We've had a long couple of days getting here, but the weather has been exceptional-- blue skies and glassy, glassy lakes. Somehow we are exactly on track for kilometers for finishing the trip, but with no room for days off! We're having to paddle 35-40 km/day, which is a lot with the upstream travel and the big lakes, but everything is going so smoothly. We kind of have the attitude that we'll paddle as much as we can when the going is good, in case weather or other things hold us back...
The upstream travel has been interesting--fairly strong current on the Winnipeg River, but we're able to hop up eddies along the side of the river, where the current is either slowed significantly or even moving downstream. Using the eddies and ferrying across the current have allowed us to move pretty efficiently upstream. Having whitewater experience is helping us hugely!
After Dorothy Lake, the scenery has gotten beautiful--rocky shores and pine trees. The islands and channels of the Winnipeg River are exciting and not too hard to navigate through. We've enjoyed the challenge of the rapids and still have time to swim and even fish.
Tonight we're staying with friends in Kenora, and will get an early start on Lake of the Woods tomorrow. I'm extremely tired tonight, so this post will be short...there's lots I'm missing, but my couch is calling!
kristina
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Arrival in Winnipeg...
Hello!
Well, we spent all of Saturday on the train--it arrived in the Pas around 4 am and we got into Winnipeg around 5:30 pm. It was uneventful to say the least--lots of sleeping, reading and snacking. The Via Rail man was constantly rattling off the names of towns we were approaching or going through, most of which I'd never heard of before. There were fields and more fields.
I've been itching to get on the water, but I know this is the last real break until the end. There won't be any more major stops, just a few hours in Fort Frances in say good-bye to Erich, and to get Karl settled in.
After we got off the train in Winnipeg, we had to wait for our gear, and we ended up bucket-carrying the canoe down the escalator and through the train station. Probably the most interesting portage I've done yet!
We've had help from a really nice family, whose son picked us up from the station and will drive us to Powerview tomorrow. I can't wait!!
Take care,
Kristina
Well, we spent all of Saturday on the train--it arrived in the Pas around 4 am and we got into Winnipeg around 5:30 pm. It was uneventful to say the least--lots of sleeping, reading and snacking. The Via Rail man was constantly rattling off the names of towns we were approaching or going through, most of which I'd never heard of before. There were fields and more fields.
I've been itching to get on the water, but I know this is the last real break until the end. There won't be any more major stops, just a few hours in Fort Frances in say good-bye to Erich, and to get Karl settled in.
After we got off the train in Winnipeg, we had to wait for our gear, and we ended up bucket-carrying the canoe down the escalator and through the train station. Probably the most interesting portage I've done yet!
We've had help from a really nice family, whose son picked us up from the station and will drive us to Powerview tomorrow. I can't wait!!
Take care,
Kristina
Friday, July 23, 2010
Winnipeg tomorrow!
Hi again,
Erich and I will be catching the train early, early saturday morning (3:15) from the Pas, and it will get to Winnipeg at 4:45 that evening. At least that's what they tell us! I have a bit of experience with trains in Northern Ontario, and know the times can be loosey-goosey. We'll hope for the best! With a great deal of help behind the scenes, a place to stay in Winnipeg has been arranged as well as a ride to Powerview, on the Winnipeg River, on Sunday.
Our gear is stored right now with a nice family near the river, but as soon as the train station opens at 5 pm we'll start shuffling our gear over. That means a 4 block portage down the main street with our canoe. Leave it to the pair of us to turn heads doing something like that!
The second leg of the trip will begin in no time! After so long on the murky, silty North Saskatchewan, I've been dreaming about Ontario lakes, swimming and fishing. With 4 weeks of paddling left, I'm afraid we're on the downslope of the trip. Noooo.... I'm definitely not ready yet!
Erich might post again, but if he doesn't, we'll try to write from Winnipeg.
Bye for now,
Kristina
Erich and I will be catching the train early, early saturday morning (3:15) from the Pas, and it will get to Winnipeg at 4:45 that evening. At least that's what they tell us! I have a bit of experience with trains in Northern Ontario, and know the times can be loosey-goosey. We'll hope for the best! With a great deal of help behind the scenes, a place to stay in Winnipeg has been arranged as well as a ride to Powerview, on the Winnipeg River, on Sunday.
Our gear is stored right now with a nice family near the river, but as soon as the train station opens at 5 pm we'll start shuffling our gear over. That means a 4 block portage down the main street with our canoe. Leave it to the pair of us to turn heads doing something like that!
The second leg of the trip will begin in no time! After so long on the murky, silty North Saskatchewan, I've been dreaming about Ontario lakes, swimming and fishing. With 4 weeks of paddling left, I'm afraid we're on the downslope of the trip. Noooo.... I'm definitely not ready yet!
