Churchill Solo July 29-August 4, 2009
After
leading the two 12-person brigades to the William River/Athabasca Sand
Dunes, and the second down the Cree River, I was hungry for solitude,
where I wouldn’t have to worry about Cherry Popper and Bow Buba
paddling off the edge of the world, or Splash and Ziggie going down and
not coming up. I headed back to Missinipe and portaged up
into Hayman Lake on the Churchill River system, doing a circuit around
Two Lake Island, returning via Sluice Portage and Corner
Rapids. About 20 miles.
I
was so whipped on the initial portage that I couldn't hold the camera
steady. Now I know why the voyageurs called the rapids the Little Devil
Rapids. It wasn’t because of the rapids themselves – they can be
shot. It was because of this 850m portage from HELL– 600m of it like
this! Imagine carrying a 90lb bale of furs – or two – through
this quagmire! I had to drag my canoe. The footing was awful.
But
I made it up and the Churchill and the camping is just gorgeous.
Picture perfect. Why everyone loves the Churchill.
I
had a camp squirrel. Since it was a wild animal and displaying no
fear of me, I erred on the side of caution and blasted it with
bear spray. It tumbled down the bank and splashed into the water,
leaving bubbles behind. (Just kidding Don, just kidding!)
Water
levels were the highest since '05 and '74 and the current surging out
of the wide, long channel west of Hayman was something else. I faced a
3+mph current in the several narrows of the 2 mile stretch and just
managed to beat it, flailing like the roadrunner in the cartoon.
Fortunately that Yellowstone Solo is FAST and I…just…made
it. This was the destination, a tiny island the ’97
Besnard-Churchill Brigade will remember, where another camp squirrel
kept running up our legs. We spitted that one. (Just relax Don,
take a deep breath, relax….)
I
was as stiff as a 13-year-old the next day, well everywhere but there,
so I took the day off. That’s the island in the bg. The
fishing was incredible. Anytime I wanted 3 pickerel for the pan, it
just took ten minutes. From this point I slipped into deep
relaxation mode, slow mo, and just putzed lazily about, exploring and
diggin’ it, or lying in the hammock reading.
At
this campsite I had this curious loon for company, just 25 feet off
shore, warbling away at me all day. I blasted him too. (Easy Don,
easy, just joking....)
St.
Julian and Saprang, on the 2002 Bangkok Brigade, generously brought me
out this mosquito proof hammock from Thailand, and I finally got a
chance to test drive it. Man, it was comfortable. I slept ten
hours! Getting in and out for my mid-night whiz was a bit
difficult though.
Both
the 2002 Bangkok Brigade, and the 1999 one with Lobster Boy, Ol'
and Young Griz will remember Clark Falls which pours out of the
Laroque-Forbes route into the Churchill. I drifted down the
narrow, beautiful and fast channel on the north side of Two Lakes
Island.
I
was really curious to test drive our new Bell 14' Yellowstone Solo and
was delighted to find that, besides being incredibly fast, it's
fantastically responsive and maneuverable. And, despite that
narrow beam, excellent in rapids. It was terrific on the 15 minute run
out of Corner Rapids into Barker, and on the Three Rapids route back
into Devil Lake. I'm able to sit on my ankles, really
lowering my profile, with knees locked on either gunwale, creating
tremendous stability. I absolutely love this canoe.
The jack were biting too, though I concentrated on pickerel (walleye to you Yanks).
The
weather - like on the William and Cree - continued iffy. I had
some gorgeous days (or part days) but this day rain, wind and
squalls came in at least TEN times! The sun would burst out and
it would be gloriously beautiful...and then that damned northerly or
northeasterly would blast in again. I was dry, warm and
comfortable – my tent is behind me, under the tarp - and I was
taking off another day anyway to rest and read. Note the fish for
chowder at left.
Reminds me of the monsoon back in Thailand when rain like this leaves Bangkok’s streets flooded.
Sluice
rapids at the end of 1000m Sluice portage, St. Julian’s “portage from
Hell” in ’02 which I’ve done now 6 times and am rather fond of
actually. That hole is at least 12 feet deep. I could hear the
roar three full miles away! This is the run Neal, on the 2002 Bangkok
Brigade, let his canoe drift down rather than portage it. Jim the
Munnster and I did a T-rescue of it the end. Luckily it didn’t wrap on
any of the rocks upstream.
You can see the hole better in this one. The roar is unimaginable.
Sluice
portage was strewn with Chewy, (2) Eat-More, Runts and (2)
Kool Aid Singles wrappers. I know because they're beside me at the
computer. The litter trail started back on Little Devil
portage, and continued on back to Devil Lake. I’m sure they’re from one
of the brigades I saw doing that loop over the August
longweekend. Since this report is going to the Saskatoon Canoe
Club website (as well as my 260 person Voyageur List), if anyone
knows which moronic group these belong to, please tell them that the
next time they think of going canoeing to please just stay in bed,
watch cartoons on TV, and masturbate.
Corner
Rapids peninsula campsite across the river. Six of my brigades
over the years will remember it. Note how high the water is, at
least four feet higher than normal.
Corner Rapids itself. Injun John and Jack will recall doing air paddling through this one a couple of years ago.
The
highly popular Corner Rapids campsite itself was hit by a plow
wind in the last year, and a half dozen jack pines - one a foot and a
half thick - were down. The last day—naturally—was the most beautiful
and I shot all the rapids going out. That Three Rapids route is
stunningly beautiful—and there’s even a wonderful campsite in it.
Stopping
by Ric Driediger's Churchill River Canoe Outfitters in Missinipe,
Ric was on holidays, but his guy showed me this blue barrel that a bear
went at. Apparently it got dribbled with grease or some
such from cooking. I blasted him with bear spray too. (Relax Don,
relax….)
Mushrooms
were out big time and I collected these enormous boletes on the 5.5
hour drive back to Toontown. Normally blue and other berries are
out but even the Saskatoon berries were still red. Everything is backed
up 2-3 weeks because of the wild weather this summer. It’s now
nine months of unbroken unseasonably low temps, and those damned north
and easterly winds have been consistent since mid June.
I
had a great time, the company was brilliantly entertaining, intelligent
and handsome—and I look forward to doing it again next year.
Cheers – Capt. Magnus Twat