#2272 "Dumoine Grande Chute Campfire"

This was Day Five of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) supported DRAW (Dumoine River Art for Wilderness) 2019. We were all eco-artists trying to assist with the awareness of the importance of wilderness in modern society. This is the last of this series unless I do larger studio versions this winter - any suggestions?

Don Smith would have certainly used this campsite for sure. The roar of the Dumoine as it pitched over the lip of the Grande Chute and down into the canyon would have been constant. The sound of the cascade muffles everything else and would certainly result in the deepest of sleeps possible.

Don was a canoeist and high school teacher who had the small business "Valley Ventures-Deep River" leading Dumoine trips. Those canoe adventures would have exposed many to the beauty of the Dumoine and the importance of the wilderness. Nature has a calming and healing influence on all who take the time to bask in the splendour. There was a sign in memory of Don Smith on the next outcropping down from this campsite. There were also some sticks in the fireplace all ready to start. Considerate campers typically leave behind a supply of dry wood for the next traveller. We always did. We also always packed out any garbage that might have been left behind. I made a couple of bucks in beer cans from this Dumoine Paint Out. Art does pay...

I had to get out of the August sun and paint in the shadows. I thought the quiet campfire would be fun. There was no heat coming from it. The large boulders around the camp had been smoothed and rolled into place by the huge current of the Dumoine in flood stage.

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