Cartwright, Labrador

If you're up on your Norse Sagas, you'll recall mention of a golden strand of sand discovered in the world to the west. It turns out that endless stretch of sand is located on the coast just north of Cartwright and I had the idea it would make a good paddling destination on my Labrador trip. We suited up and launched using Experience Labrador's hospitality and water access.


Out we headed in almost calm seas, ready for a day's adventure. To be on the safe side, we decided we'd use some islands along the way as a wind shadow for the east winds expected to build up during the afternoon. That would also allow for two short open water crossings rather than one longer one which was reputed to have adverse tidal issues we could avoid.


All went as planned, but when we reached the first crossing from the mainland to the first island, a good sea was running and it was still morning, long before the arrival of the expected winds. What to do?


While we wondered what to do, we decided to do some fishing and have lunch. The waves continued to build and as time went by, I knew we weren't going to risk crossing the now white capped channel. We continued to fish and I went out to surf in the waves to get an idea how serious they might be in the planned crossing.


The warm weather began to work on our heads. Why paddle into the fray when we could have fun where we were, surfing, fishing and playing? The Viking strand could wait for another day, couldn't it?


We headed out in the waves to play instead. It was weird seeing the snow still on the hills ahead of the boat as we sweltered in our drysuits, but that's part of paddling in Labrador. Things are not always what you might expect.

Battle Harbour, Labrador

Had you been born 100 years ago or so in Newfoundland, you would have certainly heard of Battle Harbour. Today, few people know the community and it's place in history, but it was well known for a variety of reasons. Perhaps most widely known is the news which Admiral Peary burst upon the world when he announced to the press gathered in the upper floor of the Battle Harbour salt store that he and not Cook had been the first to the North Pole. Why did he make the announcement from there? It was the first telegraph post he came to on his voyage south from Greenland.


The community sits in a strategic location just to the north of the Straits of Belle Isle and at the point where the Labrador coast turns towards the northwest and the fishing grounds found up the coast. It became a center for all sorts of things including commerce and fishing. Almost no one passed by without stopping in, buying supplies and getting the news from the coast of far away England.


However, times changed and over the course of the 20th century, Battle Harbour lost its place as mainland communities like Mary's Harbour and St Lewis took over and linked to the road system. Today you still need to go to Battle Harbour by boat.


In the early 1990's however the spirit of renewal brought Battle Harbour back to life. Many of the original buildings have been restored and it's now possible to visit and gain a real appreciation for what the place once was and the lives people lived back when salt cod was king. I could easily have spent longer there soaking up the history. It would make a great base from which to kayak the many bays and inlets, islands and shoals in the area...

Whales and Bergs In Labrador

Leaving Newfoundland and heading to Labrador on the ferry to Blanc Sablon, our only regret was not seeing much in the way of icebergs and whales. Perhaps we were too early. Perhaps we weren't in the right places, it was difficult to say. All that changed once we arrived on the Labrador coast however! These icebergs were soaking in the sun, grounded in Fox Harbour and off nearby Battle Harbour.


Walking on historic Caribou Island after rowing across the tickle from Battle Harbour, we spotted this interesting iceberg literally sailing past like the schooners of old.


The whales weren't far behind. In fact we caught up with them off St Modeste where this humpback was leaping after schools of caplin making their way northward. It was an exciting drive along the coast where whale after whale came out of the fog and sported after food. At times we could see half a dozen or more herding the fish.


A bit far offshore for that really dramatic shot of a tail flashing as it's owner sounds into the depths, but it's a whale's tail nonetheless. It was one of those days when you could park the car, sit on the beach and watch the show. Wonderful!

Burnt Island Ecological Reserve

To paddle or to hike - the travelers dilemma, and so it was when visiting the Burnt Island Reserve off the community of Raleigh in northern Newfoundland. When we looked out from our shoreside cabins, the day looked foggy and the breeze was offshore. Perhaps it was a day to hike on Burnt Island we thought. This turned out to be both a good idea and a not so good one.


We drove over to the island and the rather rough road and parked at the 'trailhead'. As the photos show, the place seems barren and desolate, yet there are gems to be found when one looks around. For one, it is interesting and colourful cave at the sea's edge. Where does that marvelous blue come from in such a drab environment?


