Red Planet Café: Kopka River

DAY FOUR

We pack up camp discussing the big challenge of the day: the portage. There are two options. One involves lowering our bags and canoes down a rock face on a rope, and the other is described as longer and less steep. We're pretty sure that the second one is for us.

We have time to canoe around the big pool at the foot of the falls we looked down upon yesterday. We take the fishing rod, thinking it's an ideal time and place for fishes, but the fishes don't agree.

Next, Daniel and Robin go exploring up one end of the lake to look at a small waterfall they spied from afar.

Then it's off across the lake towards our portage nemesis ...

Looking back across the lake.
This has to be one of the most beautiful spots on the whole route (says me).

When we walk the route, up a hill and down a long, steep, mossy, slippery trail of knobbly boulders, I'm daunted. How can I carry the canoes down this? Will the boys and Robin get down with the heavy bags without slipping and injuring themselves? We make it down the first time, pause for a breather, then head back.

As it turns out, that was good psychology. I had so convinced myself that this was a dangerous portage that I was all keyed up to take the greatest care. With Robin's guiding hand on the stern of the canoe, I tread from rock to rock gingerly and finally make it over all the boulders and down to the next shore. Perhaps it wasn't quite as hard as I had imagined. But after the second trip with canoe #2 my shoulders are seriously out of service for the day, and we're all very glad that's the last and only portage of the day.

Later on we meet other canoeists who have tried the 'rope' portage and it actually sounds easier! The carrying section is fairly flat, then the rope requires some muscle work. Oh well, we survived!

A great triple waterfall that we viewed from near the bottom of the big portage, with a campsite opposite. But we're not stopping this time.

Onwards we paddle, reaching a beach campsite in the afternoon for a well-earned rest.

Daniel found a site for our tent in the trees at the edge of the beach. But we had to cut branches and uproot some of the bush to make enough room.

Daniel spots freshwater clam shells in the shallow water, and we harvest a few live ones. However, I'm the only one who wants to eat them, even after boiling them on an open fire for a while. They taste like... seafood. It's not a strong taste in fact.

Sunset on the beach.

The serenity of living out in the wilderness has impressed itself on us deeply. Here we have no world news, no appointments and no motors or barking dogs. We relax inwardly, enjoying each moment and noticing the natural world around us in more detail. I want to live here forever - but not during winter!

In fact the only people we have seen so far are two pairs of canoeists. The second pair passed us last night at the campsite, and we catch up with them here at the beach. They are Sean and Sean from Toronto, and their first words to us were 'I didn't expect to see you here!' and then 'You're the first other humans we have seen in five days!' There's enough room on the beach for us all.

During the night we all wake up. There's a hoarse bellowing from the forest. We can hear Sean or Sean coughing, but it's not them. We decide it could be a moose. It bellows a few times, and we think we hear an answering call from further away.

Then... another call, high and fierce, lonely: a wolf is howling. It wails twice, then we hear no more from the moose. We whisper to each other about how far away the animals are, and I try to reassure the boys that we're safe. But of course we're not totally safe - this is the wilderness. However, no creatures venture close to our camp and we all get back to sleep.

DAY FIVE

When we finally drift up from sleep, our neighbours from Toronto have already left. We take our time over breakfast, and the boys go out fishing. Robin takes a canoe out in order to pump drinking water for us. The water's too shallow near the beach.

We have one simple portage today. As we scout along the trail and next to the river, we spot bear tracks and wolf tracks down by the water. It's unlikely to be the same wolves. We keep an eye and an ear open for company, and sing loud, happy songs to scare away any curious large mammals.

Already it's lunch time, then we do some fishing after the shallow rapids. It's marked as a good fishing spot on the map, but again we come up empty. Is it because we're fishing in the middle of the day? We talk about coming back again near dawn or dusk.

We only need to paddle on about 2km to the next campsite: a small island. At first we can't find a good site, and it looks like fallen trees and time have taken away our tent space. What to do? Will we have to paddle all afternoon to the next campsite marked on the map? The boys paddle further round the island to explore, and they don't come back! Robin and I are not worried yet. Not too worried. Really. We follow, hoping they aren't paddling hard around the other end of the island. But there they are, with their canoe drawn up on a small beach. They have found a great campsite! Suddenly everything's alright and we can unload, relax and go for a swim!

Other campers have built a few simple tables for food preparation, and a rock fire circle, and have left metal grates to make cooking easier. There's even a washing line.

Sundown finds us relaxing after a good dinner.

DAY SIX

We have agreed to get up as early as we can and go fishing back at the good fishing spot. I took my watch off back when we were dropped off, on Day One, so I only know that the sun is still low over the horizon when we set out in the canoes, stiff and sleepy. We fish back and forth, trying to guess where the fish might be. Finally we get a bite near the swirling waters just below where the rapids enter the lake.

At last Nathan catches his first fish!

Returning happily from the early morning fishing trip

It's a walleye, about 14" long.

Now to see if I can remember how to clean and fillet a fish!

Already it feels to me like we're leaving. Tomorrow afternoon we need to meet our pick-up driver. I'm trying not to think about it.

After a breakfast of fish and bannock cooked on the fire, we gradually pack up and paddle off. There's a simple portage to do, at a place where many motor boats have been left on the shore for fishing trips.

Then onwards to the next campsite, on the next lake shore. It's a beautiful place. Well, almost everywhere here is beautiful.

During the night Robin and I awake to hear something treading through the undergrowth. This seems to go on for at least an hour. We decide it's probably a moose or a caribou, but when we have to go outside for another reason and shine a light around, we see nothing. Perhaps we've blocked its walking trail with the tents. In the morning there are no tracks because the ground is dry and mossy. At least it's not a hungry bear.

DAY SEVEN

So after another leisurely start to the day, we are packing up when the boys notice the squirrel that's been running around looking for scraps.

On the lake at dawn there's a mist, which clears before we paddle away.

Nearing the pick-up point, we look for the elusive native-made pictographs on the cliffs, but they're mostly worn away by time. The boys take turns fishing, and Nathan reels in another walleye, about the same size as the first one.

This, and the shore lunch which follows, is a fitting end to an amazing week. The weather has been warm and dry (except for the cool nights and one rain at night), nobody has been injured if you don't count the bites and blisters, and we have all achieved something, whether it's catching fish, carrying canoes or getting away from it all for a whole week.

Back at the outfitter's place it seems everyone has to have a shower, although I still don't understand why :- we've been swimming every day, and mud was not an issue. Some of the lake water has some biological content, it's true - mossy, weedy, algae, that kind of thing.

Then after more snacks it's back on the road to Thunder Bay, where the adventure continues!