 Mali and Benoit enjoying a swim Day 86 July 27th After an evening in great company with Richard and his family we had a great place to reorganize all our food before heading out on Rainy Lake. The weather forecast is predicting very strong winds for the next few days and so we decide to try and make good progress on this beautiful day. Since the weather is so nice we eventually decide to take a lunch break and stop for a swim, even Magali went in the water a testament of the warm weather. We paddle for a long time and realise it might be harder than expected to find a place to stay due to the amount of cabins on almost every island. On this beautiful day I also get the great news that the second chapter of my thesis was accepted for publication with only minor revision, whoohoo! Unfortunately Magali’s shoulder started hurting a bit again late in the day but we have to push forward to find a place to camp, which is getting pretty challenging. As it is getting pretty late we eventually end up camping on the point of an island despite our doubts about the exposure to the strong winds forecasted for the next day and the strong possibility that we were going to be wind stranded for a couple days… We should have listened to our instinct because we ended up regretting our choice of campsite once again.
 Enjoying some more fishing Day 88 July 29th We spent a great night despite the really strong winds because our campsite was well sheltered. Since the winds did not die off we decide to wait another day before heading out on the large Rainy Lake. The winds are even stronger today with wind gust as strong as 60km/h. So another relax day exploring the surrounding forest, fishing, swimming and resting, we wanted to play cards but we realised that they got wet at one point during the past few days and our thus ruined... I also work on some of the revisions I just received on the second chapter of my thesis. We keep following the forecast for the next day closely but it doesn’t seem very good. However the winds should be at our back and should only become very strong in the afternoon and thus we decide to head out anyways since we are excited to move forward and tired of staying put.  Catching some nice tail wind  The sheltered Bay where we stopped for the night Day 89 July 30th I wake up a bit early and finish sending my revision on my second chapter to my supervisor. Then we pack up camp and head out early before the winds get too strong. The winds are very kind in the morning and we quickly cross the large bay allowing us to reach a sheltered section of Rainy Lake. We pass by a Marina and decide to stop and get a new deck of cards since Mali just loves playing cards in the evening before bed time. During that visit Mali and I witness a huge Lake trout of 63 pounds on the wall. Mali asked me where that fish was caught and I tell him Lake Superior. He then looks up at me and says: “We won’t fish on lake superior dad.” We keep going on Rainy Lake a very beautiful lake with lots of Islands allowing us to stay sheltered from the winds who are gradually picking up but at least we have them in our back and thus we take out our sail and progress very quickly. Later that day we end up crossing into the US and thus contact the border to let them know. From this point on we will most likely camp on the US side for the next couple of weeks as we were told that the campsite are more numerous and better maintained on the BWA. As we enter the Voyageur National park we start noticing lots of home boats and people camping with motors boats a new phenomenon for us that we find pretty funny. We try to race a few of these motor homes with our Windpaddle sail and the strong winds at our back and manage to put up good races but never won… Later that day we had one last crossing to reach the south shore of the last big section of Rainy Lake and it was a bit of a stressful moment. Mali who was sleeping got woken up when a wave crashed into the boat right on his head, no need to say he woke up pretty quickly wondering what was happening. The winds became increasingly worrisome that afternoon and we tried to find a place to camp. However we got stuck on a stretch of shoreline with cliffs and no safe spots to land and thus we had to keep pushing forward until we found a little bay with a beach where we quickly headed and spent the night. There was a motor home in that bay but they didn’t mind having neighbors for the night and understood we didn’t want to get back out there.  Caught in the big waves on Rainy Lake late in the afternoon  Motor homes heading back ealry Day 90 July 31st The next day we wake up early hoping to escape the strong winds that should only be a problem for the first few kilometers before leaving Rainy Lake. We leave our campsite around 7am before our neighbors are even up and witness a series of motors homes heading back against the winds. We weren’t the only ones trying to escape the winds early in the morning. After Rainy Lake we decide to take a little short cut instead of following the US border. We reach the Soldier Portage a portage without a trail which will lead us to Namakane Lake. As I’m scouting the portage to find the next lake I soon realise that there is poison ivy everywhere and I had most likely been walking in it for a while… I also realise that I did not have my socks on and that my feet most likely were exposed… We find a safe spot without poison ivy for the rest of the family to portage and have lunch on the other side of the portage. My foot is not itching so I hope that I was lucky and didn’t get it on my foot.
 Our nice campsite under red pines We follow the north shore of the lake were we are less exposed to the wind but eventually have to cross it and reach the southern end where our route is. We wait until we reach a section of the lake with a few islands and then cross. Compared to the previous day this crossing went really well and we are starting to feel a bit more confident in the big waves with our boat. When we started to look for a campsite we get the visit from 2 Park Rangers who warn us that all the campsite on the US side are taken for tonight and that unless we want to paddle for another 4-5 hours we will have to camp on the Canadian side as wilderness camping is prohibited in the National Park in the US. Luckily for us we are allowed to cross the border and camp either sides due to the permits we hold. We end up finding an amazing spot in a red pine forest on the Canadian side with a nice swimming spot and spend a beautiful evening.  The nice view from our campfire that evening  One of the boat we saw on the Loon River Day 91 Aug 1st The next morning we leave our amazing campsite and reach the Loon River where there was a lot of motor boat traffic. As it is a super narrow river it was a bit stressful every time we heard them coming in the distance. Most of the boats were from outfitters that were on a schedule and out of the 10 boats we saw that morning only one slowed down for us while the others just blasted full speed just a few meters away from us… The Loon River could of been a beautiful place but our experience was tarnished by all the boats. At the other end of the Loon River we reach old rail systems which allowed us to effortlessly portage to the next lake and the following portage also had a similar rail system that we took advantage of. Two of the easiest portage we had so far! We reach another amazing campsite under pine trees where we even have a bunch of wood already piled up and sorted by size waiting for us. We added some more wood and made an effort to leave some for the next people as well. That evening the winds were so strong that we decided to set up our tarp vertically to make a wind shelter, which turned out to be a great idea since the night was very windy. It also had lots of heat lightening which would turn the dark sky in a light show every few seconds for a good part of the night. Combined with the strong winds it was a very special feeling (not the best kind of feeling) to be in our tent that night. We felt pretty vulnerable especially after seeing the amount of fallen trees all around our campsite and the size of the ones left standing…
hDay 92 Aug 2nd We were now on Lac à la Croix and were hoping to make it to other side today. Early in the morning we passed another group of paddlers and are so excited to see other canoers. We paddle towards them but quickly realise they are not as excited as we were. Later that day we would understand why that was. As we progressed through the lake we met lots of other canoers, many of them were dropped by the outfitters that kept passing us on the Loon River but also many other canoers on adventures of their own. When we reach the end of the lake there is at least 3 other expedition waiting to complete the portage. We waited our turn and slowly made it to the other end of the portage. We realised we needed to try and be as efficient as possible during all the portages as from this point forward we will have as many as 8 portages a day. We quickly start noticing as well that everyone seems to be on a race to the campsites and we quickly understand why, campsites are limited and there is a lot of people on the BWA where we currently are. Since all the groups ahead of us on the portages told us they would be staying on the following lake, Iron Lake, we decided to reach Crooked Lake where there are many campsites thus another portage before camp. At the end of the portage we met a group of students actually on a class trip which we found was amazing. Mali watches them fish and even receives a nice bait to catch small mouth bass the prominent fish in the area. Unfortunately we can’t stay long to chat as it’s getting late and we still need to find a campsite which wasn’t and easy task that evening. We must of passed at least 5 different campsites that were all taken before finally finding one that was free just before sunset. We set up camp around 8:30pm and Magali wasn’t a happy camper feeling like we should of stopped earlier that day. We would learn from this to some extent but at the same time most groups would set up camp around 2-4pm while we had to put longer hours to reach our end destination in time.  Nice sunlight as we set up camp  One of the waterfall we had to portage around Day 93 Aug 3rd The following day we once again meet lots of other canoes on the water but most of them don’t seem to want to chat to much once again, probably tiered of seeing so many people on their wilderness camping trip. Us, on the other hand, we were very happy to meet other people for a change, especially other paddlers. We are hoping to reach Basswood Lake that evening and will thus have a few portages as we go up the Basswood River. We complete the first few portages easily and during one of these meet of group of boy scouts that were very kind and we exchanged stories with them for a while. We manage to line up one of the rapids to avoid a portage and finally reached our last portage of the day the Horse Trail portage which was 1.5 km long. Just as we get to the start of the portage we catch up with another really kind group from Outbound Adventures that give us a few tips about the portage. This was going to be our first long portage without our canoe kart. Up to know most of our portages had been 500m or less or we could use the canoe kart on the longer ones. This was a pretty hard portage but it could have been a lot worse if all the previous groups hadn’t cleared the trail from all the dead fall as they did. We manage to complete it but not without a lot of efforts. Luckily for us there was a campsite just near the end of the portage which was great since it was starting to get dark. We have a quick super and go to bed quickly after. That evening I could see that Magali was starting to get worried about what was to come… This was by no means our longest portages and I could see that she was starting to realise how hard some of the later ones were going to be.  Magali realizing that portaging can be really hard  Delicious blueberry pancakes Day 94 Aug 4th Since we are tiered from the hard portage we had the day before we take it easy in the morning and take the time to make blueberry pancakes with freshly harvested blueberries that Mali and I gathered from around our campsite. The small rash on my foot that started a few days earlier is now becoming more prominent and it’s clear now that I have a poison ivy reaction on one of my feet. It’s not too bad yet and not much to do for now anyways. We eventually leave around 11:30am and slowly make it across to the other side of Basswood Lake. To our surprise there are some motor boats on this lake which was a bit of a surprise to us having had to portage so many times to get here… The good thing about these motor boats however is that there is another easy portage waiting for us at the other end, a ride system to get motor boats to the next lake. We took advantage of this easy ride to Birch Lake once again. That evening we struggle to find a campsite as they are all taken. We eventually reach the end of the Birch Lake and were really hopping not to have to portage so late in the evening but still no campsite available in sight. We eventually meet with a few USDA park rangers that tell us that even if we portaged the campsites in the next few lakes are all taken as well and they are actually in the same situation as us. We stop and chat with them for a moment and learned lots about the area. Two great men that are very understanding and helped us the best they could. They even offered to bush camp with us on the US side if we can’t find anything so that we would be legit in there company. We eventually told then we might just camp on the Canadian side in the bush and they were happy with that solution. We say our goodbyes and go our separate ways. We found a nice little spot that looked like it had been used before and we spent a great evening on what we tough was an island on the Canadian side (but later realised we were still in the US… oups).  Another easy portage between Basswood Lake and Birch Lake  Nice bald eagle as we are trying to find a campsite late in the afternoon  Jim and Alie Day 95 Aug 5th We get up early as we have many portages planned for the day. We get to the end of Birch Lake just in time for the fog to lift. We take the time to film a bit of portaging shots that morning but are quickly joined by two different groups portaging in the same direction as us. We realise it will be a busy day in the portaging trails. One of those groups was from a camp (a councillor with 6-7 teenagers) and we ended up following each other all day. It was great to have some company and to share the struggle with other paddlers for once. When we finally reached Knife Lake we went our separate ways as they were heading south while we were keeping going east. We stopped for lunch and for a swim and the water was almost as clear as Lake Kakagi. Another canoe passed us moments later (Jim and Alie) that were on their way to Lake Superior as well. We eventually caught up with them on the water and chatted for a bit before it was their turn to stop for lunch and wished them well. We are really impressed as they seemed of the same generation as our parents and still taking on great adventures. We felt inspired and hoped that we would still be like them at that age. Later on Knife Lake we witnessed vast areas that had been burned by a forest fires a few years ago. It was very impressive to see the vastness of the area affected. A short portage later we reached Otter Lake where we were welcomed by a family of loons feeding their young one and signing for us. In the narrows passages of Otter Lake the sounds was magical echoing and bouncing off the numerous cliffs. We stayed there for a while just witnessing the show. We complete the last few portages allowing us to reach Saganaga Lake including the Monument portage which has multiple monuments indicating where the Canada-US border is. So after about 6 or 7 portages that day we were pretty happy to set up camp and have a nice meal before easily going to bed.
 Border signs on monument portage  Great group of kids we met on the Granite River and Gunflint Lodge Day 96 Aug 6th We wake up on the Canadian side of the border as all the US campsite were taken the evening before and we just wanted to find a campsite after our last portage. Today is Tursday and we realise we could try and make it to the Gunflint lodge were we could spend a few nights. The members of Les chemins de l’or bleu highly recommended spending a few days there as they were very nice and they had affordable accommodations for paddlers. We look at the weather forecast for the next couple of days were supposed to be pretty bad and think that it would be great to make it to the lodge for a few nights. We also feel like we will have more chances of having a place at the lodge if we get there on a Thursday evening instead of Friday. So we push forward for another long day of portages (about 7 in total). We quickly make it to the Granite River and realise this was going to be another day with lots of traffic. We encounter at least three other groups during the first few portages up the Granite River. One of them a group from a camp in Ontario is now on the 30th day of their trip and one of their councillors (Emile) is from Montreal. We had lots of fun chatting with them and they were pretty impressed that we were almost on our 100th day of our journey. Most of the portages go relatively well and we even manage to line up two of the rapids that day. Magali really like lining up rapids! However after our supposedly last portage I realise that there were actually another few portages that I didn’t see on the map because they were so short. Although they were short Magali didn’t appreciate that surprise. Just after our last portage it starting raining and gradually it started pouring pretty hard just as we saw the Gunflint lodge in the distance. We paddle as hard as we could and in our minds we were really hopping they had a spot for us. We were very happy to learn they had a room in their rustic canoer’s cabins and after quickly dumping our gear we go for a feast at the Lodge restaurant. We must have looked like people who hadn’t eaten in days as we ordered so much food and drinks but when we explained to our waitress where we were coming from she understood and laughed.
