Whitecourt Update

We arrived in Whitecourt late last night and set up on the outskirts. The trip from Jasper started off rather brutally, with both Jasper Lake and Brule Lake being so shallow we lost the current and had to drag, haul, heave and lift the fully loaded canoe (around 160kg) through thick mud and deep sand, It took us hours. The route to the lakes was also filled with driftwood and dead trees making for treacherous reaches with us having narrow gaps between obstacles to paddle through or to be surprised coming around a corner to find the main channel blocked with driftwood. Thankfully, we were able to dodge and weave (and occasionally paddle like hell) and make our way through with no drama`s.

After Jasper National Park the wildlife seems to have appeared. We have watched countless Bald and Golden Eagles perched along the shore or flying past us, moose, even a wolf who stood, then lay on a gravel bar watching us float by eagerly taking pictures and staring at it. The most enjoyable encounter so far has been an otter (we have seen two), who as we paddled along a faster reach around a corner swam almost next to the canoe along the shore, hopping out, running along, then diving back in. Anyone who watched Tarka The Otter as a child would have enjoyed the show – a real pleasure!

The food we prepared has been working very well. We now have our lunch first thing in the morning to give us more calories throughout the day, and our breakfast at lunchtime when we stop for a break. Dinner and desert still wait for the evening. Vicki has done a wonderful job preparing the varied menu; we are reaping the benefits now. Not that it doesn`t mean we can`t enjoy some fast food in the towns along the way…

We were behind schedule with the slow and shallow river coming out of Jasper, but now make progress of 10km an hour and are canoeing in excess of 50 km a day. Yesterday (8th) was a 60km day. We are now planning to continue paddling around 50km a day (15km more than scheduled) in order to get to the Grand Rapid section ahead of Fort McMurray and line, walk, and run our way through before the high water arrives.

Our thanks to Tom, who we met at lunch on the 8th, who could give us local knowledge on Whitecourt. A very fortuitous meeting; we had no idea where to head to get close to town (large scale maps show no detail of towns) and we would certainly not have found an area with such easy access.

We continue on our journey tomorrow. Our next update will probably be from the town of Athabasca. Failing that, Fort Mcmurray after a long river and rapid section. What I consider to be the most dangerous section of our journey is coming up so we will be as cautious as possible. Make good time where we can, and try our best to make the venture as low risk as possible – after all, we intend to reach Tuktoyaktuk in one piece and still paddling the canoe!