Osprey's Catch Traditional Cache

Dreamcacher heard a splashing noise, and turned around in time to see an osprey catch a fish out of the river with its claws. An osprey will carry the fish head first while it flies, for streamlining. Then it will find a tall tree, alight, hold the fish in its claws and use its beak to feast. We watched all this happen today while placing caches on the Crowe River. Amazing.

This stretch of the Crowe River, from the bridge in Marmora, to Callaghan's Rapids, has been a favourite of Dreamcacher and Inuksuk for many years, long before we knew about geocaching. Now, because of this game, geocaching, we can share this 3 km river treasure with you. The titles of the geocaches all have to do with wildlife we have seen near each GZ. Somedays we see a plethora of wildlife. Other days we see nothing. If you go quietly, you are more apt to encounter some kind of wildlife.

The boat launch is large. There is a beach close by. Marmora has a lot of conveniences... and gas is usually cheap. Stock up with a picnic lunch, because once you reach Callaghan's Rapids, you will want to stay there for a little while, guaranteed. 

The Crowe River does flow south, but in this 3 km stretch, there is no current (or none to speak of), but check wind speeds. It is a north-south river, and it is only 200 metres wide in most places, so even a fairly strong west wind is usually manageable. In one place along the river, you can see the Marmora Iron Mine in the distance and much of the shoreline closer to the Twin Iron Bridges at Callaghan's Rapids belongs to the Crowe Valley Conservation Area. Once you leave Marmora and start paddling south, it suddenly becomes very quiet. When you reach the Twin Iron Bridges (rail trail) at the start of Callaghan's Rapids, you are likely to encounter people who love to ATV or walk to the rapids. At other times, you will have the whole lovely place to yourself.

Enjoy the area and the wildlife and CITO if you see any garbage. Thanks !