Day 97-98 Aug 7-8th We ended up spending two full days at the lodge to rest and reorganize. There was a ton of activities for kids and we were really happy for Mali. We went on interpretive hikes about edible plants, Mali went fishing with his own personal fishing guide for a afternoon, assisted different music shows, arts and craft activities and Mali fed the duck so much food on the beach that I doubted their ability to migrate down south after our stay. During our stay I also managed to find calamine lotion for my foot with poison ivy which was not getting any better on the contrary. We also met some of the groups that we met the day before on the portages and we exchange some more stories with them. We also had lunch with Jim and Alie who we had met two days before on Knife Lake and they cheered us up since we had just realised something terrible. A few hours before lunch we realised that we had lost our GoPro… I was devastated, not so much because of the camera, but due to all the footage we had captured on it and which was not backed up yet. I realised we had lost the GoPro when I was trying to back up the footage actually and after looking through all our stuff at least 5 times I had to accept that it was gone… The last time we remembered using it was two days of paddling ago on the Monument portage. Unfortunately Jim and Alie did not see it but their company was great to cheer us up. We posted a message on an online forum but in my mind it was pointless and we had to just move forward thinking it was gone forever. I manage to get over it with the help of our new friends and a few beers and we slowly started getting ready to head out after two great days of rest. The staff and people we met at the Gunflint lodge were amazing and we would recommend to anyone passing through stopping for a night or more.  Day 99 Aug 9th After one last delicious breakfast at the lodge restaurant we slowly get back in our canoe and start paddling east once again. When we reach the end of the lake we struggle to find the little stream we needed to take but luckily for us Mali came here the day before during his fishing afternoon with his guide. He thus points us towards were we need to go and despite our scepticism due to the absence of visual evidence we trust Mali and keep paddling were he tells us to go. Eventually a very narrow stream appears and we find our way to the next lake. We make two short portages before reaching Rose Lake where Mali falls asleep just before the next portage. We try to wake him up but he is out cold… We thus decide to make a trip with some gear while he sleeps. When we come back for the second trip he is still sleeping so we carry the rest of the stuff. Unfortunately he woke up during our second trip and tried to follow the portage trail but eventually turned around and waited for us at the beginning of the portage trail crying… When I came back to find him I felt so bad and reassured him the best I could. He taught we had left him behind but I quickly made him understand we would never do that. Mali was a real angel for a couple a days after that ;-)  Mali walking the portage with me after waking up alone  Portaging is starting to get harder... Day 100th Aug 10th Wow our 100th day of the trip! We are woken up by an angry squirrel throwing pine cones at our tent and he kept chirping at us all morning. Mali had lots of fun protecting our campsite from him. We were going to celebrate our 100th day by starting off with a 4.5 km portage that morning. We manage to use our canoe kart a bit but mostly had to make multiple trips with all the gear on our backs once again. During this portage we are past by Jim and Alie who were super light and they cruised by us like a breeze. We were not so light unfortunately and during every trip I made I couldn’t wait to see the other end of the portage trail. There were many steep slopes and it was a really ruff trail and we all struggled a lot during this portage. This portage was especially hard on Magali not only was it challenging physically but also mentally. She just kept thinking of the Grand Portage and how awful it was going to be. During each portage I would always be very encouraging and I would always run back to help out with Magali’s loads when I was done but despite that Magali always had a discouraged face during but more so after the portages were over. I think my positive attitude and her perception that I was finding this easy or fun also slowly got on her nerves (why is he not as miserable as me she must of thought). After this really hard portage we had to talk since her attitude was starting to affect my moral as well. I told her that it’s ok to find it hard during the portage, but when it’s over we had to celebrate and be really proud of ourselves a feeling she struggle with at first. She eventually embraces portaging and started feeling proud of her accomplishments but her determination was still going to be tested in the next couple of days. Mali on the other hand was very keen on portaging. He always carried his small backpack and then smaller items on the second trip but overall he kept up with our speed and was happy to hike for a change. He rarely complained and when he saw us struggle he would always try and cheer us up. I think he saw how hard we were working and just wanted to make our lives as easy as possible. We took the rest of that day relatively easy and after just completing one other portage found a nice campsite on Mountain Lake.  Hard to stay down with encouragements from such a cute kid  Our friends for the evening Day 101 Aug 11th We get up early with the goal of reaching our last lake before the Pigeon River and the Grand portage. As we are heading towards our first portage we noticed Jim on the shore waving to us and asking us to come see him. Jim wanted to offer Magali some coffee! We ask them were they were planning on spending the night and if they would like to share a campsite with us since we were planning on camping on the same lake. They like the idea and thus we planned on meeting later that day on the North Fowl lake. As we were heading back to the portage we met another groups a paddlers from the same camp in Ontario that we met a few days earlier. They told us that they will be at least 7 different groups from their camp on North fowl Lake that evening and thus it might be hard for us to find a spot to camp. We were happy to learn that and thus planned on camping on the lake before, Moose Lake, where there are many campsites. We complete the 3 portages leading to Moose Lake and our friends Jim and Alie caught up with us just as we reached the lake. They were more than happy to stop on Moose lake and we find a campsite together. That evening Jim, Mali and I went for a bit of fishing to catch super while Magali and Alie set up camp. Thanks to Jim’s fishing advice we caught a great meal. Mali caught the first fish (although it was the smallest we had ever seen), Jim caught the most fish and I was able to pull in the biggest of the evening. Jim then showed me out to filet small mouth bass since it was the first time we had caught this kind of fish during the trip. We spent a great evening with them around the campfire and share a great meal together. For Magali and I Jim and Alie were a real inspiration and we imagined ourselves later in life still living simply and enjoying challenges in the wilderness. Thanks Jim and Alie for the inspiration it was really great to meet you guys.  Jim trying our camping chairs Day 102 Aug 12th We wanted to get an early start but hard to do so in such great company. We manage to convince Jim to try our camping chair despite his strong belief that is lifejacket is the best seat when camping. After breakfast and saying goodbye we head out to our first portage. The end of the first portage welcome us with a huge muddy landing and we noticed the many footsteps from all the groups that were going to camp on North Foul lake the night before. We reach the end of the lake and try to see if we can get the around the dam leading to the Pigeon river. However we quickly realise that this option will be too dangerous and thus we try to find the classic portage which skips the dam and the few rapids bellow it. This portage is 1.8km and I quickly go scout it to assess where it leads and if we are on the good trail. After a few trips and lots of hard work we make it across to the Pigeons River. We will finally be paddling downstream on the Pigeon River a beautiful narrow river that has many little rapids. Unfortunately we quickly realise that the water level is very low and in most of the rapids it is a struggle to find a line without rocks. We have a water fall to get around and try to see if we could find a quick portage around it. However as we get closer the sharp horizon line and the tree tops behind it quickly have us realise we do not want to get close to this water fall and we take the long way around. This was a good decision as this waterfall must of been at least 30-40 feet high! During this portage we tested our canoe cart in some really deep mud wholes and it worked like a charm. There is a reason why we called our kart Rambo! After that portage we make it at Fort Charlotte just before sunset and we meet all our friends from that camp who are staying just across the river from fort Charlotte at their camp that they called Rome (because it was built in one day the summer before). We try and get some rest but we are a bit anxious for the big day coming up!  Our campsite at fort Charlotte before the grand portage  Us moments before starting the Grand portage Day 103 Aug 13th. The big day has finally arrived. We try and get started early but we are slowed down by the amount of traffic building up at the start of the portage with the 40-50 kids from the camp getting ready for the portage. We leave first but are quickly caught up by all the groups who seem to be flying down the trail compared to our very slow pace. We quickly realise that the canoe kart will not be too useful due to the amount of small wooden bridges that we encounter every 200-400m on the trail. Every time we need to unload the canoe and make a few trips across the bridges. After about 2 hours of grueling portages we get a message on our Inreach device. Someone found our gopro and will be sending it to us by mail!!!!! Wow what great news that really cheered us up and gave us a momentum boost. A boost we would have needed a bit later but for now we felt great.
 Bridge at the Beaver Dam We ended up reaching the Beaver Dam the first landmark we crossed a couple hours later and we had to portage across without the kart once again due to the construction of the new bridge crossing the stream. During this section I end up stepping on a rusty nail left behind during the construction with my right foot (the same one with the poison ivy) and we have to take some time to clean the wound and make a bandage. Luckily my wound is not too deep and despite the discomfort I could keep walking on my foot. It’s now close to 12pm and we have only completed approximately 3km in 4hours and still have 11km to go… will we make it in one day is what we start wondering seriously. Not too long after this Magali started panicking a bit, feeling discouraged, crying and wondering what we were doing there. There was nothing I could say to cheer her up but Mali walked up to her and told her: “Mom don’t give up, I’m really proud of you and I know you can do it.” This really gave us momentum and we got up and going again. We kept going and eventually realised we lost a piece of our kart (the pin that keeps the wheel in place). We went back and forth until we found it and then tapped the piece to prevent it from happening again. A few hours later another part of our kart fell but this time we could not find it… We thus took a moment to regroup and think of what we had that could repair our kart. We ended up using some bolts and screws from our gopro mounts combined with the magic ingredient duct tape and fixed Rambo and kept going and this repair lasted for the rest of the portage (the whole trip actually).
If all these early challenges were not enough, we started running really low on water and with the 35 degrees temperature it started to become a serious concern. Unfortunately the trail did not cross any streams and we started to wondering what we were going to do… We eventually crossed a tiny brown stream and since we didn’t have another option we started filtering and treating some water. While Magali filtered the water I made a trip with a few bags to make the canoe lighter and dropped them a few kilometers further. By the time I made it back to Magali and Mali I started feeling really weird, my arms were vibrating and I started feeling really week. When Magali’s saw me she notices something was off and I sat down, eat a bit and drank lots of water. At that point I was thinking is this what tetanus feels like… shit what will we doo… Luckily after resting and hydrating for half an hour my state got a lot better quickly and we were reassured. We made sure we left with lots of water and kept moving forward. Later in the portages it was Magali’s turn when she almost turned her ankle but it wasn’t too bad so we can keep going once again. We eventually realise that we would not make it before dark and had to take the decision to stop before the end or only make it with part of our gear. Magali really wanted to make it out of the portage and although I wasn’t convinced it was the best thing to do we agreed that we were getting out of there tonight. When it started getting dark we took out our head lamps and left the canoe where it was and only took what we need to camp at the end. We thus took our two bags with our tent and sleeping bags as well as most of our electronics down to the end of the trail. We stopped just a bit before the end as we are not supposed to camp at the end of the trail since it’s a national park… After a quick super I went back to get another trip of luggage while Magali and Mali started setting up the tent since I preferred to have most of our gear with us. I came back literally exhausted and crashed in bed very quickly upon my return. What a day!!!  We finally made it! Day 104 Aug 14th. The next morning I can barely contain my excitement to see Lake Superior and thus wake up around 5am. I get out and since the rest of the family is still sleeping I decide to go and make myself useful and get the rest of our gear (canoe, small back pack and the canoe kart) that were left maybe 2km from the end of the trail. Once I get back I call my father to ask for advice regarding my foot with poison ivy and nail injury. After he tells me what to look for tetanus symptoms and what antibiotic take if my state starts getting worse I’m pretty reassured and feel confident I will be fine. Just after hanging up I go to the bathroom in the bush and get another surprise. A 3m long tapeworm exits my body as I liberate myself… WTF I cannot believe it… What’s next, I think to myself, kind of half laughing but kind of nervous as well. I call my father back right away send him a few pictures and spend the next half-our on google trying to figure out what kind of tapeworm it was and what to do next. I quickly figure out that it’s most likely a fresh water tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum) which is relatively harmless in some regards. The treatment is simple and my father sends medication our way for us to take. My crazy fatigue the day before seems to make more sense as its one of the potential side effects of having a tapeworm… When Magali finally wakes up I share the exciting new news with her and she can’t believe it. Once the whole family is up we finally make it to Lake Superior and find a campground nearby were we decide to take a day off and rest from our recent challenges.  Putting our boat in Lake Superior was very rewarding If you read up to here you deserve |
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Pictures from the High Cliffe cabin we stayed at in Minaki.
Lisa White and her great family
| Day 76 July 17th After leaving Minaki we had to paddle close to the Lake of the Woods. We were invited for the night at Lisa White’s place who had been following our journey for a few weeks now. Following the advice of people from Minaki and from members of Les Chemins de l’or bleu we decided to make a short portage that allowed us to skip a section of River with lots of current. The portage brought us to a narrow calm arm of the Winnipeg River and we reach Lisa’s house early in the evening. We received a warm welcome from Lisa and her family and Mali enjoyed playing a few games with Genevieve their 8 year old granddaughter. After eating delicious hamburgers and a blueberry pie they offered us to sleep in their camper as there are heavy showers forecasted for the night. We gladly accept and go to bed happy that are journey is back on track. |  Mali's new paddle a gift from Lisa White's family. |
Small passage to reach Lake of the Woods Day 77 July 18th
We wake up earlier but as its pouring rain outside we take our time and sleep in a bit. The skies eventually clear up and after a quick breakfast with our great host we are back on the water, direction Kenora and Lake of the Woods. That morning we get a good warm up as there are numerous sections of very strong current that we needed to paddle upstream in. After a very short portage and a few paddle strokes we reach Kenora just in time to avoid another strong rain shower and crazy winds. We stop at the grocery store which has a boat parking and resupply on fresh goods. We also purchase a new GPS in town as our previous GPS decided to die just as we got on the Lake of the Woods, the lake with a million islands… However even with our new GPS we didn’t manage to find topo maps for the device and the following section was where we were counting to us the GPS the most. At least we have a compass and good printed topo maps to help us find our way. We find a nice little campground in town and spend the night.
We wake up earlier but as its pouring rain outside we take our time and sleep in a bit. The skies eventually clear up and after a quick breakfast with our great host we are back on the water, direction Kenora and Lake of the Woods. That morning we get a good warm up as there are numerous sections of very strong current that we needed to paddle upstream in. After a very short portage and a few paddle strokes we reach Kenora just in time to avoid another strong rain shower and crazy winds. We stop at the grocery store which has a boat parking and resupply on fresh goods. We also purchase a new GPS in town as our previous GPS decided to die just as we got on the Lake of the Woods, the lake with a million islands… However even with our new GPS we didn’t manage to find topo maps for the device and the following section was where we were counting to us the GPS the most. At least we have a compass and good printed topo maps to help us find our way. We find a nice little campground in town and spend the night.
 Groceries store with boat parking! |  Benoit Checking the groceries list |
Great tail wind! We were surprised that our sail did not break! Day 78 July 19th
The next day I wake up early convinced that I could find topo maps online since we have an internet access at the campground. I manage to find a good topo maps for the boundary water section but that is still two weeks away. We have to wait until Fort Frances where a store has topo maps on micro-sim cards to get topo maps for our GPS. I nonetheless feel confident with our compass and paper maps. Despite the windy day we decide to hit the water confident that we can manage to find shelter behind the numerous islands. We met some very nice people on a small island and they even found us later that day with their motor boat to make sure we were ok in the big waves. We had a few exposed sections but for the most part we managed to stay sheltered. We get off the water at one point to avoid a crazy storm and find refuge at someones cabin in French Narrows a small community. We catch the end of the storm that was now in our back and take advantage of the wind with great sail. We quickly reached a sheltered bay were we meet David and Mary Apps who invite us to spend the night on their property. We spend a great evening sharing stories and Dr David Apps even gave Magali some medication for her ear that has been hurting for a few days now.
The next day I wake up early convinced that I could find topo maps online since we have an internet access at the campground. I manage to find a good topo maps for the boundary water section but that is still two weeks away. We have to wait until Fort Frances where a store has topo maps on micro-sim cards to get topo maps for our GPS. I nonetheless feel confident with our compass and paper maps. Despite the windy day we decide to hit the water confident that we can manage to find shelter behind the numerous islands. We met some very nice people on a small island and they even found us later that day with their motor boat to make sure we were ok in the big waves. We had a few exposed sections but for the most part we managed to stay sheltered. We get off the water at one point to avoid a crazy storm and find refuge at someones cabin in French Narrows a small community. We catch the end of the storm that was now in our back and take advantage of the wind with great sail. We quickly reached a sheltered bay were we meet David and Mary Apps who invite us to spend the night on their property. We spend a great evening sharing stories and Dr David Apps even gave Magali some medication for her ear that has been hurting for a few days now.
