A group of four were flying out in the early morning to start their trip so we saw them off at the dock. We watched them load their gear into the DeHavilland Otter float plane and then the pilot securely strapped their two canoes atop the floats.
On Bruce’s advice we had decided to flip-flop our trip, meaning he would drop us off by car at the Little Caribou River, then we would paddle our 10-day route to the northwest. The day before we finish, we would use our Garmin InReach2 satellite messenger to call for a float plane to fly us out from Burntrock Lake. After waving goodbye to the Otter, Bruce drove us to our starting point and we paddled off around 9:45 am.
It was a great day to be on the water as sunshine and a light tailwind eased us down the Little Caribou River! It didn’t take long for us to get back into the groove of paddling. After a few short hours, we made our only portage of the day, an easy 250 meters on good trail. At the end of the portage we set up our fishing gear. Ellen made one cast and immediately hooked into a small northern pike. She released it as it was too small and we wanted walleye. A few moments later Jeff also hooked into a small pike. Again, we let it go.
It was then time to make a big open water crossing over Little Caribou Lake and then locate our intended campsite. We arrived there around 4 pm, set up camp, and then cruised the shorelines in the empty canoe to gather good firewood. We have learned that the best firewood is always found near the waters edge. Dead or beaver cut trees fall to rest there and dry out in the sun. We try to avoid dead trees in the forest which are most often still green or decayed beyond use.
We had hoped to catch some walleye for dinner, but no luck, so Ellen made poutine for dinner instead! We had picked up authentic poutine gravy at a grocery store in Marathon. Poutine is a Canadian favorite – French fries, gravy and cheese curds. Sunset again was amazing. End of day 1.
Journeys with Jeff and Ellen 