We try to do different types of canoe trips. This was to be a fall trip. A fall trip in Saskatchewan can be anything; warm and sunny, blindingly cold, or just wet and cold. We did a trip in late October one year, about a week before the lakes froze over. This time we chose to go a little earlier, in late September.

This trip was a calm mellow trip around a nice loop of lakes. This is in contrast to our usual whitewater trips (in the summer a trip really should have some white water). But in the fall, with temperatures ranging from -10C to 10C, we don't want to risk getting wet. Fickle weather and 0 degree water already provide plenty of adrenaline. We also have to really cut back on the distance paddled each day because of the limited daylight hours. In early summer, the sun rises at 4:30 am and doesn't set until after 10 pm, giving us 17 hours of daylight if we need it. At this time of the year, the sun rises after 8 am and sets by 5 pm. This trip is what we call a weekend trip... but it is understood that we take Friday off work!

A 4 hour drive Thursday evening got us up to Lac LaRonge, where we set up our tents at midnight and crawled into our sleeping bags. It was below freezing, and my fingers were numb and stiff by the time everything was set up.

If you want to do this trip, a thorough description of the trip can be found at:

Saskatchewan Documented Canoe Route #31

Who went on this trip?

			Warren Long and Chris Baraniuk
			Brent Clark and Mike Baribeau

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Please send any comments to warren.long@shaw.ca