members’ websites, many more remote locations were started by folks who worked on the railroad. The land spoke to them in some way, and they wanted to share that experience with others.
“A good number of the lodges are tied to the railroad and, in fact, still use rail today as the only way for their guests to get to them. Lodge Eighty Eight , and Shooting Star Camp are great examples.”
Back to the 23-year-old Cameron Welch, the young entrepreneur. “The land spoke to him” as well.
He epitomizes that expression your mother might say, “Such a nice young man.”
“I’m so glad you enjoyed your trip. It was a pleasure sharing stories and connecting with you. I feel incredibly fortunate to have found my dream job at a young age; many people spend a lifetime searching for fulfilling work. I’m deeply grateful to my family for their sacrifices and unwavering support, which have made this possible.
Some of the refurbished cabins are more than one hundred years of age, if only the walls could talk.
But Shooting Star was the creation of a New York Broadway song writer, Mike Bates, who found his way to this part of northern Ontario. Not much is known about this incredible career change.
There’s a memorial outside the main lodge at Metagama, the first railway stop. It says, “Michael Urban Bates – Near the village of Bateston C.B – Nova Scotia – Jan 3 1891 – This inanimate stone is not presented as the monument his monuments are living ones and will be found swimming around in the Metagama Lakes and streams to bring delight to outdoor lovers for untold years to come.” The C.B. is Cape Breton. Mike Bates was right.
Cameron explains his journey. “About 12 years ago, my dad was searching for a fly-in fishing experience at a more affordable cost when he came across the Shooting Star website. He and his six buddies began visiting the camp annually, making it a tradition. One year, when my dad wasn’t able to join the trip, the camp’s previous owner reached out and asked if he might be interested in purchasing Shooting Star.
The following season, the certified machinist decided to come up to see if it was something he wanted to build alongside his dad.
“From that moment, our family connection with the camp began, and it has since grown into a shared passion and a legacy we continue to carry forward,” he said.
They purchased the camp in 2024.
Where do these motivations come from? “For me, the motivation to take it on with my dad came from wanting to be part of something bigger than just a business. I wanted to help rebuild and grow a camp that people could come back to year after year, just like my dad and his buddies did. Shooting Star is about tradition, family, and creating memories in the outdoors — and that’s what made me want to make it my own.”
Cameron’s father was asked in Chatham about his role. “My involvement has been in laying the foundation: finding the camp, helping bring it into our family, and continuing to guide and support it as we grow. Watching Cam take the reins and add his own vision has been the most rewarding part of all.” The pride is in the place.
Cameron tends on “Preserving Tradition – keeping the classic remote experience alive, where guests can truly unplug, fish, and enjoy the wilderness just as people have for the past 100 years.”
“For us, Shooting Star isn’t just about fishing — it’s about people. We want to keep building a camp that families, friends, and groups can return to year after year, making it part of their own tradition. Over the years, Shooting Star has welcomed all kinds of guests — and many of them have become more like family than visitors.
Who comes to these wilderness cabins? “We’ve had families, lifelong friends, and even past guests who are now part of our circle. Some of our best fishermen have been just 14 years old, proving the camp has something for every generation. Guests have joined us from across Canada and the U.S., each bringing their own stories and traditions.
“We’ve welcomed firefighter groups looking to unplug from the stress of everyday life. High school buddies travelling from different provinces and states to reconnect and make new memories. Spouses who come to share quiet, quality time together in the remote wilderness. Grandparents who have been returning for decades, carrying on traditions and introducing their grandchildren to the camp.
He said of the train trip experience, “It is a big part of the adventure! One of the most unique parts of the Shooting Star experience is that our guests arrive by train. For many, that’s where the adventure begins.
“Instead of battling traffic or navigating long highways, the train offers a chance to slow down and soak in the scenery. As you ride through the rugged wilderness, you see lakes, forests, and landscapes that you simply can’t experience from the road. It’s a step back in time — the same way people have been travelling north for decades.”
For first-time guests, he explained, “The train makes the trip unforgettable. For returning guests, it becomes a tradition, part of the story they tell about ‘going up to camp.’ It’s not just transportation — it’s the first chapter of the Shooting Star experience, and they have the opportunity to connect with the amazing staff the Budd Car introduces.”
I can’t believe he is 23 years old.
Friends Say
Elizabeth Mulholland and Brian Emblin were on the summer and winter train excursions. And were game for the remote cabin experience.
“Above all else, it was a peaceful place to hike, paddle, fish, play games, eat, laugh and enjoy the companionship of the group. Getting there was half of the adventure, starting with the launch at the station, chatting with all the other would-be adventurers, the train ride through the boreal forest, the offloading of equipment from the train and the journey to the cabins via boat. A unique adventure not easily forgotten.”
More friends, Teresa Taillefer and André Taillefer say.
“We have been exploring Ontario for years. We have hiked, cycled and kayaked many scenic routes, but never had we explored by train until we learned of the Budd Car. We have now travelled the train three times, and each time has been unique and a beautiful experience. This trip involved train travel to Metagama, a paddle to Shooting Star Camp to stay in a century-old cabin, go fishing and an opportunity to explore the waterways. As an artist, I took some time by myself, I sat on some outcrop with canvas in hand and painted the narrows.”
Bill Reflects
It’s different.
The concept of paddling from one remote cabin to another intrigued me. And it allows for exploring both the East and West Branches of the river, given the Sinker Creek starting point, and upstream, the portages are short.
And then alone, I was finally glad to inadvertently dump at the end of Sinker Rapids (end of Cavana Lake). It had been a while since the surgeries, and I can’t fully kneel down for stability and attain the needed lower centre of gravity.
A test was welcomed. Just when you think you are through the white water, over you go. Startling.
Still not used to the carbon fibre weight of the Swift Canoe. So light (25 pounds) for portaging, but it needs ballast. Well trained, you know what to do, everything is strapped in, swim/float to the near shoreline.
Now spill the water out. Get warm, the change of clothes is in the dry bag, at the ready. It’s refreshing enough and reminds one instantly of risk management. Smart enough, though, I am not yet fragile. On you go.
This Spanish River trip once again takes me back to the well-known and travelled Canadian writer Roy MacGregor, who connected, “No canoe, no Canada.” He has been featured on Back Roads Village Media stories (Dec. 1, 2021) and on the Back Roads Bill podcast, Episode 61. And what the new Canadian Claire Puharré said in this story about her first canoe trip, “However, I was told I would not be truly Canadian if I didn’t know how to canoe.”
It has been said that the canoe is the perfect machine. It is by design and function. It is a friend like this river.
The canoes will sadly be put away shortly. The backwaters will beckon forth again.
