Nahanni Canoeing Trip August 2010

Nahanni Canoeing Trip July/August 2010:

The Nahanni River is situated in Canada’s Northwest Territories and is a river of raw, unspoilt, jaw dropping and breathtaking beauty. The Nahanni National Park became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 1978. The name Nahanni comes from the indigenous Dene language and can be translated to “spirit”, although according to R. M. Patterson’s book “The Dangerous River”, Nahanni means “The people who speaks like ducks”. The river itself twists through a deep gorge which is up to 1200m deep and drops down into the spectacular Virginia Falls which is twice the height of Niagara Falls! This river is one of romance and mystery and is supported by names such as Deadmen’s Valley, Hell’s Gate, Headless Creek, Funeral Range, Burial Range, Painted Canyon and many more...

This untamed wilderness is also home to a very diverse host of animals which include black and grizzly bears, wolves, otters, beavers, moose, caribou and white Dall sheep who will keep a watchful eye from the high canyon cliffs. Above the canyons and the Dall sheep, bald and golden eagles soar the skies and in the evening the lonely cries of the wolves is a contend reminder that this place is not meant for man. My Nahanni trip started as an idea planted whilst chatting to the on-line forum members of “myccr.com”. website. The local residence residing on that forum were extremely friendly and helpful and confirmed the warm nature of Canadian people!

Day 1 – Friday: The mosquitoes have been having a blast feasting on my blood the last few days and I've been itching all the time. It didn’t take me long to get a very large can of Muskol to ward off the little buggers. After breakfast I packed up all my gear which consisted of 1 plastic food barrel with harness and a small rucksack for all my personal belongings. The rest of the group arrived later that morning and soon after that we took float planes out to Rabbit Kettle Lake where we were camping for the night. Because of the large group and the amount of gear that had to be transported, it took three trips. I boarded the first plane which was a Twin Otter and along with the pilot, co-pilot and 6 passengers we also loaded 3 canoes, a few food barrels and some smaller items. 

We had to don ear plugs for the flight due to the noisy engines and after take-off we could clearly see where the Liard and McKenzie River met as they are two very different colors – one muddy and the other clear. We flew over evergreen forests with snaking rivers glittering in the sun, which then gave way to rugged mountain ranges stretching as far as the eye could see! Rabbit Kettle Lake was beautiful and was nestled between the mountains in a forest of white and black spruce, jack pine and birch. The float plane dropped us off there and while we waited I took one of the canoes for a paddle to try and figure out the J-Stroke which I’ve never done before. Not too long after that the others arrived and after setting up camp, dinner was prepared by our guides – Bella, Ingrid and Curtis. They make us large Portobello mushrooms grilled on the fire with pesto and cheese. That was followed by salmon, rice, corn on the cob and a salad. Dessert was strawberries and cream which made for a very delicious first meal! After that we all retired to our tents as the weather was fairly cold and it had also started to drizzle.

Day 2 – Saturday: During the night it rained and it continued to do so most of that day. It was also fairly cold and we all had to put on extra layers of clothing. Breakfast that morning was eggs and bacon with crumpets which were toasted on the fire along with fruit and cookies. After breakfast we met up with a Dene Elder who chanted some songs next to a campfire. He gave us some tobacco to throw into the fire as according to their beliefs, it is the only way of connecting with the spiritual world.

Straight after that we started our hike which took us through the forest where we saw lots of mushrooms, berries, trees, lakes and mountains. Everything looked very green as we walked along in the rain towards the tufo mounds which were our destination. At one point we had to use a boat connected to a wire to pull ourselves across a very fast flowing river to reach the safety of the other side. It was great to see the tufo mound with the water bubbling up in the middle of it. From the top of the mound we had a lovely view over the 3 valleys: Rabbitkettle Mountains, Ragged Range and the Hole in the Wall.

Back at camp we had a quick snack and then got straight into the hard bit which was our first portage of about 700m long. I made three trips and portaged a canoe as well as some heavy food barrels. At the other side we got paired up with our new paddling partners. Mine was a very nice, bubbly woman called Eve and it was great fun paddling with her! After loading up all our gear we were finally able to get on the water and so our adventure down the Nahanni River began. The flow rate of the water is around 7km/h and together with us paddling we could manage around 10km/h so it didn’t take us long to paddle the 12km to our campsite. We could see many large trees in the water that lay together in large wood piles and the mountains in the background looked hazy in the rain. That afternoon we set up camp on a gravel bar and the first thing that went up was a large tarp to keep us dry from the constant rain. I helped with collecting fire wood and Curtis started the fire which helped to warm us up. We had chicken stir-fry that evening with chocolate and fortune cookies for dessert. We all found it very amusing when we had to read our fortune out loud followed by “in bed” which caused much laughter! 

Day 3 – Sunday: We all got an emergency wake-up call around 2:00 when the water level rose so much as to convert our gravel bar into an island! Some of us had to move our tents as the water level was very close to some of the tents and still rising. Mine was about 4 meters away from the water and it seemed ok to last me till the morning so I got back into bed -I was wrong. At around 4:30 we were all woken again when we suddenly found that some of our tents were already standing in the water! I also had to move my tent and some of the others had to move for the second time! 

By morning the rain had at last stopped and we had a breakfast of French toast with maple syrup and muesli with canned fruit and yogurt. That day I was in the stern for the first time and I had to learn how to do the various strokes. We had a strong wind at our backs all day long and covered a total of 46km! Steering proved difficult at times when the wind caught the back of the canoe and we had to paddle hard to keep it in a straight line. At certain times we would form a flotilla which consisted of all our canoes, held together through a mixture of limbs and paddles, and it was on these that we would kick back and relax while snacking on GORP, chatting, sipping water and for some even catching a quick snooze!

A beaver slapped its tail twice as we paddled down massive towering mountains and evergreen forests on either side. At some sections we would pass clusters of dead trees which looked like dead white bodies laid sprawled out in a twisted array of limbs. The Nahanni River seemed to have a life of its own – pulsing with whirlpools and eddies while the sand scraping the bottom of the boat whispered softly as we glided along the water. The clouds finally cleared that afternoon and the sun was a welcoming sight as we set up camp on another gravel bar next a stream called Flood Creek. The stream was crystal clear and you could easily see where the clear water met the dark brown water of the Nahanni. 

I went fly fishing in the stream and caught my very first grayling on the first fly that I’ve ever tied which was a Black Zulu. Dinner that evening was risotto followed by pears in a chocolate sauce. It was very peaceful there – almost surreal as if we were caught up in a photo album with all the dramatic beauty that the Nahanni had to offer. I noted that fire was always made in a fire box and the working surface for our kitchen was an upturned canoe resting on two food barrels. We also saw many wolf and moose tracks in the river bed. We paddled about 45km that day.

Day 4 – Monday: I heard a beaver slap its tail twice that night and it was very loud! Breakfast that morning started with the usual strong coffee followed by blueberry pancakes doused with maple syrup which were absolutely delicious. After breakfast we practiced some strokes which were draw, pry and cross draw strokes. The sun was already fairly hot when we started paddling and we all had to lather ourselves in sun block. At one stage we almost had a fatality when we paddled past a fork in the river where there was an island of driftwood. One of our canoes got caught up in the drift pile and the force of the water dragged the whole canoe under taking with it one of our crew! Roy was in the stern and managed to get ashore but poor Peter got swept under by the strong current and pinned between the canoe and a tree trunk. He got dragged under again and was lucky to surface again! We had to quickly pick up their gear and canoe and paddle to the safety of the shore. There I fed a very shaken and wide eyed Peter a shot of Sloe gin to calm his nerves. Something like that could so easily happen to any of us so we were all fairly quiet as we paddled onwards.

