The Magnet of the Tobeatic

I am slowly working through a backlog of photos that I want to share.  This post, I feel, is my first attempt to actually bring us up to the present.  From September 27th – October 3rd, I was on a men’s canoe trip with nine other men in the most mystical of places, the Great Tobeatic Wilderness.  Quite by chance, we traced the identical route taken by myself and the Whynots in April of this year, but I could trace it a thousand times over and still find wonderous new things, and discover that sense of adventure all over again.

Day 1: Jim Charles Point

Jim Charles Point

We started our trip, interestingly enough, on Jim Charles Point.  The next morning, we drove around to Eel Weir instead of crossing Kejimkujik Lake because of high winds.

Day 2: Eel Weir

High Winds on Keji

It was noon before we set out from Eel weir,

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The Magnet of the Tobeatic – Part II

Day 4 – Sisketch Lake

Day 4 began early on Sisketch Lake.  Brian and I had risen early and decided to take a morning paddle through the silent giants in the morning mist and watch the sunrise from the lake.  Words can’t describe this beauty, so here’s a collection of photos from the Sisketch Sunrise:

First, I’ll start with some photos from the nighttime.  These are about 20 second exposures with the moonlight hitting the rocks and trees.

Midnight Moonlight

Midnight Moonlight

The Magnet of the Tobeatic – Part III

Day 5 – Junction Lake

We start our day on Junction Lake and as we set out, Brian gives us an inspirational reading from the shore.

Thought of the Day

We visited the point where the current county lines (Yarmouth, Shelburne, Queens and Digby) converge. 

Magnet of the Tobeatic – Part IV

Day 6 – Mink Lake

My Solo Spot

The Legend of Jim Charles (and the search for Jim Charles Rock)

There are many versions of the story of Jim Charles, like any good story that has been told around campfires for many generations.  A great version of the story appears in Mike Parker’s book, “Wood Chips and Beans” and another good version comes from a blog by “the nature writer”, Laurie Lacey.  Basically the story goes like this:

Jim Charles was a man who lived in the Kejimikujik area in the 1800’s.  He was one of the most skilled of the guides in those woods and frequently took sporting fishermen and hunters deep into the woods where the fishing and game hunting were prime.  He and his wife lived on what is now known as Jim Charles Point on the Kejimikujik Lake.  Jim had discovered a gold mine deep in what is now the Tobeatic wilderness and became quite rich.  Now the men in the village became jealous of Jim Charles’ fortune and tried to get information about the location of this gold mine which he kept a secret.  One night a man became quite forceful with Jim at a bar when he refused to give up the location and picked a fight with him.  Jim knocked the man clean off his feet and several hours later, the man was dead.

It should be mentioned now that Jim Charles was a Mi’kmaq man and though he was well respected within the community, there was no guarantee of a fair trial with the murder of a white man hanging over his head.  So Jim did the only thing he knew to do and took to the woods.

Jim Charles Rock

Photo Courtesy of Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management

Reference Number: N-2516/ Album 43, #2

Author’s Note: It is mentioned in other online sources that this is Boundary Rock.  It is not.  This is what I believe is Jim Charles’ Rock.  Boundary Rock is much smaller than this rock as is apparent from the size of the man standing in the bottom right hand corner of the photo.  It is believed that this photo was taken by J.A. Irvine in 1899.

It is said that Jim Charles stayed in those woods for years.  He stayed in there for fear that the men of the village were looking for him.  He hid under a enormous rock, where there was a cave underneath, and from on top of which he could see anyone coming from miles around.  This is what’s now referred to as Jim Charles’ Rock.  It is said that it is near Cofan Camp on the Sand Beach Lake, but like the Boundary Rock, little is know as to its whereabouts.  He also never returned to his gold mine, for fear that the ghost of the man he killed was haunting it.  Also, he had no need for gold unless he could spend it, which would require him returning to town.

Some of the stories about Jim Charles claim that he did in fact return to town and stood trial and was found not guilty for the murder of the man.  Some say he never returned from the wilderness.  Whichever is true, the fact is that the exact location of the mine, and the rock died with Jim Charles.

So we will spend a day on our trip to search for Jim Charles’ Rock.  Here is a draft of our itinerary as it stands now:

trip itinerary - The Search for Boundary Rock