 David and Mary Apps |  The view from the Apps dock |
Day 79 July 20th
The next morning after a breakfast in great company we continue our journey. We still have a good tail wind that followed us all day. We continue to find our way between the many islands and we managed never to take a wrong turn. However I have to spend a lot more time looking at the maps and my compass. We avoid another big storm and stopped a few moments; built a quick shelter and stayed dry. We also took advantage of this break to have lunch on land which doesn’t happen very often. We eventually find a nice place to camp after looking for a few hours, most nice spots all had cabins making it harder to find a place to camp. As we set up camp Mali get stung by 4 wasps (on a finger, his arm and on his back) that were hidden in a ground nest. We monitor him closely during the evening but his symptoms diminish quickly. We enjoy a beautiful sunset and a nice moon and go to bed early.
The next morning after a breakfast in great company we continue our journey. We still have a good tail wind that followed us all day. We continue to find our way between the many islands and we managed never to take a wrong turn. However I have to spend a lot more time looking at the maps and my compass. We avoid another big storm and stopped a few moments; built a quick shelter and stayed dry. We also took advantage of this break to have lunch on land which doesn’t happen very often. We eventually find a nice place to camp after looking for a few hours, most nice spots all had cabins making it harder to find a place to camp. As we set up camp Mali get stung by 4 wasps (on a finger, his arm and on his back) that were hidden in a ground nest. We monitor him closely during the evening but his symptoms diminish quickly. We enjoy a beautiful sunset and a nice moon and go to bed early.
| Day 80 July 21st The next morning we take advantage of the nice camping spot and we take a nice swim (just Mali and I). The water is so clear that it’s hard for Mali and I to resist jumping in it. We then give a call to some media’s with whom we had phone meetings to give them updates. We then leave our site and paddle a few hours to reach our next portage. After paddling through a sea of water lily, we eventually reach the portage that will allow us to reach the next lake. As we are snaking before the portage Mali and I witness a hummingbird that flies extremely close to us. We eventually make our 5km portage and reach Lake Kakagi another lake with extremely clear water. We find another beautiful campsite with a nice rock off of which we can jump to swim. We are surprised to still have cell reception and take the time to call friends and family to give them an updates.  Construction on the portage to Lake Kakagi |  Mali jumping in for a morning swim   The clear water of Lake of the Woods |
Benoit diving from our first site on Lake Kakagi Day 81 July 22nd
We take another easy morning and are starting to enjoy the more relaxed beat of the past few days. We decide to have a short day and take advantage of the beautiful weather and the amazing lake we are on. We have another swim from our campsite and slowly head out with goal to just reach the other end of the lake. We stop for lunch and Mali events tries to swim a bit without his life jacket (under close supervision obviously). We have fun diving from the canoe! We also see many loons that day and are amazed by their majestic voices. We finally reach the end of the lake were we will be portaging the next day and find a nice spot on an beautiful island with pine trees. We enjoy a great meal with a VIP view on the sunset and two loons courting each other. We hear some strong noises in the forest nearby but noting came close to our campsite. We go to bed early as the next day will be a big day of portaging.
We take another easy morning and are starting to enjoy the more relaxed beat of the past few days. We decide to have a short day and take advantage of the beautiful weather and the amazing lake we are on. We have another swim from our campsite and slowly head out with goal to just reach the other end of the lake. We stop for lunch and Mali events tries to swim a bit without his life jacket (under close supervision obviously). We have fun diving from the canoe! We also see many loons that day and are amazed by their majestic voices. We finally reach the end of the lake were we will be portaging the next day and find a nice spot on an beautiful island with pine trees. We enjoy a great meal with a VIP view on the sunset and two loons courting each other. We hear some strong noises in the forest nearby but noting came close to our campsite. We go to bed early as the next day will be a big day of portaging.
 Mali trying to swim without his life jacket |  Benoit fooling around during lunch break |
 Just enough room for our tent |  What a nice day on Lake Kakagi! |
| Day 82 July 23rd This day is going to be a challenging one. We have many portages with potentially no trails. The first one is just a small beaver dam we have to get over. For Magali and Mali it was a first and Mali walked on it and explored it and he was very impressed. We are very surprised that most of the portages we had that day had very well maintained trails, except the last one. When we got at portages I would take a bag and some gear and quickly scout and find the next lake. |   |
The last portage we had was 800m and it took me about 1h to find the other lake… halfway in the portage a windstorm made the trail disappear and finding the next lake was a real challenge. Once I had found it I needed to find a way where Mali could get through and where I could portage with the canoe. I eventually opened a trail and got back to the beginning of the portage were Magali was starting to wonder where I was. We worked hard to make it through but after 4 hours our hardest portages so far was over. Exhausted from this last portage we try and find a campsite but really struggle to find a decent site. We get the visit by an angry loon protecting his baby that begins to fly around us and makes us understand we are on his lake. Impressed with him we move on and find continue our search for a campsite. We eventually decide to choose a site under large cedars and crash in the tent very early.
The worst portage of the whole trip!!!!!!
 A family of loons |  A beautiful flower that caught my eye during a portage |
| Day 83 July 24th The next morning I contemplate the huge cedar tree under which we spent the night and I can honestly say I think it’s one of the largest cedars I have seen in my life. We have a beautiful morning and after the fog clears away we start paddling again. We meet a few fishermen but quickly get the feeling that we are bothering them so we quickly pass by quietly. We eventually reach another portage with a beautifully maintained trail and we reach the Loon Haunt Lake were we find a beautiful campsite. We try to fish but have no luck so we eat are planned meal and the mosquitos send us to bed early. |  Our campsite under the beautiful cedar trees |
The impressive snapping turtle blocking the portage trail Day 84 July 25th
I wake up before everyone and enjoy the calm and quiet to catch up on writing my journal. Once the rest of the family gets up we have breakfast and leave to reach our second resupply near Fort Frances. On our first portage of the day the trail is blocked by a scary looking snapping turtle that doesn’t want to let us go by. We eventually scare it off the trail and continue our portage. Late that day we get a small section of downstream paddling (Jack fish rapids) which felt so good. It had been over a month since we had paddled downstream and it felt very good even if it was only for a few meters! We reach the end of the Lake were we spend the night at a campground by the road and meet great people from the USA that offer us a cold drink and some company. We spend a great evening sharing stories. We go to bed very excited because the next day we will receive the visit from Mike Ranta a famous cross-canada paddler!
I wake up before everyone and enjoy the calm and quiet to catch up on writing my journal. Once the rest of the family gets up we have breakfast and leave to reach our second resupply near Fort Frances. On our first portage of the day the trail is blocked by a scary looking snapping turtle that doesn’t want to let us go by. We eventually scare it off the trail and continue our portage. Late that day we get a small section of downstream paddling (Jack fish rapids) which felt so good. It had been over a month since we had paddled downstream and it felt very good even if it was only for a few meters! We reach the end of the Lake were we spend the night at a campground by the road and meet great people from the USA that offer us a cold drink and some company. We spend a great evening sharing stories. We go to bed very excited because the next day we will receive the visit from Mike Ranta a famous cross-canada paddler!
Our nice spot by the road were Mike Ranta was going to meet us
Our good friend Mike Ranta Day 85 July 26th
We wake up and start preparing for Mike’s arrival. Mike accepted to drive the 2 hours from Atikokan Ontario to meet us there and drive us into town so we could get our special permit at the US custom in Fort Frances. This permit will allow us to cross the Canada-US border remotely without going through customs. Are visit at the custom go smoothly and we also stop at a store to get the topo map for our GPS. However once at the store we realise it’s not really what we though and we decide to just keep going with what we had. We also make a quick stop at the grocery store to get some fresh goods. We take Mike out for lunch to thank him for his help and he drives us back to where he met us and we try to find a place to camp before heading out on Rainy Lake. However the campgrounds are full because of a big fishing tournament and we can’t find anyone willing to let us just camp on their lawn… Mike couldn’t believe it… We eventually find a boat launch and say farewell to our good friend Mike. We decided to find a spot a bit further on the lake despite the late time of day but just as we are about to leave a pontoon arrives at the launch. We talk a bit with them and they quickly offer us to stay at their place just beside the boat launch. Richard and his family invite us over for super and we spend a great evening in their company. They could not stay late due to other engagements but left us the access to their main floor with kitchen and bathrooms and power! We recharge all our electronics reorganize all our food and we get ready to leave for the rest of our adventure the next day.
We wake up and start preparing for Mike’s arrival. Mike accepted to drive the 2 hours from Atikokan Ontario to meet us there and drive us into town so we could get our special permit at the US custom in Fort Frances. This permit will allow us to cross the Canada-US border remotely without going through customs. Are visit at the custom go smoothly and we also stop at a store to get the topo map for our GPS. However once at the store we realise it’s not really what we though and we decide to just keep going with what we had. We also make a quick stop at the grocery store to get some fresh goods. We take Mike out for lunch to thank him for his help and he drives us back to where he met us and we try to find a place to camp before heading out on Rainy Lake. However the campgrounds are full because of a big fishing tournament and we can’t find anyone willing to let us just camp on their lawn… Mike couldn’t believe it… We eventually find a boat launch and say farewell to our good friend Mike. We decided to find a spot a bit further on the lake despite the late time of day but just as we are about to leave a pontoon arrives at the launch. We talk a bit with them and they quickly offer us to stay at their place just beside the boat launch. Richard and his family invite us over for super and we spend a great evening in their company. They could not stay late due to other engagements but left us the access to their main floor with kitchen and bathrooms and power! We recharge all our electronics reorganize all our food and we get ready to leave for the rest of our adventure the next day.
 Waiting in line at the border |  Back to Canada after a very short visit to the customs |
Day 51 June 22nd
After a somewhat ruff night we wake up happy we don’t have to paddle on Lake Manitoba this morning. We slowly pack up camp and we get ready to paddle up the diversion canal of the Assiniboine River. We leave with a steady wind in our back and make it easily upstream without paddling thanks to our awesome sail. I don’t think I can that sentence enough we really love our sail!!! The channel is sometimes so narrow that we can touch both sides at the same time and sometimes so shallow that we need to walk our boat in the water… When we get to the first portage of the channel we meet up with Radja a journalist from Radio-Canada there to film us a bit and interview us. We spend lots of time chatting with him before pushing forward upstream. Our canoe cart will help us all day even in some harder sections and we are really impressed with him. I think that is when we decided to name our canoe cart Rambo! We make it to the Assiniboine River by 10pm have supper quickly and then bed time. We are so happy to be paddling downstream for the next few days and happy to make it in Winnipeg for our next resupply.
After a somewhat ruff night we wake up happy we don’t have to paddle on Lake Manitoba this morning. We slowly pack up camp and we get ready to paddle up the diversion canal of the Assiniboine River. We leave with a steady wind in our back and make it easily upstream without paddling thanks to our awesome sail. I don’t think I can that sentence enough we really love our sail!!! The channel is sometimes so narrow that we can touch both sides at the same time and sometimes so shallow that we need to walk our boat in the water… When we get to the first portage of the channel we meet up with Radja a journalist from Radio-Canada there to film us a bit and interview us. We spend lots of time chatting with him before pushing forward upstream. Our canoe cart will help us all day even in some harder sections and we are really impressed with him. I think that is when we decided to name our canoe cart Rambo! We make it to the Assiniboine River by 10pm have supper quickly and then bed time. We are so happy to be paddling downstream for the next few days and happy to make it in Winnipeg for our next resupply.
Day 52 June 23rd
After a very restful night we let Mali sleep in while we repack and organize the boat which we had left right on the canoe cart at the end of the days the night before. We have a relax breakfast and start paddling around 9am so happy to be on a River. The shore of the Assiniboine River has lots of new tree species that we haven’t seen before and we are surprised with how different the forest seems. We enjoy all the bends this river has to offer as it shelters us from the strong winds present that day. These same bends however make our progression towards Winnipeg a lot longer than anticipated. We nonetheless embrace our new river and push forward. We paddle until late in the evening just after we got suspicious clouds, winds and rain which worried Magali a lot. Everything eventually settles down and we set up camp quickly as the mosquitos are out that evening. One more day and we should reach Winnipeg.
After a very restful night we let Mali sleep in while we repack and organize the boat which we had left right on the canoe cart at the end of the days the night before. We have a relax breakfast and start paddling around 9am so happy to be on a River. The shore of the Assiniboine River has lots of new tree species that we haven’t seen before and we are surprised with how different the forest seems. We enjoy all the bends this river has to offer as it shelters us from the strong winds present that day. These same bends however make our progression towards Winnipeg a lot longer than anticipated. We nonetheless embrace our new river and push forward. We paddle until late in the evening just after we got suspicious clouds, winds and rain which worried Magali a lot. Everything eventually settles down and we set up camp quickly as the mosquitos are out that evening. One more day and we should reach Winnipeg.
Day 53 June 24th
Happy Saint Jean Baptiste!!! This should have been our first tough that day but I woke up caressing my sons hair and found a big lump on his scull… After closer inspection it is a huge bloated tick. We remove it, keep it for further testing if needed and clean by son’s wound. We start looking online and calling Manitoba health line as we are in cell reception. We quicly realise it just a wood tick which should not contract Lime disease but we plan on visiting a clinic in Winnipeg just to be safe. My father lets me know that the antibiotics we have for Mali are the ones use to treat lime disease if needs be, we are somewhat relieved. Later that day we hear lots of tunder storms and notice there is a tornado alert for nearby… We start paddling faster towards Winnipeg which should have nicer weather for that evening. We make it at the forks fairly early and meet up with some journalist there. We then head towards our resupply location but can’t make it before a torrential downpour accompanied by some hail. We manage to escape the hail by hiding under a bridge but doing so we displaced guesses that were hiding as well. The bridge we were hiding under was literally 200m away from Mirlene’s neighbor where we were stopping for a few days. We ended up staying at her neighbors place since Mirlene had a water leak in her basement were we were supposed to stay. We had met Mirlene through another cross Canada paddling family (Geoff Macdonald, ) who had contacted us to share information and contacts along our route. Mirlene is Geoff aunt. Due to the current circumstance John and Annette welcome us without a hesitation and we ended up staying longer than expected and made new friends.