Paddling that day was hard work as the river made many meanders and due to this the river slowed down. We covered a total distance of about 50km and we were all very tired and my shoulders were really sore. We paddled up a small river which ran into the Nahanni and that opened up into a beautiful lake called Oxpow Lake next to the mountains. Our campsite was situated at the far side of the lake where a stream entered the lake. After setting up camp I tried my camp shower for the first time which worked great. I filled it with water and it warmed in the sun while lying in our canoe. It was great having a warm shower standing there naked in the forest with an audience of two playful baby mink squeaking at me – they were really cute! I also shaved using my signal mirror and battery powered shaver and felt very refreshed after. At 21:00 that evening it was still light and our guides saw a black bear eating berries near our camp which they scared off.

Day 5 – Tuesday: I got up at 7:00 that morning and started the fire to speed up the process of coffee making. Dry spruce twigs and birch bark works a treat to start a fire! That morning breakfast was frittata with a 5-seed Redriver cereal. The lake was dead calm that morning and reflected the mountains and forest. We paddled back across the lake and into the Nahanni which was fairly broad and slow moving at that section. We stopped at an island to collect firewood for our campsite at the Virginia Falls which was only another half hour away. We only had about 20km to paddle that day.

Upon nearing our new campsite the mighty thunder of the falls grew louder and slightly unnerving as we paddled closer to it. The campsites there were in excellent condition with a network of wooden walkways and platforms for pitching our tents. After pitching my tent I went to the stream to pump water and I can only note that pumping water is a serious pain in the ass! We were given a task of carving a paddle for hanging up in an old warden’s cabin so I started whittling one out of a log. The whittling fever quickly spread through the camp and by morning it looked like a family of beavers invaded our camp! That afternoon we met up with the wardens and they took us for a walk to the falls. It was very hot that day and the temperature hovered around 30C. The falls were amazing to see and had a very vivid rainbow in the mist of the falls. The thunder was almost deafening and we almost had to shout at each other to have a conversation. 

The falls consisted of the Sluice Box which is an angry set of rapids with a drop of 30m which then empties out around Mason’s Rock down a massive drop of 90m! You can’t help but feel moved and awed when listening to the falls – pictures and words really don’t do it any justice. In that area we were able to see bear berries, knik-knik, soap berries, crow berries, juniper berries, blueberries, rosehips (itchy bum) and Labrador tea. The forest there consisted of white and black spruce, tamerac/larch, aspen, pine and birch trees. Back at camp I saw a small cute little chipmunk nibbling at something on my food barrel. Dinner that evening was a very tasty lasagne with coleslaw. I brought out my sloe gin and some of the others drank wine and played liars dice.

Day 6 – Wednesday: I got up again at 7:00 for my daily dose of camp coffee. Breakfast consisted of muesli with yogurt and baked muffins. After breakfast we paddled across the river and divided into two groups. One group was only hiking to the Sluice Box where my group was hiking both the Sun-Blood Mountain as well as the Sluice Box. We made it up about a third up the mountain when Curtis our guide stopped us to turn around as it was too hot to continue and most of us only had 1litre of water with us. The view over the valley and the falls from there was great and we managed to get some nice pictures. From there we hiked all the way down and onwards to the Sluice Box where we saw many fossils next to the thundering water. It was situated next to a very aptly named Last Chance Eddy. There were many blueberries around that section and I gorged myself on them while walking along.

Back at camp we were harassed by the Whisky Jacks who were fearless and dive-bombed down from the trees to steel our food! We were always on guard when having our meals although the sneaky buggers still managed to steal some food. They usually came in groups and had a very good distraction technique which they performed with stealth and precision! I even had one eat cheese out of my hand at one point! That afternoon I had another hot shower and also did my laundry. A plane came in and dropped another group off who camped near us. That night Curtis got out a large piece of ham which he carved up to make a delicious stew for dinner. After dinner we portaged some of the gear and I had to team up with Harry and shout “Hey bear!” as we walked along to warn any bears of our presence. Apparently the wardens saw a bear earlier that day so we had to be careful. The portage was 1.2km with another 500m to our campsite so it was hard work.

Day 7 – Thursday: I was up again at 7:00 and made a large fire for coffee brewing enhancement. We had pancakes and muesli and straight after I went to the stream to pump water for the day. The stream flowed underneath one of the wooden platforms which was about 50m from our campsite. To get to it you had to jump off the platform. I was about halfway through pumping water when I suddenly heard shouting and pots and pans banging which was followed by a massive explosion of a bear banger. I was called back to camp just in time to see a big grizzly bear walking across the very same platform where I was sitting underneath pumping my water about 2 minutes earlier! 

We joined the shouting choir and also armed ourselves with noisy pots and pans to help scare the 

bear off. The bear seemed very unphased by all of the commotion and didn´t even flinch when Curtis used another bear banger. The bear saw a canoe and tried to scratch and topple it – it could probably smell food that used to be in it. Curtis ran after the bear chasing it away and together with the wardens they scared it off. After all the excitement we portaged the rest of our gear followed by very frequent “Hey Bears!” as we walked along. At the end of the portage we walked towards the falls where we took some pictures with a rainbow sitting bright in the spray. Before we set off it was time for a quick lunch of bread with a selection of humus, celery, tomatoes, apples, cheese and my favorite: Mennonite Dry Salami. After lunch we fitted the canoes with spray decks for the first time to prepare us for Canyon No.4 which had some large waves. Most of the group put on either dry or wet suits for that section – I only had my waterproofs on. Eve was going to steer so took the stern while I was the beef in the front. We all took off in single file and very soon we were met by some big waves coming at us from all different directions. Eve successfully managed to selectively head into the biggest possible waves in the rapids. The canoe would ride over the crest of a wave and then suddenly lunge down to crash into the next wave and all over me, with the canoe slowly taking on water! 

It was around the first bend that Jan and Emma flipped their canoe and the guides had to work quick to save their canoe together with all their equipment. We all paddled to shore which gave us time to do some much needed bailing. Not too long after taking off again it was almost our turn to go for a swim. There was a ledge in the water which we only saw at the last minute and although Eve tried to steer us past it, the current was just way too strong and we hit it side on with a big crash. I almost lost my paddle and we took on a lot of water but luckily we managed to make it through! After some serious bailing we set off again and finally reached our campsite after 45km, which was nested between the mountains on a river bend. It was really hot again that day and we were all very tired especially after the portage. I had to hang out some clothes to dry at camp and after that, dinner was a welcoming sight. That night it was a stew with cheesecake for dessert. At 21:00 a few of us went for a swim to cool off and have a scrub.

Day 8 – Friday: Breakfast that morning was bacon, cinnamon rolls, oats and oranges – needless to say a strong Nahanni river water coffee. We broke camp and I was in the stern for that day eager to find some waves to crash into to get even with Eve. The river was, however, not nearly as fast as the day before and steering was easy going. Lunch of bread with a selection of peanut butter, jam, cheese, etc. together with dried fruit was served on a gravel bar. There were many interesting rocks lying around and we also killed some time by skipping rocks on the water. After lunch we paddled into Canyon No.3 which opened up into magnificent mountains – I lost count of the amount of times I said “oh wow”! We passed many gravel bars which were strewn with rocks or which consisted out of black sand, many littered with driftwood. The mountains were steep and some had sheer cliffs which sometimes opened up into valleys with random waterfalls – the Nahanni truly is a beautiful place! 