We walked out to the northern tip of the island to watch the swell action at the base of the cliffs. Back-tracking, we came across these 'cannon holes' blasted out by wave action when the island sat lower in the sea years ago. Some were large enough to stand in and walk about Others inter-connected via interior tunnels. To bad the swell wasn't bashing into them the day we were there. What a sight that would have been!


At the north tip the swell was up and watching the waves come in made me want to run and get our kayaks. While the wave action was too much for my rock-hopping skills, I love to see the spray from the outside looking shoreward rather than the reverse. The fog had also lifted somewhat and we could see whales feeding offshore just a few tens of meters away. What a great opportunity that would have been! Alas, we'd opted to hike. The boats were at least an hour or more away.

Digging Up Newfoundland

As if there wasn't enough on the surface of Newfoundland to keep one busy, some folks have been busy digging up Newfoundland's past to see who else had some fun times on the island. I stopped in at Point au Choix on the west coast to have a look at this latest dig. It turns out people have been visiting this area for several thousand years mostly for the offshore seal hunting.


Lots of old house sites and some burial caves have been found nearby and this dig is to look at the Point Rich area where other houses have been found. The site is quite exposed to the winds from all directions making me wonder why the archeologists didn't erect some sort of shelter over the site to make their work more pleasant.


The photo above is perhaps more familiar to many. It's the reconstructed Viking compound discovered at L'Anse aux Meadows in northern Newfoundland. It's an attempt to show what the Viking settlement might have looked like 1000 years ago when it was settled by people coming from Greenland.

I was interested to see this small boat in the compound at an early stage of construction. The method of fastening the hull planks to the stem was curious, so different from the dory I saw being built in Gloucester a few weeks ago!

Climbing Gros Morne

There are two main features in Gros Morne National Park which seem to follow one everywhere. First is the Tablelands with its brown colour, so different from the lush green seen everywhere else. Then there is Gros Morne mountain, a huge grey dome overlooking Bonne Bay opposite the Tablelands. Both were begging to be climbed. As the Tablelands required a long drive , we opted to head up the latter.Driving a few miles down the road towards Deer Lake, we pulled off at the trailhead, parked the car and headed up the trail...

Then we climbed and climbed...

And we went up stairs and more stairs...

Until, finally we arrived at the last stage of the climb, the grey dome itself. We could see the path leading up the skree delta at the base into the gully heading to the summit. Once we arrived at the gully there was a sign written in small print: Do Not Pass This Point. Breeding Ptarmigan and Arctic Hare Need Privacy or words to that effect! Although a few other climbers ignored the sign's request and continued up, we stopped, ate our lunch and then headed back down the trail.

We'll finish to the summit another time. As it turned out, the climb did not take us the predicted the "6 to 8 hours" mentioned in the guidebooks, so we're ready to do it again.

Back in Bonne Bay

Although I have now been lucky enough to visit Gros Morne National Park on several occasions, it is always a pleasure to paddle on the waters of Bonne Bay. Every time I have, the weather has been superb and the water has not disappointed. Once again it was interesting to see the brown, barren Tablelands looking down on the bay and wonder how on earth that odd chunk of mantle made it's way onto the surface when it ought to be miles below our feet


Jeff Dawson, of Ottawa, tried out my Vaäg on the morning run down the bay. We headed off to look for an osprey's nest, but winds and waves decided we ought to head elsewhere. Turning around we passed a cliff and surprised a moose with her calf doing some height training. Moose can be a problem on the roads on Newfoundland, but having one fall into your boat would not be much fun either! Thankfully momma moose had her baby well in tow and there were no accidents!


There are several places to pull out for lunch. This was our choice, colourful pebbles and dried out moose droppings added to the ambiance...


With only two kayaks between four people, we rented a double from the outfitter in Norris Point. It got the job done getting Mairi Watson and Scott Pashley up and down the bay. We're heading back to the put-in after a great day on the water in the photo above.

Dory Racing in Gloucester

While these dories were designed for fishing on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland, for the past 50 years and more they have also been used in international rowing competitions between the towns of Gloucester, Mass and Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. This is a proud tradition which lives almost in obscurity except to those who love the sport and regularly take part. There are two sets of races each year. Teams will re-assemble in Lunenburg in September to have another go at each other.