Happy Saint Jean Baptiste!!! This should have been our first tough that day but I woke up caressing my sons hair and found a big lump on his scull… After closer inspection it is a huge bloated tick. We remove it, keep it for further testing if needed and clean by son’s wound. We start looking online and calling Manitoba health line as we are in cell reception. We quicly realise it just a wood tick which should not contract Lime disease but we plan on visiting a clinic in Winnipeg just to be safe. My father lets me know that the antibiotics we have for Mali are the ones use to treat lime disease if needs be, we are somewhat relieved. Later that day we hear lots of tunder storms and notice there is a tornado alert for nearby… We start paddling faster towards Winnipeg which should have nicer weather for that evening. We make it at the forks fairly early and meet up with some journalist there. We then head towards our resupply location but can’t make it before a torrential downpour accompanied by some hail. We manage to escape the hail by hiding under a bridge but doing so we displaced guesses that were hiding as well. The bridge we were hiding under was literally 200m away from Mirlene’s neighbor where we were stopping for a few days. We ended up staying at her neighbors place since Mirlene had a water leak in her basement were we were supposed to stay. We had met Mirlene through another cross Canada paddling family (Geoff Macdonald, ) who had contacted us to share information and contacts along our route. Mirlene is Geoff aunt. Due to the current circumstance John and Annette welcome us without a hesitation and we ended up staying longer than expected and made new friends.
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Day 54 June 25th
We spent the night in John and Annette basement after spending the previous evening drinking John’s Rum and coke and chatting about our trip with our host late into the night. After a delicious breakfast cooked by John, Mirlene picks us up and drives us to a store were we buy a new fishing rode since I broke our previous one on our last day on Lake Manitoba. We also go at MEC to exchange some of our gear which we had issues with such as our tent, our GPS and our water Jug. We also purchase new chairs since we are tired of sitting on the ground every evening. Before heading back at John’s place we stop to get a few cheeses and bread to eat with the delicious pork chops John had prepared for us. Annette discovers one of our favorite cheese the Boursin and we will think of her every time we eat the cheese onwards. During supper we realise how well Johns knows Lake Winnipeg and we are happy to learn more about this lake through his many own personal stories. We once again go to bed late not seeing the time fly by in such great company.
We spent the night in John and Annette basement after spending the previous evening drinking John’s Rum and coke and chatting about our trip with our host late into the night. After a delicious breakfast cooked by John, Mirlene picks us up and drives us to a store were we buy a new fishing rode since I broke our previous one on our last day on Lake Manitoba. We also go at MEC to exchange some of our gear which we had issues with such as our tent, our GPS and our water Jug. We also purchase new chairs since we are tired of sitting on the ground every evening. Before heading back at John’s place we stop to get a few cheeses and bread to eat with the delicious pork chops John had prepared for us. Annette discovers one of our favorite cheese the Boursin and we will think of her every time we eat the cheese onwards. During supper we realise how well Johns knows Lake Winnipeg and we are happy to learn more about this lake through his many own personal stories. We once again go to bed late not seeing the time fly by in such great company.
 | Day 55 June 26th I get up early to do a couple phone interviews with CBC Saskatchewan and we also visit the Radio Canada studios for another radio interview in Saint-boniface the second largest French community of Canada we learned. We end up not going to the clinic thinking we already have the antibiotics and we are sure it was a wood tick. We invite John for breakfast at a nice little place he goes often. We head back out to try and reorganize our stuff. I also visit Mirlenes since she had mentioned that her plugged gutters are what caused the leak to occur and I had offered to clean them out for her. Once I’m back at Johns place I realise that our new GPS won’t have the images I had download on the previous one and thus we go back and get our other one which had the fog in the screen but at least it has our information. Lost lots of time and energy on the new GPS for nothing in the end. I go to bed frustrated but tomorrow will be another day! |
Day 56 June 27th
I get up before the rest of the family and work on our blog for a while. As you might have noticed we are strugulling to keep it up to date. I’m writing these lines on day 110th of the trip almost two months later. This is when our daily handwritten notes come in handy. This is our last day with John and Annette and we still need to reorganize all our food and do our groceries. We also decide to buy a new paddle for myself as my hands are still very painful in the morning. We reinflate our canoe cart tires and a few minutes after that BOOMMMMM!!! One of the tire expodes and destroys the plastic rim in the process!!! NOOOOOOOOO, I’m freaking out and John as well since he had insisted we inflate them with his pressurised pump and now felt very bad. We had forgotten about the sticker on the box that said not to inflate the tire to 25psi as indicated on the tire itself but only to 15psi. We call western canoeing and Kayaking and they fix our issue in two minutes by finding us a location were we could get a replacement tire. Both John and I are relieved and happy to have solved the issue so quickly. We finish our shopping, eat supper with our great host one last time and try to fisnish the blog late in the evening.
I get up before the rest of the family and work on our blog for a while. As you might have noticed we are strugulling to keep it up to date. I’m writing these lines on day 110th of the trip almost two months later. This is when our daily handwritten notes come in handy. This is our last day with John and Annette and we still need to reorganize all our food and do our groceries. We also decide to buy a new paddle for myself as my hands are still very painful in the morning. We reinflate our canoe cart tires and a few minutes after that BOOMMMMM!!! One of the tire expodes and destroys the plastic rim in the process!!! NOOOOOOOOO, I’m freaking out and John as well since he had insisted we inflate them with his pressurised pump and now felt very bad. We had forgotten about the sticker on the box that said not to inflate the tire to 25psi as indicated on the tire itself but only to 15psi. We call western canoeing and Kayaking and they fix our issue in two minutes by finding us a location were we could get a replacement tire. Both John and I are relieved and happy to have solved the issue so quickly. We finish our shopping, eat supper with our great host one last time and try to fisnish the blog late in the evening.
Day 57 June 28th
We wake up early hoping to be on the water around 9am. We have one last of John’s delicious breakfast and I start packing the boat while Magali finishes her blog post. We end up on the water around 11h30 and by 12 as I was thinking about my delicious sandwich I will have for lunch realise that we left all our fresh groceries at John and Annettes place. John offers to meet us further down on the river to bring our groceries and we are so happy. We are now on the Red River a highway of moter boats with very nasty water… We eventually reach the lock at Lockport and enjoy the experience. At the exit there are tonsof boat waiting to go upstream and they seem surprised to see a canoe exiting. We keep pushing trying to make it near Lake Winnipeg. Later that day I start getting very hard cramps like I have never had before. They never really go away until a few days later and we assume it is dehydration causing that but now thinking back on the cramps they might have been caused by something else I will only realise I have much later on the trip… We finally stop for the night at a small campground where Bill and Hellen welcome us. Friends of their daughters are also there with their 6 years old son which turned 7 the next day. Great place to spend the next day since the winds were looking pretty bad.
We wake up early hoping to be on the water around 9am. We have one last of John’s delicious breakfast and I start packing the boat while Magali finishes her blog post. We end up on the water around 11h30 and by 12 as I was thinking about my delicious sandwich I will have for lunch realise that we left all our fresh groceries at John and Annettes place. John offers to meet us further down on the river to bring our groceries and we are so happy. We are now on the Red River a highway of moter boats with very nasty water… We eventually reach the lock at Lockport and enjoy the experience. At the exit there are tonsof boat waiting to go upstream and they seem surprised to see a canoe exiting. We keep pushing trying to make it near Lake Winnipeg. Later that day I start getting very hard cramps like I have never had before. They never really go away until a few days later and we assume it is dehydration causing that but now thinking back on the cramps they might have been caused by something else I will only realise I have much later on the trip… We finally stop for the night at a small campground where Bill and Hellen welcome us. Friends of their daughters are also there with their 6 years old son which turned 7 the next day. Great place to spend the next day since the winds were looking pretty bad.
Day 58 June 29th
My stomach still has cramps and this morning my shoulder is starting to hurt as well. When I wake up there is almost no wind by within 30 minutes the winds pick up drastically. We decide to spend the day with our new friends and really enjoyed that decision. Mali and Kenyon play all day together both very happy to have a buddy since they are the only two kids around. We even have a hot tub as well as cake and ice cream since its Kenyon’s birthday. Everyone is happy. Bill even drives me to Canadian tire tp purchase our new Jug since our new one already pierced… We fish a bit later, catch a few small catfishes and have another evening in great company. We go the bed feeling very luck to have met such great people in this great location.
My stomach still has cramps and this morning my shoulder is starting to hurt as well. When I wake up there is almost no wind by within 30 minutes the winds pick up drastically. We decide to spend the day with our new friends and really enjoyed that decision. Mali and Kenyon play all day together both very happy to have a buddy since they are the only two kids around. We even have a hot tub as well as cake and ice cream since its Kenyon’s birthday. Everyone is happy. Bill even drives me to Canadian tire tp purchase our new Jug since our new one already pierced… We fish a bit later, catch a few small catfishes and have another evening in great company. We go the bed feeling very luck to have met such great people in this great location.
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Day 59 June 30th
Today good weather forcasted for our first day on Lake Winnipeg. We try to get an early start but realise that one of our mattress has a whole in it and thus need a new one shipped to us at our next resupply…in 14 days… Bill knows someone half way to our resupply in Pinawa but the package can’t make it there in time for when we will be there. We thus take off in nice weather and have the opportunity to see a hydroplane take off and land multiple time near us, sometimes a bit to near to us! Mali is very impressed and it makes him forget the sad moment when we had to leave his new friend Kenyon. Just after that we reach Lake Winnipeg. Wow, what a lake. We are very happy that it seems so calm in this beautiful day. The winds slowly increased by the time we reach Patricia beach and we stop quickly for a break and some family fun. We paddle out a bit further trying to reach Grand Marais. We get a taste of small winds on Lake Winnipeg but we quickly find shelter behind nearby islands. We find a beautiful beach were we spend the night although we feel very exposed with such a massive Lake beside us. The weather forecast looks great and thus we decide to enjoy this beautiful location despite the exposure. A decision that this time we did not regret.
Today good weather forcasted for our first day on Lake Winnipeg. We try to get an early start but realise that one of our mattress has a whole in it and thus need a new one shipped to us at our next resupply…in 14 days… Bill knows someone half way to our resupply in Pinawa but the package can’t make it there in time for when we will be there. We thus take off in nice weather and have the opportunity to see a hydroplane take off and land multiple time near us, sometimes a bit to near to us! Mali is very impressed and it makes him forget the sad moment when we had to leave his new friend Kenyon. Just after that we reach Lake Winnipeg. Wow, what a lake. We are very happy that it seems so calm in this beautiful day. The winds slowly increased by the time we reach Patricia beach and we stop quickly for a break and some family fun. We paddle out a bit further trying to reach Grand Marais. We get a taste of small winds on Lake Winnipeg but we quickly find shelter behind nearby islands. We find a beautiful beach were we spend the night although we feel very exposed with such a massive Lake beside us. The weather forecast looks great and thus we decide to enjoy this beautiful location despite the exposure. A decision that this time we did not regret.
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Day 60 July 1st
Today since the weather is nice we will try to get off Lake Winnipeg. We even get a bit of wind in our back in the morning. We pass Grand Beach which looks amazing but we have to move if we want to get off the lake today. However early in the afternoon my cramps start again and Magali starts a very bad headache. We decide to stop at Victoria beach and while Magali take a 2hour nap in the shade me and Mali play and make new friends. We meet Shaun and his brother son’s of a RCMP agent in vacation with his family. I show him our canoe and chat about our trip so far. He tells me a bit about where we are going since he has worked near the Winnipeg River before. When Magali wakes up we have a quick bite and leave . We make it to Albert Beach supposidely the French beach of Lake Manitoba although the only Frenchman we met was the one who told us that fact. I get to see some fireworks beside a nice moon and go to bed tired but happy to be almost done big lakes for a while.
Today since the weather is nice we will try to get off Lake Winnipeg. We even get a bit of wind in our back in the morning. We pass Grand Beach which looks amazing but we have to move if we want to get off the lake today. However early in the afternoon my cramps start again and Magali starts a very bad headache. We decide to stop at Victoria beach and while Magali take a 2hour nap in the shade me and Mali play and make new friends. We meet Shaun and his brother son’s of a RCMP agent in vacation with his family. I show him our canoe and chat about our trip so far. He tells me a bit about where we are going since he has worked near the Winnipeg River before. When Magali wakes up we have a quick bite and leave . We make it to Albert Beach supposidely the French beach of Lake Manitoba although the only Frenchman we met was the one who told us that fact. I get to see some fireworks beside a nice moon and go to bed tired but happy to be almost done big lakes for a while.
Day 61 July 2nd
Mali wakes up hopping there are still fireworks. I tried to wake him up the night before but we was out cold. We wake up once again with smoky clouds with a Red Sun. The smoke from the fires in Saskatchewan are masking the sun. We have lunch on Jack fish point before saying good bye to Lake Winnipeg and Hello to the Winnipeg River. The change of scenery is abrupt. The moment we started the Winnipeg River we knew we had reached the Canadian shield and we were very happy about it. We pass fort Alexander and we see an old fort most likely one of the earlier fort to have occurred around here. The current is fairly easy to paddle up at least for now. We line our boat for the first time up some decent rapids and our boat even did a semi controlled 180 in of them. We reach Pine falls were I do an interview on skype with CTV Edmonton and we sleep on the other side of the portage were tons of ticks are waiting for us…
Mali wakes up hopping there are still fireworks. I tried to wake him up the night before but we was out cold. We wake up once again with smoky clouds with a Red Sun. The smoke from the fires in Saskatchewan are masking the sun. We have lunch on Jack fish point before saying good bye to Lake Winnipeg and Hello to the Winnipeg River. The change of scenery is abrupt. The moment we started the Winnipeg River we knew we had reached the Canadian shield and we were very happy about it. We pass fort Alexander and we see an old fort most likely one of the earlier fort to have occurred around here. The current is fairly easy to paddle up at least for now. We line our boat for the first time up some decent rapids and our boat even did a semi controlled 180 in of them. We reach Pine falls were I do an interview on skype with CTV Edmonton and we sleep on the other side of the portage were tons of ticks are waiting for us…
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Day 62 July 3rd
After our morning tick check up I go to the nearest gas station to get more bug spray which helps avoiding the ticks. When I get back we pack all our stuff quickly and have breakfast on the water. We will notice lots of thick that day most likely from that site… We portage Silver falls on the property of a nice man who even offers us some nice cold treats. Before we reach White mud falls we get offers from 2 differents peoples to stop for a cold refreshment and rest but we really want to make it to Lac Dubonnet today so we have to decline and keep pushing in this nice weather. The second man recommends we portage just left of Whitemud falls which we did. Easy portage on flat rocks and we even had a quick swim in small rapids at the top. We portage great falls by the right and we reach the main road by going up the property of two very nice ladies one who had pplenty of kids over at her house. They even help us bring our canoe and gear up to the road and wish us good luck on our journey. We get around the dam easily thanks to their advice and then paddle to McArthur falls. This last section was the hardest so far. Many stretches of river had such strong current that we were barely progressing. We had to ferry across the river multiple times to catch eddies and progress upstream. We finally reach McArthur falls quickly portage around it and stop just on the other side for the night around 9h30. At least we still have light for a few hours. Mali loves the sites and runs everywhere while Magali and I are exploded from our strenuous day of paddling and portaging.
