- Joined
- Nov 30, 2017
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After thinking for the third time, "Surely this is the end of the rapids and lac Octavie will appear around the next bend," the water disappeared, leaving only that straight line that all voyageurs know, means a chute, a falls. I was so tired, so discouraged, and the span so narrow I actually entertained the idea of paddling over the falls. "Maybe it's just a ledge. Maybe it isn’t very steep. Maybe there’s a tongue," whispered some exhausted part of my brain. With all my willpower, I resisted temptation and pulled over to river right, bound the canoe bow and stern and worked my way up to the edge. It was a falls. With jagged rocks. A tree I thought was ahead of the falls, was actually behind the falls. I had very little purchase on the verge.
After securing the boat even more, I blasted my way through the forest of downed trees, ferns, vines, soaking mosses, holes and other surprises to see how long the portage would be. The rapids went on and on, into the distance, around a bend. My information came from topo maps and credible people from the forum. Nothing mentioned rapids or waterfalls. There was no sign of a portage trail. I could not fathom continuing.
My shirts were soaked with sweat. Sweat burned my eyes. Scratches and scrapes stung shins, forearms. Not anticipating a long walk, I'd worn only water slippers. Well named, I slipped. More than once. I knew I couldn't scout any further. Should I walk uphill to the clear cut in hopes of finding a path back or continue to hack my way through the bushes and brush by the water? When in doubt, pick a third option: I went into the water.
This is a tough report to write. A lot of things went wrong. I violated nearly every hard and fast rule I have for wilderness tripping just in order to keep going. In the next installment, I'll explain how I got here.
After securing the boat even more, I blasted my way through the forest of downed trees, ferns, vines, soaking mosses, holes and other surprises to see how long the portage would be. The rapids went on and on, into the distance, around a bend. My information came from topo maps and credible people from the forum. Nothing mentioned rapids or waterfalls. There was no sign of a portage trail. I could not fathom continuing.
My shirts were soaked with sweat. Sweat burned my eyes. Scratches and scrapes stung shins, forearms. Not anticipating a long walk, I'd worn only water slippers. Well named, I slipped. More than once. I knew I couldn't scout any further. Should I walk uphill to the clear cut in hopes of finding a path back or continue to hack my way through the bushes and brush by the water? When in doubt, pick a third option: I went into the water.
This is a tough report to write. A lot of things went wrong. I violated nearly every hard and fast rule I have for wilderness tripping just in order to keep going. In the next installment, I'll explain how I got here.
