Another day of fast current and minor rapids on the Churchill River.
When I approach this major falls and rapids, I am extra careful to make sure I am well over on the "correct" side. From a distance it is hard to tell the spot where I should be heading. If I get too close to the falls it might be impossible to get back upstream and would be swept downstream. Earlier I stop at a memorial for two locals who drowned here in 1964, a sobering thought. The left side looks like a possible landing spot and a short portage, but the current is so fast and deep along the shore that I would probably not be able to land. I stop on the right hand side in the eddy of the second peninsula from the falls, for lunch. From there I walk to the point overlooking the falls to search in vain for a portage. I see that I could cut a portage, but it is very steep rock at both ends.
Then I canoe farther away from the falls and find an established portage, no longer in use. It is 230 metres of log skids which are deteriorating badly and being overgrown by trees. The skids are to allow portaging motor boats. For me they are a horrible impediment, being very difficult to navigate. It reminds me of trying to walk on railroad ties, only these are worse because they are so elevated. I walk much of the trail balanced over the side rail for all carries except canoe.
After the portage, I canoe across the rapids to a likely campsite with exposed rock shore about 100 metres downstream from the falls. This location checks out to become camp 39, 17 km downstream from the last site, including several minor rapids and fast current, plus the 230 metre log skid portage.
One day the fog is very thick and takes over an hour to clear. Three pelicans spend a large part of each day just below the falls.
The rapids swirl all over the place, with big vortexes appearing and current moving in all directions including upstream.
Lots of firewood gathered when clearing sites for tent and tarp shelter.
The tent does not quite fit between two spruce trees.
Two nice walleye and one pike caught from shore at camp. I catch walleye every day I am here ... mmm good! The pike I wanted to make a fish chowder.
Sunrise at 06:24 am on August 31, ruby red because of forest fire smoke, which was bad every day.
On September 1, I just finish lunch at the fireplace, and walk back to camp to get gear to walk in the bush to pick fireweed and berries for supper. When I walk up to the tarp shelter I see that the red rubber bag is ripped open, the black bear claw marks being readily evident, with shredded pieces of my kneeling pad on the ground. From my journal, "I think I said 's..t', followed by 'I mean aie'. I thought, well that's not too bad." In my experience such a bear will likely come back for more. I decide to move camp downstream to another site, on the opposite side of the river so start packing gear. In a few minutes I realize that I did not get off so easy. My in-use food bag is missing ... aie! I break camp and load canoe which is now in the water tied to shore. Next I plan to search for the missing bag.
I take my gun (and bear spray, always on my belt) and walk out in arcs from the campsite. About 200 metres away I find the trashed bag with food items and bags scattered on the ground. Surprisingly, I am able to recover much of the grub and several intact items which I place in one cloth bag that I tie off to seal the gaping hole. Yeah, I even manage to find my only small bag of cinnamon for making cinnamon bannock, containing most of its content. The bear is close-by huffing and blowing and slapping the ground but I cannot see her through the thick brush. All of sudden I do see her running an almost full circle around me, mostly obscured by brush, and then appearing in full view about 20 metres away. I would not recommend going after a stolen bag like this without bear spray and a gun of big enough calibre such as the 20 gauge shotgun slug that I carry. In my opinion, this bear seemed to be human habituated, coming into camp the way she did when I was nearby and not running away when I went after her. I take the recovered items back to the canoe and push off to find a new camp site.