| STAGE THREE - LAKE MINTO AND THE LEAF RIVER |
The paddle across Lake Minto and the flatwater sections of the Leaf
River lasted for seven days. Our team was fortunate to have
encountered clear skies and relatively calm warm weather. For the entire
week we were never windbound, and many hikes provided fantastic views
of the surrounding countryside.
Minto’s numerous arms and bays allowed us to always stay close to
shore and avoid the huge middle sections of the lake. By staying close
to shore we were treated to many amazing sights. Numerous ancient
native campsites were found, caribous bones and antlers littered the
ground, a wolf den was discovered, and a brilliant wildflower display was
in constant view.
The day that we encountered the wolves was particularly moving. There
was good paddling this morning around many interesting points with little
to no breeze. We went for a hike up a hill at 3:00 pm and were greeted
with a view of a two kilometer crossing that needed to be made. It was
very windy up on the hill and looked like the crossing would be exposed
and difficult.
The crossing took about an hour and small to medium sized swells
moved directly into our canoe. Not long after the crossing we spotted a
gorgeous open campsite, but while approaching a group of wolf cubs
were spotted on shore. The little cubs were curious and shyly checking
us out while we landed the canoe to investigate. A quick survey of the
area showed many wolf tracks of all sizes, diggings, and the actually den,
which contained at least two openings. This was real cool, and the
camping would have been phenomenal, but intruding on the wolves
would have been irresponsible and potentially dangerous.
We paddled around a point and traveled for a kilometer before landing
again in searching of a flat place for the tent. The only suitable site
required us to walk about thirty or forty yards up away from the water, but
this would have to do. The sleeping tent was set up and staked out with
rocks before setting up the bug tent and settling in for the evening.
A nice dinner was had and pudding was stirred up for dessert. As I went
to put away the dishes we heard some wolves howling. The yelping of
the pups was soon drowned about by the deeper piercing howl of an
adultwolf. When I stepped out of the bug tent to wash the dishes I
spotted the mother wolf a hundred yards behind our tent up on a low
ridge. She started howling and pranced around on the ridge for an hour
or more. The howls were interspersed with lower barking noises meant
to intimidate and warn us that she was in charge of her cubs. Although
the wolf was making a pretty good show of force she never came too
close that evening. All the time this was happening another amazing
sunset was taking place while swarms of flies and mosquitoes made
constant attacks.
Once in the tent now things were no less exciting. The wolf came by
again, howling and barking much closer this time. I was a little intimidated
and nervous, but it was probably worse for the frightened wolves. The
shotgun was in the tent next to me just in case. Although we were never
woken by the wolf that night, the next morning while we were eating
breakfast the large female silently crept to within twenty yards of us
before I sensed something and stood up. Once I stood the wolf became
wary and trotted away, stopping to look back from time to time. Eric and I
were deeply moved by the encounter.
The experience that we had on Lake Minto was truly unreal. Despite
being a whitewater addict, I absolutely enjoyed the clam and peaceful
days of paddling that were had out on the big blue of Minto. The fishing
was phenomenal and the area had an incredible sense of place.
River lasted for seven days. Our team was fortunate to have
encountered clear skies and relatively calm warm weather. For the entire
week we were never windbound, and many hikes provided fantastic views
of the surrounding countryside.
Minto’s numerous arms and bays allowed us to always stay close to
shore and avoid the huge middle sections of the lake. By staying close
to shore we were treated to many amazing sights. Numerous ancient
native campsites were found, caribous bones and antlers littered the
ground, a wolf den was discovered, and a brilliant wildflower display was
in constant view.
The day that we encountered the wolves was particularly moving. There
was good paddling this morning around many interesting points with little
to no breeze. We went for a hike up a hill at 3:00 pm and were greeted
with a view of a two kilometer crossing that needed to be made. It was
very windy up on the hill and looked like the crossing would be exposed
and difficult.