Erich might post again, but if he doesn't, we'll try to write from Winnipeg.
Bye for now,
Kristina
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Paddling With Sister Again
It's been a pleasure. What a great time its been thus far! I can recall lying on my mattress the first night in the tent letting out an enormous sigh thinking, "This is better. This is where I want to be."
After a full day of airports and airplanes and figuring out how to meet up with my sister from Saskatoon to Prince Albert (Thank you Nicole!) it was great to leave all that behind. Things get a lot simpler when you are on the river. Oh sure, it's hard in some ways, but in others it's a lot easier. You wake up, find the blue barrel that has all those gluten-free yummie calories in it. Figure out what fuel will get us through the day, load up and paddle! Yep, thats what you do on a canoe trip. Put your paddle in and pull some water, and do it again and again. Its ridiculous to some, but to us it just makes sense.
We've got our systems dialed. We both like having a clean and efficient camp site. We're quick in the mornings (motivated by our tiny buzzing, biting neighbours) and then we're on the water. We crunch the numbers, stay found on the map while at the same time not being too consumed by distances and progress. The best part about doing something like this is just the process. Being in the moment. Every bend, every nook and cranny along the river bank offers some form of familiar uncertainty. Whether its man-made hunt camps or beavers launching themselves 2 meters off a river bank in front of you there's always something just around the next bend!
It's been cool to check out this part of Canada. Having spent time on outdoor trips in Quebec, Ontario, B.C. and the Yukon, the prairies (especially these northern sections) had never been on my radar. My thrill-filled trips come from white-capped mountains and white-capped rivers of the West and my peaceful ventures have always sprouted from the land of the lakes in Ontario. I feel almost proud of the fact that I am getting to experience the lesser sought after, North Saskatchewan River.
It's been different. At first there was clay, although by the sounds of it, I didn't have to deal with the brunt of it. Clay banks and thick willowy/aldery "schwack" along the shores are different from the eastern smooth rocks and spruce/fir forests which we are excited to get to. Closer to Prince Albert, the Sk river was full of mamal activity. It seemed to make sense that as the river turned into a marsh-like delta there wouldn't be as many wildlife sightings. The closer we got to Cumberland House, mosquitos and hunt camp care-takers seemed to be our only friends.
When our little blue tent is pitched on the shores of the only main watering source for elk, moose, cayote, deer, beavers and bears you can expect to hear and see lots of action. There were a few days where seeing 2 coyotes, 2 elk, a moose, and 8 white-tails were not uncommon. Floating by them in a canoe gives a better opportunity to be quiet and not scare them off. Of course, this meant at night it was a regular occurance to hear loud rustles and footsteps. On the 2nd night something pretty large in size came trampling right beside our tent. I can attest that every noise and I mean every noise always sounds bigger when you're lying down in your tent. I'm pretty sure this must of been an elk as we could feel the thudding of its foot steps. With hearts racing and just 30 min of sleep, we couldn't get back to sleep. I recall staying up for quite some time just chatting about anything and everything.
As we got into Muskeg territory we were happy to have paddled upon a beautiful hunt camp. It looked well maintained, with grass recently cut, I called up onto the river bank and the only one there to greet us was a gorgeous golden lab. We knew someone would be back and waited for just an hour before Nathan, a care-taker boated up from downstream. Having the kitchen there to boil water, and a lodge to get relief from the bugs was amazing. The photos and quality of this camp left an impact on both Kristina and I. Nathan, the care taker was very hospitable and we wish we could have stayed longer to meet the owners who seem to lead quite the ideallic outdoor lifestyle. Signing the guest book we learned that we were only 1 day behind a family who's doing a similar trip in a canoe. We had heard upstream from others, about this couple, with a 9 month old baby and their dog paddling in the same fashion as Kristina and I. I can only hope that one of the first acts this baby learns is how to swat a mosquito on his face.
Where we are from in Ontario people make reference to the bugs being bad. Now, I know black flies are a different breed and that bugs are bugs, but I have never experienced mosquitos like we did in muskeg land. I'm no biologist, but I can safely say that we went through Ground Zero. All mosquitos in the history of the earth must have migrated from, or orignially started in the marsh lands of the North Sasketchwan. One swat on my leg killed 16. I once took my head out from my bug net to lick a plastic knife that had peanut butter on it and I killed 2 mosquitos with my tongue against the utensil. Okay, okay, I know that there are tons of wet landscapes I have yet to travel and maybe one day I will be fortunate enough to trump this experience, but it was noteworthy to say the least! I thought about how all mammals experience bug stress. Those poor Elk have it worse then us! With the right clothes, closed shoes, a tent and managing your time it really isn't that bad. My only advice for anyone who ends up in the muskeg would be to never, at no time, relieve yourself in the bush. Doing your thing in the forest is a piece of cake compared to Ground Zero. Let me know if you find a way to hold it in for the 200km's it takes to get through it! The battle is 100% mental.
