Bighead River

Last weekend we paddled the Bighead River into Meaford. We put-in at the 11th Line bridge and spent two pleasant hours paddling a few class 1 sections to the 7th Line bridge before lunch. But the next 45 minutes to the take-out at Beautiful Joe Park (Edwin Street) was fantastic – essentially continuous fun, shore to shore, genuine class-2, river. In hindsight, we would have just paddled the last section twice because the car shuttle is so quick. A solo paddler could use a bicycle or probably even a local taxi.

There aren't any complex ledges; there are plenty of mid-river boulders for catching eddies, especially in a kayak; and as you will see in the video, lots of fun maneuvering for a tandem canoe. Higher water might push the take-out about 100m down to the other end of the park and if the water level dropped another foot it might have a couple fun sections but it would also be rather shallow. The first five seconds of this video clip show me doing a little ender.  The water office graph shows a 16 discharge and 11.45m water level.

Back on the Mag

In June we paddled the Magnetawan River from my house to Britt. I didn't do much in the way of video or photos this year -- just one clip of Kevan & Tom running a typical drop we encountered. The water level was at least two feet higher this year -- compare some of the shots in Jean's video to the video I made last year. There are more photos on the canoe club site.

Winter camping

Winter camping is one of those things that people seem to view from a very binary perspective. There are those who think winter should involve minimizing snow exposure and those who think sleeping outside in freezing weather sounds like fun. In March I spent a couple nights camped on Big Deer Lake north of my place on the Mag. The pulk sled I used in Killarney in 2010 is great for lake and open country travel, but I was expecting lots of bushwacking on this excursion so I used a backpack for all the gear. For the same reason, I used snowshoes rather than skis. Unfortunately the weather was a little too warm and the snow became soft, wet and sticky. On my return, every step plunged deep into the snow and heavy wet snow would fall onto the deck of the snowshoe. It was exhausting, but I really enjoy the winter -- it is the season when you get to see animal tracks and when you can reach places like the little river below that would be very difficult to reach in the other seasons.

Ashuapmushuan

Last week we finished an excellent 175 km trip paddling down the Ashuapmushuan River that flows into Lac St. Jean in Quebec. Three canoes for nine days with lots of long rapids -- some were simple and over a kilometer long, some were more complex and required careful scouting before we ran them and some required portage or lining.

The river was running at about 200 cubic meters per second which is low for the Ash; Michel Lessard, the guy who lead the trip, has paddled it at 400 and 800. We were told that the river has been low for three summers now and at 200 we only had a couple spots where we were forced to get out and haul the canoes through short shallow sections.

With the river pushing us along quickly we made camp by noon several days and that gave us some time to play without a fully loaded canoe. Here is a video clip showing Jean and I attempting, unsuccessfully, to surf a little wave and another as we thread our way through some ledges.

The Grand River survey

Lots of people come to our area to enjoy the Grand River; here I am on the Nith with friends from the local canoe club.

Please spend a few minutes to take this survey and provide your perspective on the Grand River watershed.

Brigade regrouping

Three years ago during my first Brigade experience there were two Paddle Canada crews - PC1 & PC2. This past summer there were twelve alumni participating so one day we put together a "PC3" crew so we could all paddle together again. We also sent a thank you message to Eric Williams who made it possible for the two crews to paddle in 2008.

In the photo from PC2 are Sharon, Bill and Richard (sequentially from my left) and David who is wearing a PFD. From PC1 are Ross, David and Jay on the far right. Missing from the photo are Janice and Tanya who were teaching kids how to canoe when this shot was taken; Eloise who was driving down to rejoin the Brigade; and Robbie Bates who could only get two weeks off work.

In a few weeks some of will be together again for the official launch of the 2011 video. That probably means I will get the itch before long to assemble some of my 2011 video so I have something to show. Therefore I predict a few marathon video editing sessions in the not too distant future.

Jay's video

Jay Macmillan is working on a full length video of the Thompson Brigade and his teaser video has some beautiful shots as expected. I am very briefly seen as our crew does a switch on a windy day. The work on my video has begun, slowly.

Heading home

On Friday, 200 years to the day after David Thompson arrived at the mouth of the Columbia River, we paddled into Astoria Oregon. It was a typical day in terms of distance, about 50 kilometers, and the weather was gracefully calm until the last few kilometers west of Tongue Point into the harbour. The Point is known for big waves generated by the outgoing river current meeting the incoming tides and waves. We had paddled since 7:30am and arriving at the wharf at 2:30pm gave us just 90 minutes to dress and prepare for our final short paddle to the arrival ceremony.

