PORT ALBERT—News circulated on Manitoulin this past Wednesday that a man, who called himself Mitchell Nelson to those who met him, and had seen by many travelling Highway 6 in September—a unique spectacle because of the canoe he was towing behind his bicycle—was found dead along the shore of Lake Huron, near Port Albert, Ontario, Police are seeking assistance in helping to determine his true identity.
Both this newspaper and SooToday.com interviewed 57-year-old Mr. Nelson as he made his way through their respective reporting areas on a journey that began in Alberta, utilizing both bike and canoe, and was scheduled to end in London.
Mr. Nelson told Expositor publisher Rick McCutcheon that he had suffered a mishap with his first canoe during the Ontario leg of the trip and so purchased another one in Thunder Bay and continued the biking-towing trip to the town of Red Rock, near Nipigon on Lake Superior.
“It was Mr. Nelson, his bike and gear back into the canoe for a paddle down the Lake Superior coast as far as Terrace Bay at which point he once again took to the road, admitting there had been some long stretches of the Trans Canada Highway along Lake Superior where the diminutive and wiry 57-year-old had been forced to walk his bike and its entourage up steep and lengthy hills,” Mr. McCutcheon wrote of the the man’s travels, referring to the endeavour as “sisyphus-like” in the September 21st newspaper story.
Mr. McCutcheon said he had encountered the man while driving to Little Current from Manitowaning. The newspaperman got to Little Current and decided to go back to the hill at Green Bush Road with a camera where he was cycling and find out his story.
“I chatted with his because of the unusual circumstances of towing a canoe with a bike,” Mr. McCutcheon said. “He was affable enough, but not loquacious.”
“There was a resigned sadness to the guy, and I remember thinking ‘I hope he makes it’,” the publisher added. “It’s a sad commentary on someone who had obviously set himself a task and had almost completed it.”
And ‘almost’ is the operative word here. Mr. Nelson told the expositor scribe that he planned to take his gear across Lake Huron via the Chi-Cheemaun and then put his canoe back inthe water with Grand Bend his destination after which he would be biking to London where he had family and friends.
An OPP spokesman observed to the Expositor Thursday that the point where Mr. Nelson’s body was found on the Lake Huron shore was only about an hour’s paddle north of Grand Bend.
The Expositor spoke with Constable Jamie Stanley, community services officer with the Huron County OPP, regarding the investigation into Mr. Mitchell’s death.
“The body was found in the surf on a beach north of Port Albert on Saturday, October 15 by civilians,” said Constable Stanley. “A post mortem exam was conducted on Monday (October 17) on the body. The cause of death was undetermined, but there is no evidence to indicate foul play.”
As to how long the body had been in the water, Constable Stanley said it was estimated to have been a week to a few weeks.
Constable Stanley also said that a search was conducted for his canoe and bicycle, but they have yet to be located.
“Contact information was found on the deceased that led to the reporter from the SooToday,” continued Constable Stanley, explaining how investigators initially identified the body.
“We have run the name ‘Mitchell Nelson’ through many databases which proven unsuccessful,” added Constable Stanley. “We are hoping that through the news and social media, we are able to get the photo out of the deceased and get a positive ID of the body.”
Police have been following up on tips, indicating that he may have taken the Chi-Cheemaun ferry to Tobermory, which he had told The Expositor.
The OPP have requested the assistance of the Owen Sound Transportation Company (OSTC) in determining when Mr. Nelson boarded the ferry from Manitoulin.
“We do know that he travelled on the ferry,” said OSTC CEO Susan Schrempf, “but we are not certain of the date and time.” Once that information has been determined, the OPP will be able to interview the staff who may have come in contact with the deceased in his travels. “At this point we can’t say,” noted Ms. Schrempf, “because we just aren’t sure.”
There have also been sightings of Mr. Nelson with his canoe and bike travelling on land near Port Albert. Constable Stanley said that investigators are still working on trying to piece together a time frame and travel path.
The end of the Expositor’s September 21 story is sad in its foreshadowing.
‘ “Well,” he was asked rhetorically by The Expositor, “this trip was a good idea, wasn’t it?”
“Was it?” Mr. Nelson responded, setting out again. ‘
Anyone with information can contact the Huron County OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or their local police agency immediately. Should you wish to remain anonymous you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) where you may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.
It is unfortunate we have to notify the next-of-kin in this manner, but we have no other option other than to seek help from the public in this instance,” said Huron County Detachment Commander Inspector Younan.
Mr. Nelson is described as a white male, average to medium build with balding, grey hair, a thin moustache and, according to what he told this newspaper, 57 years of age. He was found wearing a blue Fluid brand lifejacket, a black fleece-type pullover/jacket, black wind pants with the letters “PEP” on a shield and black Nike running shoes.
He told The Expositor that he had left Edmonton, where he had been living for the past several years, on Canada Day viewing the fireworks in the city. He had put his canoe (and presumably his bike) into the North Saskatchewan River on that day and headed north and then east across the prairies and into Ontario on his Odyssey.
When this story was posted on The Expositor Facebook page, a number of readers responded separately that they had seen the man with a bike towing a canoe in the Wiarton area around September 21 so his travel plans evidently altered slightly but at some point he presumably did cross the Bruce Peninsula to the Lake Huron side.