The crossing took about an hour and small to medium sized swells
moved directly into our canoe. Not long after the crossing we spotted a
gorgeous open campsite, but while approaching a group of wolf cubs
were spotted on shore. The little cubs were curious and shyly checking
us out while we landed the canoe to investigate. A quick survey of the
area showed many wolf tracks of all sizes, diggings, and the actually den,
which contained at least two openings. This was real cool, and the
camping would have been phenomenal, but intruding on the wolves
would have been irresponsible and potentially dangerous.
We paddled around a point and traveled for a kilometer before landing
again in searching of a flat place for the tent. The only suitable site
required us to walk about thirty or forty yards up away from the water, but
this would have to do. The sleeping tent was set up and staked out with
rocks before setting up the bug tent and settling in for the evening.
A nice dinner was had and pudding was stirred up for dessert. As I went
to put away the dishes we heard some wolves howling. The yelping of
the pups was soon drowned about by the deeper piercing howl of an
adultwolf. When I stepped out of the bug tent to wash the dishes I
spotted the mother wolf a hundred yards behind our tent up on a low
ridge. She started howling and pranced around on the ridge for an hour
or more. The howls were interspersed with lower barking noises meant
to intimidate and warn us that she was in charge of her cubs. Although
the wolf was making a pretty good show of force she never came too
close that evening. All the time this was happening another amazing
sunset was taking place while swarms of flies and mosquitoes made
constant attacks.
Once in the tent now things were no less exciting. The wolf came by
again, howling and barking much closer this time. I was a little intimidated
and nervous, but it was probably worse for the frightened wolves. The
shotgun was in the tent next to me just in case. Although we were never
woken by the wolf that night, the next morning while we were eating
breakfast the large female silently crept to within twenty yards of us
before I sensed something and stood up. Once I stood the wolf became
wary and trotted away, stopping to look back from time to time. Eric and I
were deeply moved by the encounter.
The experience that we had on Lake Minto was truly unreal. Despite
being a whitewater addict, I absolutely enjoyed the clam and peaceful
days of paddling that were had out on the big blue of Minto. The fishing
was phenomenal and the area had an incredible sense of place.
Constant traveling eventually carried us down Minto and into a part of the lake labeled
as the Leaf River. It is confusing that this northerly bay of the lake has been labeled
as a river because there is no perceptible current and many side bays sprawl off of
this. Regardless, the change in name on the map gave us a sense of progress.
We hiked a real cool mountain at lunch time. This hill made up the point of a peninsula
and rose for several hundred feet on all sides in steeply sloping cliffs and polished
slabs of ledge. The view of the sparkling crystal clear water below us was astounding.
The weather was great again with a sunny and calm blue bird skies. Just before the
hike we were in the middle of a two kilometer crossing when Eric spotted a fish
swimming near the surface. I quickly made a few casts and caught the nice lake trout
which was promptly released. We stopped again at 3:30 for a fishing break and
landed a few more lake trout. I kept one nice fish for dinner. This was how the days
were typically passed.
One day on the upper reaches of the Leaf we were making excellent progress on
particularly glassy flatwater. The day was so still and so quiet that it was eerie. We
paddled a roundabout route, fished and caught some lake trout, and had a nice
uneventful morning. All day long clouds could be seen building up from heat rising off
the land. A few of these clouds became saturated enough to generate showers, but
there seemed to be no thunderstorms yet. The fast paddling allowed us to have a
leisurely lunch at an old native campsite with the usual tent rings and perfect gravel
beach.
Although the next few days would bring unstable weather, the winds never became
strong enough to prevent paddling. By the time we reached the outlet rapids at the
head of the actual Leaf River Eric and I were happy for the change of pace and eager
to have a helping current.
as the Leaf River. It is confusing that this northerly bay of the lake has been labeled
as a river because there is no perceptible current and many side bays sprawl off of
this. Regardless, the change in name on the map gave us a sense of progress.
We hiked a real cool mountain at lunch time. This hill made up the point of a peninsula
and rose for several hundred feet on all sides in steeply sloping cliffs and polished
slabs of ledge. The view of the sparkling crystal clear water below us was astounding.