The photo above is a shot of the winning ladies team, sisters from Nova Scotia. Most of the races are over a half mile course with a 180° turn in the middle. Below is the winning men's team from the USA. This particular race is open to all and stretches to a mile in length, again with a 180° turn at the half mile mark.

Grand Banks Dories

This past weekend a little piece of history was brought up to date once again when the two towns of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia and Gloucester, Massachusetts went out racing in Grand Banks dories.


The dories rowed in the races use a traditional design originating from Lunenburg. These boats were designed primarily for fishing on the Grand Banks off off Newfoundland back in the days when schooners were used to transport the catch back to port. Weighing around 400 pounds, dry, they are still built in the old way with flat bottoms and copper nails and painted in traditional colours.


Today an international committee oversees the races which are held twice a year, once in Gloucester in June and then in Lunenburg in September. It was a pleasure to see people still rowing these remarkable boats today, following in a tradition of racing which goes back over 50 years. Sadly, the remaining schooners no longer race, but they still can be seen in the two ports and visitors can get to sail on them during the summer months.

Arches and Caves!

We all dream of paddling wild shores where the seas rage and roar and create all sorts of wonderful places for us to hone our skills and create our stories. One of the most impressive sights is to come across a sea cave or an arch, blasted out of the shear rock by eons of wave action. Alas, these treasures are few, especially in inland waters. In fact, until today, I'd never seen such a feature on my local lake. But that has all changed!

Look at the top photo! An arch! Massive looking and just the sort of thing to photograph and run home with to tell all your friends. So there it is. Look upon my works and weep, my fellow paddlers!


Okay, you're right. There is something a bit odd with the photo, isn't there? The lower photo tells the truth. It's a tiny opening, barely large enough for one's foot, let alone a kayak and paddler. On closer inspection, it isn't even an arch, but only appears like one due to the recent high water levels. The piece of rock on the right doesn't actually reach the bottom, but only dips into the water a few inches.

So no arches, no caves. I'll have to travel to find one of these. But that's alright. I love to travel!

Before Tomorrow

If you saw Isuma's film Atanarjuat several years ago you may remember there is a kayak scene in it. It was interesting to see that kayak as it's design was quite different from the more commonly seen kayaks of Greenland on which modern glass and plastic kayak designs are often based.

In the more recent film Before Tomorrow, a Greenlandic story is told, produced by Inuit from Igloolik and filmed in Nunavik, in the Puvurnituq area. Of interests to kayakers is the presence of several traditionally built boats as well as a larger umiaq. The kayaks seem to be a mix of traditions, flat bottomed and long as seen in northern Quebec, yet using a bent rib construction method more common in Igloolik and Greenland. It would be interesting to learn more about these craft and who made them. They remind me of a kayak I saw years ago in Igloolik and certainly the dialect of the actors was north Baffin Inuktitut. Interesting...!

Springtime In The Arctic

The other night I finally had a look at Isuma's feature film The Journals of Knud Rasmussen. From what I could tell, most of the filming was done in the springtime, which is probably the best time to be in the arctic. The light is wonderful, the snow conditions perfect for travel and generally people are happy to be out on the land after a long, cold winter.


That was the upside to watching the film. The downside was knowing I wasn't in Igloolik where the film was made. It's been over ten years now since I've visited this special place. Some old friends have passed on, particularly Nathan Qumaniq whose name appeared in the credits of the film. He was listed as an elder. I knew him long before he reached that status, but to me he was always a wise elder and a wonderful teacher with the patience to teach me and others his way of life.

I wish we could all return to those days...

Crotch Lake Guest Post

The last time I was "here" I wrote about a truly Canadian thing to do: make bannock. With that in mind I think it is fitting for me to, again, write about something else that is truly Canadian and what else is more Canadian then to go camping on the "MAY 24" weekend?

This past Victoria Day long weekend, Michael joined us for a weekend of paddling and camping on Crotch Lake. Crotch Lake is located West of Ottawa, it is a pretty big lake surrounded almost completely by Crown Land, most of is undeveloped, making it, in my opinion, a wonderful place to camp and paddle. The area is managed by the North Frontenac Parklands, there is a small fee charged to access the crown roads and camp on one of the 77 plus designated campsites. The benefit to the area being maintained is that the campsites are resolvable and there are privy's and fire pits on most sites.


