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94-07-03: Sunday: Day 3: 18km paddled, Portages 9,10,11,12 - W starts fire@8:30 in rain - W puts up tarps cuz rain does not look like stopping, then decides is sick, so lays down under tarps and waits for rest of world to start moving. - Judy does BF=coffee + granola + toast. W too sick to appreciate it. - rain recedes to heavy drizzle, W decides ready to go on, take down camp, load up@2:30 and head for first portages - portage R5 + R6, then paddle past Little WhiteFish River - portage past Spiral Falls, then hike back up to eat lunch at the side of the falls. Weather is pleasant, gentle sun. - paddle on, run R2, paddle through endless meanders until pass thru pennisula onto Fiest Lake. - set up camp at first island, (even had table!) pleasant spot except for garbage left by native fishermen. Enough wind to get rid of the bugs. - Judy does dinner=Curried Lentils - go to bed. Impressive thunder, lighting and rain during night and early morning. 94-07-04: Monday: Day 4: 39km paddled, Portages 13,14,15,16,17 - up @ 9:00 - Sandy does BF=granola+toast+coffee - paddle across Fiest, cross/head winds so stay close to east shore - all run first R3 - long portage around Scott Rapids (R4). W manages to scout it on way back after taking down a load. Long hike over to steep slope into river. After deliberation, W decides to run rapid: - punch thru first two holes no problem (lots of adrenelin cuz don't want to have to go down rest of rapid full of water). Peel into easy eddy, bail out canoe. - continue down boulder garden on river left... get hung up several times and have to jump out to move canoe over. Tricky to get back in and get knees under straps. - move back into main current, try to stay just left of big stuff. Have to dive down thru fold-over, but no problem, easier than expected. Then through some big, but easy haystacks. Very little water after first 2 holes. - others continue portage down trail. Steep first part of trail makes portage tough. - paddle over, load up canoe quickly to escape the bugs. - paddle thru first R2 (no big whup) - R2 with BIG hole in middle. S+W scout from shore, then run tight to river-right (S does nice cross-bow draw). K+W do same. - run the "fast water", and leave the map! - portage past mini-spiral falls. Also very impressive. Portage trail is decent. - paddle down to R4. Big haystacks in the middle of the rapid, and holes at the bottom. Can't run river right or left cuz both drop into a hole. However, next to a "shark's tooth", there is a small tongue. - W runs fully loaded but solo in back. Tricky part is to predict where the current will push you so that is is easy to hit the edge of the shark's tooth just right. Everything went well, no water taken in. - W+K run, W behind front seat. Slippery, and K takes us down through bigger stuff than I did (lots of bouncing, and I had to climb back up to the front a couple of times). We hit an okay part of the tongue near the shark's tooth, and swooshed out over the boil (skimming across the surface very quickly). - paddle through meanders (headwind, of course, following us around the corners even) - little bit of rain as we enter nameless lake. Continue across with strong cross-wind. - examine island, but too wind-blown. - continue to south shore and discover beautiful, sheltered campsite on the lee side of a point. - set up big tarp to protect from light rain & drizzle - Sandy does dinner=Chili & pasta |
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Would love to hear from you: warren.long@shaw.ca Warren & Sandy's home page |
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