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| Just out of second tunnel into North Cross Lake |
More to follow....
This one is going to be slowing put up, my right hand/arm is wrapped up like a mummy making it hard to type. It's an old condition that I'm trying to set right so I must be a little more patient until I can let my thoughts and memories of this fun trip out....
We got up early Friday morning and headed out to Richer, Manitoba where our fellow canoe adventurers live, no stop just meeting up at the gas station and head out to Falcon Lake for breakfast. Gayle has a ford focus and Will had his canoe on top of it. We rented one in Winnipeg for the weekend, cheap only $45 from Thursday night to Sunday.
Falcon Lake is about two hours east of Winnipeg just before the Ontario border, it was a bright sunny day and breakfast of bacon, eggs, and hash browns would fuel us for the paddling to come. Once breakfast is finished we continued on to the West Hawk Lake cut off and on to Caddy Lake.
Our canoe trip was going to take us though both of the tunnels, the first leading in to South Cross Lake and the Second into North Cross Lake.
First Tunnel
Second Tunnel
The plan was to leave one vehicle at the end of our trip and one at the beginning after dropping the canoes off at the start point. Since it was my vehicle we came in I followed Will first to pick up a map and then his park pass, I had already got my season one earlier on a hike through Birds Hill Park with my sweetie Keith. I had asked Will how far was the place we had to leave one vehicle and he stated it was just up the road. Well just up the road to him turned out to be about 1 hour up to Lone Island Lake boat ramp, through the winding road that is Hwy 44, 307 and 309. I left my vehicle and we headed back to the canoes. It was around 1:30 in the afternoon when we finally were loaded in our canoes and on our way.
Will and Gayle
The sun was shining the birds were singing, uh well my gondolier driver was singing....
Moi and my Sweetie
He actually has a good voice, but has never done karaoke, he states he would never do it, a shame because his voice is very good.
It pays to be the first to go through the tunnels because you can have a good look at what you look like coming out of the tunnel.
Moi and Sweetie again
After clearing the last tunnel and now in North Cross lake we stop on a rock for a little late lunch and to enjoy the fresh air and beauty around us.
Butterflies on the rocky campsite where we stopped for lunch
We are going to make it to the first portage into Sailing Lake and spend the night. As we paddle towards the portage, my hun takes me in closer to one of the wildlife drinking at the edge of the lake where I can get a good close camera shot.
We near the end of the lake looking for the portage, we see the falls and know it has to be close by. While Will and Gayle scout out the falls area for the portage, we scout out the cove area and don't see much that looks like a well traveled portage. We are thinking that perhaps we need to go around the point when Will calls out he found it. Our first portage takes us a short distance treading through tall grass, not much of a path but a path it is and of course its that time of the year for wood tics. Will and Gayle are waiting for us to reload our boat, once done we follow them, Keith tells me he thinks we are going the wrong way, but decide to stop for the night on a rock, what they call a remote campsite that has fire pits. Thankfully, the rain lately lessen the threat of forest fires and there was no restrictions.
Unloaded, we watch as a canoe starts to go by, the guys are chatting with them and they tell us we are still in North Cross Lake, it seems we portaged right from one point into the other, we have a good chuckle at that. They say the portage is north of where we are camping a little further up. The guys jump into a canoe to look for themselves and sure enough a well marked portage points the way into Sailing Lake.
Unloaded, we watch as a canoe starts to go by, the guys are chatting with them and they tell us we are still in North Cross Lake, it seems we portaged right from one point into the other, we have a good chuckle at that. They say the portage is north of where we are camping a little further up. The guys jump into a canoe to look for themselves and sure enough a well marked portage points the way into Sailing Lake.
Keith decides to check the map
Tent set up, wood tics pulled off, I had two attached near my ass for which I promptly pulled down my pants and asked my hun to check to see if I had some on me. He was quite obliging and pulled of the two for me. The fire is started, supper eaten, I take the pots down to the edge of the rock by the lake to clean them. As I'm washing the pots I see this thing in the water poke it's head up. It's little eye looking at me, dropping down into the water and then up and again, I'm laughing thinking it looks like a baby fish. I yell to my compadres, there is a fish looking at me, they laugh and tell me to catch it. After some thought over the last month, I figure it must have been an otter wondering what I was doing at the side of the lake.
Gayle and Will chilling at the campsite
I decide to try my luck at fishing so I put on my mosquito netting and pull out my fishing rod. It's a beautiful evening but the pesky mosquito's are out and night has fallen, so without further ado, and no breakfast catch, I make my way to the tent for some much needed sleep from a long day on the water.
Morning dawns with clouds, it looks like it will rain, we decide to make a hardy breakfast and then be on our way. By the time we finish breakfast it starts raining, can't take the tents down now, so we sit under the tarp and wait it out.We watch Will and Gayle play crib, I know how to play but Keith doesn't, so I'm content to just let him watch and learn. At one point, we decide to head into the tent to break in the tent and finish up with a new first in the wild outdoors. With the Cougar sated the rain lets up, the sun comes out and we are able to pack up and be on our way.
Mallard lake is full of wild rice, they say when there are ripe, you can fill your canoe, but this early there seems to be miles of endless weeds as I call it making paddling a little rough. But first we have to cross Sailing Lake which is not a big lake.
