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94-07-05: Tuesday: Day 5: 35km paddled, Portages 18,19,20,21 - wake up to cloudy day, but at least looks like a tailwind for the paddle across the lake. - Judy does BF=granola + toast + coffee. Make tea for thermos's. -W+S leave early to try and compensate for the blistering pace of K+J. (easy paddle to west end of lake) - S+W scout R2 from canoe, haystacks look big but W thinks can avoid them. S+W run, and discover that the sharp S bend forces us to go thru the big stuff. We make it fine, but with 8" of water in the canoe (didn't want to get wet, but too late now!) - K+J portage, S+W bail and set off for the next one. - S+W scout R2 washed up against rock in middle at top of rapid. Wide rapid, with main current making be S-bend. Decide to run river-right, easy. - J wants to stay dry, so W+K run same way. - paddle to R3. Long portage (800m). W carries one load, and looks at rapid on way back. Can't see whole thing, but can hear it, and does not sound big anywhere. From top can see big eddy on inside of turn. - run solo, lightly loaded. Bounce down the middle. Had to work a few times to draw away from strainers (big trees recently fallen into river. River is shallow enough so that the trunks are 2 ft out of the water. Paddle away from one hole, and go through rest of of stuff no problems (or water taken in). - load up quickly, get out of bugs. Drift downwind, and drink coffee and tea waiting for K+J. - paddle with wind down past fishing lodge, then stop at island for lunch. - paddle with tailwind to west end of Eulas, past "terraced-slopes", and then the big cliffs - R4, very steep portage tail at begin and end, very slippery mud, K gives J+S pushes up the hills. All of us portage (W too burned to even look at rapid). - paddle past recommended site just to nice on east shore. Sandy likes it cuz uprooted tree provides nice firepit, nice soft moss for tents. (Separate kitchen/bedroom areas.) - W bathes!! - Judy does dinner= Curry rice + shrimp - go to bed, then hear J toss Keith's shoes out of their tent, then K follows them, and bathes in the dark... S+W hear all these noises, think is beaver... 94-07-06: Wednesday: Day 6: 32km paddled, Portages 22 - S+W paddle for next portage. Very steep & short, past 2 rapids (R2+R4) W too tired and cold to bother scouting out and running rapids... Miss seeing the water measuring station cuz located in between these two rapids. - fast water, thru last R2 of Foster River, then tea break as enter lake - lunch on first peninsula of Churchill River. Hot and sunny, dog goes for swim. - paddle thru Silent rapids, just be whirlpools below - paddle east across BlackBearIslandLake, hugging islands to avoid the headwind - pass the "diving cliffs" as described by Brian Pardoe - set up camp in nice site across from rapids with pelicans and their young. - finally get a change to dry out our clothes. - watch/hear natives going up/down rapid (whistle at Sandy!!) - Sandy does dinner=ChickenPot Pie + Bannock dumplings (sloping cook site, careful not to lose anything into water) - bed, then natives pass by again (out cruising@11:30), Keith talks to them (as they pretend that they are looking for the "Smoothstone River). |
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Would love to hear from you: warren.long@shaw.ca Warren & Sandy's home page |
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