5 August 2011

Superior is awesome!

After the numerous portages of Quetico Provincial Park and the Boundary Waters, we find ourselves on the magnificent Lake Superior. Since Rainy Lake, we have been hopping from lake to lake, by a variety of ponds, rivers, creeks and portages. Although often unpopular among canoers, some portages have been quite enjoyable, filled with fresh raspberries and blueberries! Our favourite is when we can bypass the portage by lining the boats upstream.
This portion of our route has largely followed the waterways comprising the border between Canada and the United States in Northwestern Ontario. The 250 km route from Lac la Croix, east to Lake Superior via La Verendrye River Provincial Park has been designated the Boundary Waters Voyageur Waterway by the Canadian Heritage Rivers System. A listing of other waterways designated by the Canadian Heritage Rivers System can be found on their website. At Loon Falls, where we portaged into Lac la Croix, we were impressed by the motorised rail system used to transport motor boats between lake systems. We spent the night with a wonderful couple, Dana and Fred who used to operate the rail system. Before the construction of a road to the Lac la Croix reserve, the rail system was the only way to get to Fort Frances, and was a busy place!
Throughout the trip, we have employed the "bridge sprints” rule that marathon paddlers from home use during training sessions: if you see a bridge, you try to get there first, by either distracting your competitor, sneakily riding your neighbour’s wave, or just racing to get there if the other strategies failed. We had heard that Janice, the Quetico ranger at the Cache Bay station, could provide us with some interesting information regarding the region, so as we came around the corner, and saw the Quetico flag for the Cache Bay station, we got to racing (it had been a while since the last bridge). As we pulled up to the dock, Janice came down and gleefully stated "I have not heard the word ‘hut’ in many years!”. We took a long lunch while Janice shared her stories of her time marathon racing, her 27 years as a ranger on the island in the park, and her encounters with other cross Canada groups, including Max Finkelstein (Canoeing a Continent: on the trail of Alexander MacKenzie), Roman Rockcliff and Frank Wolf, who paddled from St. John to Vancouver in 1995 (http://www.clippercanoes.com/c2c.php), and the Mountains 2 Montreal group who started May 1st of this year from Rocky Mountain House (www.mountains2montreal.ca). Janice promotes the importance of treating the land with care, and really encourages youth to spend time in the park, and to later return with their friends. For me, this really struck home, as I have been reading "Last Child in the Woods” by Richard Louv. Having grown up as a city kid who always appreciated the mornings I spent in my kayak on a calm Wascana Lake, I believe in the message of the story as it presents the importance of the calming effects of nature in healthy childhood development. For the first time along the trip, we encountered numerous other canoers, mostly Boy Scout and YMCA groups from Minnesota and various other parts of the United States. We were impressed by the enthusiasm of these youths, and the positive impact these trips have on the groups is apparent. I loved the boisterous laughter of the young boys and the giggles of the teenage girls as they solo portaged their canoes across treacherous trail without complaint.
The 40+ portages (actually >40!!! We counted!!) through Quetico and Boundary Waters really made it seem like our daily goal was just around the corner, but we just couldn’t quite get there. When we met with the Trans CanEAUda crew on the Winnipeg River, they mentioned burgers at the Gunflint Lodge. It felt like it was our goal to get to that lodge for three days--- "it’s just after the next portage” we all kept thinking. The burgers and moose tracks ice cream were well worth the wait!
After a slight wrong turn leaving Gunflint Lake, we encountered a canoe of two men dressed in voyageur garb who were paddling to the "Rendezvous", where Voyageurs from east and west would meet for a festival at Grand Portage . Their characters were from Fort Frances and Fond du Lac (now Duluth), Minnesota; they wore Metis belts, used canvas tents, forehead straps for the portages and even made their own moccasins. These men had a real passion for voyageur history. They sung "O Canada” for us as we paddled away.
At this point, we thought our portaging days were coming to a close, especially when the height of land portage went swiftly. This portage marked our entry into a new major watershed, where water now flows towards our final destination, the Atlantic Ocean. Following the Howse River in Alberta, we have been paddling on water bodies that drain towards the major basin of Hudson Bay. In the Lake Superior basin, the portages increased in length, muddiness and treachery. In due time, we made our way to the Pigeon River, and were surprised by Rhonda and Dave Phillips at Partridge Falls. We decided to call it a day and take a little rest before making our way into the community of Grand Portage, and spent the evening enjoying the Partridge falls, as well as burgers and beers courtesy of the Phillips.
The amount of gear necessary to complete a journey of this magnitude made it nearly impossible to complete portages in one trip, unless we were able to use our "expedition carts”. As a result, we chose to portage using minor roads into the community of Grand Portage on the shore of Lake Superior. This decision saved our bodies from the long, muddy and difficult ~13 km "Grand Portage” trail historically used by the Voyageurs. As we made our way into Grand Portage, we were struck by the beautiful Lake Superior! We were excited for a new challenge, a change of pace, and to avoid portaging for a little while. We paddled past the huge Fort as we made our way back into Canada. As we crossed into Canada, we were greeted by Nathalie’s Uncle Gill and dad, Andy, travelling by sailboat! It will be wonderful to have their smiling faces around for the next couple weeks.
Our first couple days on Superior have been wonderful. The water is clear, cold, and refreshing. The view is spectacular! We have already had our first wind-stayed afternoon on Pie Island waiting to cross towards the Sleeping Giant. As the sun rose this morning, we paddled across the calmer water and were blown away by the sight of the rocky cliffs, lush forests, and bigness of the water. I’m looking forward to getting to know this beautiful and historical lake! Today we are resting and reorganizing at Silver Islet, a quaint little town near Thunder Bay, where they have a great pie and pastry shop, and plenty of warm hearted folks. After Shane binged on donuts in Fort Frances, Shane bet me a pie in the face that he would not eat any treats the whole time we are on the Great Lakes. I wonder how long he will last! <Steph>

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