Sailing Lake and lots of reeds
That little white speck in the middle of our intended course is a Pelican, after another short portage we are on our way again. The eta is to spend the night at Mallard Falls and then do the long portage to the Whiteshell River and into Lone Island Lake making our departure time around noon on Sunday. Always expect the unexpected. There were a few boats who must have packed up early before the rain started that morning getting a head start on us.
As we make our way through Sailing Lake and into Mallard Lake, we have the sun with us again. This part of the trip is a little tougher because of the reeds and rice fields, I'm starting to feeling it on the arm. I pull up the oars and bit and Keith takes over, it amazes me the strength in his paddles as the canoe flies through the water. Keith has always been an avid outdoors person with water, from deep sea diving to sea kayaking to swimming he has done it all. My kind of guy, one who has the same love of water as this Cougar.
When we finally make our way through the rice fields and find the portage, all of the camping spots are taken, so the only thing to do is portage and try our luck at the first rock outcrop. This portage is uphill, over a campsite, the one where Will intended to setup for the night, but someone beat us to it, then downhill to the lake. It had rained and it was like a mud slide. Will decides he can walk his canoe down the falls, Keith thank good does not want to try, so we start hauling our stuff out of the water and over the long portage. Keith tells me to put my hiking boots on and I was sure glad I did, as I'm bringing my first load I run into Gayle and help her down the mudslide by holding onto her life jacket. The portage wasn't as bad as I thought, three loads and then the canoe, carried and dragged some of the way. When we come to the lake, Will has everything out of his canoe, he has made it down, but not without water in the boat from almost tipped head first in the deep. He has a nice cool breezer in his hand and I make my way over to drink a well earned refreshing beverage. Keith continues to repack the canoe while I watch him, just the way this picture should look lol.
It's now 7:30 pm and we start out up the Whiteshell River looking for a place to camp for the night. As the shadows get longer all we can see are reed lined river on both sides, no place that looks like you could pull into. Now I'm constantly paddling but no relief in site as the sun starts to slowly set, we reach the end of the river and Lone Island Lake. It might have been a leisurely ride up the river if for the unforeseen circumstances, still it will not detour me from going on a canoe trip again.
Who wouldn't want to spend time in such natural beauty?
The only thing left to do is paddle the lake to the most northern point where the car is parked at the boat launch. The wind has picked up a little, and Keith who was in the Navy reserves tact's the boat crosswind, this to me doesn't seem to be doing much except make me paddle more. But things can be deceiving as we are actually making our way across the lake at a much faster rate than our companions.
The sun has completely set by this time and finding the boat launch is like finding a needle in a haystack. We finally come close the northern shore and I state, this can't be the boat launch, boats would not be coming out through this mess of reeds. We continue to follow the shore and finally find the boat launch and pull shore.
I head up to my vehicle and open the door, water has filled my drivers side floor, a problem with my sunroof. I quickly scoop out the water and head back to pick Will up to take him back the 1 hour to get his vehicle. Gayle is freezing so she hops in leaving Keith to watch the stuff until we return, poor guy, left him with the mosquito's. As I head out, I realize I have my vehicle the gas guzzler, I will only have gas to take them to their car, return and maybe make it up to one of the lake resorts like Bererton Lake. I should have filled up at West Hawk Lake while waiting for Will to get his park pass, but thought things will be open on Sunday. Well no sense crying about it, Will knows the guy at Bererton Lake, but lights are out there.
We make it back to Caddy Lake, and I immediately set out back, thinking poor Keith, cold, mosquito's I need to get back. It's late night and the deer are out, thankful I make it back in one peace for all the speeding I did. I park and get out of the car and call Keith, he had fallen asleep on the dock. As I'm telling him the gas situation, he tells me about his time there thinking there are bears around, what do bears like fish, and he is stuck right next to a fish shack, good thing no bears decided to come around.
We get the stuff packed in the vehicle, put the canoe on the roof and head out, I will make it as far as I can. Will and Gayle are following me a ways back, as I head around a bend I spot a deer in the middle of the road and slam on the breaks, it is spooked and runs back to the side of the road. I continue on and wonder if Will and Gayle hit it as they seem to be lagging behind. I make it to Bereton Lake and pull up by the restaurant. We wave Will and Gayle on and set in for the night, it is 2:30 am and it will be light soon.
The restaurant opens at 10 am on Sunday, it' about 9:30 and we decide to get out and walk around the area, as I hop out of the vehicle, the owner comes out. I tell him I need gas, he tells me he ran out the day before, my jaw drops. I tell him I don't have enough gas to make it to another gas station. He says just a minute and I follow him into his shed where he mixes some for me and fills a jerrycan. At least it will take me to Rennie where I can fill up and be on our way home. We go in for breakfast and while he's fixing it we help put the chairs back down and pour ourselves a couple cups of coffee. Breakfast was very good and with a good tip and a big thanks to the owner we are on our way home.
I'm totally exhausted from the 11 hours of paddling the day before, once home, unpacked, things put away, kitchen cleaned up from daughters party the night before I finally have time to have a shower, sit down and relax.
All in all it was a beautiful trip, with good company and a man who I'm coming to respect and care for.....thank you Keith for a wonderful weekend...
This doe will not be fleeing.
"The doe has the capacity for infinite generosity. Their heart rhythms pulse in soft waves of kindness. Match that graciousness by offering your trust to her. She will reward you by leading you to the most powerful spiritual medicine you can fathom."
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