We are enjoying the rest here in the Pas. I have to take care of job applications and paperwork for the up-comming fall and winter seasons. It appears that there are numerous trippers and people in the Winnipeg paddling community who are reaching out to make the transition to our next leg easier. What goes around comes and around. Here's to being in Friendly Manitoba! Thank you Jay Morrison for the CPAWS contacts.
Thanks to all the friends and family for support. My time is running out on this paid internet card. No time for editing - apologies for typos and spelling errors.
Erich
After a full day of airports and airplanes and figuring out how to meet up with my sister from Saskatoon to Prince Albert (Thank you Nicole!) it was great to leave all that behind. Things get a lot simpler when you are on the river. Oh sure, it's hard in some ways, but in others it's a lot easier. You wake up, find the blue barrel that has all those gluten-free yummie calories in it. Figure out what fuel will get us through the day, load up and paddle! Yep, thats what you do on a canoe trip. Put your paddle in and pull some water, and do it again and again. Its ridiculous to some, but to us it just makes sense.
We've got our systems dialed. We both like having a clean and efficient camp site. We're quick in the mornings (motivated by our tiny buzzing, biting neighbours) and then we're on the water. We crunch the numbers, stay found on the map while at the same time not being too consumed by distances and progress. The best part about doing something like this is just the process. Being in the moment. Every bend, every nook and cranny along the river bank offers some form of familiar uncertainty. Whether its man-made hunt camps or beavers launching themselves 2 meters off a river bank in front of you there's always something just around the next bend!
It's been cool to check out this part of Canada. Having spent time on outdoor trips in Quebec, Ontario, B.C. and the Yukon, the prairies (especially these northern sections) had never been on my radar. My thrill-filled trips come from white-capped mountains and white-capped rivers of the West and my peaceful ventures have always sprouted from the land of the lakes in Ontario. I feel almost proud of the fact that I am getting to experience the lesser sought after, North Saskatchewan River.
It's been different. At first there was clay, although by the sounds of it, I didn't have to deal with the brunt of it. Clay banks and thick willowy/aldery "schwack" along the shores are different from the eastern smooth rocks and spruce/fir forests which we are excited to get to. Closer to Prince Albert, the Sk river was full of mamal activity. It seemed to make sense that as the river turned into a marsh-like delta there wouldn't be as many wildlife sightings. The closer we got to Cumberland House, mosquitos and hunt camp care-takers seemed to be our only friends.
When our little blue tent is pitched on the shores of the only main watering source for elk, moose, cayote, deer, beavers and bears you can expect to hear and see lots of action. There were a few days where seeing 2 coyotes, 2 elk, a moose, and 8 white-tails were not uncommon. Floating by them in a canoe gives a better opportunity to be quiet and not scare them off. Of course, this meant at night it was a regular occurance to hear loud rustles and footsteps. On the 2nd night something pretty large in size came trampling right beside our tent. I can attest that every noise and I mean every noise always sounds bigger when you're lying down in your tent. I'm pretty sure this must of been an elk as we could feel the thudding of its foot steps. With hearts racing and just 30 min of sleep, we couldn't get back to sleep. I recall staying up for quite some time just chatting about anything and everything.
As we got into Muskeg territory we were happy to have paddled upon a beautiful hunt camp. It looked well maintained, with grass recently cut, I called up onto the river bank and the only one there to greet us was a gorgeous golden lab. We knew someone would be back and waited for just an hour before Nathan, a care-taker boated up from downstream. Having the kitchen there to boil water, and a lodge to get relief from the bugs was amazing. The photos and quality of this camp left an impact on both Kristina and I. Nathan, the care taker was very hospitable and we wish we could have stayed longer to meet the owners who seem to lead quite the ideallic outdoor lifestyle. Signing the guest book we learned that we were only 1 day behind a family who's doing a similar trip in a canoe. We had heard upstream from others, about this couple, with a 9 month old baby and their dog paddling in the same fashion as Kristina and I. I can only hope that one of the first acts this baby learns is how to swat a mosquito on his face.
Where we are from in Ontario people make reference to the bugs being bad. Now, I know black flies are a different breed and that bugs are bugs, but I have never experienced mosquitos like we did in muskeg land. I'm no biologist, but I can safely say that we went through Ground Zero. All mosquitos in the history of the earth must have migrated from, or orignially started in the marsh lands of the North Sasketchwan. One swat on my leg killed 16. I once took my head out from my bug net to lick a plastic knife that had peanut butter on it and I killed 2 mosquitos with my tongue against the utensil. Okay, okay, I know that there are tons of wet landscapes I have yet to travel and maybe one day I will be fortunate enough to trump this experience, but it was noteworthy to say the least! I thought about how all mammals experience bug stress. Those poor Elk have it worse then us! With the right clothes, closed shoes, a tent and managing your time it really isn't that bad. My only advice for anyone who ends up in the muskeg would be to never, at no time, relieve yourself in the bush. Doing your thing in the forest is a piece of cake compared to Ground Zero. Let me know if you find a way to hold it in for the 200km's it takes to get through it! The battle is 100% mental.