The weather was great again with a sunny and calm blue bird skies. Just before the
hike we were in the middle of a two kilometer crossing when Eric spotted a fish
swimming near the surface. I quickly made a few casts and caught the nice lake trout
which was promptly released. We stopped again at 3:30 for a fishing break and
landed a few more lake trout. I kept one nice fish for dinner. This was how the days
were typically passed.
One day on the upper reaches of the Leaf we were making excellent progress on
particularly glassy flatwater. The day was so still and so quiet that it was eerie. We
paddled a roundabout route, fished and caught some lake trout, and had a nice
uneventful morning. All day long clouds could be seen building up from heat rising off
the land. A few of these clouds became saturated enough to generate showers, but
there seemed to be no thunderstorms yet. The fast paddling allowed us to have a
leisurely lunch at an old native campsite with the usual tent rings and perfect gravel
beach.
Although the next few days would bring unstable weather, the winds never became
strong enough to prevent paddling. By the time we reached the outlet rapids at the
head of the actual Leaf River Eric and I were happy for the change of pace and eager
to have a helping current.
On the day the flatwater ended we were up and out of the tent after a quick spat of rain and paddling by nine thirty under improving weather
conditions. A huge tailwind was kicking up big swells that literally pushed us effortlessly for many miles. The going was so excellent and easy that
we only stopped once in the morning to stretch and fish. By lunchtime we had reached the outlet rapids of Lake Minto, but decided to scout and
run them before eating. The rapid came in two parts, the first being a wide and easy class II. The second part of the rapid was much trickier. The
river probably dropped about ten feet in a long bend with most of the current pushing to the right and creating a heavy class III wave train with a
few holes thrown in for good measure. We originally beached our boat in some shallows on river left to scout things, but from this vantage point
our view was distorted by the long section of shoals in front of us. We were forced to get back into the canoe and ferry across to river right in
order to make a more thorough scout. Being hasty this far from civilization could have dire consequences, so every precaution was taken.
The scout required that we balance on shoreline boulders and head up onto the low alder covered bank to make progress downstream. The
whole rapid was probably three hundred meters long and I was able to pick a good line near the river right shore that avoided the largest waves.
While Eric set up his video camera I went upstream to lash the Northwater spray deck onto our boat. This was a significant drop and swamping
near the top would probably result in dumping us into the icy water.
Our run was right on line and pretty smooth with the spray deck preventing us from taking on a lot of water. It would have been pretty intimidating
to run this rapid without the help of the cover and having the added safety of a guaranteed dry line was much appreciated. Even with the cover, I
had to grab a cooking pot and bail out some water that had found its way in.
conditions. A huge tailwind was kicking up big swells that literally pushed us effortlessly for many miles. The going was so excellent and easy that
we only stopped once in the morning to stretch and fish. By lunchtime we had reached the outlet rapids of Lake Minto, but decided to scout and
run them before eating. The rapid came in two parts, the first being a wide and easy class II. The second part of the rapid was much trickier. The
river probably dropped about ten feet in a long bend with most of the current pushing to the right and creating a heavy class III wave train with a
few holes thrown in for good measure. We originally beached our boat in some shallows on river left to scout things, but from this vantage point
our view was distorted by the long section of shoals in front of us. We were forced to get back into the canoe and ferry across to river right in
order to make a more thorough scout. Being hasty this far from civilization could have dire consequences, so every precaution was taken.
The scout required that we balance on shoreline boulders and head up onto the low alder covered bank to make progress downstream. The
whole rapid was probably three hundred meters long and I was able to pick a good line near the river right shore that avoided the largest waves.
While Eric set up his video camera I went upstream to lash the Northwater spray deck onto our boat. This was a significant drop and swamping
near the top would probably result in dumping us into the icy water.
Our run was right on line and pretty smooth with the spray deck preventing us from taking on a lot of water. It would have been pretty intimidating
to run this rapid without the help of the cover and having the added safety of a guaranteed dry line was much appreciated. Even with the cover, I
had to grab a cooking pot and bail out some water that had found its way in.