We have done over two dozen arrival ceremonies with audiences numbering just a few or several hundred. We paddle the canoes around in a circle or figure 8 shape and then line up facing shore to greet the people and to request permission to come ashore, sometimes with a black powder gun shot from the North American Land Surveyor boat followed by a second volley from shore. Sometimes we race to the beach and sometimes we proceed in a more orderly fashion. On Friday afternoon the tide was high when we arrived which concealed the old pier pilings in the little bay next to the Marine Museum where we had planned to impress the crowds with our six-week-honed paddling skills.

Pathfinder was the lead boat and was the first to run into a submerged post causing a ripple of confusion into the trailing canoes but the No Way Corveé boat, overflowing with their entire eleven person crew, gave the audience a few seconds of unplanned excitement when they teetered from side to side on a hidden plank before they carefully reversed off their perch.

The mist that began falling when everyone was getting loaded into their boats turned into full rain and before long everyone was soaking wet in their finest arrival costume. Following the welcoming remarks and greetings the Brigade scattered as some went for the comfort of motels while many set up camp in a gymnasium at the local high school. The gym was beside the hallway that hosted the evening's celebration & libation, probably to the disappointment of those sleeping.

On Saturday morning we had a final breakfast and recognition event. There were 51 people who paddled the entire distance and in total, 48% of the paddlers were women which is a substantial increase from the 2008 ratio. Plans are underway for a reunion in November for the video that Jay will produce.

The Brigade wasn't as physically demanding as the 2008 Brigade, but I enjoyed it immensely. There was more time for socializing with other paddlers and the shorter distances meant we weren't as exhausted everyday. Many now wonder when and where will the next big canoe Brigade happen -- perhaps 2017 will deliver a 150th Canadian birthday event.
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Camp Birthdays

With a hundred people around, lots of birthdays happen over a six week period. This video is kind of short and shaky and well ... hardly worth posting. But it does represent a very brief glimpse at the collective friendships that come together on the Brigade. Many people have impressive musical talents and in this case nearly everyone gathered on a small island where we are camping in Cascade Falls, Washington and gave Gale her 60th birthday greeting.
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Art

One of the things I don't seem to find time for on this trip is drawing. When I travel alone, or travel slowly, I like to draw. Admittedly, my sketching is rather sketchy, but nonetheless, I do enjoy trying.

Today I was paddling with some others from the Brigade and one of the people makes excellent landscape sketches. The photo shows something he made from memory and I will attempt to remember to photograph it on Tuesday when we return to the place where we finished paddling this morning. It was just over 20 km but we experienced the strongest winds yet on the journey.
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Vantage Washington -- wind

Today was a long day and reminiscent of the 2008 Brigade when a 70 kilometer day was common. The 2008 Brigade was a more physically demanding trip with many long hard days early in the trip. I recall being both physically and emotionally drained for the first several weeks. In 2008 we traveled 3000 kilometers in 9 weeks, this is about half that in 6 weeks.

Today we left Wenatchee late -- 8:30am -- because we had a 10:30 arrival about 17km down river at Rock Island. The morning current pushed us along nicely and we even had a tail wind at time. After an arrival ceremony, some hotdogs and some time spent chatting with visitors, we moved the canoes around the next dam and headed down river again. Soon the current slowed and the wind turned towards us. The canoes split into two groups, each betting that the opposite shore would be the easier. Our group was in the shade for much of the hot afternoon hours and we even saw a few groups of wild sheep perched on the canyon-like walls. It is very beautiful along this section of the Columbia.
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Who planned this thing?

The Brigade has taken several thousand hours of volunteer time to plan the route, scout the route, establish contacts in communities, explain the significance David Thompson played historically here, plan camping locations, explain the Brigade story, arrange community participation events, and many, many more details. And while there was some generous financial support from a few organizations there are lots of costs associated with this trip that are not covered by the participants who cover much of the costs.

Today was a day off in Wenatchee, Washington and that gave a chance for the organizing committee to meet and assess the mid-way status, including our financial status which of course is always a concern for a voilunteer group. A few important people are missing from this photo -- Eloise who with Ross MacDonald are the kernel of energy that started this ball rolling and Don Galloway who had a major role planning the route and continues to be helping make community contacts as we move down the river.