We set up camp that night at a very nice campsite next to Pulpit Rock at Hell’s Gate which was next to a crystal clear stream. We paddled about 45km that day. I pitched my tent right next to some fresh bear scat which I had to get rid of – hopefully it wasn’t going to come back during the night! I found some wild raspberries there which were very sweet and delicious. After settling in it was time for some fishing. I couldn’t have asked for a more picturesque spot standing there next to the stream with Pulpit Rock in the background! I caught two grayling, one of which I kept one for dinner that evening. Curtis cooked it for me with herbs and butter and it tasted very good. After dinner we all chilled out while poems were being read to us.

Day 9 – Saturday: Breakfast that morning was muesli with eggs and bacon. We climbed the mountain next to Pulpit Rock and were rewarded with a beautiful view over the river and the valleys down below. Back at camp we finished loading all our gear and set off with me in the stern again. We paddled through many large canyons with some magnificent mountains and had lunch on a gravel bar. Lunch was freshly baked bread with cheese, salami, apples, flavoured rice, cucumber and carrots.

After lunch we set off again and soon formed another flotilla which was one of my favourite things on the trip - we could all relax for a short while which was always a welcome activity! That day we only paddled 25km so we reached our campsite, Painted Rock Canyon, fairly early. Some of 

us went for a walk. Snacks were served when we got back which were fried tortillas filled with cream cheese, cheddar and salsa sauce. Dinner that evening was lasagne with dark chocolate and chocolate moose. That night it started raining and the big tarp was put up to keep us dry. Earlier that day we collected some Labrador bush and we used that to make a tea before heading off to bed. The stream running next to my tent was fairly loud and made me want to go to the loo all the time. I saw some more bear scat about 5m from my tent.

Day 10 – Sunday: It rained most of the night but it had cleared by the morning. The fog lay like a blanket in the valleys – it was a beautiful sight and we all took many pictures. Breakfast was pancakes with oats boiled with dehydrated cranberries. We paddled through second canyon and the mountains got even bigger as we went along. We stopped for lunch at the start of Deadman’s Valley and climbed a steep cliff for a very rewarding view from the top. Deamans Valley lay splayed out before us in a dense forest of various shades. The wind rustled through the trees which had a very calming effect on all of us. From where we sat we could also see Headless Creek where it entered the Nahanni river right in front of us. Another group passed us while we had lunch which spoilt our serenity a bit.

We paddled a total of 30km that day to reach Prairy Creek where we set up camp. The other group was also camping there just further upstream from us. Prairy Creek opened up into a delta with various streams entering the Nahanni. I went fly fishing again and caught three small fish which I returned. The heat that day was almost unbearable on the hot gravel bar and we had to go for a swim in the Nahanni to cool us off. My calves and ankles at the time were littered with itchy mosquito bites which can be very annoying. We were meant to hike up the canyon later that evening but because we were all tired it never happened.

Day 11 – Monday: That was probably my favorite day of the trip. It started well with breakfast of hash browns, bacon, muesli, cinnamon roll and my usual cup of coffee. We all crossed the river to visit the old warden’s cabin which had been converted into a “paddle cabin” where we all hung our whittling efforts. It was slightly surreal seeing all the paddles hanging from the ceiling and it was interesting reading some of them. Mine also found a special place there before we set off again to paddle two large rapids which required wet and dry suits again.

The day was overcast and nice and cool after the previous hot day. Eve was back in the stern to steer down the first set of large rapids called George’s Ripple. We scouted the waves before the time and two of our guides, Curtis and Bella, went down first to get into position as a rescue boat in an eddy just downstream. The adrenaline was flowing and I think it was safe to say that all of us were nervous especially my paddling partner Eve! Apart from the roller coaster ride and taking in a lot of water which we had to bail out after, all of us made it through without going for a swim.

First Canyon was beautiful and we all felt very small as it dwarfed us paddling along in our tiny canoes. The rock formations ranged from steep sheer cliffs lined with various hues of strata to towering mountains ranges where our stimulated imaginations could pick out various faces and objects in the rock formations. It was sad knowing that we were almost finished paddling through the amazing canyons but at least we had one more set of rapids to look forward to. This one was called Rafferty’s Ripple which had probably the biggest waves yet and we were all very excited to run them! This time I was in the stern and I was determined to pick out the biggest waves to get even with Eve for all the times I got soaked while sitting in the bow!

We all scouted the waves again and took pictures of the first canoes to go down which ploughed up and down like toys through the massive waves in an array of shouts and shrieks. Next up was our canoe and with adrenaline pumping I lined the canoe up with the biggest waves. Very soon our canoe was tossed around as if we weighed nothing in the massive waves which seemed to have a life of its own. Split-second decisions were made to either draw, pry or paddle like hell all while whooping with delight! At one point we picked up momentum going over a crest of a wave only to be met with another very large wave. Our canoe collided with the wave with a big crash and it felt like we were airborne with Eve high above me in the bow getting a good dousing! Our canoe splashed down after what felt like eternity only to be met with more wave trains eagerly awaiting us. We made it through in the end and took on a fair amount of water which we had to bail out after. Running those rapids was magical!

All the canoes made it through Rafferty’s Ripple and as we left the canyons behind we headed straight for the hot springs. We could smell the hot springs before we saw them, but at least you get used to it after a while. It was nice to soak our sore muscles in the warm water (37C) and we felt like royalty lying there while the guides brought us snacks of crackers and cheese. The spring water smelled pretty nasty with all the sulphur so I had to brave the cold Nahanni water for a wash to get rid of the smell. After we had dinner, we paddled downstream to set up camp for the evening. The mosquitos were increasing in number and we had to do some serious slapping and scratching along the way. That day we paddled a total of 42km.

Day 12 – Tuesday: After breakfast we paddled down “The Splits” which was a maze of streams all twisting down in the direction of Nahanni Butte. We passed many gravel bars and lots of dead trees either in the water or washed up. Lunch was again on a gravel bar and from there we headed off for our last stretch of the afternoon. We passed two black bears sitting on the bank gawking at us with a look of utter disbelief on their faces. The more curious of the two even ran after us to try and get a better look! Not too long after that we saw a lone caribou on a gravel bar and a beaver slapped its tail near us. We set up camp about 20km before the Nahanni Butte on a gravel bar. The day was really hot and sticky so most of us went for a swim to cool down. To pass time some of us also participated in a stone skipping contest. That day we had paddled a total of 50km. We all had mixed emotions as it was our last night on the river.

Day 13 – Wednesday: We were in no rush that morning so it was a 2 cup-of-coffee-morning. Breakfast was muesli with fresh oranges and grapefruit. Going to the toilet in the forest was always amusing when I had to do “The Windmill’ – the frantic swaying of your arms to defend your bum from all the cruel mosquitoes who aim for all the soft spots when you are at your most vulnerable! We paddled about 15km through the meandering river that morning to finally reach Nahanni Butte. The Butte is a small Dene community of around 80 people and lots of mosquitoes. We had lunch there on the grassy river bank with the Butte (mountain) in the background.

Five canoes were loaded into a flat boat and 7 of us into a speed boat with a huge outboard motor and we travelled to Lindburgs Landing where we stayed for the night. Very soon after taking off we saw a black bear swimming across the river right in front of us. The boat was a lot bigger than the bear and it swam like crazy with two large nervous eyes checking us out. It then stopped enabling us to take a quick few photos before it disappeared into the forest. About another 1km after spotting the bear we saw a herd of about 40 bison grazing in the distance. I also spotted a large male bison rolling in the dust a little further on. Our journey lasted about one hour and we were lucky enough to see another black bear just before we got to our final destination.