Anyhow, back to the trip. This was our 3rd kayak camping trip together and as in the past a good time was had by all. It seems to me that each trip is better then the last. Our goal is always to find a nice place to paddle and a comfortable spot to camp. The idea is to paddle out to a back country site, with nothing in the way of facilities (I.e a simple box is the privy) and really rough it. But, to be honest, if you joined us, you would soon realize that we don't really rough it at all. First we set up a base camp, which is more like a little village (several colourful tents for sleeping and bug protection and a kitchen area). Meals are particularly important to us (well me anyhow)! Our menu this weekend consisted of things like French toast with fresh fruit and real maple syrup for breakfast, a lunch buffet of pita, hummus, cheeses, pate, olives accompanied by salad and fresh fruit. Dinner was marinated grilled flank steak with foil baked veggies and potatoes on Friday and a peanut chicken curry over basmati rice with a side salad on Saturday. Aside from all that eating we also occupied ourselves by napping in a hammock, reading a novel or writing in journals, searching for forgotten shoes (that is another story in itself) swimming or chatting around the camp fire while sipping on a glass (or two) of wine. On this trip we even found time to create and hide a Geocache of our very own. Of course we also paddled, I think we logged over 10 hours between Sat and Sun just exploring the water around us. The weather this weekend was particularly amazing! Sunny days and warm nights and for some inexplicable reason our little island campsite was almost bug free. What more can you ask for? I really think we are lucky group of people to have met each other and formed such a nice friendship where we all share an interest in getting away from it all to relax, paddle and laugh.

- Mairi Watson

A Wilderness Home

There's wilderness camping and then there's wilderness camping. On Crotch Lake, wilderness camping means staying at numbered sites around the lake. There's none of the 'pitch your tent anywhere you like' stuff. For that kind of wilderness, you have to get a bit more wild, so to speak.

So what's it like to camp at Crotch? Let's have a look at site 25, probably the most favoured location on the lake, but somewhat typical of the rest. This place has it all, or at least past visitors have seen that it comes equipped with lots of amenities.

Uniquely, it has a small sandy beach to land and launch for your boat. It isn't large, but compared to the usual rocky shore line, it's easier and less rough on the gelcoat than most other sites.


Walk up the short path to the site itself and you arrive at the vast 'kitchen and dining' area. This year some kind soul cut and stored lots of driftwood for the woodstove/campfire facility just adjacent. See the photo below…


There are a couple of nice bedrooms… err, tenting areas.


I pitched my tent in the upper one to take advantage of the lake breezes, but the lower one also has a good view, albeit, with slightly less breeze and probably more flying six-leggers.


The 'nature' facilities are situated a short walk away and conveniently private. While not as comfortably screened in as some sites, I found the ambiance pleasant enough, although lingering over a newspaper and coffee didn't seem like a good idea given the other residents busy flying about.

So there you have it. Wilderness and the comforts of home, all wrapped into a tidy campsite for the weekend paddler.

Paddling Out Of Crotch Lake

For those wishing to paddle out of Crotch Lake to new destinations, there are three options which I had a look at while there last week. The first I had a look at was the creek leading to Big Gull Lake. The photo above shows the nice portage trail from the Gull Lake end. Below is the little pond at the end of the portage.


I was tempted to continue from here, but the low water level in the pond gave me the distinct feeling it would have been a long, slow slog up-stream to Big Gull Lake. A bit more water and it's possible it might have been an interesting paddle.

The next option takes one up the Mississippi River which flows into the northern end of Crotch Lake. Not quite as big as the other better known Mississippi River, it nonetheless presents some challenges to the paddler, the first one seen in the photo, is a series of three rapids.


I was able to line up the lowest one, but the cascades of the middle set required a portage.


Fortunately a road parallels the river at this point and could be used easily to get above the drop. I could see another small set of rapids further upstream which looked easy to line past, but I didn't proceed that far up-stream for a better look. The river had lots of water and looked inviting to paddle.

The last option is the outlet into King Lake on the northwest side of the lake. Here is a dam composed of caged stone. At high water water will flow over this and I suspect some care must be required not to get caught. There is a road on the left bank which can be used to portage to the river below.


The chute to control the Crotch Lake water level is on the right bank against the rock cliffs as seen in the photo above.