Paddling the Winnipeg River was genuinely delightful! The weather’s been hot and sunny, and we’ve been swimming plenty. The winds have been slight, a pleasant change from the relentless headwinds we’d been previously enduring. There are no fewer than six hydroelectric dams located along the Winnipeg River. We’ve made use of our expedition canoe carts once again to bypass many of these. We have however discovered the upper limit of how much highway travel these carts can endure. Traveling to St. Georges MB we were forced to remediate a punctured inner tube then a collapsed wheel hub. Thankfully, two separate friendly Manitoban mechanics came to our rescue replacing the rarely dimensioned inner tube and machining a fitting to slip in between the hub and axle. The kindness of strangers continues to humble us, whether it’s been filling water bottles from garden hoses, being provided with fruit snacks and cold drinks, or tips about the quickness of the river and portage difficulties, we’re tremendously grateful. Equipped with shiny new carts (delivered by Ross’ mother visiting family in the region) and local knowledge, we portaged once again from White Mud Falls to McArthur Falls and from Pinawa Bay to Pointe du Bois. Our boat caravan has become a familiar site along Manitoba’s secondary highways.
The section after Pointe du Bois made for wonderful paddling. The Whiteshell provincial park maintains a number of campsites along the river. We met a kind man responsible for traveling to these remote sites, cutting the grass twice weekly. He was camped on an island next to a set of swifts that were a real thrill to swim down. The cold "Busch” beers he shared with us were among the most delicious we’d ever tasted! That night we camped at a lovely perched site on Levasseur Island, surrounded by oak trees. We had a celebratory swim at the Ontario border; I’m happy to be nearing home and have to admit that I’ve missed these familiar shield landscapes. The portage over Slave Falls was quick and painless.
Paddling upstream has been rather efficient, we’re averaging up to 9 km/hr hopping eddies. I’ve nearly mastered steering the boat around tight corners and not getting pushed out by the shoots. It’s a fine balance of sticking ultra-close (often too close for my comfort) to the jagged rocks, but not so close that you scrape your paddle or get surprised by a shallow rock lying just around the corner. A few of these rocks have already taken bites out the boat’s gel coats. We’ve bounced around a few ideas for front bumpers, but have yet to find an adequate solution. We’ve had to line the boats up a few fast water sections, but by and large, we’ve been able to muscle up most of these sections. It was paddling up a narrow, fast moving section that we came across another group of TransCanada canoeists. The Trans CanEAUda crew aims to paddle from Ottawa, ON to Inuvik, NWT. Spending the night with them we talked food, gear, paddling techniques, dream campsites, and the general wonders of paddling we each enjoy. It was surprising how both crews had devised similar solutions to common problems, such as getting out of bed in the morning. I was blissfully happy that night, watching the sunset from my swimming spot, listening to their sweet guitar and harmonica playing, and enduring French banter. Following a group photo shoot the next morning, we went our separate ways. We’re currently in Kenora ON, dodging motor boat traffic, looking forward to continuing our adventure through the beautiful lakes of north western Ontario. <Nathalie>
The section after Pointe du Bois made for wonderful paddling. The Whiteshell provincial park maintains a number of campsites along the river. We met a kind man responsible for traveling to these remote sites, cutting the grass twice weekly. He was camped on an island next to a set of swifts that were a real thrill to swim down. The cold "Busch” beers he shared with us were among the most delicious we’d ever tasted! That night we camped at a lovely perched site on Levasseur Island, surrounded by oak trees. We had a celebratory swim at the Ontario border; I’m happy to be nearing home and have to admit that I’ve missed these familiar shield landscapes. The portage over Slave Falls was quick and painless.
Paddling upstream has been rather efficient, we’re averaging up to 9 km/hr hopping eddies. I’ve nearly mastered steering the boat around tight corners and not getting pushed out by the shoots. It’s a fine balance of sticking ultra-close (often too close for my comfort) to the jagged rocks, but not so close that you scrape your paddle or get surprised by a shallow rock lying just around the corner. A few of these rocks have already taken bites out the boat’s gel coats. We’ve bounced around a few ideas for front bumpers, but have yet to find an adequate solution. We’ve had to line the boats up a few fast water sections, but by and large, we’ve been able to muscle up most of these sections. It was paddling up a narrow, fast moving section that we came across another group of TransCanada canoeists. The Trans CanEAUda crew aims to paddle from Ottawa, ON to Inuvik, NWT. Spending the night with them we talked food, gear, paddling techniques, dream campsites, and the general wonders of paddling we each enjoy. It was surprising how both crews had devised similar solutions to common problems, such as getting out of bed in the morning. I was blissfully happy that night, watching the sunset from my swimming spot, listening to their sweet guitar and harmonica playing, and enduring French banter. Following a group photo shoot the next morning, we went our separate ways. We’re currently in Kenora ON, dodging motor boat traffic, looking forward to continuing our adventure through the beautiful lakes of north western Ontario. <Nathalie>
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