Lindburgs Landing is run by Sue who is a very kind elderly lady who grows her own vegetables and who is also a very good cook. We were all very much looking forward to a meal with fresh veggies and meat! They had hot showers there and I felt like a new man after lots of scrubbing and healthy amounts of soap and shampoo. Sue’s dinner that evening was absolutely delicious and consisted of meat loaf, mashed turnips, potato salad and a fresh green salad doused with her secret luminous green “swamp juice”. For dessert we had rhubarb with strawberry jelly and clementines followed by a strong black coffee.

Day 14 – Thursday: That was our last morning together as a group and it was going to be sad saying good bye to my new friends. We had to get up at 6:30 to be ready for a breakfast of freshly baked muffins along with boiled eggs, fresh oranges and the usual cup of coffee. After breakfast we loaded all our gear together with the canoes onto the trailer and while doing that I managed to kill 102 mosquitoes in about 20 minutes! I’ve heard though that the record there is 47 mosquitoes with one swat! From Lindburgs Landing we had 146km to travel to reach Fort Simpson. That day turned out to be very hazy due to forest fires in BC and the sun was a red orb behind the cloud cover.

Back at base I had to repack all my gear to get ready for my next trip which was a week of fishing in BC for salmon and steelhead. I stored some food in a bag in their garage and was surprised to see a massive hole had been chewed in the bottom and I was minus a lot of food! From there we got dropped off at the airport where we all took a flight to Yellowknife we all said our final goodbyes. Paddling the Nahanni was spectacular to say the least. We all witnessed the constant jaw dropping beauty of the raw unspoiled nature of the Nahanni and it leaves us with a lifetime of fond memories.

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The paddlers:

Jan and Ellen: They were the two sisters who I dubbed “the terrible two” which couldn’t be further from the truth as they were both lovely and great fun to have around. Just a shame about the bad hair days though…

Harry and Dave: They were the gadget guys armed with every last detailed topo map of the Nahanni! Harry was the analyst, while Dave was the creative one experimenting with certain combos of food that would probably kill any normal human being.

Peter: The repetitive composer of the Nahanni Blues who drove us insane with the lyrics of “my baby’s dead. She got hit by a train.” He took his composing very serious and many a morning I saw him all blurry eyed due to lack of sleep (or was it Roy’s snoring which he will never admit to?)

Roy: He was our resident coffee snob but also my early morning coffee buddy. We were the two coffee pot loiterers eagerly awaiting the signal for “coffee’s ready!” I found Roy to be a very good judge of character and was amused by some of his analysis.

Jean-Pierre: He was our fun-loving Frenchman from Lyon whose face lit up every time alcohol was involved. He had a great sense of humor and was good fun to have along.

Eve: A very friendly bubbly character with an endless amount of energy. I somehow suspected that she ran on batteries…She was also my paddling partner and had the ability to crash into large waves in the most unsuspecting places.

Peter and Mary: They made a very good husband/wife paddling team and were also the diligent guardians of the sacred chairs.

Our guides:

Curtis: He could make fire with anything from ice, rocks, water, metal to any other type of non-flammable material. A very good guide with a lot of knowledge.

Becca: She was our pancake queen and could make them with military precision. She also liked to “read” the map instead of rowing!

Ingrid: She was asleep most of the trip. I think I only saw her awake a few times but I can’t really be sure!

Solo Canoieng trip - Northern Saskatchewan (Churchill River)

Northern Saskatchewan Solo Canoeing Trip:

My two week solo canoeing trip started after I paddled the Nahanni River in Northwest Territories for two weeks and fished for salmon for a week in Terrace and Kittimat in British Columbia. I flew from Terrace (where the airport security confiscated my camping stove) to Vancouver where I stayed in Same Sun Backpackers for the night - Friday the 13th! I was up at 5:30 the next morning after only managing a few hours sleep due to too many drunken revelers at the youth hostel. From Vancouver I flew to Saskatoon in Saskatchewan and the first thing I noticed was just how flat the place was. There was not a mountain or hill in sight as far as the eye could see! I was lucky enough to hitch a lift with the airport luggage company to the bus station where I boarded a bus to La Ronge in northern Saskatchewan. We had a stop-over in Port Alfred and after another two hours made the last leg of the journey to arrive in La Ronge at 20:00 which was a great relief due to many screaming kids on the bus. That same evening I contacted Ric from the Churchill Canoe Outfitters to organize my pick-up the next day and also add on some bear bangers, bear spray, a tarp and a replacement camping stove of course.

The next morning was a Sunday and I went to Northmart to do my shopping which only opened at 13:00 not 9:00 as I was told so I had too much caffeine at A&W while waiting for the store to open. The store owner was nice enough to let me in early and I finally did my shopping. It was also here at Northmart that I met Isabella who was also going to do a solo canoeing trip. She was off to Missinipe and I got some advice from her on running some of the rapids near Missinipe. Ric's boys came to pick me up at 14:00 and after a quick detour via the liquor store we headed off to Nemeiben Lake where I was to camp for the night. After they dropped me off I set up camp and then spent quite a few hours packing all my groceries into various zip-lock bags for the days to come. For the last few days the wind has been blowing very strongly according to some of the fishermen there so I was keen to get going as early as possible to try and avoid the huge waves that can be caused by the wind. My canoe was a red 17ft Trail Head Prospector and for most of the trip I loaded up the nose and paddled it “backwards” to compensate for the wind - it was only when running rapids that I sat at the back.

Monday - Day 1: I was up early at 4:20 to see the fog lying like a thick blanket on the water. The fog together with the lonely cry on a loon gave it a very surreal and eerie atmosphere. I broke up camp and was on the water paddling through the thick mist at 5:20 and that is when I saw it - my first beaver ever swimming right in front of me through the fog. Although it quickly dived down and disappeared once it spotted me.Sunrise was spectacular that day and the sky almost seemed as if it was on fire as the clouds and fog donned a bright orange color in the rising sun's rays. Once the sun rose it turned out to be a lovely day with only a stiff northern wind blowing into my face to compete with which made for slow progress. About halfway across Nemeiben Lake I took out my spinning rod and trolled a lure behind my canoe to see if I could catch some fish that way. It was a fairly successful method and I had managed to hook 4 pike and 1 walleye by the end of the day. I had lunch of scrambled eggs with some cheese on rye bread on a rocky point on the north side of North Bay. From there I paddled north to reach my first portage which was 305m long and in good condition.

There had been a forest fire at one point because the trees were charred black and there was a very creepy collective sound coming from them. Upon closer investigation I saw that the trees had been eaten by bugs who discarded what looked like saw dust at the bottom of all the trees. I found the noise made by the bugs very disturbing because it felt like the bugs got under your skin and I was eager to get out on the water again. It was late as I paddled across unnamed Lake No.1 so I decided to set up camp on the north shore of the lake. At this point I was also dog tired after my long day of paddling into the wind. Dinner that evening was one of the pike I caught earlier with some mashed potatoes, followed by a steaming cup of hot chocolate. The mosquitoes were also having dinner which was me so I had to nuke myself with some Muskol to deter the little buggers. During the night it became very cold and I had to get my silk inner out to line my sleeping bag for extra warmth.

Tuesday - Day 2: The beavers in Lake No.1 were determined to get rid of their new intruder during the night with non-stop excessive tail slapping which resulted in a bad night's sleep! Groggily I got up at 6:00 and was greeted with another gorgeous view - a thick carpet of fog and a reflection of the forest on the mirror like water. The beavers had mysteriously disappeared but the bug-munching-tree-orchestra starting up again once the sun came out and heated up the trees. For breakfast I had oats with a strong black coffee spiked with Baileys to prepare me for the worst portage of my whole trip. Due to the forest fires the "good" portage route was littered with dead trees making it impossible to use. I therefore had to use the other route which was in terrible condition. For a lot of the time I was knee-deep in brown muck that desperately wanted to keep my shoes as souvenirs. At one point I even fell over while portaging my canoe when I stepped on a log which gave way. I was in a pretty dark mood when I finally got all my gear to the other side. If all the portages were going to be like this one my trip wasn't going to be much fun at all. 

