Daily Trip Log Reports

July 23: day 12
We had a slow start today, had to wait for some batteries to charge. The technology aspect to this canoe trip certainly slows us down a bit from our normal pace, but that's okay. Just gives us more time to appreciate the surroundings.

The water was too shallow to allow for safe running of many rapids. We spent a lot of time lining our canoes downstream. See More Photos!

As we're packing up, Deb complains of not feeling well. We're all eating the same food and taking the same safety precautions, so its probably not a food related problem. It has been very hot today and it might be heat exhaustion setting in. Deb sits in the shade while the rest of us get the gear packed up. 

We start our downstream run in some very technical rapids. The river is quite wide and the deep water channels meander back and forth. There are lots of rocks to avoid and some significant rock ledges that we have to move to avoid. We're using a slower the current technique called "back ferrying" this is the best way to handle the heavy canoes in such tricky water. To make it easier for us to manage, we keep the canoes loaded slightly bow heavy. That makes it a little easier to steer the canoe and less likely that the current will swing the boat broadside. Back ferries are the safest way to do this kind of river, but technique is really important. 

The awkward part in backferries is that the canoe often has to go broadside above an obstacle which is unnerving until both paddlers have the confidence that the technique works. Both our boys are becoming masters at the technique on this trip. Kyle is good, but it amazing to watch little Brendan who barely weighs 100 pounds haul his end of the canoe around with skill and precision.

We come to another significant ledge on the river that isn't marked on the map. There is no easy wading path around this one, so we're forced to do the only portage on the trip so far. It's not a long haul, about 100 meters. We might have camped here, but there are fresh bear prints in the sand which encourages us to keep moving. The downstream section past this ledge provides us with some of the most technical paddling we've done so far. The river drops quite steeply here and there's almost a kilometer of it before it slows in a bay. We come upon a few more small rapids, but nothing too major to worry about. The only thing of note is a huge boulder oddly out of place in the middle of the river. It's about the size of a hard shelled camping trailer.

We see another eagle and some arctic terns as well as a family of Canada Geese that scramble up one of the sand dunes, but that's about all the wildlife. The fishing has pretty much dried up and nothing seems to be biting. The river seems too sandy for fish, but we may just be using the wrong lures..

Campsites along the river have been one of three types. In the early sections, we had an unlimited selection in the jackpine forest. The trees were widely spaced and the forest floor was quite flat. Elsewhere, we camped along some of the rock ledges we occasionally ran into. This wasn't as common on this river as others we've been on. The last type of campsite was on gravel or sand bars either in the river or along the shore. These are becoming more common farther downstream.

On this trip, we're using two different types of tents. Both are made by Jack Wolfskin and have been working out well. One of the tents is a geodesic dome that is great in the wind. The other is a hooped tunnel tent that has a fantastic vestibule for storing gear. All four of us could sleep in either tent, but it would be crowded. Usually the kids sleep in the tunnel tent while the adults sleep in the dome tent.

July 24: day 13

The temperature has been a lot warmer the last few days. My thermometer read 25 degrees Celcius when I check after getting out of the tent this morning. It's no wonder we feel like dragging around. Today should be better because the white water is behind us. We'll be able to stop and cool down with a swim whenever we want. 

The biggest problem we'll have is finding deep water. We've started our trip later in the season than what's recommended. We were told that the area had received a lot of rain just before leaving and we're certainly glad for that. It has been quite shallow all along and we would have been walking long sections if the water were any shallower.

The kids are paddling in one canoe today while the parents guide the other. Their canoe is a little higher in the water and they take great pleasure in being able to paddle past us whenever we get stuck on a sand bar.

We see quite a few eagles along this stretch and lots of various kinds of tracks in the sand, but not much wildlife. The only significant sighting was a bear just back from shore in the tag alders. He poked his head up to watch Deb and I drift past, but as soon as he heard the boys, he crashed through the bush in the opposite direction. It was nice to see the bear, but we're glad it didn't hang around long and appeared afraid of our presence.

We decide to take a small creek that cuts out the last section of the river. There isn't much water in the river and its bound to be even less when it gets to the delta. Just before we reach the junction, a single Otter bush plane on floats comes down the river, flying very close to the ground. It must be a group of tourists here to see the dunes. The pilot waves his wings as he flies past.

Once we're in the creek, it's a different world that the one we've been travelling the last few days. Everything is much closer and there's a lot of signs of animals along the shore. We hear one large animal, but don't see what it is.

After an hour or so on the creek, we feel the temperature drop and a breeze coming towards us. The trees are dropping away and we're sure Lake Athabasca isn't far away. As we round one last corner, the sky seems to open up before us. The delta from the river stretches way out in all directions. We can see the lake, but it's a good distance off. On our left, a small flock of Sandhill Cranes takes exception to our intrusion on their beach and takes off.

It's early, but we decide to make camp here on the delta. tomorrow we'll have to pack up early because we don't want to get caught paddling this section of the lake in a wind.