After our morning tick check up I go to the nearest gas station to get more bug spray which helps avoiding the ticks. When I get back we pack all our stuff quickly and have breakfast on the water. We will notice lots of thick that day most likely from that site… We portage Silver falls on the property of a nice man who even offers us some nice cold treats. Before we reach White mud falls we get offers from 2 differents peoples to stop for a cold refreshment and rest but we really want to make it to Lac Dubonnet today so we have to decline and keep pushing in this nice weather. The second man recommends we portage just left of Whitemud falls which we did. Easy portage on flat rocks and we even had a quick swim in small rapids at the top. We portage great falls by the right and we reach the main road by going up the property of two very nice ladies one who had pplenty of kids over at her house. They even help us bring our canoe and gear up to the road and wish us good luck on our journey. We get around the dam easily thanks to their advice and then paddle to McArthur falls. This last section was the hardest so far. Many stretches of river had such strong current that we were barely progressing. We had to ferry across the river multiple times to catch eddies and progress upstream. We finally reach McArthur falls quickly portage around it and stop just on the other side for the night around 9h30. At least we still have light for a few hours. Mali loves the sites and runs everywhere while Magali and I are exploded from our strenuous day of paddling and portaging.
Day 63 July 4th.
Despite the long day yesterday we get up early to avoid the strong winds forecasted. We are happy we did since when the wind started picking up the lifted decent wakes on Lake Dubonnet and decent size lake even if it is no Lake Winnipeg. At this point we decide to take the Lee River route and a 17km portage to avoid 70-80 km of upstream paddling and 3 dams. As we are paddling towards the Lee River a few people wonder were we are going and if we are lost. We let people know about our plan and we receive a message from Annette letting us know that John’s Bother has a cabin on the Lee River. We tell her that would be great but don’t hear back until later and so we move on hopping to find a nice place for the night since massive storms are forecasted for the evening. Later that day Lorn (John’s Brother) and his wife Debbie pulls up to us in their boat and offers to host us for the night. We had planned to take out near Pinawa Bay were Jay a fisherman we had met earlier told us we could stay for the night and Lorn offers to meet us there. We unpack and chat with Jay and Lorn show’s up quickly and in no time we are at there place. They let us unpack our stuff in the garage and offer us cold refreshements and snack. Lorns quickly shows us around his nice dock and boat garage and me and Mali quickly decide to go for a swim. As expected the storm is very violent and started right after supper. Later in the evening the power went off and we spent a great evening chatting with Lorn and his wife Debbie. Another great encounter that makes this trip so special.
Despite the long day yesterday we get up early to avoid the strong winds forecasted. We are happy we did since when the wind started picking up the lifted decent wakes on Lake Dubonnet and decent size lake even if it is no Lake Winnipeg. At this point we decide to take the Lee River route and a 17km portage to avoid 70-80 km of upstream paddling and 3 dams. As we are paddling towards the Lee River a few people wonder were we are going and if we are lost. We let people know about our plan and we receive a message from Annette letting us know that John’s Bother has a cabin on the Lee River. We tell her that would be great but don’t hear back until later and so we move on hopping to find a nice place for the night since massive storms are forecasted for the evening. Later that day Lorn (John’s Brother) and his wife Debbie pulls up to us in their boat and offers to host us for the night. We had planned to take out near Pinawa Bay were Jay a fisherman we had met earlier told us we could stay for the night and Lorn offers to meet us there. We unpack and chat with Jay and Lorn show’s up quickly and in no time we are at there place. They let us unpack our stuff in the garage and offer us cold refreshements and snack. Lorns quickly shows us around his nice dock and boat garage and me and Mali quickly decide to go for a swim. As expected the storm is very violent and started right after supper. Later in the evening the power went off and we spent a great evening chatting with Lorn and his wife Debbie. Another great encounter that makes this trip so special.
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Day 64 July 5th
We wake up in Lorn and Debbies beautiful cottage and have a delicious breakfast with them. As we are talking about the portage they quickly discourage us of doing it with our canoe cart. The traffic is busy on the road due to construction at the Dam near point Dubois. They also mention that the road has nearly no shoulder and is very windy… They offer to drive us there and thus we decide to take the day easy and drive there only later in the day. Instead of portaging we are going fishing and swimming to Mali great pleasure. Lorn and Debbie are two other great people with whom we had a great time. They eventually drive us to Point Dubois but not before warning us about poison Ivy which is abundant in the area. Lorn know lots about Poison Ivy since Debbie is strongly allergic to it. As they drive us to Point Dubois we realise how narrow the road is and are happy not to be on it with our cart. We put in and head for the nearest campsite. We learn about the different campsite in the Whiteshell provincial park at the campground were we put in. We leave our new friends who wish us fair well. As we are paddling we appreciate how much calmer it is here than on the Lee River which was a zoo of motor boats. We reach are site to find full of poison Ivy everywhere and we set up camp carefully.
We wake up in Lorn and Debbies beautiful cottage and have a delicious breakfast with them. As we are talking about the portage they quickly discourage us of doing it with our canoe cart. The traffic is busy on the road due to construction at the Dam near point Dubois. They also mention that the road has nearly no shoulder and is very windy… They offer to drive us there and thus we decide to take the day easy and drive there only later in the day. Instead of portaging we are going fishing and swimming to Mali great pleasure. Lorn and Debbie are two other great people with whom we had a great time. They eventually drive us to Point Dubois but not before warning us about poison Ivy which is abundant in the area. Lorn know lots about Poison Ivy since Debbie is strongly allergic to it. As they drive us to Point Dubois we realise how narrow the road is and are happy not to be on it with our cart. We put in and head for the nearest campsite. We learn about the different campsite in the Whiteshell provincial park at the campground were we put in. We leave our new friends who wish us fair well. As we are paddling we appreciate how much calmer it is here than on the Lee River which was a zoo of motor boats. We reach are site to find full of poison Ivy everywhere and we set up camp carefully.
Day 65 July 6th
We decide to take it easy today and just get to the nice campground near rapids not far from where we are. I wake up first and decide to go fishing. I get the line caught twice, fall in the water trying to untangle the second time… Not a great start to my day. An otter even visit and seems to be bragging that its catching lots of fish ;-) We have breakfast and I take a short nap in the sun. We eventually leave and reach the very nice site near beautiful rapids. We decide to fish and catch a large Northern Pike which will be our supper for the night. This relaxed day feels so good. We got to spend a great time relaxing and enjoying each other and the area we are in. We agree that we need a bit more days like these before we reach Montreal.
We decide to take it easy today and just get to the nice campground near rapids not far from where we are. I wake up first and decide to go fishing. I get the line caught twice, fall in the water trying to untangle the second time… Not a great start to my day. An otter even visit and seems to be bragging that its catching lots of fish ;-) We have breakfast and I take a short nap in the sun. We eventually leave and reach the very nice site near beautiful rapids. We decide to fish and catch a large Northern Pike which will be our supper for the night. This relaxed day feels so good. We got to spend a great time relaxing and enjoying each other and the area we are in. We agree that we need a bit more days like these before we reach Montreal.
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Day 66 July 7th
We wake up without an alarm and slowly get ready to go. We easily portage around the rapids were we camped and start paddling upstream. We have multiple small rapids in the morning but we are able to paddle up all of them with ease. We also have a good tail wind that propels us upstream quickly. We even surprised a bear munching on the side of the water which was pretty funny. He never saw us coming! Our tail wind eventually becomes a head wind but the current slows down quite a bit. We eventually reach a very nice campsite with lots of nice rocks and a small rapid once again. We had stopped for fishing for lunch and thus had a nice Northern Pike again for supper. We spend a great evening and go to bed happy.
We wake up without an alarm and slowly get ready to go. We easily portage around the rapids were we camped and start paddling upstream. We have multiple small rapids in the morning but we are able to paddle up all of them with ease. We also have a good tail wind that propels us upstream quickly. We even surprised a bear munching on the side of the water which was pretty funny. He never saw us coming! Our tail wind eventually becomes a head wind but the current slows down quite a bit. We eventually reach a very nice campsite with lots of nice rocks and a small rapid once again. We had stopped for fishing for lunch and thus had a nice Northern Pike again for supper. We spend a great evening and go to bed happy.
Day 67 July 8th
Another late morning since the weather is supposed to be stormy today. The site is also so nice that it would be great for spending the day. My loved ones get up a bit later. I appreciate the quiet moments in the morning when I am alone outside. It allows me to quietly observe and appreciate the beauty of the wilderness we are in. We also realize that we are within 400m of the Ontario border we have cell reception! We give news to our loved ones and update our social media. We get a bit of rain but noting much after all but go in the tent for a little game of cards and a nap. After we go for a swim and for some fishing. Mali fishes for the first time on his own near the site and catches a 14 inch northern pike! He is so happy. By the time I get the camera for a picture he is pulling out a second one but it get unhooked from the line once on the rock and Mali watches it jump back into the water amazed. We had the fish for supper and it was delicious. Later that evening we get in touch with another group of paddlers Les Chemins de L’Or Bleu who are paddling in the opposite direction towards the artic. We will cross path with them in the next week and are trying to coordinate a meeting with them to share stories and tips.
Another late morning since the weather is supposed to be stormy today. The site is also so nice that it would be great for spending the day. My loved ones get up a bit later. I appreciate the quiet moments in the morning when I am alone outside. It allows me to quietly observe and appreciate the beauty of the wilderness we are in. We also realize that we are within 400m of the Ontario border we have cell reception! We give news to our loved ones and update our social media. We get a bit of rain but noting much after all but go in the tent for a little game of cards and a nap. After we go for a swim and for some fishing. Mali fishes for the first time on his own near the site and catches a 14 inch northern pike! He is so happy. By the time I get the camera for a picture he is pulling out a second one but it get unhooked from the line once on the rock and Mali watches it jump back into the water amazed. We had the fish for supper and it was delicious. Later that evening we get in touch with another group of paddlers Les Chemins de L’Or Bleu who are paddling in the opposite direction towards the artic. We will cross path with them in the next week and are trying to coordinate a meeting with them to share stories and tips.
Day 68 July 9th
After a rest day we usually try to get an early start and this is one of those days. We are hopping to reach Minaki our next resupply the next day. Early in the day we cross into Ontario and are pretty to have reached near the mid-point of our trip. We line a short rapid in the morning but the rest is pretty easy. We even have a long section with strong tail winds in the afternoon which brings us near the Dam around which we have to portage late in the day. Before we reach the dam however we have to paddle threw a few sections of very strong current which give us a bit of struggle. We portage around the Whitedog dam and reach our campsite for the night late that evening. Another nice spot near a rapid. I’m really liking the Canadian shield so far!!!! At this site there are plenty of blueberries and Mali is in Heaven. He munches on them until supper but he is almost already full.
After a rest day we usually try to get an early start and this is one of those days. We are hopping to reach Minaki our next resupply the next day. Early in the day we cross into Ontario and are pretty to have reached near the mid-point of our trip. We line a short rapid in the morning but the rest is pretty easy. We even have a long section with strong tail winds in the afternoon which brings us near the Dam around which we have to portage late in the day. Before we reach the dam however we have to paddle threw a few sections of very strong current which give us a bit of struggle. We portage around the Whitedog dam and reach our campsite for the night late that evening. Another nice spot near a rapid. I’m really liking the Canadian shield so far!!!! At this site there are plenty of blueberries and Mali is in Heaven. He munches on them until supper but he is almost already full.
Day 69 July 10th
Once again I get up early not able to sleep in. I stretch and relax by the water as well as write in my journal. When Mali wakes up we go for a little swim in the rapids. I’m like a big kid and just enjoying the nice moving water. We end up leaving around 10h30 and paddle up a few rapids in the morning. We paddle out of cell reception and manage to get it back just in time for a phone interview with a Montreal radio show. We stop for lunch and for a swim as the weather calls for swimming, hot sunny day! Mali gets stung by a wasp or bee and we are happy that he isn’t allergic! We paddle out and reach our next resupply a Cabin called high cliff who’s owned by the family of a coworker of Magali from the Edmonton MEC Store Dylan’s. Dylan’s father is waiting for us and welcomes us in his beautiful cabin like if we were royalty. We spend a great evening in his company and enjoy visiting the cabin originally built in 1907 and with lots of its original furniture. We are happy to spend a few days here and know that it will be hard to leave when the time will come.
Once again I get up early not able to sleep in. I stretch and relax by the water as well as write in my journal. When Mali wakes up we go for a little swim in the rapids. I’m like a big kid and just enjoying the nice moving water. We end up leaving around 10h30 and paddle up a few rapids in the morning. We paddle out of cell reception and manage to get it back just in time for a phone interview with a Montreal radio show. We stop for lunch and for a swim as the weather calls for swimming, hot sunny day! Mali gets stung by a wasp or bee and we are happy that he isn’t allergic! We paddle out and reach our next resupply a Cabin called high cliff who’s owned by the family of a coworker of Magali from the Edmonton MEC Store Dylan’s. Dylan’s father is waiting for us and welcomes us in his beautiful cabin like if we were royalty. We spend a great evening in his company and enjoy visiting the cabin originally built in 1907 and with lots of its original furniture. We are happy to spend a few days here and know that it will be hard to leave when the time will come.
Day 70 July 11th
We wake up and take a delicious breakfast with David, eggs, bacon and waffles!!! We talk with David some more and learn more about the history of Minaki and the Cabin we are in. We quickly decide to go for a swim of the deck David lets us know that he invited the neighbors over for supper and we are thrilled to meet new people. We spend most of the day doing nothing except organize the meeting with our good friends Mike and Martine as well as with the paddlers from Les Chemins de l’Or Bleu. David is ok to have them all over for a great evening. 8 extra heads in his cabin and David is very happy to host them all. David is very happy to have all these people over and we are very happy to share this special evening with him. But that was the next day. First supper with the neighbors whom arrived just before supper. When they walk up to the door I quickly recognize Denis Reale one of my undergrads teachers from Montreal! What a small world. I surprised that he recognized me despite my very large beard. We spend another great evening in great company something we always enjoy. We organize play dates with Denis and Carolyn daughter Ava who is 8 and also wants company and live just 5 minute walks from Davids cabin.
We wake up and take a delicious breakfast with David, eggs, bacon and waffles!!! We talk with David some more and learn more about the history of Minaki and the Cabin we are in. We quickly decide to go for a swim of the deck David lets us know that he invited the neighbors over for supper and we are thrilled to meet new people. We spend most of the day doing nothing except organize the meeting with our good friends Mike and Martine as well as with the paddlers from Les Chemins de l’Or Bleu. David is ok to have them all over for a great evening. 8 extra heads in his cabin and David is very happy to host them all. David is very happy to have all these people over and we are very happy to share this special evening with him. But that was the next day. First supper with the neighbors whom arrived just before supper. When they walk up to the door I quickly recognize Denis Reale one of my undergrads teachers from Montreal! What a small world. I surprised that he recognized me despite my very large beard. We spend another great evening in great company something we always enjoy. We organize play dates with Denis and Carolyn daughter Ava who is 8 and also wants company and live just 5 minute walks from Davids cabin.
Day 71 July 12th
This day was a very relaxing one. I can’t even recall what we did exactly. We fooled around on the dock, swam, ate and walked around in the woods. The day fly’s by so quickly but it was a nice day. We have another great meal and evening with David someone we enjoying talking with more and more.