With this in mind I paddled across the beaver lake to search for my next portage. While I was paddling I heard voices and saw through the grass a few upside down canoes floating in the air. This is how I managed to find the next portage and also meet 2 couples who were just nearing the end of their trip. According to them the next few portages were in very good condition but unfortunately for them I could not say the same for the one I had just done. They were a very friendly bunch and after exchanging email addresses I started portaging. They also mentioned that they hadn't seen any bears as the hunting season was starting soon and apparently the locals have feeding spots to lure them. This portage was in very good condition and very easy going which lifted my spirits a bit. Portage No.4 was also in good condition and it didn't take me long to reach Little Crooked Lake. I was told by the group I met about a very good camping spot on the tip of one of the islands on the lake and even though it was only 13:30 I couldn't resist stopping there to camp for the night. It was a beautiful spot with a great view over the lake and even boasted its own picnic table!

After settling in I tried a spot of fishing. In total I caught 7 jacks which I released and I even caught my very first lake trout from the side! That one wasn't going back and it found itself on my dinner menu! The day turned out to be really nice - sunny with a few scattered clouds and a stiff northern breeze. There was not a soul around as far as the eye could see so I went skinny dipping and had a good wash especially after that dreadful portage dredging through the mud. Dinner that evening was the trout with some flavoured rice. My Steripen that I was going to use for preparing my drinking water ran out of batteries so I was left to boil my water from that point onwards and my rental camping stove packed up so I was dependent on fire for the duration of my trip.

Wednesday - Day 3: I got up at 6:00 with the water dead calm, again reflecting the forest from the other side in a multitude of greens. It was a beautiful view from where I sat eating my breakfast of eggs and bacon with rye bread and sipping my usual cup of strong black coffee. I really did feel like a king sitting there with my own gorgeous view, eating my food. At 8:20 I was on the water paddling across to my next portage from Little Crooked Lake to Rachewick Lake which was also in good shape. I did however, have a welcoming committee of noisy mosquitoes eagerly waiting for me at the other end of the portage so I had to quickly spray myself with muskol again whilst frantically slapping them away. A low flying plane tail flapped at me when I waved. From Rachewick Lake I paddled up to do my last portage before I finally connected with the old voyageurs route running through Trout Lake. The portage was good and had a deserted indian camp in the middle where I stopped to pick two containers of blueberries.

When I started paddling again I found myself in a swamp with a maze of beaver dams all over. In some places I had to get out of my canoe to drag it along and over the edge of a beaver dam and into another. At this point I turned into a young boy again excited by being on a great adventure! I loved every moment of it as at some points I had to stand up in my canoe armed with a paddle in each hand and having to push myself along a very narrow snaking channel in the grass until that disappeared again at the next beaver dam where I had to drag the canoe over the edge. It was however, very hard work and I was happy when I finally paddled out onto Trout Lake. At one point I also paddled past a dead beaver floating in the water. I paddled NE up from the bay and passed a fishing camp, although I couldn't see anyone home. After also paddling past a deserted Indian camp I could suddenly hear the roar of Birch Rapids and I couldn't resist having a look.

The wind picked up early and by the time I ran the second rapid to enter Nipew Lake it was blowing very strongly. Luckily it was coming from my back so even though there were fairly big waves I covered a lot of distance fairly quickly. At one point I saw a deserted Indian camp and couldn't resist taking a look. There were a few abandoned huts which still had beds and cooking utensils inside. I also saw a playful family of otters swimming past just outside the camp. I saw another beaver as well as many eagles, pelicans, loons, ducks and numerous other water birds. I was still hoping to see a moose, bear or even a wolf if I was lucky enough. Isabella, the girl I met while shopping at La Ronge, told me to run Great Devil Rapids as the portage was long and not very good and then eddy out to only portage the last rapid which was the one with the waterfall. I took her advice and ran the first rapid where I took on a fair bit of water so had to stop to do some much needed bailing. 

After scouting the next rapid I ran the first section of it on the left side and had to wade the next section due to low water. It was at this point where a mink swam in the water right next to my canoe and it dived and disappeared when I playfully poked it with my paddle. The 3rd rapid I also had to wade and the 4th was a short portage to reach a small lake just below Great Devil Rapids. I might have saved myself a lot of time if I had just done the portage but I did have fun running some of the rapids. I found a very well used campsite on a small island just below the rapids with two random abandoned chairs. At that point the wind was still howling and the temperature dropped a lot - I even had to don my thick fleece to keep me warm. I was also very tired and decided to heat up some water to have a much needed shower. Dinner was tomato soup and rye bread with unhealthy amounts of butter.

Saturday - Day 6: In the morning I went to visit the fertilized section of the island and I happened across a very random toilet seat propped up against the rocks. I felt like I was in a 5 star camping resort with my own toilet seat and lovely view over the lake. I used some more of the blueberries to add to my porridge so ended up with blue porridge flavored with Saskatoon berry jam and butter. To accompany that was my usual strong black cup of camp coffee – nectar of the gods. An unsuspecting beaver swam about 5 meters in front of me while I was eating my breakfast. The clouds finally cleared from the day before but the wind started up again fairly early and I was hoping that it wasn’t going to be blowing as strongly as the day before. I ran both of the Little Devil Rapids and apart from a few splashes everything went well. This boosted my confidence for what lay ahead – the mighty Otter Rapids with its class 3 waves!

The lake before Otter Rapids were calm and I thought that it was like the calm before the storm…I’ve been advised to run the rapids on the left which is what I did. So far on my trip I’ve been paddling my canoe “in reverse” with the nose loaded to help with the strong winds. With running the rapids I have been sitting in the normal position right in the back of the stern and tried to keep most of the weight towards the middle and back of the canoe to make the nose lighter. Upon nearing the Otter Rapids my adrenalin was starting to pump as I’ve never run them before and I didn’t quite know what to expect. My canoe was also loaded and I didn’t have someone at the bottom to pick me up if I ended up going for a swim! With this going through my mind I started paddling hard straight towards the rapids to gain some speed. My canoe scraped over a few rocks and then I got in the current with the waves crashing all around me. Everything happens so fast – at one moment you are paddling like crazy and the next you pry the canoe as hard as you can to keep the nose straight! All of this while your canoe crashes up and down the waves in a moment of pure exhilaration.


I made it down the rapids in one piece with the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. It is a feeling that I can’t describe and is best experienced for yourself! From there I paddled the long way down to Ric’s shop in Missinipe to go and settle my bill and do some more shopping. There is a restaurant situated inside Thompson’s charters building and I went in there to order myself a nice burger with chips which I washed down with a couple of beers. It tasted so good after only eating camping food for the last 6 days . After buying some fresh fruit and veggies at the store I went to settle up with Ric. I really liked Ric – not only was he a great guy but he was also a wealth of information when it came to the Churchill River. He suggested a few changes to my route as well as a few good camping spots. After leaving his shop I got back in my canoe to start the second leg of my trip.


