Wilderness Canoeing in Canada

Cabin in McLeod Bay

Icebound: Cumulative total 218+18 Km = 236 km

InReach: Day 11 Did 18km unloaded checking ice Climbed hills on islands-ice to horizon Clearly late breakup We are stuck here a while yet J&K

Camp: 62.611°N 111.520°W

It rained on and off overnight, we woke to a thick cold ice fog which put the kibosh on our plan to paddle down to the ice edge and see what was happening. Carsten messaged to tell us that the ice on Artillery Lake [about ten days ahead] had not moved, as if John needed any more to worry about.

We both spent most of the morning reading. Immediately after lunch we set off in an empty canoe to check out the ice situation. Due to the overcast sky and low light it was difficult to see where ice and water met. We paddled down the south side of a very large offshore island stopping several times so that John could climb up to get a better view. What he saw was a big expanse of ice down the lake but he was not able to see if there were any open leads along the shoreline. We had hoped to circumnavigate the island but about one kilometre from the end the ice prevented us going any further, we were forced to paddle back but then went several kilometres down the other side of the island, again it was unclear if there was an open lead we could use. We returned to the cabin without having really added to our knowledge. Weather allowing, the plan was to check again tomorrow and hopefully we may get away Monday being prepared to return if it doesn’t work out. The concern is that if we move too soon we could end up with ice between us and the shoreline or even have to put in on a totally inhospitable part of the lake.

The reward from the eighteen kilometre paddle was the exercise calmed John’s cabin fever. It was a beautiful paddle as the island’s shoreline comprised of spectacular high rugged cliffs, we even saw an enormous eagle’s nest perched high. It was unfortunate we had forgotten our cameras to capture the great views. Back to the cabin in time for coffee and the evening meal, there was a distant thunderstorm which brought us a little rain. The mosquitoes remained beyond savage.