Day 6; Thursday 29th July
As usual, I was up at five, lit a fire and made coffee. For breakfast we fried the last of last night's bread. We packed up and left in the rain; I had not kept out enough clothes and was cold later. We started by running the R2 where we caught the jack the evening before.
Three kilometres below this last rapid the canoeist encounters the start of Olson Rapids, a 4 kilometre stretch of Class 2 shallow bouldery rapids. These should present no great problem to the alert canoeist.
We ran Olsen rapids (boulders and rock gardens)
In the next three kilometres, further Class 2 rapids are encountered which should present no great problem to the alert canoeist.
3.5 kilometres below this last rapid, the canoeist encounters the first part of Mackie Rapids. This is one kilometre section of shallow fast water which should cause no problems to the alert canoeist. One kilometre downstream, the main section of Mackie Rapids is encountered. This section is a strong Class 3 rapid separated by an island. The left channel is the best one to run, after careful examination from shore. At periods of low water, it may be necessary to line the bottom part of this rapid. As no portage exists past this rapid, those not wishing to run thisrapid may line down the right channel.
We ran a strong R3, with an S-bend which we were not able to scout first. Warren and I just missed several ledges, and had to bail out the canoe half way down the rapid (but bragged that it was the only time this trip!)
(Note by Warren) I feel this was our most foolish act of the whole trip. We were not able to scout this rapid because of dense underbrush on both sides, and the rapid curved away so that we couldn’t see down very much of it at all. The run down this one was more of what I call “Panic Mechanics”, just reacting on the fly to what you find, and trying to find the best route in an instant. We did get swept out much wider than expected on one of the S-bends, and just made it to the lip of a three foot ledge. At that point, we were glad to make it to where we did. The ideal spot was 8 feet away to our right, but it might as well have been a mile.
The two other canoes profited from our experience and made a good run.
5 kilometres below the end of Mackie Rapids, the canoeist encounters the start of the upper section of Warner Rapids. There is no portage past this 3 kilometre section of bouldery Class 2 rapid. Therefore those not wishing to run it must line down the shoreline.
Warner rapids (3 km of rock garden) consisted of simply zig-zagging through the rocks. It was fun to be under control for a while.
After running the Warner rapids, the Highway 955 bridge over the river came into sight. Finally we had reached the end of the trip.
Canoes may be unloaded either above or below the rapids at the bridge. These rapids form a Class 3 chute that may include partly exposed boulders during periods of low water.
Warren and I ran the R3 under Warner bridge OK.
Rick and Alan powered through the haystacks and swamped, but the flotation worked well and they paddled to shore.
Once they beached the canoe, the poor thing gave up. It lay on the sand, with its canvas laying on the sand beside it. On both sides, the canvas had torn away from the gunn'ls and peeled away, all the way down to the waterline. I think the water pressure against the side of the canoe was the only thing holding the canvas in place.
Brent and Mike avoided the biggest stuff but took on some water.
Brent and Alan retrieved Alan's Civic and drove off to pick up the K car. The rest of us unloaded the canoes, and organized the equipment to load the cars. Rick and Warren went fishing and Rick caught some walleye.
When Brent and Alan returned, we loaded the cars, took a group
photograph, although I missed out as
I
went to see why the camera was not working. Here I am.
We then drove to La Loche for burgers. It was unpleasant in Alan’s car with the open exhaust booming just under your kneecaps. We had tied up the exhaust with Warren’s fish stringer to keep it from dragging on the ground but the noise was brutal. Warren (prepared like a boy scout) pulled out and inserted his ear plugs, Everyone else just suffered and Alan even slept! Then in the darkening evening we drove home through North Battleford. We got through just ahead of a big thunder storm which caught and slowed Brent. Very late that night, in Saskatoon we dropped off Rick's canoe, and unloaded Warren’s canoe and equipment. There were lots of mosquitoes in S’toon! A few days later we met to exchange photographs, settle accounts for the trip, and recount macho anecdotes to wondering wives.
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