A Through-Paddle from Ely to Atikokan
Rod Franz
Day 7 (7/13/02) Day four on the water. (Cairn Lake, Kahshipiwi Creek,
Shelly Lake, Keats Lake, Chatterton Lake, Russell Lake.) Maybe 10 miles and
6 portages.
This was a pretty light day. Paddled through some narrows, and saw/portaged
around Snake Falls (Have A Smoke portage) and Split Rock falls.
Highlight of the day was meeting one of our sister crews that had left Atikokan at the North end of Kahshipiwi Creek. They advised us to avoid Blueberry Island in Sturgeon Lake, as they had been displaced by a bear, and had to make a night move. They also advised us that the bear had been reclassified from 'nuisance' to 'aggressive'. This means that the animal tends to come back after being chased off once, and if this happens, you have to pack up and move at least five miles, immediately, no matter what the time or conditions are. It is an event to avoid. One of the adult leaders had a black eye resulting from being hit by the end of a canoe in the dark.
The boys got to body surf through some moving water at the end of Kahshipiwi Creek.
Set camp at about 3:00 p.m. on Russell Lake. Wind was coming up, and crossing to the island camp on Russell was interesting--quartering into the wind and rolling a little in the canoes. It was a great campsite, and the wind was enough to keep area fairly clear of bugs until late. By now, we are all pretty immune to the bugs--they have become just a part of the environment that we accept. I would note that the boys seemed distracted by the campsite across the lake, which consisted of 10 or so female trekkers. Scouts being prepared and all that--Matt had a pair of binoculars that they used to scout out the best fishing areas--and it seems like most of them were in the general direction of the ladies camp. Scoutmaster Mike provided guidance in proper binocular technique.
As a result of our conversation with our sister crew, and after an assessment of everyone's condition, it was decided that we would detour through Quetico Lake, and limit our exposure in the bear area to one night. This means no layover day, but the crew seems to be adapting to the physical effort, and appears to be more rested now. This will allow us to visit some pictographs in Quetico.
One of the activities on Russell Lake (in addition to girl watching) was 'gunnel pumping', which consists of taking a canoe out a short distance by one's self, standing with your feet bridging the back seat on the edges of the canoe and rocking it forward and back by a jumping action. This actually can propel the canoe forward, or, in the alternative, result in the participant taking a refreshing swim. The latter occurs more often than the former.
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