North End Dickson Canyon Portage
Distance: 0 km, rest day, – [cumulative total 805 km]
InReach: Day 44 Walked Dickson Canyon portage w/ gps, mapped water re camping Will start w/ canoe before wind gets up Will try to do half tomorrow J&K
Camp: 63.751°N 104.747°W
Slept in till almost 8am, woken by the heat and a brief shower as we appeared to be on the edge of a thunder storm. Breakfast then we set off to walk the portage. After the terrible reports we have heard about this portage it is possibly the best marked portage we have encountered since entering the Hanbury system. There are stone cairns at regular intervals and for the most part the ground is firm and dry making for easy walking on an easily seen track. There are several wet spots and some hills but on the whole an excellent portage. Walking back we stopped many times to pick and eat the plentiful and delicious blueberries. We also took many photos of the canyon which is deep and spectacular. Dickson’s Canyon is often compared with the Dubawnt Canyon as Canada’s most spectacular. I would also have to add Manitou Falls on the Fond du Lac River. All three are spectacular and jaw droppingly beautiful, it is places like these for which the word awesome was invented. I don’t think they can to be compared and remain grateful that we have been privileged to see each of these remote and inaccessible wonders of Canada.
After a late lunch, during which we watched four or five lake gulls work together to drive an eagle away from what must have been their nesting ground, the afternoon was spent doing house keeping chores. John went for a wash whilst I organised the food for tomorrow and tonight’s meal, John then plotted up the GPS points he made this morning to work out a possible half way camp site near water for us tomorrow. I did a bunch of laundry and had a dip and wash myself whilst John had a snooze, the tent was far too hot for me so I sat out in the wind supervising the drying of the laundry, unfortunately no shade but the wind kept the bugs off and me cool despite the blue skies and heat.
Despite all we had read, we found the Dickson Canyon portage to be excellent with numerous cairns and generally good footing
The spectacular start to the Dickson Canyon. The great advantage of walking the portage first is that one can easily carry a camera and enjoy the scenery
Middle section of the Dickson Canyon