Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

To the Bay or Bust...an adventure of historic proportions
by straighthairedcurly

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 07/20/1989
Entry Point: Other
Exit Point: Other  
Number of Days: 35
Group Size: 7
Part 2 of 3
Route Plan #2 Maria Lake, North Seal River, Shaetani Lake, Seal River, Hudson Bay

July 28, 1989 Day 9 (Thompson)

Hurry up and wait! That was our day today. Packed and hurried to the airport. Waited, waited. Told too smoky to fly. In addition, the planes all had to stay on evacuation standby.

July 29, 1989 Day 10 (Thompson)

Repeat of yesterday, only we had to be at the airport early (5:30 am). The pilots hoped smoke would subside overnight. We took off and made it 20 minutes or so. Then the smoke closed in, turbulence got bad, and we had to turn around. When we landed on the water and taxied to the dock, two of the girls got out and promptly barfed.

I finally cracked. Had a breakdown in the airport, complete with tears, anger, the works. The pilot who initially befriended us in Cross Lake provided a shoulder to cry on. We ended up moving our gear and tents from the campground to pilot Perry’s house for a refreshing change of scenery.

“Another failed day of flying. Still stuck! Too much smoke! Ugh! But we got 2 hours of free flying, because both times we went up, we ran into smoke.” (trip journal)

The group journal says it all: “We’re going. We’re really going. We ARE going. We are actually in the plane (again). We are actually, really going.” (group journal) And then the words are all crossed out.

“Crushed hopes, shattered expectations. Our new mottos are ‘expect nothing’ and ‘I think so, but I doubt it.’” (personal and group journals) And the eternal question asked in the group journal: “Are we going to end up in a mental hospital.” The toughest part about these days was the spectre of the Femmes du Nord trip the previous year. For the first time ever in the history of these groups, the 1988 Femmes did not complete their 35 days on trail. After swamping and pinning a canoe, the counselor was evacuated with a damaged finger. The group ended up returning to camp early. One of the girls was now on my trip. So the pressure was intense to make sure we did not have a repeat and return to camp early.

July 30, 1989 Day 11 (Thompson)

Today we found out all of northern Manitoba had been officially closed to all wilderness travel. Ontario here we come. Hommes du Nord group is getting flown out to Winnipeg airport tomorrow.

July 31, 1989 Day 12 (campground outside Winnipeg)

Wow! Of our trip’s 35 days, we have now been off trail for 10 days. We drove from Thompson to Winnipeg to pick up the boys’ group. We camped at a campground just outside Winnipeg.

August 1, 1989 Day 13 (alongside Highway 17, east of Kenora)

Wayne was coming from camp to Ignace today and we were supposed to pick him up at the train station. Then he will drive our van and drop off each group at a new starting point in Ontario, bring the van back to camp, and then return to pick us up at the end of our trips. Well, that was the plan, BUT…

“This trip gets more and more ridiculous. About 30 km east of Kenora, the bearings on the canoe trailer fell to pieces. We were supposed to meet Wayne in Ignace at 1 pm, but instead we were stuck on the side of Highway 17 in the blazing sun while Jim tried to find somebody who could fix the bearings. No luck! We had to camp by the highway. Biene and I drove to Ignace to pick up Wayne.” (trip journal)

August 2, 1989 Day 14 (Pickle Lake...barely)

“This morning, Jim and Wayne found the necessary parts and everyone pitched in to put everything back together on the trailer wheel. We thought we were finally going to get to Pickle Lake. Then Nelle accidentally drank the cleaning solvent we had used for cleaning the grease off the axle. She spit it out, but we were still very concerned. We had her drink water to dilute anything she might have swallowed and we called poison control. Then we took her to the Dryden hospital. As we peeled out from the side of the highway, one canoe came flying off into the ditch...oops, someone forgot to finish tying. Nelle is fine, but they want to observe her until 7:30 pm.” (trip journal)

Message to camp: “Hommes & Femmes update. The duct tape attaching the trailer wheel seems to be holding. The canoe is fine. It appears Nelle will live. Tim has a new blue bowl. We’ll make Pickle Lake by midnight tonight. Expect Wayne late Thursday or early Friday. Further details as they develop.” (trip journal) Can you say we were getting a little slap happy?