From Missinipe I paddled up into Grandmother Bay and portaged my gear to enter the French Lake. I found a campsite on a small island near Mason Bay and settled in there for the evening. When I had my burger at Thompson’s Restaurant I spoke to the owner and he gave me some tips on how to catch walleye. The trick is to always fish your jig hard on the bottom. This can be achieved by casting out and waiting for your line to go slack. That would indicate that your jig reached the bottom. Give your jig a quick twitch, reel in a few times and wait for your line to go slack again. Repeat this and you’ll be sure to have some nice fresh walleye for dinner! I hooked 5 walleye and 2 jacks in about an hour after setting up camp all of which I released. Dinner that evening was toasted bagels with cheese, peanut butter or jam followed by a cup of tea with cookies for dessert.


Sunday - Day 7: During the night the wind picked up and it rained a few times. It was also fairly cold and I had to don a few extra layers of clothing to keep me warm. By the next morning the rain had at least stopped but the wind was still blowing strongly. After a breakfast of muesli and coffee I broke up camp and set off to try and reach the second portage. It was very slow going with a strong easterly wind blowing straight into my face but I persisted. Upon rounding a bend I was suddenly exposed to the full fury of the wind which blew down through a channel in the trees. I paddled as hard as I could sometimes having to pry hard to try and keep the canoe’s nose straight but I was either standing still or being blown backwards. A few times I got blown sideways when the wind caught the nose of the canoe and then big waves would crash against the gunnel splashing water over the side. After exhausting my entire vocabulary of swear words I had to admit defeat and paddle back to a good camping spot I saw earlier.

I set up camp there for the day and was suddenly left with lots of time to kill. To cheer myself up I tried some fishing and caught a big walleye on my first cast which lifted my mood a bit. This one I splayed open on a forked stick with two side supports – the way the Indians used to do it. \I also caught 4 jacks which I returned. To kill some more time I did some carving on a piece of bark that I brought back from my Nahanni trip. I had an idea for this one which was to shape it into a paddle and have the blade in the shape of a beaver tail due to a few nights of very little sleep. That evening I roasted the walleye on the fire and with it I had some garlic baby potatoes. The wind finally died down in the afternoon and I was just hoping that it wasn’t going to blow again the next day.

Day8 - Monday: It rained again during the night but at least I woke to a dry morning. There was no wind and I could clearly hear every sound coming from the forests and the water birds. It was indeed very serene and the water was flat like a mirror. Breakfast was my blue porridge again with coffee. I set out at 9:20 gliding over the calm surface towards the 2^nd portage on French Lake. The weather didn’t hold and soon the wind picked up again. I read about a very good campsite at the end of the portage with good fishing which I wanted to check out. After my first portage I took my fishing rod for a quick dangle where the stream entered the lake and quickly caught a few small walleye. While retrieving one of them a monster pike came and grabbed it so I was fighting two fish at the same time! Eventually it let go earning him the title of the big one that got away and I released a very shaken walleye to go and tell his buddies what just happen to him!

It suddenly started raining – slow at first but then it intensified until it was coming down in buckets. For the first time I had to quickly set up the tarp to keep all my gear dry. I also had to dig little tranches to drain the water away which was starting to collect under the tarp threatening to swamp my gear. When the rain finally slowed down a school group used the portage and carried on south towards Rattler Creek. Another group of 4 kayaks paddled up to the campsite and turned around when they saw my tent although I wouldn’t have minded sharing. Making a fire that evening was a struggle to say the least with all the wood very wet from the rain. I was left with only matches after one lighter ran out of gas and the other melted when I kept it alight for too long. In the end I had to hunt around for fallen birch trees to collect the dry bark on the bottom side for kindling and after some colorful verbal support I finally managed to fry my steak with mushrooms and onions which was definitely worth the hassle! The rain at least stopped for the day although the clouds were still pregnant with the possibility of rain and it was also very cold with the ever present wind still blowing. I caught a total of 8 walleye and a jack at that spot all of which I returned.

Day 9 – Tuesday: That night the weather turned from bad to absolutely miserable. The wind was howling and it rained all night long. It was a good thing that I checked on my tarp in the middle of the night. Water got trapped in one of the corners causing it to sag and it probably would have torn the canvas if any more water had collected! In the morning the rain had stopped but the wind was still blowing strongly and I had to put my thermals on for the first time to try and keep warm. Breakfast was scrambled eggs with toasted bagels and my much loved cup of strong black coffee. I started paddling at 10:20 heading south towards the 3rd portage of the French loop. The portage was in good condition and from there I paddled towards Rattler Creek. There are some old aboriginal rock paintings at Rattler Creek which were in good condition and I could make out a beaver and what looked like a deer. From there I paddled the last section of the French loop and then hugged the north shore heading west towards Stony Mountain Portage.

Ric told me about a really good camping spot between the 1^st and second portage on the north side which was my destination for the day. The wind was still blowing strong and I had to compete with some big waves at times. At least the Prospector was a sturdy beast and with the wind on an angle behind me the going was good. This part of my trip was a detour from my original route so I went in blind as I didn’t have any information about the portages. At this point I was using my compass and map only and when I reached the portage I chose the wrong side and had to reload all my gear to get to the north side. The rapids there were big and probably class 4 with a fall at the lower section so there was no way I was going to run them!


The campsite was indeed very beautiful with lots of space and flat rocks which could act as a working surface and also a lovely view over the lake with the rapids at the top. During the day the clouds eventually cleared although the wind still persisted until it finally died down during the evening. At one point I got the fire going and heated some water for my shower to have another much needed wash. It is amazing how a hot shower can boost morale. That evening turned out to be lovely with no wind and clear skies and there was a bright moon rising over the tree tops. Dinner that evening was flavored rice with the last of my fresh mushrooms followed by a nice cup of hot chocolate.

Day 10 – Wednesday: I had planned this as a layover day which was a good thing. I struggled to get up in the morning and my muscles were aching from 9 days of non-stop paddling. For breakfast I had blueberry pancakes with syrup and my usual cup of coffee. After breakfast I washed some of my clothes and also tried some fishing but was unsuccessful on this occasion. The weather was cloudy but warm with a light breeze.

I saw many eagles and other birdlife but the moose and bears still evaded me. Later during the day I took the canoe for a paddle to check out the rapids and try some more fishing. I caught 3 pike of which one was pretty big and kept a small one for dinner later. It stayed cloudy all day and a few drops of rain fell but nothing serious and a gentle breeze blew all day. I haven’t had any trouble with the bugs lately which was a good thing! Dinner that evening was pike with mashed potatoes. That night I went to bed early as I wanted to try and reach Nistowiak Falls the next day.

Day 11 – Thursday: I was out of bed before 6:00 and rose to a very foggy morning. The fog lay like a thick carpet on the water and I could just make out 2 big fluffed-up pelicans sitting on a rock just in front of my campsite. Once the fog lifted a bit they had no intention of staying for coffee and took off. I had a very quick breakfast of muesli and coffee and managed to get away for 7:20. I quickly ran the first set of rapids which I scouted the day before but had to portage the second set as they had falls. From there I had a nice clear run with no portages all the way down to Stanley Mission.

It was overcast all morning and an easterly wind was staring to pick up as I paddled along to Stanley Mission. I managed to get sufficient protection by hugging the west shore of the lake. I reached Stanley Mission at about 13:00 and wanted to do some shopping but I was too nervous to leave all my gear alone on shore and paddled straight to the church. The church is the oldest building in Northern Saskatchewan and in beautiful condition. The door was unlocked and I was able to get inside and have a look. After signing the visitor’s book I took a stroll outside along the cemetery and saw some old and interesting tombstones there.

