Wilderness Canoeing in Canada

Dickson Canyon Portage to North End Ford Falls Portage

Distance: 2 km, portage 1, – [cumulative total 809.5 km]

InReach: Day 46 Completed Dickson Canyon portage Scouted Ford Falls portage & now camped at N end Cold & rainy, 4deg C predicted for tonight All well J&K

Camp: 63.719°N 104.715°W

Rained for much of the night but we managed to get packed up without rain. As with yesterday the trail was well marked with cairns, the footing good and except for the first thirty metres, when we had to wade across a creek, it was dry. We had completed the final kilometre by 10.30 am. From the put-in there was a short paddle around a sandy island leading directly to the sandy beach from which the Ford Falls portage ran down the right side of the river.

Though it was early we decided to use the excellent camp site immediately behind the beach and spend the day to walking the portage, taking photos, fishing and generally relaxing. The portage was probably less than a kilometre and clearly defined though very narrow and indented, it was only about thirty centimetres in parts. It went mostly through alders, varying from knee to chest height and towards the end it dipped into a very wet spruce forest with dense undergrowth and finally opening on to boulder scattered sand dunes. Unlike the Dickson portage it follows the river so there are lots of opportunities to admire the spectacular falls and get photos, a very scenic area. After lunch rain was threatening so we set up camp and did our regular chores. John did some repairs to his fishing gear and tried a few casts with no luck. I gathered yummy blueberries eating them by the handful. Yesterday we had temperatures of 30 degrees this afternoon the forecast was for 6 degrees and it certainly is cold.