Illurjualik Narrows, Qamanaarjuk Lake - Peninsula in Schultz Lake
Distance 49 km [1144 km]
Portage 0 [20]
Very Fast Water 0 [40]
Rapids 0 [36]
We had a terrible night under attack from a plague of mosquitoes. We must have removed half a kilogram of dead insects from the floor, shoes, window vents etc. and they were still as numerous this morning. The morning was warm, still and smoky. Breakfast was a disaster; John accidentally spilt the last lot of the Red River cereal on the floor of the annex. He totally spat the dummy and we both ended up near tears and he refused to eat for the rest of the day. We are both so physically worn down and exhausted from the cumulative daily hard slog on very small meals and the twenty four hour assault from the plague of insects. I guess after 47 days, no matter how awesome this trip has been, we are both ready to reach the end.
With the sun out and no wind, the black flies went berserk as we packed up
We both paddled all day in our bug suits with the face masks in place but were still harassed by the accompanying swarm. When we finally stopped for the day we cleaned millions of dead insects out of the canoe. We had a wind free morning and we paddled across the glassy surface of Qamanaarjuk Lake through the Aggattalik Narrows and into Schultz Lake where we even had a slight following wind. We were determined to make a big day of it to take advantage of the favouring winds. Towards evening we had a quartering headwind so set up camp on a peninsula about fifteen kilometres from the entrance back into the river. The wind kept the insects under control whilst we set up and ate but then it dropped and the insects went crazy.
To add a little more drama to the day, in the evening I lost my glasses thus rending myself almost blind. I took them off by the water’s edge and put them on a rock whilst I washed my face etc. I was in such a hurry to put the bug net back over my face before being eaten alive that I left them on the rocks where they blended in. I searched for ages but blind people aren’t much good at finding things without their glasses. Fortunately John found them before I stood on them.
Camp on peninsula, eastern Schultz Lake