AUGUST 2010
La Verendrye
Most pictures expand if clicked on
The Route Distance
Participants
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The trip got off to a rough start as my van broke
down between Binghamton and Syracuse. Fortunately we got a tow and were able to resume the trip. |
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After a night at the motel in Le Domaine, Canoe-Camping shuttled us north to Comatose to begin the trip. | |
It was nice to get the trip underway | |
It didn't take to long for the weather pattern of
the trip to set in. Sunny and calm in the early morning, cloudy and
blustery before noon, rain and high winds in the afternoon. |
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Our first camp on Lake Barrage was small for our group as the big camp across the lake was occupied. | |
Bill gets his first experience setting up his camp. | |
We are very adept at finding places to pitch our tents in small camp sites. Jim of course is the master at this. | |
The latrines were not exactly the comfort of the box latrines as in Algonquin but better than the ditch digging in Quetico. | |
The next day was sunny and calm to start. | |
We encountered our first beaver dams in the small channels on our way to Lake Nizard. | |
The waves on Nizard were already high when we arrived. All of
us were struggling in the wind and the waves. The sky darkened quite a bit so we thought it prudent to get off the lake. |
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Following the same pattern the next day was calm and sunny. | |
Before long the clouds moved in the and winds kicked up. | |
The trip continued working its way along small channels toward Byrd Lake. | |
Hans and Tom are both gazing on the far horizon but apparently not the same horizon. | |
Not to long before they had to get out and get over a beaver dam. | |
Our third camp along the Riviere des Rapides |
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Clear, sunny, calm, and warm the next morning. | |
We made significant time and distance in the calm water. | |
Fortunately we got across Poulter Lake before the winds started. | |
Another beaver dam for Tom and Hans. | |
Heavy rains
moved in quickly this time accompanied by lightening. We thought
it prudent to get off the water and take refuge in the trees. It
poured for quite awhile. We paddled in the rain after the lightening let up. |
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We were all
cold and wet when we made camp. We fixed lunch and broke out the hot chocolate. Fortunately the rain let up so we could get up our tents and get out of our wet clothes. |
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Jim and
Bill try to dry there things by the fire. You can also see our wine boxes are empty. Now that was depressing. |
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You can tell how things are going by the amount of stuff on the lines when the sun comes out. | |
It was cold
that night after the rains cleared. I brought by ski helmet cap to sleep in on cold nights. I may look goofy but I'm warm. |
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Next morning was sunny and warm again. | |
Hans is going to debut water bottle balancing on American Idol this fall. | |
We had a
nice camp in Lake Jean-Pere for our last night. The trip home was uneventful. |
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Just a few more pictures to illustrate the trip. | |
We portage | |
We paddle rain or shine. | |
And try always to keep a smile on our face. | |
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