The photo just missed capturing the snow-capped mountains which are about 30 miles away. Another photo I might have taken was during our excellent supper at a local Mexican restaurant Mariscos Camino Real.

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National Canoe Day

Sunday was national canoe day and fortunately I was in a canoe. We paddled into Winatchi Washington -- the self proclaimed apple capital of the world. Apparently many of those famous orchards are being turned into vineyards now. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful area with parts of the Cascade Mountains not far away.
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Food

The daily routine of the Brigade revolves around three things: sleeping, paddling and eating. Unlike some canoe trips where you might carefully prepare the daily menu many days in advance, we buy new food almost every day and the shopping list is always being updated. Breakfast is often underway by 6am and every hour the canoes stop for a break and quickly food is consumed to keep everyone's engine fired. Every evening the routine is similar: eat, clean-up and make lunch for the following day.

Fortunately my fellow paddlers enjoy eating well. The evening we had tacos we also ate a big slab of smoked salmon -- a gift from Daniel, a 17 year old local boy from Keller who paddled with us a few days ago. For the next three nights, the towns of Pateros, Entiat and Wenatchee, Washington will be our hosts and crew members scheduled for cooking duty will enjoy their rest days more fully.
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Tight quarters

Wednesday night we were camped at Spring Canyon, a short distance up river from the Grand Coulee dam. Thursday we moved the boats around the dam and paddled about 40 kilometers down the Columbia with a strong current most of the way. The camp site was somewhat small which makes the Brigade feel better to me since the tents must be packed closer and everyone interacts more often. It also makes for a colourful photo with all the different tent colours.
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1640 friendly people & one grouch

In Kettle Falls there is an annual vote for the town grouch, nominations are by anyone with $0.25 to start a donation bucket. Proceeds go to charity. Reputation lasts a lifetime.
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Dinner guests

Last night was the start of a two day rest for the Brigade. We paddled about 50 kilometers yesterday morning to Ione and then moved the canoes an hour over a mountain range -- David Thompson did it by horse -- before arriving here in present day Kettle Falls, Washington.

Last night Marg Bates made a big pot of stew and invited the No Way Corveé crew to join us. Most of that crew have worked together for years at Old Fort William in Thunder Bay where the 2008 Brigade ended. At the Fort they learned a great deal about the fur trade era and they have entertained the entire Brigade daily with bagpipe playing, singing and the reenactment of historical events -- they have shaped the character of this journey almost as much as the nearly daily rain.

Tonight we will once again have supper provided by a community -- the Cattlemen's Association -- and a pig roast tomorrow. That follows a salmon dinner at the Kalispel Indian Reservation on Wednesday. Members of the Kalispel suffered in the poring rain to watch the arrival of the canoes and then welcomed everyone into a dry building for a drumming ceremony before heading over to their beautiful community center where paddlers enjoyed the swimming pool, hot showers and ate salmon while watching the NHL victory of Boston over the Canucks.

The hospitality of small communities has been the other defining characteristic of the journey. We have been welcomed into school gymnasiums on rainy nights, had police boat escourts and sensational meals. And the schedule ahead seems to have more to come as well.
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Re: Paddling at last

... Oops, I mis-typed and sent that last one a little before I finished typing.

A week ago I hurt my back moving a canoe so I spent the first five days of the Brigade slowly limping around with a sore back. This afternoon however I decided to join one of the canoes that needed another paddler. It was great to paddle again and the water pushed us along quickly. I will probably avoid carrying canoes for awhile -- the unexpected transfer of weight and awkward carrying position is a problem for me and my back continues to need to recover.
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Paddling at last

Every night on this Brigade, the crew captains and some of the advance crew gather to discuss the next day's paddle. Last night the meeting was held in a school gymnasium in Rexford Montana. Close to half the Brigade slept in the gym as it was raining. The rain continued all night and this morning at 8am the forecasted rain made for a wet start. The nine canoes paddled about 24km down the Koocanusa reservoir, slowed by both rain and a head wind. We trailered the boats past a dam and then paddled another 22km into Libby, MT -- this was my first paddle of the Brigade.
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On to the USA

We arrived at the Koocanusa reservoir last night and this morning the Brigade is paddling towards a ceremony at the border. The reservoir has been almost emptied in anticipation of the huge snow melt that will soon arrive.
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