SW arm Selwyn Lake - North West Territories (Selwyn Lake)
Distance travelled 37km [128.5km]
Portages 0 [11]
Though the forecast was for 30 degrees C, the early morning cloudy sky, cold lake water and persistent north east wind kept paddling conditions pleasant. However, as we paddled from the shelter of the island we were soon battling either a cross wind or facing directly into a headwind, this kept us working hard for the rest of the day.
We were on the water by 9am and it was with some regret that we left such a 5 star camp. Despite the unfavourable conditions we made excellent progress and even stopped for a morning snack on shore, [the captain must be getting soft!]. Selwyn is a long lake with a very bouldery shore line. It had been badly burnt along its eastern shore offering us nowhere to stop for lunch. About 3pm we crossed the 60th parallel which forms the Saskatchewan / North West Territory border. This took us into an area of many islands and unfortunately onto a 1-250,000 scale map. We generally use the more detailed 1- 50,000 scale. It was almost impossible to navigate through the maze with the lack of detail on the smaller scaled maps and consequently we became disorientated and paddled further than necessary. We stopped on an island to assess our whereabouts and to take a break from the incessant wind and found a very old grave site. It contained three graves one of which was very small and may have been that of a child.
Very old graves just north of the 60th parallel
We wandered around contemplating who these people were now resting in this remote but beautiful place
For me the bonus of travelling further up the lake than we intended was reaching a large area of candling and thinned ice. As it was the first time I had come so close to paddling by ice I found the tinkling sound of the ice cracking and splitting away from the main pack exciting. It was also a first for Big Red (our canoe) and an opportunity to test her ice-breaking skills.
Ice on Selwyn Lake
As the afternoon was passing and we were still unsure of our exact whereabouts we searched for a suitable camping site with no luck. Finally we found an awful, bug ridden, sloping site that would do. The bugs were so bad we had a quick meal and were driven into the tent by 8.30pm.
NOTES
Downes, P.G. [2011] Sleeping Island. Ed. R.H. Cockburn, McGahern Stewart Publishing Ottawa.
Candle ice is a form of rotten ice that develops in columns perpendicular to the surface of the lake.