From the church my aim was to paddle all the way to Nistowiak Falls where I intended to set up camp for the evening. I started paddling towards the falls but “the beast from the east” was yet again blowing strongly and defeated me. My arms were getting very tired paddling straight into the wind and it was a welcome break when I finally reached the rock paintings. The rock paintings were in good condition and after I took a few photos I headed off to try and reach Nistowiak Falls. At Little Stanley there was a lovely portage with rollers that I could use. I lined up my canoe and paddled hard onto the rollers only to roll back again with the current dragging the stern towards the rapids! I had to quickly jump out of the canoe and drag it to safely before the things went horribly wrong. It would have been a better idea to get out just above the portage and drag the canoe onto the rollers! While portaging at Little Stanley I came across a few very good campsites and decided to set up camp there for the night. There was a fairly large lake to cross just after the portage and the beast from the east would have made it very hard going.

The campsites there were very good and had level grassy areas with a picnic table and even an outhouse for those who could brave it. With the wind of late I was getting edgy about crossing Lac la Ronge which is a very large lake which can produce massive waves that could swamp a canoe. I was hoping for a few good days towards the end to make that journey. To cheer me up I had some tea with cookies and macaroni cheese fro dinner. Later I saw a boat run Little Stanley and a group of Cree lads docked their boat to try and catch some walleye. They told me that they’d been collecting berries during the day but they didn’t stay for much longer.

Day 12 – Friday: I was woken at 2:30 by a storm that blew with a fury such that I haven’t felt in a long time. I had to get out and fit more tent pegs for extra support because I was scared that the wind would rip my tent apart! At 5:30 the gusting wind shook my tent so violently that I was forced to relocate further into the forest where there was slightly more protection from the wind. I managed a few more hours sleep after relocating. The rain also started earlier and the day turned out to be really dreadful. It was pretty obvious that I would be wind bound again so I took my time waking up. At the time I calculated that I needed at least 3 days of paddling to reach La Ronge. I had a total of 4 days left but if I was wind bound again for the day that would leave me with no extra days if the wind did end up blowing when I tried to cross Lac la Ronge. I was surprised when the wind died down around 10:00 and after some speedy packing I managed to start paddling at 10:40. There was still a stiff easterly wind blowing straight into my face but at least I could still slowly make up ground. 


Nistowiak wasn’t that far from Little Stanley Rapids and I knew that once I completed the portage at Nistowiak Falls the easterly wind would be at my back and help me along towards Rapid River. After some hard paddling I finally made it to Jim’s Fishing Camp which is also the start of the portage trail. I bought 2 steaks, eggs, bacon, fresh bread and a can of beans from them and also had a nice cup of strong black coffee to get me ready for the really long portage that lay ahead. Just after I made my first trip I came across some luggage at the other side of the portage and felt a little nervous when I also saw a shotgun just lying there unguarded with no one around. I also made a detour to see the falls which were big, aggressive and absolutely beautiful! It took me 3 trips to get all my gear across and I was a broken man by the end of it – Nistowiak Falls Portage was hard work! I never saw who the luggage and the shotgun belonged to.

The dogs from Jim’s camp had been following me all the time I was doing my portage and they were sad to see me get into my canoe and kept running after me along the bank. Upon nearing a bend on my way to Rapid River I was very startled when I was confronted with a head wind - the wind was blowing east earlier and should have been on my back but I discovered that it had changed direction while I was portaging! The wind was yet again blowing very strongly and I tried a few times to paddle around this particular corner only to be blown back. It felt at the time that the wind was determined to screw me over and stop me from reaching La Ronge. While I was attempting my 3^rd go I suddenly looked back to see the dogs swimming after me and they were out about 50 meters in the water already! I was really scared that they were going to drown so had to paddle back and yell blue murder to make them turn around. They finally swam back and I finally managed to round the bend on my 4^th go but the wind was blowing so strong that I was standing still even though I paddled as hard as I could. Finally the inevitable happened and the wind caught the canoe’s nose and swung me around – I had no option but to turn around and set up camp at the end of Nistowiak portage.

While paddling back I finally managed to see the mystery man sitting alone and staring out across the water. He was sitting there with his shotgun in his hands but I was too tired to care at the time and went to say hello and to see if he posed a threat. He was a Cree man called Isiah and there was nothing to worry about as he was only waiting for his brother to pick him up. The shotgun was for any ducks that happen to fly past while he was waiting. His brother was called Roger and he had a cabin and a trapline just across the lake and was going to pick him up around 18:00 so I offered him some tea which he gladly accepted. He told me that he was from Stanley Mission and worked as a part time guide and that him and his family were going to spend the weekend with his brother. Roger did finally turn up and I found him to be a friendly guy too. After they hauled in some more heavy artillery I breathed a sigh of relief to see them leaving with all the guns and cooked myself a nice steak along with sautéed baby potatoes. Roger told me that the wind was always calm the day after a storm so I was looking forward paddling on a calm lake the next day.

Day 13 – Saturday: I found myself at 6:10 in the morning sitting in my canoe already defeated by the wind. It felt like déjà vu when I tried to round that same dreadful bend and was met with the same fierce westerly wind I encountered the afternoon before. With Roger’s words still echoing in my ears about no wind the day after a storm I sat there livid with a rage that words won’t do any justice to nor would it be suitable for reading! Desperation was slowly creeping in as I realized that I was running out of time due to the strong winds and at that moment I felt really despondent and all I could do was turn back - yet again. With another wind bound day I was left with only 3 days to paddle from Nistowiak Falls all the way to La Ronge which would be taking a serious gamble. I decided to get my gear ashore again and walk to Jim’s camp to try and find out what the weather was going to be like for the next few days.

Arriving at Jim’s camp they couldn’t help me with the weather forecast but they were nice enough to lend me their telephone so that I could phone up Ric and ask him what he thought I should do. Ric told me that the forecast was for strong south westerly winds for the next few days with rain and that it was also going to be cold. That pretty much confirmed what I already thought – there was no way that I was ever going to be able to cross Lac la Ronge and I had to make other plans. I decided to take my time paddling back towards Stanley Mission and have Ric pick me up from there. We decided on Wednesday 13:00 and with that settled I was finally able to relax and enjoy my trip again. I got myself a breakfast of egg, bacon, toast and coffee at Jim’s camp and after that walked back to the other side of the portage to set up camp again accompanied by the same two friendly dogs. During breakfast I saw some of the fishermen there and they looked the worse for wear after mass consumption of beers during the previous day’s fishing. Apparently one of them was so drunk that he fell overboard when he chucked his lure out! Needless to say they didn’t have a big appetite that morning but they were big friends with the coffee pot!
On my way back to camp I saw an otter swim upstream with a fish in its mouth. For the rest of the day I busied myself setting up camp, collecting wood, fishing and I also portaged the canoe back to Jim’s camp. On my way there I was stopped by a massive tree that got blown over by the strong wind and had to break some branches off and drag the canoe underneath to carry on! At Jim’s camp I spoke to another Cree local called Big John who told me about some local delicacies, including moose nose and gums and beaver tail and liver. Definitely not something you see on an everyday menu! Back at camp, Roger and his wife walked past and I made them both a cup of tea. After they left I heated up some more water for another well needed shower which I had while standing there naked overlooking the first set of rapids at the top of Nistowiak Falls. After my shower I took a walk back down to Jim’s camp to try a spot of fishing and only hooked one pike who spat my lure out when it jumped out right in front of me. Walking back to my campsite I counted a total of five trees that had fallen over the portage trail due to the strong winds! Dinner that evening was the other steak accompanied by a can of baked beans. The wind blew strongly all day long, with a few sunny spells and some rain at times.

