Crooked Lake - Waterfound Bay, Fond Du Lac River
Distance 11km [649 km]
Rapids 2
Portages 0
We were awake by 6am after a poor nights sleep but dwalled until 7am when I started writing up my journal for yesterday, John dozed until 8am and then did his maps for yesterday. Up about 8.30am and on the water by 9.45am. We were glad to get away from an extremely buggy camp site and paddled into a dull and very smoky morning, which got thicker as the day wore on. We had a short paddle to our first rapid which John scouted and decided we would run. It was a very long, starting with fast water and becoming a class 2 which got shallow at the end and involved much boulder dodging. We got through with a couple of touches and were pleased with our effort. It was a short paddle to the next rapid for the morning, a short class 2+ boulder run with a bend and shallow end. John scouted both sides whilst I held the canoe and again we had a good run though not exactly as John had planned.
The geology has now changed from Lower Proterozoic basement rocks to Mid Proterozoic Athabasca Sandstone so for a canoeist, lots of ledges in the rapids but also lots of flat camping places
We decided to make it a short day after all of yesterdays “fun”. Paddled into Waterfound Bay where Laurel Archer had noted several good camp sites. The plan was to check them out and have a late lunch before setting up. The first left much to be desired so went on to the second which she had described as the “Hilton” of beach bench sites, we had her co-ordinates but the site was nothing like her description. We went on to find an amazing site that was just as she had described, it appears the co- ordinates in the book were incorrect. Camped up by 2pm allowing time for a leisurely lunch, laundry and all over wash – the Fond du Lac water is certainly much warmer than that in the large lakes we have come through. I did my usual sort of the food drums and John spent some time with the maps roughing out a plan for the rest of our trip as we only have 15 days before we are due to arrive in Stony Rapids on the 23rd for a flight out on the 25th. In the days we have left we still have 30 sets of rapids on the Fond du Lac and we need to allow time for the possibility of getting wind bound on Black Lake.
Compared to the night before this campsite was definitely a ‘Hilton’ – beautiful sandy beach backed by open jackpine parkland
Kate in the kitchen, Crooked Lake