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married a local woman, Angele, whose First Na-
tions people still live on Bear Island in Lake Temag-
ami. The Temagami region covers approximately
1.5 million acres and is home to the world’s largest
old-growth red- and white-pine forests.
Besides the red and white pines, there are spruce,
birch, aspen, maple and oak trees, many turning
the landscape red, orange and yellow in fall, which
the Group of Seven frequently captured beautifully.
About a 4-1/2-hour drive from Toronto, Smooth-
water sits next to James Lake, a part of the ancient
canoe trails that define Temagami, which means
“deepwater” in the local Ojibway language.
There are more than 1,500 miles of canoe trails in
Temagami, where some portages date back 6,000
years.
We went canoeing one afternoon at Smoothwa-
ter, whose name befits the placid waters we glided
upon. But we had come mostly to paint.
“You’ll get plugged into a really strong force here --
nature,” Caryn told us during our first meeting in
the lodge’s wonderful window-walled Gathering
Hall overlooking James Lake. “I want you to feel
the mystical draw of this place. Temagami is a pow-
er spot in the world where the Earth’s magnetic
field holds a lot of precious metals. I want you to
take pleasure in the land as inspiration.”
Caryn gave us lots of instruction in watercolor, but
her greatest gift was simple encouragement.
“Don’t be too reined in by the end result,” she ad-
vised. “We just want to enjoy the creative experi-
ence of it.”
We took our painting supplies on some splendid
field trips.
One afternoon we barged across Lake Temagami
to High Rock, an important site for First Nations
people here, since it affords a 360-degree lookout
and its 300-foot height brings them closer to the
heavens.
We hiked up a trail carved through roots and rocks,
winding through jack pines and peeling birch trees,
until we could see the enormous lake dotted with
Opposite : Canoeing is a big pastime throughout Temagami, and
Smoothwater is one of its best outfitters. Opposite bottom:
Train service to the historic 1907 train station in Temagami was
stopped in 2012, but it is still a local focal point. Travelers can
take a bus here from Toronto now. Top: Caryn Colman, a gifted
artist and cook, leads watercolor workshops at Smoothwater
Temagami. Middle: An amateur artist, Patti Nickell sketches the
scene from High Rock in Lake Temagami. Bottom: The front porch
of Smoothwater’s ecolodge sits on the shores of James Lake.
Wine Dine & Travel Summer 2014 55

