Churchill River 2005Click on photo for large view |
 August 2, 2005 – mid afternoon Day 1:Put-in below Churchill Falls with (left to right) Greg, Robert, Sarah, Jane, Amelia. |
 Rainy, delicious, steak dinner at our first campsite, after just a couple hours of paddling. |
 Day 1 - Our first night on the Churchill brought this beautiful night sky. |
 Day 2 - The river eased us into our 10-day event with easy paddling for the first few days. |
Day 2 - Fresh, flowing water was never far away, with even the tiniest sources identified on our GPS and topos. |
 We saw a few isolated cabins during our first few days on the river – all on leased land for just $75/year. |
 Day 3 - Great weather for day three on the water. |
 Day 3 - Our campsite on day three, at the west end, of mighty Winokapau. This beautiful weather turned to a rainy windstorm on day four and we stayed put, waiting out the weather to tackle this lake that has no campsites and little shelter from storms for the first 40-km. |
 Day 4 - In prep for sailing Winokapau, we begin constructing our sailing craft – tying the three canoes together with black spruce poles. |
 Day 4 - After resting in our tents for the day to wait out the storm, an impressive fire for day four dinner. |
Day 5 - There’s a lot going on beneath this flat, docile-looking, river. |
 Day 5 - A turbulent sky as we set sail on Lake Winokapau. |
 Day 5 - Our mighty sailing rig clocking speeds of up to 15 km/hr as we cruise close to shore along Winokapau. |
 Day 5 - Strong cross winds and choppy waters made steering challenging for much of our day on Winokapau. We traveled 60 km in eight hours without paddling – not bad when you factor in a leisurely lunch stop and another break to search for the old Hudson’s Bay post at the northeast end of the lake. |
Day 5 - We had rain in most 24 hour periods, including the sail across Winokapau on day five. |
Day 6 - Another beautiful day on the Churchill. |
Day 6 - Stunning rocks frame the water on much of our route. |
Day 6 - Making our way back from scouting the infamous Devil’s Hole – which we “sailed” through in our rig with no trouble |
Day 7 - We had lots of standing waves during day seven, including an unplanned run up the middle of the Minipi Rapids. “I didn’t sign up for whitewater rafting,” Jane quipped after a six-foot wave broke over her head. |
Day 7 - The Minipis certainly tested our baling skills. Nothing essential got wet but the paddlers and their equipment needed to dry out a little after several kilometres of breaking swells. |
 Day 8 - Lining down the Gull Island rapids – site of future dam site – leading into Gull Lake. |
 Day 8 - We got caught in a wicked electrical storm on Gull Lake and took cover on a sandy bank – but didn’t exactly stay dry. |
 Day 8 - A beautiful evening sky greeted us at our campsite on day eight after making it through two intense downpours on Gull Lake. |
 Day 9 - Sand beaches lined the shore on the last leg of the trip. |
 Day 9 - More sand and sun and warmth. |
 Gazing down towards Muskrat Falls, about 20 km west of Happy Valley Goose Bay. |
 Day 9 - Fun around the campfire on our last night on the river, just above Muskrat Falls. |
 Day 9 - The best skies of the trip on our last night on the river. |
 Day 9 - A perfect sky to end an amazing trip down the Churchill – August 10, 2005 |
 - Day 10 started with several hours of hauling our gear up and over Muskrat Falls – the only portage on the trip – about 150 to 200 ft climb. |
 A buggy rest after getting to the top of the portage. |
Looking down to the Churchill on the east side of Muskrat Falls. This is a common take-out spot but our plan was to continue on to Happy Valley Goose Bay. |
As soon as we got all our gear to the top of the mountain, the rain came and we set up temporary shelter. Shortly after, guide Joe Goudie showed up in his pickup truck. He wanted us to know that a storm with 60 -70 km/h winds was on its way. We accepted his offer of a lift into Happy Valley Goose Bay. We took advantage of our early return to tour Northwest river. |