Recent content by wjmc

I was drawn back to this old post by a news story: the Manitoba government is closing its "paper map" store this coming spring. A sign of the times, perhaps, now that many seem to prefer looking at their routes on tiny screens rather than real maps...

Thought this might be of interest to Quetico/BWCAW paddlers. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/cbsa-reporting-9.7026474

Perhaps not of interest to the OP, but Rogers satellite text coverage in Canada is only south of the 58th parallel - of no use in the Territories.

From Swift, long ago when I bought my Raven. No cracks in 26 years. "Cold Weather Care for Royalex Canoes with Wood Gunnels Both Royalex and wood will shrink as the temperature cools, however Royalex contracts at a much higher rate than wood. As the temperature reaches extreme cold (-20...

Goldseekers outfitters in Red Lake quotes $460 US for a pick up or drop off at Donald Lake - flight described as less than 50 miles. https://www.goldseekers.net/boat-shuttle-aircraft/ So yes, if you did a fly in and paddled back to Red Lake, or to a road access point, you could still have a...

If anything, I think Recped has been a bit conservative with his cost estimates for the Beaver. In 2004, Ahmic in Yellowknife quoted me $11.25/mile + GST for the Beaver - this was lower than some quotes I had seen for northern Saskatchewan. Ahmic published their sightseeing rates for 2005...

I haven't been to Erickson Lake. But, I think a more direct approach would be to begin at Davin Lake (there is a small lodge there) and go via Peters Lake to Pasterfield Lake, then upstream to Erickson. A YouTube video of this route is available. Look for "Puddle Jumper's " channel. The...

In Sigurd Olson's classic, "The Lonely Land," he quotes the Canadian geologist and explorer, Charles Camsell: "Of course I've known fear," he said, "but always fear laced with exhilaration." Could that be the quote you're looking for?

Nicely written and photographed - thanks for posting.

No, that was the Raven (15'4") and it went on the floats. I've heard of a 13' boat fitting in an Otter. Was the problem the length of the cabin, or the width of the door opening? My understanding is that the STCs authorizing external loads can be very specific to the aircraft. When NWAL in...

I've always found the float plane flights to be an interesting and enjoyable component of my northern trips. The perspective from the air is so different - and the portages all look short and easy. Being almost exclusively a solo traveler, my favourite float plane was always the smallest /...

Some guidance here: https://www.bendingbranches.com/blogs/resources/how-to-size-a-solo-canoe-paddle At 5'8" with canoe widths 29-32" I like my 260 cm paddle. You might want to go a little longer. My paddle is a Bending Branches "Slice" - they don't seem to make it any more, but it is very...

I had a fairly typical summer. Two trips, one for 18 days, 270km/166miles, in the southern NWT in July: the other a short 6 day, 85km/53 miles in Saskatchewan in September. The Saskatchewan trip was rather a sad one, many of my favourite trails and places having been razed by fire in the last...

A very nice gathering. Is it common for canoes to have names in Germany? I see my Raven's long lost cousin (much better preserved) in the front row is named "Bufje". What's the translation of that? I usually just call mine "the __________ boat", inserting an adjective appropriate to its...

I second the Memaquay approach, although in the NWT on bad days a little more than 1/2 inch may be required. The coils also have the advantage of slowing their reflexes, making it easy (and very satisfying) to squash them. Black flies in the tent are not nearly as annoying as mosquitos - they...