The Leaf River turned out to be a ramp of fast quickwater running over a cobble bottom. At times we were traveling at seven miles an hour
without paddling. The speed was exhilarating and it was remarkable to cover in an hour, a distance that took at least two days to travel while
working upstream at the beginning of the trip. For the next couple of days we dealt with strong squalls that brought cold rain and stiff winds.
Happily the squalls would pass through quickly and when it wasn’t actively raining the weather was quite fair despite the unrelenting north wind.
The fishing and camping on the Leaf was phenomenal and I hooked many trout and even a small Atlantic Salmon that managed to shake itself
free. Although it would have been great to relax and enjoy this amazing river for longer, we moved along at a steady pace. A great deal of work
lay ahead. Soon we would be fighting the current again while working our way up the Vizien River while making our way towards the height of
land between the Leaf and Payne River watersheds.
Late in the afternoon on our final day of running the Leaf River we ran a pretty big class II – III rapid and almost paddled over a ledge that could
have easily flipped our canoe. It was nice to have avoided the drop, but we managed to take on a lot of water in the process and had to stop to
bail out before continuing. Again, the cooking pot proved to be helpful with this. Shortly after this rapid the Leaf smoothed out, but a strong
tailwind blew us down this section to the mouth of the Vizien on river left. We made an unceremonious turn up the Vizien at 4:45 and were
happy to find a somewhat large stream carrying plenty of water to float our boat.
without paddling. The speed was exhilarating and it was remarkable to cover in an hour, a distance that took at least two days to travel while
working upstream at the beginning of the trip. For the next couple of days we dealt with strong squalls that brought cold rain and stiff winds.
Happily the squalls would pass through quickly and when it wasn’t actively raining the weather was quite fair despite the unrelenting north wind.
The fishing and camping on the Leaf was phenomenal and I hooked many trout and even a small Atlantic Salmon that managed to shake itself
free. Although it would have been great to relax and enjoy this amazing river for longer, we moved along at a steady pace. A great deal of work
lay ahead. Soon we would be fighting the current again while working our way up the Vizien River while making our way towards the height of
land between the Leaf and Payne River watersheds.
Late in the afternoon on our final day of running the Leaf River we ran a pretty big class II – III rapid and almost paddled over a ledge that could
have easily flipped our canoe. It was nice to have avoided the drop, but we managed to take on a lot of water in the process and had to stop to
bail out before continuing. Again, the cooking pot proved to be helpful with this. Shortly after this rapid the Leaf smoothed out, but a strong
tailwind blew us down this section to the mouth of the Vizien on river left. We made an unceremonious turn up the Vizien at 4:45 and were
happy to find a somewhat large stream carrying plenty of water to float our boat.
Although Lake Minto is nearly one hundred miles long, it is broken
into many arms surrounded by hills that give wide open views.
into many arms surrounded by hills that give wide open views.
Eric setting up another picture perfect campsite on the eastern side of
Lake Minto.
Lake Minto.
Perfect glass on Lake Minto. The expedition was very lucky to have
such amazing weather while on this large lake.
such amazing weather while on this large lake.
The glaciers have left behind some surreal rock formations in
Ungava. Don't worry, this precariously placed boulder was not going
to move anytime soon.
Ungava. Don't worry, this precariously placed boulder was not going
to move anytime soon.
For miles the shores of Minto are decorated by a scattering of rocks deposited by the
melting of the last ice sheet. The treeless landscape leaves all of these wonders in plain
view.
melting of the last ice sheet. The treeless landscape leaves all of these wonders in plain
view.
In places large cliffs plummeted directly into the crystal clear and
frigid waters of Lake Minto.
frigid waters of Lake Minto.
A long stretch of fast class I and II rapids were run on the
Leaf River.
Leaf River.
More very fast water on the Leaf River. After working for weeks to make miles while heading upstream and
on flatwater it was a pleasure to cruise along effortlessly on the Leaf.
on flatwater it was a pleasure to cruise along effortlessly on the Leaf.