This day was a very relaxing one. I can’t even recall what we did exactly. We fooled around on the dock, swam, ate and walked around in the woods. The day fly’s by so quickly but it was a nice day. We have another great meal and evening with David someone we enjoying talking with more and more.
Day 72 July 13th
After another breakfast Mali and I walk over to the neighbors with David for a play date. We go for a swim and play with water bugs. We are invited for lunch and accept. Denis comes back from fieldwork as he is only partially on vacation while supervising his grad students doing field work on the islands around Minaki. We have lunch and then we hear back from Mike who need a boat ride as his buddy isn’t available as planned. David drives us to town (in the boat since everything is boat access in Minaki) and we meet up with Mike and Martine. We are so happy to meet them especially in this location since this is where Mike grew up. Its like if we got to know Mike even better by having visited this location with him. We are also very happy that Mike will be there for the meeting with Les Chemins de l’Or Bleu as he will be able to help us capture this epic meeting between our two groups. Our paddling friends end up arriving just after 6 in pouring rain. But I welcome them on the dock despite the rain and welcome them to High Cliff. Davids gives them a tour of the cabin and we help them to bring their gear up to the cabin. The evening was amazing, great food great company and so many stories around the table. I finish the evening late in the night exchanging information with Martin and Julien while looking at Maps. Me and Julien also shared stories about the camp Kéno that we both attended many years ago and for a moment it’s like I was back in the day when we stayed up late sharing stories when I was working at that camp.
After another breakfast Mali and I walk over to the neighbors with David for a play date. We go for a swim and play with water bugs. We are invited for lunch and accept. Denis comes back from fieldwork as he is only partially on vacation while supervising his grad students doing field work on the islands around Minaki. We have lunch and then we hear back from Mike who need a boat ride as his buddy isn’t available as planned. David drives us to town (in the boat since everything is boat access in Minaki) and we meet up with Mike and Martine. We are so happy to meet them especially in this location since this is where Mike grew up. Its like if we got to know Mike even better by having visited this location with him. We are also very happy that Mike will be there for the meeting with Les Chemins de l’Or Bleu as he will be able to help us capture this epic meeting between our two groups. Our paddling friends end up arriving just after 6 in pouring rain. But I welcome them on the dock despite the rain and welcome them to High Cliff. Davids gives them a tour of the cabin and we help them to bring their gear up to the cabin. The evening was amazing, great food great company and so many stories around the table. I finish the evening late in the night exchanging information with Martin and Julien while looking at Maps. Me and Julien also shared stories about the camp Kéno that we both attended many years ago and for a moment it’s like I was back in the day when we stayed up late sharing stories when I was working at that camp.
Day 73 July 14th.
Our paddling friends decide they have to push forward as they have a tight schedule. We enjoy their company and wish them off from the docks. We only have known them since last night but it already feels like we have known them for ever. We make plans to reconnect once in Montreal and wish them luck on the rest of their trip. After many pictures hugs and last minute stories shared they eventually take off. We say good bye to David who is going back into Winnipeg for work but he is leaving us at his cabin for the next few days. I spend the rest of the day helping a buddy of Mike, Tom, unmount his camper from his pick up and we have supper with his family near Minaki. Another great evening in great company. Great meal, a long game of cards and a dance off party are all part of the evening. We drive back in the dark very impressed with Tom’s ability to find his way in the darkness.
Our paddling friends decide they have to push forward as they have a tight schedule. We enjoy their company and wish them off from the docks. We only have known them since last night but it already feels like we have known them for ever. We make plans to reconnect once in Montreal and wish them luck on the rest of their trip. After many pictures hugs and last minute stories shared they eventually take off. We say good bye to David who is going back into Winnipeg for work but he is leaving us at his cabin for the next few days. I spend the rest of the day helping a buddy of Mike, Tom, unmount his camper from his pick up and we have supper with his family near Minaki. Another great evening in great company. Great meal, a long game of cards and a dance off party are all part of the evening. We drive back in the dark very impressed with Tom’s ability to find his way in the darkness.
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Day 74 July 15th
We wake up in the Cabin without David and realise how empty the cabin feels without David. We look at some of the footage we shot since the beginning with Mike as he is helping us with our documentary and then have to say goodbye as Mike and Martine are heading back to Kenora to visit Mikes mother. Ava the neighbors daughter comes by and spends the afternoon with us. Mali enjoys the company and we swim, play hiding seeks and other fun games. We also start reorganizing as we should leave soon. Not the next day due to bad weather but the day after. So we go the bed knowing we have only one last day in this beautiful place.
We wake up in the Cabin without David and realise how empty the cabin feels without David. We look at some of the footage we shot since the beginning with Mike as he is helping us with our documentary and then have to say goodbye as Mike and Martine are heading back to Kenora to visit Mikes mother. Ava the neighbors daughter comes by and spends the afternoon with us. Mali enjoys the company and we swim, play hiding seeks and other fun games. We also start reorganizing as we should leave soon. Not the next day due to bad weather but the day after. So we go the bed knowing we have only one last day in this beautiful place.
Day 75 July 16th
We wake up just in time for an interview with CBC radio in Sudbury. We continue to prepare our next stretch of the trip. I spend lots of time studying the maps and were we are going we reorganize the food as well as back up all the footage we have shot in the last few weeks. The neighbors stop by to say goodbye. We work late into the night to complete our blog before we leave the next day.
Day 76 July 17th
Finally the time has come that we have to leave Minaki. The weather looks great and we are pretty happy to be back on the water. We feel like we now have wings. We loved our time here but we have gotten used to moving often and it almost feels weird to us to stay put for so long. We organize a few last things before slowly packing our stuff. We end up leaving around 1pm with a long day of paddling ahead but the rest of this tale will be for another day.
We wake up just in time for an interview with CBC radio in Sudbury. We continue to prepare our next stretch of the trip. I spend lots of time studying the maps and were we are going we reorganize the food as well as back up all the footage we have shot in the last few weeks. The neighbors stop by to say goodbye. We work late into the night to complete our blog before we leave the next day.
Day 76 July 17th
Finally the time has come that we have to leave Minaki. The weather looks great and we are pretty happy to be back on the water. We feel like we now have wings. We loved our time here but we have gotten used to moving often and it almost feels weird to us to stay put for so long. We organize a few last things before slowly packing our stuff. We end up leaving around 1pm with a long day of paddling ahead but the rest of this tale will be for another day.
After a quick day in The Pas Manitoba we get back on the water relatively rested. Magali was able to see a chiropractor and massage therapist the previous day so we still give her a day off paddling to make sure she is up for the big lakes to come. Our friends Gaetan and Roger have two new friends paddling with them, another Gaetan and Francis. Gaetan #2 is actually a cameraman for Radio Canada and was there for our departure from Edmonton! We still have another two days of paddling with them before we take our separate ways and Mali is happy to have new friends. We thank Terry Hendrickson before leaving for all his help and we are on our way. We spend a great evening talking and sharing stories around the fire. The following day we cross path with a group of 3 canoe going upstream! They left the golf of mexico in January, wow what a journey they are on. The day before Cedar Lake our friends decide to go for it even though we are 3-4 hours of paddling from the lake. We decide to paddle those 3-4 hours and attempt the big Lake the next day. So we spend one last evening together and say goodbye to our friends. The next day since we only have a few hours of paddling we take it easy. Mali and I explore the forest around our campsite, we built a little river on the bank of the river and we play lots. We end up leaving but stop for a bit of fishing in a side stream when the winds become to intense. I catch 2 Walleye and a northern pike that we later eat for supper. We make it to a camp near the mouth of the river and camp there before attempting to cross Cedar Lake.
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Since the weather forecast seems good we head out and try to cross Cedar lake in one Day. We wake up around 4h30am but its still raining a bit so we get up a bit more slowly and them head out around 5h30am under uncertain conditions… We paddle against strong winds until around noon and then the lake becomes calm as a mirror. Wow very impressive to be on such a big lake. Tobin Lake was pretty small compared to this one. We make it at the portage around 5-6pm and meet native people who are setting up a camp as they will be working on the shore during the summer building piles of drift wood that they burn during the winter. We set up camp there and chat with them regarding the other end of the portage. They give us valuable insight and offer to help but we are actually looking forward to walking a bit. We get an really unbelievable sunset and go to bed pretty tired of our big day.
We start the portage around 10h30 after meeting our native friends that came back to finish setting their camp up. We then walk and pull our canoe for the 5-6km portage leading to lake Winnipegosis. The end of the portage is a bit more in the bush but we manage to use our great cart in the forest a bit. We make it to Lake Winnipegosis which seems very beautiful and head out trying to find a campsite. Campsites were not a frequent here and we have to sleep on a very narrow peninsula as it’s the only place we can find. The plan seemed good since the weather was calm but we quickly regretted our choice of campsite when the winds picked up later that evening… Once in bed the winds started picking up and I ask Magali «How strongly did you put the tent down» She tells me that we are in sand and that its not very strong…. We get out to solidify the tent but at the same time a strong burst of wind takes it away. The tent literally rolled the tent away with Mali in it!!!!! We jump on the tent before it reaches our fire pit and quickly reassure Mali who got woken up pretty brutally. We set a tarp where we can reset the tent under it and go to bed in a uncomfortable but safer position.
The next day we wake up very tired from the crappy night we have spent but the conditions for paddling are good and we don’t feel like spending another night on this thin peninsula. We paddle for only a short part of the day but seeing very few areas where we could stop to camp. We end up finding a small rocky island very close to the mainland and think we could camp there but that we will set the tent very strongly, which we do. We spend a relax afternoon, I catch a couple Northern Pikes for supper and we go to bed still kind of tired from the day before. In the middle of the night the winds start picking up again. This time our tent and tarp our very solid but the winds are so strong that we are almost scared that the tent could collapse under the wind. On top of that the water levels are rising due to wind tides… So while Magali spend most of the night holding the tent to prevent it from collapsing I was building a stone wall and trench to keep the water from reaching our tent. Another very stressful night although Mali slept through all of this and snored for most of it. The moment we had sunlight we packed our stuff, walked with our boat in the water until it was safer to paddle and eventually made it to a calmer bay nearby. We set up camp and go back to sleep exhausted. We had learned our lessons for the next little while we will always sleep far from shore and sheltered within the trees.
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The next day after finally spending a full night of sleep we try to make good distance since the weather is nice. The first little section of paddling brings us some big waves even though the winds are calm, most likely some left over waves from the days before. We paddle for more than 12 hours that day but managed to paddle about 50km. We find a campsite just before a beautiful sunset and after an original selection of spot change the tent further in the bush to make sure we have a calm night of sleep. The next day was another great day for paddling with a good wind in our back we paddle another 50km and our 1 day away from getting of the lake. We have a large bay to cross later in the day and I noticed that Magali is still pretty nervous when we are far from shore. I try to reassure her as much as I can but the main solution is to just paddle and get across as fast as possible. We stop for supper and Mali goes for a little swim. As we leave the Island just after supper we see a bear just a bit further on the Island! That was a close one! We paddle a bit further and reach a nice bay with a few beaches were we decide to set up camp. The forest is full of oaks and there is a nice spot further in the forest for the tent. We set a solid camp as there is supposed to be a big storm the next day for my birthday.
| For my birthday I get to eat a nice pancake prepared by my loved ones! We are happy to take a day off since there are lots storms around us and very strong winds and happy to be in such a nice spot for this day. We rest, play cards and get out from time to time between storms. Mother nature gives us a good break of rain allowing us to cook the supper on the fire on the beach and to have a short walk at the sunset. Mali and I see lots of garter snakes and a few beavers and then its bedtime. The next day after a day off we wanted to get up early but the winds were pretty strong when we got up that we decide that there is no need to rush it. We eventually paddle out in the wind hopping that we can still make good distance. We eventually come across a wolf that seemed to swim towards an island, wow what a sight! The winds stay relatively calm for most of the day until half way through our last crossing. At that point the winds start lifting waves of 3-4 feet’s but the wind is in our backs at least and allows us to make it quickly to the other side. We are now just 3-4km from the place where we will portage and decide to push on despite the big waves. We paddle for a very long time before realising we were barely progressing and had to be careful not to paddle to far from shore however when near the shore the waves are more crashing and harder to manage. |    |
We even catch one a bit sideways that almost flipped us but I managed to pull a strong brace to keep us up straight. I struggle with deciding what to do as all our option are less than optimal… We eventually just paddled straight to shore on a small beach to reassess. Magali is furious, afraid and stressed, she does not want to go back on the water. We have supper and I convince her that spending the night were we are will be far worse than the little struggle we might have getting to the portage. We end up deciding to walk with the canoe in waist deep water by times and just following the shores. We eventually reached an area where we felt comfortable getting back in and we make it to the portage just before sundown happy to be off Lake Winnipegosis for good. We put our tent on the side of a dirt road between two cabins as no one was in either cabins. The owners came back later that evening but we got to speak with them mainly in the morning.
The next morning I let Mali and Magali sleep in a bit while I get the canoe and the rest of the gear ready for the portage. I meet Jerry one of the owners of the cabins by which we camped and we talk about the lake and what it can do. He gives us some water and offers to help us get to lake Manitoba but the road is flat and simple and we are in no rush to get back onto another very large lake. The rest of the family slowly gets up and we start walking across to Lake Manitoba. At the other end of the portage we are welcomed by a bunch of cows that seem very curious. They gather around us and a few bulls let us know they are the boss. We start paddling but the winds slowly start to increase and we decide to stop for the night. A decision we are very happy we made as the wind started becoming very strong and lifting very large waves.
After another windy night we get up early and think for a long time whether or not we want to attempt to get on the windy water. We are still a bit nervous from our close call on Lake Winnipegosis. We finally decide to go and complete our first crossing easily despite our nervous state of mind. We follow shore for most of the day and manage to catch lots of air miles with our sail. At some points the winds pick up so much in our backs that we are litteraly surfing waves with our 17 foot canoes. Normaly I would have been having a blast in such conditions, but in such a remote setting with only one canoe it makes me a bit more nervous. We make it to a beautiful beach by the end of the evening and we spend a great evening with no winds!
As the wind forcast is good with just a little wind in our backs we get up early and start paddling despite our muscles which are still feeling the long day of paddling from the day before. Nonetheless we make good progress that day. We camp far in the forest near a nice beach and end up spend another great night of sleep. We also have cell reception for the first time in almost 3 weeks so we catch up on our emails and social media. We realise that a really nasty storm is forecasted for the next day in the afternoon so we decide to get up early and make it to the narrows before it hits us. So the next morning we get up and race with the scary clouds coming in the distance. We make it just in time to the Narrows were we find shelter in a nice restaurant. We let the storm pass by but the winds however just increased all day and when we tough we could go back out the crazy waves and winds discourage us and we decide to spend the night at the hotel in a room with a hot tub. Our bodies were very happy with that decision I think.
