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June 22nd, 2002
Today has been another day of adventure. We had breakfast just above the beach on Sandy Lake and quickly made our way to Snake River, a 5 K stretch of fast water and rapids dropping into Pinehouse Lake. We scouted the first rapid to the bridge and decided to run them on the left side taking advantage of a chute just beneath the bridge to avoid the bigger water. In process of scouting Glen found a garter snake which drew some attention and angst away from negotiation the rapids. Both canoes had no trouble and we made our way down to the lower set of rapids which required a mandatory portage. In low water there was far too much churning action across the top. After some scouting and poking around on the river lift, we found a portage over the top of a large rocky outcrop and down through a short overgrown trail. An otter sat up out of the water and said hello as we did the final canoe carry to the other side of the portage. We continued on our way and ran the last section of minor rapids. Glen and I watched as Chris and Bella took the left side of the river, away from the main current. We saw them spin around and assumed that they had hung up on a rock and spun off. We decided that we would follow the main current to the right and avoid any problems with boulders. Much to our surprise, coming out of the fast water across and eddy line at the bottom, our angle was a little too extreme causing the stern to swing violently. Last second bracing was not enough, and we ended up swimming with our capsized canoe into calm water by the shore. Good fortune was with us, as nothing had been secured in the boat, and it all remained inside. This was a good reminder of the weight of a canoe in moving water and the hydraulic forces at work on the hull. Our barrels, pails and dry sacks kept everything completely dry except for a few articles in my dry sack which was not snugly closed. I found the digital camera bag had water droplets in it, and it was turning on an off by itself. I removed the batteries, placed it on the rear deck of the canoe in the sun, and within an hour it was operating normally again. The camera had been relatively bombproof on the trip, but moisture and digital equipment don't mix very well. I made a mental note to keep the camera in one of the barrels or pails for any future rapids.
Once again we have a five star campsite on a high rocky outcrop with a fabulous view. Tomorrow we paddle 5.7k (according to the GPS) to needle rapids, then Needle Falls. We will be in Black Bear Island country then. I am looking forward to visiting this gem of the Churchill again.
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I
sit on this rock and absorb the evening. The loon calls across the water, a comfortable
reminder that very few things in life are better than sitting here on this rock.
The evening has been one of those picture book pristine times when everything
is dead calm. The lake is a mirror, and each sound echoes from one island to anther.
Sandfly Lake is very picturesque with islands spattered across a vast canvas of
water and sky.
The remainder of the day was simply sheer pleasure. The sun beat on our backs
as we easily paddled across a calm and glassy surface. We eased into a relaxed
pace and enjoyed the panorama around us.