Day 14 – Sunday: With the mad rush over I was able to relax more and I slept till 8:00 that morning. I made a huge breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast, and it was another 2 cup of coffee morning. The wind turned north that morning so I decided to paddle towards Stanley Mission and find a campsite nearby ready for when my shuttle arrived. I still had two trips to complete my portage and was on the water at 10:30 with the north wind in my face to slow things down yet again. Luckily most of that section I would be paddling westwards. I’ve seen many Canadian geese flying south – sometimes in a gaggle of 100 plus! They are very noisy and always fly in a V-formation. The nights were also getting very cold and the leaves were starting to change color and drop. The wind waited patiently for me to start to paddle and promptly changed direction to south east when I had to cross a big lake – yet again I had the wind in my face! I paddled all the way from Nistowiak Falls to the Stanley Rapids and then past the rock paintings where I started looking out for a campsite. Campsites in that section were few and far between but I finally managed to find one where there was a fork in the river on a rocky outcrop with a view over Stanley Mission and the church.


My dinner that evening was a creamy bacon, cheese and broccoli pasta with a nice cup of tea. I tried my luck at some fishing and managed to catch 3 jacks and a walleye which I kept for either lunch or dinner the next day. A Cree guy called Joe anchored his boat in the rapids near me to do some fishing. He worked as a dentist in town. He asked me if I had had any trouble from the “punks from town” which luckily I hadn’t but apparently it could be an issue at times. He also told me that there were about 2000 people living in Stanley Mission and that unemployment was very high. A lot of the locals work as guides during the peak season. According to him Nistowiak means “where the three rivers meet” in the Cree language. At 11:00 it was already dark and I heard rustle outside my tent and I went to investigate. The culprit was a large-eyed rabbit sitting there, not overly bothered by me at all. During the night I heard many more feet but didn’t think much of it at the time.


Day 15 – Monday: That night I slept pretty badly due to the non-stop scurrying of feet all night long. It Definitely wasn’t just a rabbit and it continued pretty much all night long. I used the last of my blueberries to make pancakes again and had them with maple syrup and a strong coffee to wake me up. The day was pretty relaxed and I collected some firewood, cleaned camp, whittling and some more fishing. I caught a total of 3 more walleye, one of which is called a sauger which is a relative of the walleye. A normal walleye is easy to distinguish due to a white spot on the tail where as the sauger hasn’t and instead has black and yellow markings on the fins. The weather that day was overcast with a slight breeze – I’m sure the wind would have blown stronger if I was paddling. I found it amazing how many birds you could hear at any given time. Bald eagles, loons, ducks, Canadian geese, kingfishers, jacks and many other smaller birds. Sometimes it would go dead quiet until the serenity was disturbed by one of the ever present motorboats from Stanley Mission. 


My campsite at the time was absolutely littered with the spent cartilages of shotgun shells – I’m guessing the locals used that spot a lot for shooting ducks. I was getting sad knowing that it was my last night of camping when I started packing all of my rental equipment into the barrel that evening. That evening I fried the walleye fillets from the one I caught the night before and also had some sautéed baby potatoes to accompany it. I can now safely say that walleye is my new all time favorite freshwater fish by a million miles! Pike was also a first for me on this trip but it is definitely not as nice as walleye and they also have a funny Y-bone which I’ve never come across in any other fish. With a nice full stomach I went to bed at about 11:00.


Day 16 – Tuesday: At 12:30 that night I got woken by a violent jerk when something tripped over one of my guy ropes and completely ripped the peg out of the ground! That was followed by quick receding footsteps into the forest. The previous evening it wasn’t just the rabbit I heard but something else as well that kept approaching my tent and then racing away into the forest. This time it was back and it brought some friends along… It all started with absolute silence, then I would hear a rustle in the forest followed by approaching footprints which came right up to my tent and then silence. Whatever was out there was obviously sniffing and checking out my tent! Whenever I moved my stalker would quickly race back into the forest only to return again in a few minutes. Once I got up and shone my very weak headlamp out into the forest but whatever was out there stayed just out of sight. Back in my tent it didn’t take long for the footsteps to approach my tent again. At one point I thought I would wait until the animal approached my tent again and then shout really loud to hopefully scare my stalker off – it didn’t! It was back in less than a minute and that was when I got really worried. Whatever was out there was not scared of me!

The footprints were definitely not that of a small animal as it had a longer stride and sounded like that of a dog. The only animal that I could think of that is agile and quick, hunts in a pack, has a long stride like that and has enough power to rip out my tent peg support must be a wolf! Things didn’t look good at the time as I was alone with no firearm and a very weak little headlamp and I also realized that I had packed my bear bangers and spray in my food barrel that evening before I went to bed! My stalker was back outside my tent again and I could hear the others from various locations – I will be honest and admit that I was truly scared at that time. The stalker outside was getting more persistent and could probably smell my fear - I knew that I was in serious trouble. This animal also knew that I was alone and that it had its prey cornered. I just knew that soon it was going to strike! That is when I knew I had to make a move.

I crawled out of my sleeping bag and quickly put on my shoes and fleece and stepped outside. As before my stalker retreated to the forest but at the same time I could hear the others from various angles! I quickly walked over to my food barrel and with shaking hands dug my way to the bottom where I had packed my bear bangers and I was just hoping that whatever was stalking me wasn’t going to charge! I’ve never used a bear banger before and after ripping open the packet I was confronted by two types of cartridges. Some were red and the other ones were larger and orange. After quickly scanning the instructions on the packet I grabbed an orange one and screwed it onto the launching pen, all the while feeling many pairs of eyes training on me! My thumb pulled the trigger back and I let go.

The firing pin hit the primer sending the bear banger off into the air and all of a sudden it exploded with a mighty bang which I’m sure woke a few of Stanley Missions residents! My stalkers quickly disappeared in a flurry of footsteps and all I could hear was my ears ringing. I wasn’t sure if my stalkers might be back so I quickly moved my canoe to the water ready to paddle off and seek safety in the Stanley Mission church! Somewhere I once heard that wolves are scared of fire so I started up the fire again. While the fire warmed me my nerves slowly started to settle down and it was after sitting there for about half an hour, I suddenly heard the distant crying of wolves which really chilled my blood. I only had one more bear banger left and could only hope that the wolves would not come back for me – luckily they never did. I was finally able to go back to bed again around 3:00 that morning and daylight was a welcome sight when I got out of the tent again at 7:30. 

Still slightly shaken I made my breakfast that morning of scrambled eggs and toast and a very strong coffee. That was my last morning and after I broke up camp I was on the water again at 11:00. My shuttle was already waiting for me at Stanley Mission and I got dropped off at the Riverside Motel in La Ronge from where I was going to get the bus the next morning. That afternoon I walked into town and couldn’t resist a peek inside Robertson’s Trading Corporation and it really was like stepping back in time! There were furs of wolves, martin, beavers, otters, mink, moose, elk, deer and many other animals. The clothing was also really interesting with beautifully adorned moccasins, slippers and other clothing as well as birch bark baskets and traps of various kinds. It was very interesting seeing that store and I would encourage anyone who stops in La Ronge to go and visit it. I’m not sure if I could say the same of the pubs on the other hand as I’ve been told by a few locals around there: “Don’t you go and get yourself drunk in any of them pubs as you’ll surely get yourself a couple of scars!”

I was sad that my trip was finally over as I had found Canada to be such a beautiful country. I was going to miss the multitude of water, the evergreen forests, the serenity, the campfires, the fishing, the people but most of all the absolute feeling of freedom! It is a feeling that I can’t describe in words but rather one which you have to experience in person while paddling over a calm lake or sitting next to a campfire with the soothing sound of the river in the background. I will leave Canada with a feeling of awe and wonder and will forever long to paddle again in this spectacular wilderness.

-----The end----