Wilderness Canoeing in Canada

Day 51 Camp to Lookout Point

John’s father Ken is 102 today.

Distance: 47 km – [cumulative total 1012.5 km]

InReach: Day 52 Late start- wind & rain Grey cold day with low, threatening cloud Camped ~1km upstream of Lookout Point – 47km All well J&K

Camp: 64.164°N 102.576°W

Cold and wet overnight. According to the forecast we were expecting strong headwinds all morning, moderating later in the day so we slept in till 9am planning a late start. However, there was very little wind in the morning so we were paddling by mid morning, there was virtually no wind until mid afternoon and even then it was a following wind for the most part.

For the first few hours the river remained narrow with strong current assist and frequent fast water so we made good progress. The weather remained cold and cloudy with some drizzle. Once the wind started it added to the chill factor. In the afternoon the river widened and although we still enjoyed current the wind contributed more to our paddling speed than the current. We saw both swans and eagles along with the usual Canada geese and ducks. The river kept bifurcating and forming channels around large gravel and sand islands further more there were also many old river channels branching off the main flow. These channels proved good reference points to aid navigation in an otherwise featureless shoreline.