We get up early after a great night of sleep and start paddling south on Lake Manitoba. We noticed lots of cows on a island and wondered how they got there. We later learned that they are barged there in the spring and picked up in the fall. The winds are calm and we paddle all day in easy waters. We noticed lots of birds flying in lines always going in the same direction, like if it was a highway for birds. We are very impressed and even see some of them passing close by, mainly pelicans and cormorants. Around 6-7pm the wind start to increase from the south and we quickly try and find a place to stay. We end up finding a nice little campground the Westshore hideaway rv campground which is owned by Patti a great lady that allowed us to stay on her property for the next two nights as the weather was not looking good for the following day. On our day off Mali and I helped Patti plant a few trees, we had dinner with Patti and Supper with some of her seasonal campers and Mali spent lots of time playing with Patti’s kitten. What a wonderful day and what a wonderful person this Patti. We are sad to say goodbye a day later but we have to progress as weather is nice again.
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The next day we paddle for another long stretch and make it to big point. At this point we cannot see the other side of the lake in most directions. Very impressive. We witness the damage that the floods of last year have done on this point as many houses and cabins are severely damaged. We spend the night with Ty and his family and spend a great evening with great people once again. We are amazed by the kindness and generosity of the people we meet. The following day its Father’s Day and for my this special day we want to get off Lake Manitoba. We paddle with little wind until Lynch point where we spend the afternoon at the beach. Mali’s plays with other kids and we meet other great people wanting to help us. Like Laurence who gave us lots of fishing advice and a new fishing net which we had lost earlier on Lake Winnipegosis. We eventually make it to the diversion channel of the Assiniboine and set up camp quicly before the rain hits us. We eventually get only a little bit of rain and go to bed early. We are happy to be done with these big lakes which have been very challenging. We still have good challenges ahead but we are glad this one is over.
May 14th are first day past North Battleford is welcomed with a heavy fog which slowly dissipates with the sun. We receive a message on our inreach a certain cbrunet wanting to meet us at the river with some food. The timing and location seem to fit exactly with our average speed making us wonder if this person had been following our progression. We agree to the meeting and look forward to the mysterious meeting, thinking we will see from the boat who they are before getting off. We paddle with a light breeze in our face and notice how the river changes. Lots of islands and sand bars everywhere. Campsite are really abundant in this low water year. We arrive right on time to our rendez-vous and meet to great ladies Carole Brunet and Terry. They welcome us with a warm chili still in the crock pot with fresh buttered buns and other treats for Mali. Very nice ladies that were from a small village ----- just 5 miles north of the River. They had heard about our story and were very happy to meet us. Carole has been to Quebec before and was happy to speak to us in french. After this great supper in great company we have to wish them farewell just before sundown and quickly find a nice beach that we share with a beaver. Large trunk for mali to play on and lots of place to run on sand. We go to bed and are looking forward to the next day.
The next day we are welcomed by a nice warm sunny day so we take it easy in the morning letting Mali sleep in a bit. We enjoy a bit of morning sunshine after now being on the river for two weeks now. When Mali wakes up we play baseball and on his huge trunk until noon and we have lunch. My finger is only getting worst so we contact my father via our Inreach and ask for advice for which antibiotic to take and I start the antibiotics for my infection. We are very happy to have brought some with us during the trip and don’t hesitate to us them. We leave early in the afternoon and paddle slowly to rest our muscles which are starting to get tiered. In the evening we see the wildlife get our more with lots of beavers, geese families, deer’s and coyotes. We set our camp near a beavers house which once again will make sure to let us know all night long.
 | The next morning we get an early start to avoid the heavy wind forecasted for the afternoon. We paddle easily until 11am when we reach a stretch of the river where the wind picked up and the waves were about 4-5 feet tall at the peak. We decide to aim for the nearest wind sheltered beach and stop for lunch. After a short reflection we decide to spend the rest of the day and the night and wait for the heavy winds to pass. No use in getting tired fighting the wind. Luckily for us we have reception and are able to catch up with our friends and family. We spend lots of time playing with Mali exploring the area around the beach we stayed. He is very happy we atopped but the next day he is actually happy and looking forward to leave and attack the waves in the canoe. We end up leaving later the next day after the wind slowed down a bit and make it a bit further. We stop for supper somewhere with an improvised fire pit. Unfortunately there are lots of empty beer cans and it seems like a place people can reach with quads. We interrupt our supper abroaptly when we hear loud noice and we decide to leave quickly. We find it ironic that we are actually more fearful to meet unpleasant people than we are of wildlife. We find a campsite on an island just past the village of Petrofka and set camp just before sundown. |
We spend a cold night and get up early to avoid the wind which will never come. Magali takes a nap in the morning in the canoe as she didn’t sleep very well in the cold and didn’t want to wake me up to warm her up. We spend a perfect blue sky day with no wind all day, wow what a change with the past few days. Later in the afternoon, we cross a ferry which seems in the middle of nowhere and we actually witness 3 cars cross the river. Mali takes a very long 3-4 hour nap in the canoe and we realise he is probably lacking some sleep which are likely the causes of some of his mood swings lately. Later that evening as we are looking for a campsite we witness a bald eagle trying to catch a baby geese and the mother puffing herself and charging the eagle!!! Wow, what a scene.
The next day we are hoping to reach Prince Albert not to late and hopefully take a shower at someone’s place. We receive offers from lots of different people making us realise how generous people are. We take up the offer of Debbie and Fred Rot who even went through the trouble of finding a closed trailer so we can put our canoe and all our gear and offers to drives us to their place near Christopher lake 30 min north of Prince Albert. We notice she seems like she has lots of kids as her facebook page has 6 on the profile picture and think Mali would enjoy having some friends. The kids on the picture end up being her grandchildren but daughter Megan and her husband Jo and their 3 kids Jessie, Kendal and James are there and Mali and James hit it off right away. We spend a great evening at their house exchanging canoeing, fishing and lots of other stories in great company. We also shower and do a bit of laundry and even take a hot tub by the lake, wow! These people are truly generous and genuinely kind people which whom we share lots of similar values. Our stay at their place seems to go by to quickly and we are sad to leave the next day, although happy we have had the chance to meet them during this trip. We try to make plan to meet up with Jo and Megan and their kids later during the trip as we would love to spend more time with this amazing family. We even start talking about future family canoe adventure on the Churchill River. We meet with some local media that Debie had contacted and we continue downstream hoping to reach the forks the next day. We stop early to take advantage of a nice site we found and Mali discovers lots of beautiful blue beetles eating the plants around the campsite. He spends most of the evenings observing the beetles and playing on big washed up logs.
| The next morning we wake up in a warm tent which Magali enjoys a lot. We leave with the forks as our daily objectives and looking forward for the few rapids we have planned for later that morning. We end up having lots of rapids almost all morning which we enjoy, they are very refreshing especially for Magali in front! Mali loves the rapid as well and always want to take the biggest waves. We pass the forks and make it a bit further before setting camp. Another perfect day with almost no wind, a strong current and a blue sky. We are looking forward for the next day for which lots of tails winds are announced. We get up early the next day and catch lots of free air miles. We even reach speed of around 14km/h just with the wind. We manage to do twice as much millage than the day before without Magali paddling at all. We stop near the first portage of the trip and find a small beach with just enough space for our tent. That evening we witness a bald eagle with a catch in his claws fly just above our heads. It has now been 3 weeks and this is now the longest trip of my life so far and there is still lot’s to come and it makes me very happy. |   |
We wake up the following morning and noticed that the water went up a bit… luckily for us not enough to reach the tent. We get the visit from a lady who manages a campground nearby who suprises us in her kayak. We chat for a bit and then we are on our way but this time with a steady headwind. I paddle hard as I’m paddling alone since we are trying to rest Magali’s shoulder a bit. We reach our first portage and find a nice road to get around our first dam. Unfortunately we reach a gate that is locked… I quickly call SaskPower and they were very helpful in getting someone down there to open the gate. They even offered to bring a trailer to carry our canoe around the dam but since our boat is already on the cart and ready to roll we kindly decline the help. Someone shows up within 40 minutes and we can get around the dam. After the dam we have just a short way before we reach the Nipawin regional park where there is a nice campground a nice Marina with a restaurant. We talk with Megan that we met in Prince Albert and they will meet us there the next day with the kids and we will take a day off so that we can spend time with our new friends as we rest. As we eat our supper at the Twin Marina in Nipawin a large cloud of smoke hides the sun and gets us worried a bit. We are quickly recognized by different people at the Marina and they are very curious about our trip. Lots of very friendly folks in Nipawin!!! After supper we get to our campsite with the help of Lyle Moffatt a paramedic from Nipawin who also paid our bill without telling us ;-) sneaky Lyle ;-). We set up camp and go the sleep quickly.
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The next day we are happy it is the 2nd full day off of paddling (the first day off was because of the snow). Me and Mali take a shower while Magali sleeps in a bit. Mali is very excited to see his new friend james and is impatient for them to arrive. After the shower we visit the campground and grab a great breakfast at the Twin Marina. Megan and Jo and their kids James, Kendall and Jessie reach us and we spend a few hours just relaxing in the shade while the kids play. We eventually play at the park and play a game of miniature golf before walking around the suspended bridge and having super guess where at the Twin Marina (they serve very good food at a great location)! James is so tired that he falls asleep with fries in his mouth during supper. After supper Joe helps us rig Mali`s new fishing rod and gives us a few tips as I’m not an experience fisherman and Mali really wants us to catch some fish. Our friends eventually leave back home and we say goodbye but we have a feeling we are going to see them again. Such a great family that shares so many interest with us. Maybe a future trip on the Churchill River where Jo grew up.
Our next day is our first big lake (and its not even that big…), Lake Tobin. A very large Lake that we hope to cross in one day since the weather is supposed to be hostile for the next day. We leave on the water around 8h30 after a quick breakfast at the Marina. The Lake is mirror when we leave before some side wind later in the day. We fight a bit of head winds later in the after noon before the lake becomes a mirror again. This mirror lakes gives us hope that we can push late into the evening and reach the other side. We have a quick supper and we get back on the water. The wind slowly picks up in our back and we cruise with the sail. As we cruise the waves start to build up a bit and we start heading closer to shore. The shore are really marshy and there is no easy were we can stop. We push late into the evening in the big waves… not the best case scenario for sure and my Magali is not to happy… We finally reach the boat launch at the other end of the lake around 11pm and quickly set up the tent before we crash for bed. We have our first test on big water and learn from our experience that even a calm lake can quickly become a intense ride. However I’m really happy about how our canoe reacted in the waves and how our spray deck kept the few waves splashing in the boat out.
| We get woken up the next morning by SaskPower worker there to help us portage around the dam. They have a trailer on which we load our canoe and get a ride around the dam saving us from a 8km portage. Exausted from our 15hours paddling the previous day we are happy to have the help. When we reach the other side of the portage there tonnes of Pelican resting on the rocks, what a scene. Mali spends lots of time watching a fisherman catch lots of fish just below the Dam. We pack slowly, enjoy the scene of Pelican and slowly get on our way. We paddle for only a few hours and find a nice beach were we decide to spend the night. After the camp is set we decide to fish a bit. We catch 6 fish 4 Walleye and 2 Northern pike. Mali is really happy and excited that we are fishing. We keep 1 Northern Pike and 2 Walleye and we prepare our first fish supper. I do my best but my fillets our full of bones but the fish is good. |  |
The next morning we wake up and our boat is fully on the beach… the water levels have dropped over night! We realise first hand the impact of the dam on the water levels and how it effect the daily flow downstream. My hands are starting to feel pretty sore every morning now, probably the Tobin Lake effect!!! The River is really pretty and calm today. We enjoy paddling and hope to reach the Delta of the Saskatchewan River later that day. We eventually reach the house of Solomon and Renee Carriere who live off the grid right on the Saskatchewan River. A beautiful place where Solomon guides hunting and adventure trips. Solomon has lived there his whole life and he is also a successful canoe racer that has won many races. He offers us to stay and even though we were hoping to get further that day we want to take advantage of this chance to spend some time with this man who seems very interesting. Indeed we will learn lots from him about the Delta we will be paddling, the history of this part of Canada as well as many different hunting and racing stories. Solomon is a truly a living legend and we feel blessed to have had the chance to meet and spend time with him. His wife Renee is actually on the River a day ahead of us with our student doing a canoe trip. Too bad we didn’t get the chance to meet her and her students that would have been great. Solomon invites us to stay in one of his cabins and invites us to take a sauna. Wow I was not expecting to take a sauna during this trip, especially not in the middle of nowhere on the Saskatchewan River!
The following day we wake up under the rain and decide to sleep in a bit later to let the rain slow down. We are happy to be in one of Solomon’s cabin under this rain. We have breakfast with Solomon and learn more from him. He gives me tips on how to prepare fish and we are on our way even though it is very cold. We paddle through the maze of channels that is the Saskatchewan River delta. A unique place in Canada and in the world that has changed lots since the dam was constructed… We paddle in the cold until 5-6pm an decide to call it a day as both our hands and feet are freezing. We fish another big northern pike and I put what Solomon taught me to practice. We have another great meal. Although we are cold, I keep reminding Magali that cold equal no bugs. We are very lucky as this spring is a very nice spring for bugs. After hearing horror stories about the bugs near Cumberland House we feel very lucky that there are so few, actually no bugs at all.
| After another cold night I wake up and quickly start a fire. I decide to let Magali and Mali sleep in as I know Magali had a cold night and enjoys sleeping when it gets warmer in the morning. We are now at the most northern part of our trip and we can feel it. After starting the fire one of my biceps tells me it doesn’t feel like paddling today and we eventually decide to take a day off as we have accumulated some food with the last few days of fishing. We were very happy to have taken this day off as later in the day we meet a couple of paddlers Geatan and Roger who are Saskatchewan and Alberta but both have french heritages. They are paddling from Rocky Mountain house to the Hudson Bay and have been a few days behind us for the last month. They ask us if they can spend the night with us and we gladly accept. We fish again, learn more fishing and cooking tips from Roger who is an experience fisherman and spend a great afternoon sharing stories. We are also lucky to receive the visit from Solomon and Rene Carriere who were boating back from Cumberland House. They stop and spend the evening with us until late in the evening way past dark. We learn more about the Saskatchewan Delta, hear lots of crazy hunting and other stories from Solomon and Rene. What great people that we feel so happy we had the chance to meet and learned so much from them. Thus evening around the fire was one of the nicest evening on the trip so far despite the cold (Solomon and Rene are in their skidoo clothing…). We eventually have to say good bye under the moon and we all go to sleep after a wonderful day.  |   |
| The next morning it feels so special to have other people with us at the camp. We learn a bit more about our new friends. Geatan works for Radio Canada in Saskatchewan and Roger is an artist, musician, farmer, story teller. Geatan starts the fire before I can even notice and we enjoy their company. We leave together and they quickly ask us if we would mind having company for the next few days until The Pas in Manitoba. We warn them that we have a very slow pace since Magali needs to rest her shoulder and will most likely not be paddling until The Pas. We want her shoulder to be in shape for the big lakes coming ahead in Manitoba. They are a bit ahead of schedule and we had such a great time together that they would like to paddle with us for a few more days and don`t mind slowing down their pace at all. We are delighted, especially Mali to have new friends to paddle with. We quickly reach our first big rapid of the trip and scout it to determine what is the best line to take. Everything goes smoothly except a little whole at the end that our Tank (the nick name we gave our canoe!) goes through without a problem. The rest of the day is calmer water and we reach our first campsite in Manitoba. Another province is now behind us 3 more to go. |   |
Another morning with great company! We make pancakes and eggs for breakfast. As we leave we notice a bear a couple hundred meters from our campsite sitting on the top of a beaver Dam waiting for his meal. Our objective of the day is to reach cell phone reception so we can warn Terry Hendrickson our contact in The Pas that we will not be reaching his house today but the following day. For most of the first half of the day we get steady back winds and we have sail canoe races. Geatan and Roger love our sail but their tarp is pretty efficient as well. The second part of the day however the river turns 180 degrees back towards the south and we have to fight strong head winds. I paddle extra hard and enjoy the workout. Roger and Geatan were impressed with my abilities to progress paddling without Magali in the wind but I have to give credit to Mali who is always happy to help me fight the winds especially when mom is injured and can’t paddle. After many hours of paddling against the wind we stop for super but still can’t have cell reception. We push a bit further after supper before meeting Ric Constant the chief of council of the Indian reserve in The Pas. His brother has a hunting cabin not to far downstream which has reception and he offers us to spend the night there. We paddle in calmer winds until the cabin and we are very happy to stay in his cabin as there is rain forecasted for the night and the morning. We call Terry to let him know we will arrive tomorrow and I go to bed really quickly as my whole body is exhausted from the day.