We are enjoying the rest here in the Pas. I have to take care of job applications and paperwork for the up-comming fall and winter seasons. It appears that there are numerous trippers and people in the Winnipeg paddling community who are reaching out to make the transition to our next leg easier. What goes around comes and around. Here's to being in Friendly Manitoba! Thank you Jay Morrison for the CPAWS contacts.
Thanks to all the friends and family for support. My time is running out on this paid internet card. No time for editing - apologies for typos and spelling errors.
Erich
Hello from the Pas!
Hi all,
Well, we made it here last night after a big day on the river! Erich really wants to write a post on here, so I won't say much. I'll let him say how his first 9 days on the trip have gone :) Here is a link to the article the Prince Albert Herald did about our trip. I'm not sure how long the link will stay current. http://paherald.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
It's pretty accurate, except the distance covered will now be around 2500 km, and we're ended up in Minnesota, not Michigan.
There are some new pictures up!
kristina
Well, we made it here last night after a big day on the river! Erich really wants to write a post on here, so I won't say much. I'll let him say how his first 9 days on the trip have gone :) Here is a link to the article the Prince Albert Herald did about our trip. I'm not sure how long the link will stay current. http://paherald.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
It's pretty accurate, except the distance covered will now be around 2500 km, and we're ended up in Minnesota, not Michigan.
There are some new pictures up!
kristina
Monday, July 19, 2010
ask us about the mosquitoes!
Settled in for the night south of Cumberland House in good spirits.
Spent a night at Big Eddy Camp and got a much-appreciated lift around the Tobin Lake damn from Gary Simon at Thunder Rapids Outfitting. Had a great time surfing huge waves across Tobin Lake, sailed a bit, and made it in what must be record time!
And yes, the mosquitoes are HORRENDOUS!!
Spent a night at Big Eddy Camp and got a much-appreciated lift around the Tobin Lake damn from Gary Simon at Thunder Rapids Outfitting. Had a great time surfing huge waves across Tobin Lake, sailed a bit, and made it in what must be record time!
And yes, the mosquitoes are HORRENDOUS!!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Next major stop, The Pas
July 16th.
Leaving Prince Albert Kristina and Erich were taken by surprise. When they went back to the house, where Kristina had left the canoe in PA, this couple had called the local paper ( I believe, The PA Herald) and a reporter came out and interviewed them and took some pictures. The story about them was printed the next day. That was a little bit of excitement for them and quite unexpected. Kristina said they are having long hot days on the river. Lots of elk, moose and cayotes. No more beaver stories as of yet. When they called they just finished their first portage around the dam in Nipawin. On the river they are averaging apprx. 6 - 7 km/hr, when it opens to the lake about 4 km/hr. They are hoping that the current will pick up again. Through a little research it appears the train they might have to take (to avoid Lake Winnipeg)from the Pas to Winnipeg will be on the 24th. That is only if they can't find a ride. Both Karl and Jay Morrison are trying to see what they can do about a ride. They are both anxious to head into some real wilderness soon.
Erich's comment to me on the phone was, "get up in the morning, paddle for 10 hours, eat, sleep and then start over again. How much better can life get" Life on the river sure sounds wonderful.
Leaving Prince Albert Kristina and Erich were taken by surprise. When they went back to the house, where Kristina had left the canoe in PA, this couple had called the local paper ( I believe, The PA Herald) and a reporter came out and interviewed them and took some pictures. The story about them was printed the next day. That was a little bit of excitement for them and quite unexpected. Kristina said they are having long hot days on the river. Lots of elk, moose and cayotes. No more beaver stories as of yet. When they called they just finished their first portage around the dam in Nipawin. On the river they are averaging apprx. 6 - 7 km/hr, when it opens to the lake about 4 km/hr. They are hoping that the current will pick up again. Through a little research it appears the train they might have to take (to avoid Lake Winnipeg)from the Pas to Winnipeg will be on the 24th. That is only if they can't find a ride. Both Karl and Jay Morrison are trying to see what they can do about a ride. They are both anxious to head into some real wilderness soon.
Erich's comment to me on the phone was, "get up in the morning, paddle for 10 hours, eat, sleep and then start over again. How much better can life get" Life on the river sure sounds wonderful.
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