Daily Trip Log Reports

July 15: day four
We drop into a restaurant in Prince Albert for breakfast. On the radio, we hear that yesterday's thunder and lightning was associated with a severe storm that touched down in Alberta. 

A tornado ripped through a community causing a lot of damage and killing some people. The current estimate is 8 souls, but they're expecting to find more. Our sympathies are with the unfortunate people, but we're thankful the storm didn't pass our way because we know we're as vulnerable as they were.

It's a long drive to La Loche, but the road is in good condition and the drive uneventful. We arrive at the float plane base and meet our pilot Chris. He's ready to head out when we arrive, but we're not. The long drive means the van is in a bit of chaos and we need to make sure that all our gear is in order. We spend the night organizing and we're ready for an early morning departure. 

July 16: day five

Morning dawns gray and bleak. The wind didn't die down last night and there was a lot of rain. We rise early and I cart our gear out to the dock and stack it beside the plane, ready to load. At 8 am, Chris comes out to the van to let us know that conditions are worse farther north and he'd rather not chance it. 

We're not in a hurry, so we push back the time till early afternoon when the weather is supposed to clear. Chris invites us in to have a coffee, something we couldn't get ourselves as the kitchen is packed up by the plane. 

We spend some pleasant time chatting in the Mikisew Air office. Chris tells us that the DeHavilland Beaver we're flying in was made in 1948. The serial number on this one is #12. That means it was only the 12th one off the assembly line. Chris tells us its one of the oldest working Beavers in existence. He has an obvious fondness for the plane and comments that it flies exceptionally well. We chat a bit about the lengths to which people go to restore the old planes.

He told us that people are still finding Beaver wrecks in remote corners of the world and shipping back the parts to be refurbished into a working plane. He jokes that Beavers might be considered a loose assembly of 10,000 associated parts flying in close formation.

A little after lunch time, the weather lifts enough to get airborne. We lift off the lake easily and head north, flying low under the still lifting clouds. The evidence of last year's forest fires in this area surrounds the community for many miles.

After almost two hours in the air, the ceiling has lifted and we're emerging in sunshine. The Athabasca Sand Dunes can be seen on the near horizon, so we know we're near our start point. Chris checks out the lake we've selected and banks in for a picture perfect landing. 

We coast up to the beach and the Beaver's big rotary engine sputters to silence. In short order our gear is unloaded and Chris confirms our pickup date and bids us a last farewell.

The weather is perfect and there's hardly a bug to be found. We set up camp on the beach where we're dropped off and get supper ready. While that's cooking, Deb and I assemble the second canoe while the kids go fishing.

Just a few minutes after taking the other canoe out, there's a commotion on the water. Brendan is devastated, his first cast hooked into a pike that breaks his line. Brendan has obviously been studying the ways of fishermen. When we get him back to shore to tell us what the problem was, he says with a perfectly straight face that the pike was at least as big as he was.

Kyle, knowing how important the size of the one that got away is, chimes in, " ya dad, it was huge". We console Brendan with the knowledge that there's still lots of lures left and send them out on the water again. The kids reel in a few more pike, but return them all back to the water.

It's been a long day and we're glad to retire to the tents at dusk. There's a very pleasant sunset in the west and just as I duck into the tent, I glimpse the full moon rising in the east, just above the trees.