June 1st, almost a day has gone by before we left and we are about a week behind our original schedule. We don’t mind to much as we have plenty of food which is the main concern for being behind schedule. I wake up early to give a radio interview with Radio Canada and go back to bed for another hour. Roger and Geatan will be getting off at Terry Hendrickson place as well and they decide to paddle quickly to town. We realise how fast they can actually paddle when they put their minds into it and feel fortunate that they didn’t mind slowing their pace for the past few days to keep us company. We paddle in low head winds for most of the day until the last stretch before The Pas were we are blessed with a good tail wind that will bring us into The Pas. We get at Terry’s place maybe an hour after Geatan and Terry is very happy to meet us. He helps us to get all our stuff out and offers us a nice cold beer which we are very happy to accept. He would of offered us to stay with him at his house but his whole basement has been recently flooded and is under heavy construction. He helps us find a hotel room since all hotels are fully booked due to the shut down at the local mill which is under construction. He presents us to the Kikiwak hotel managers who gladly accepts to make room for us in their hotel. He lends us his pick up for the next couple of days to help us get around town. What a generous and kind man that we are very fortunate that Geoff Macdonald a previous cross Canada paddler (http://canoeacrosscanada.ca/) put us in contact with him. We have a nice shower, great meal, a hot tub at the hotel with Geatan and Roger who are also staying at the hotel and go to bed. Another big stretch of our trip is done. Tomorrow will be a rest day, but with lots of things to do, reorganize our food, clean our gear and canoe from the mud, find a massage therapist and chiropractor for Magali’s shoulder, update our blog, back-up our pictures and video, do groceries and laundry… not much of a rest after all…
We are sorry we havent been bloging much since we left. Who would of tought it would be so much work to paddle across the country with a 5 year old ;-) We decided that I, Benoit, would be bloging in english and that Magali will be bloging in French. Reduces the work load on each of us a bit. We will try and slowly catch up to our current position but here is some stories from the first couple of weeks of our trip.
| After more than a year of planning we finaly left on our epic journey. The crow present at our departure was filled with friend, strangers there to encourage us and lots of media. We manage to leave around 10h30 with friends in two canoes. We thus had company with us on the river for the first few hours the only company we will have for many weeks. After a few hours of paddling we feel like the excitement and adrenaline slowly gets replace with fatigue and exhaustion. The last few weeks of planning defending my PhD have pushed the limits of my body and spirit. We thus stop early in the afternoon also motivated by the upcoming storm. We set up quickly and I fall asleep almost instantly for a few hours. Lucky for us the storm only hit us later in the evening after we had time to eat our supper and set the tarp. Our first little bit of snow of the trip on our first day. We realise how our son is happy to be outside discovering lots of things on the beach, building a little dam on a small side stream as well as collecting wood for the fire. We spend a wonderful evening and fall asleep pretty early. |   |
 | The next morning we still don`t quite realise what we have gotten ourselves into. The canoe is covered in ice a regular scene for the first few weeks of our trip. It almost feels like a normal canoe trip for now noting to ambitious. It was a weird feeling but we were very excited to finally be on our trip and we felt like we were exactly where we wanted to be. We manage to get some wind in our back and use our sail for the first time and what a feeling to catch so many free air miles. Late in the afternoon we pursue a cloud a smoke for a few hours before realising it was a forest fire. At one point the smoke even blocked the whole river and we stop to let the smoke dissipate. We eventually stop on a island not far from the smoke and unfortunately loose our evening sun behind it. Another day past by and we are loving it even with the relatively cold weather. |
The next few days go buy well as we revisit some of the sites we paddled last spring. We quickly realise the water is much lower than last year which we appreciate at first as it helps us finding campsites. On May 6th after 5 days of paddling however we are forced to take our first day off (which our body appreciate) due to the snow storm that hit us. We spend a whole day in the tent trying to stay warm and are happy to have brought our propane stove to cook on. We are also very happy to have our Exped mats as they have down in them and keep us insulated from the ground. I take a short walk outside in the afternoon only to realise how much it would have been cold on the water and that staying in the tent was a good idea. At that point we decide to let Mother Nature decide to some extend when our rest days will be.
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| The next morning we learn that the NDP formed a majority government in Alberta and we can barely believe it. At first we think our family and friends our playing tricks on us do to our limited cell coverage. We were fortunate to spend a few more days in the province before reaching Saskatchewan. That day we also see our first Pelican of the trip and those birds will slowly become one of our favorite birds, so quiet, graceful and big. We reach camp later that day after a day of headwinds and go through our general routine, setting the tent, fire, eating and then crashing into bed. We are happy to see how Mali is dealing with the trip although we are noticing some effect of Mali sleep schedule being disturbed. Although he sleeps in the boat every day it’s hard to put him to bed early as he needs to move around in the evening. He slowly adapts to this new schedule but it will still take a week our too. In the meantime our patience is often tested and he adapts to this new lifestyle. However we realise how happy he is to be on the trip. As he is well equipped with awesome rain gear which he basically wore nonstop for the first two weeks he is always warm and dry even when sometimes we are cold. He loves seeing all the wild life, discovering new things at every campsite and campfires always make him happy. We realise however that we also should of have had rain boots like Mali for ourselves instead of water shoes and neoprene socks. We had many days of cold feet in the first few weeks and even later in May. |   |
On May 8th we paddle hard to reach Heinsburg Alberta our first stop in civilisation. We were surprised to see the amount of people there this spring as last spring it felt like a ghost town. We meet lots of great people who organized the 2nd chance trail ride an event to raise funds and promote awareness about organ and tissues donors. It makes us realise how lucky we are to be healthy and able to take on the adventure we are on. Mali also enjoys the bunch of kids that are there and plays until late at night with them. Mali is sad to leave his new friends but the next rapids we paddle the next day quickly make him happy again to be in the canoe. Mali loves rapids, it’s like a big roller coaster for him. I usually love them as well but at this time of year there are more of a concern for me and I always take the easiest and driest route through them (unfortunately for Mali who always wants us to take the biggest waves…). Our objective for the day was to reach Saskatchewan which we reach later that evening after another good day of paddling. That evening after setting up camp we get the visit from a hunter who surprised us by walking up to our camp from the bush!!! We didn’t expect to get visitors at all. He warns us that he has just place bear bait 500m away from our camp and that he knows of a least 6 bears in his sector one of which is a BIG males that might not want to share his snack. We eat our supper, pack all our stuff and at 9pm we get back on the water to find a new spot which we do on an island a bit downstream. We always felt safer on islands but a few days later after witnessing a bear swimming across the whole North Saskatchewan River, that feeling of safety on islands was gone.
A few days later we get some very cold night and thus we are a lot slower in the mornings. I often let magali and Mali sleep in in the warm tent heated by the sun but I have a lot of difficulty sleeping past 7am. I’m always to excited, so I get up prepare a fire and just appreciate the calm and quiet and sometimes see a few beaver that are curious to see what I’m up to. On May 10th our objective is to make it near North Battleford so we can call Elaine our contact there who has our box or resupplies. We manage to find a site with cell reception (so we can contact her) only as the sun was setting which means another long day of paddling. Being on the water late in the evening however has it up sides as we see a lot of wild life especially beavers who like to let us know we are near their house. Lucky for us there wasn’t too much wind that day which is always nice. The next day we reached North Battleford and thus completed the first part of our journey. We underestimated the time required to get there however and make it only after another 9 hours of paddling and arrive around 7pm. We decide to camp near the river in North Battleford and to reorganize everything the next day. Lucky for us the rain forecast has changed for a nice sunny day. That evening we also get the visit from a local journalist who brings some gifts for Mali, some books, sand toys and little boats. Mali is really happy and we thank her with all our heart for her kind gesture. The next day Elaine meets us again and gives me a ride to her house so we can get fresh water and then drops me into town to get fresh goods and some things at the pharmacy. I have a finger that has gotten infected and wanted the advice of a pharmacist. I take a taxi back to our camp and we reorganise all our food for the next section of our trip until The Pas Manitoba which we hope to reach in two weeks. We leave North Battleford late that evening and camp nearby. From this point on the adventure really begins for us as we had paddle up to North Battleford last sping but what is coming up is the unknown. We are really excited to discover new areas ahead.
| Since we bought our canoe, we gave ourselves the mission to canoe at least once a week to get used to our boat as well as train for our canoe expedition next spring. From july 17 to 21 we went to Marten River Provincial Park in Slave Lake, about 3 hours north of Edmonton. The camping is located close of the Slave Lake shores, a very large lake. From the beach, we could not see the other side of the lake ... it was like the sea! To be sure to have fun in the water for four days, we have brought few toys; two canoes, 1 stand up paddleboard, 1 whitewater kayak and a small inflatable boat! True to herself Mother Nature gave us 4 days of hot sun on the sandy beach ... not! Well it hasn't been that bad, in fact it was very good weather for paddling, we got two days of strong wind that as creates waves that are worthy of the sea! Despite a cloudy weather, we were very excited at the idea of trying our boat in the big wave! Just getting in the boat was a challenge and the wave always gave us the impression that we were going to capsize but no! We paddled hard, we braced many times and despite the canoe getting rocked by the waves we stayed afloat and all that accompanied by our son Mali, who laughed and said again, yahoo! Seing Slave Lake being in these conditions reinforced our perception that it wasn’t a very good idea to paddle Lake Superior next summer. When the wind blows on a lake this size, our 17 foot canoe seems small in the midst of huge waves that never cease to sweep! Just 2 waves were enough to fill our canoe full of water which also made us realize how a canoe skirt will be valuable on some of the other big lakes we will paddle. On our last day, Mother Nature took a break, just to catch her breath I guest! So we decided to try to paddle to a peninsula that lied about 15km from the shore. In a normal canoeing day we paddle about 40-50 km a day, so 15km should not be so bad ... But when we got far from the shore and the peninsula seemed as far as the beginning, of feeling of vulnerability took over! What if the wind picked up, what if there was a storm ... hum. After hearing a few thunders in the distance, we turn back and conceded the victory to Mother Nature! We still did 5 km round trip in about 1 hour which allowed us once more to admire and respect Mother Nature more than ever! Thanks to our friends, Colin, Nicole, Delphine and Emile, without you it wouldn't have been the same! Magali Benoit Mali | 
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This past weekend we took our new canoe out for the first time. It's a 17 foot long prospector from Nova Craft. We are very happy with the way it reacts in the wind and how fast it is. It is also very spacious, without all our gear the canoe felt a bit empty. We had a great day at Wabamum lake with our friends Colin, Nicole, Delphine and Emile. It was also Emile's first canoe ride! Here are a few other pictures from our fun day!
This week on July 1st we went and wished good luck to a great guy going on a great adventure. Trevor was leaving for a 2 month trip on a stand up paddle board from Edmonton to Winnipeg. He will be supported by his great mother along the way. He is doing this to raise awareness about PTSD. Visit his website for more information on this great Journey and great man (http://www.paddlingwithptsd.com)
Trevor Paddle Board
Yesterday we participated in the River Day event in Edmonton where we had a kiosk to talk about our trip. We also wanted to raised awareness about the importance of the Canadian waterways as well as inspire families with young children to plan outdoors adventures. Building off our experience from our recent trip on the North Saskatchewan River from Edmonton to North Battleford we gave tips to parents with young kids on how to manage young children in the canoe for long periods of time. Mali also gave paddling demonstration and we showed many young kids how to paddle in a canoe.
We also had a chance to answer many questions regarding logistics and gear. What type a food we would bring and how we could cook it? Where we would camp? Were or how we would get drinkable water? How we would power our electronic devices for 4 months? What type of tent, mattress and sleeping bag we would be using? This was also a great opportunity for us to get advice and ideas regarding these different logistics aspects from other experiences paddlers.
It was also great to get a chance to inform people about the different rivers and lakes we would potentially have to paddle to get to Montreal. Some participants even told us that it would be worth it to do that trip just to get bagels and smoke meets from Montreal!!! It was great to meet many other paddlers and families and talk about our trip. We got lots of encouragements and we hope we inspired others to get out there and explore the outdoors. We also got to networks with paddling clubs from Edmonton and we hope to plan presentation or meetings with many of them to talk further about our trip and get advice from the ones that have already done similar trips.
Overall a great event on a beautiful day in Edmonton with lots of great peoples. We also want to thank Rhianna Flaherty for planning such a great event and for letting us participate.
We also had a chance to answer many questions regarding logistics and gear. What type a food we would bring and how we could cook it? Where we would camp? Were or how we would get drinkable water? How we would power our electronic devices for 4 months? What type of tent, mattress and sleeping bag we would be using? This was also a great opportunity for us to get advice and ideas regarding these different logistics aspects from other experiences paddlers.
It was also great to get a chance to inform people about the different rivers and lakes we would potentially have to paddle to get to Montreal. Some participants even told us that it would be worth it to do that trip just to get bagels and smoke meets from Montreal!!! It was great to meet many other paddlers and families and talk about our trip. We got lots of encouragements and we hope we inspired others to get out there and explore the outdoors. We also got to networks with paddling clubs from Edmonton and we hope to plan presentation or meetings with many of them to talk further about our trip and get advice from the ones that have already done similar trips.
Overall a great event on a beautiful day in Edmonton with lots of great peoples. We also want to thank Rhianna Flaherty for planning such a great event and for letting us participate.
Edm-Mtl
Our family is going to paddle from Edmonton to Montreal during the summer of 2015
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