On the afternoon of Friday, May 14, 2010, Nathalie and I set out from Saskatoon, SK collecting Stephanie and Shane in Regina and Calgary respectively. The next morning we found ourselves below the shining Okanagan sun standing on the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR), just west of Summerland, B.C. We were at the end of a prospective 230km portage from the Fraser River to Lake Okanagan. The trail was one of four major portages that will be the key to the 2011 Canadian Canoe Odyssey, our passages to the ceiling of the continent, from which we can follow the waters East across Canada. The KVR looks perfectly suited to our plans. The second portage visit was at the north end of Shuswap Lake in the vicinity of the village of Seymour Arm. We turned north from the Trans Canada Highway a couple of kilometers east of Craigellachie, B.C. on the Perry River Road, a remote logging road winding through the valley of the Perry River. Unfortunately, after 38 km and just kilometers from our destination, our progress was halted by the remnants of an avalanche, a dense snow bank approximately three meters high and five meters across. Although we could not reach the intended trail over the Petipiece Pass through the Monashee Mountains, we could see that the plan we had set for ourselves was unrealistic. The mountains were steep and at this time of year even the saddle of the mountains were still inundated with snow. There will be no passage through the Petipiece Pass. Fortunately, an alternative route lay between Sicamous, B.C. and Revelstoke, B.C. via the Eagle River and portage. Using this route will not greatly change the overall route. From Revelstoke we will paddle north to Mica Dam and Lake Kinabasket, as we would have otherwise. Our final mountain portage, and the final stop on our weekend trip was up the Blaeberry River on the trail of David Thompson through Howse Pass. Through this pass we will move from the Columbia River watershed into the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan. From our initial inspection, the trail looks good, reports of deadfall along the pass may slow progress but we were more or less pleased with the path and its prospects for taking us across the Continental Divide. I can only imagine one year from now, the relief that will come once we cross that hill, the North Saskatchewan will be a welcome sight after our five week long ascent through British Columbia. In the aftermath of this past weekend, I am left with a feeling of dreams beginning to come into reality. With every bit of planning we do, confirmation of our route and conversations with sponsors, our goal seems more attainable. It seems like we are well on our way. <Ross>
