Very Well done!  Great Pictures and nice You-tubes of the ,moose and falls.  Thanx for taking us along.
SunCatcher

Great story, Wally.  Thx for taking the time to put it together.

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I bet they were thinking " How the hell did we lose our land too guy's like that"

thanks for finishing that - literally and figureatively!

some really nice pic's there.  a fine adventure!

Here's a video I shot of High Falls.  It's only the upper portion of the drop.  I think the total drop is about 18-24'.  Not sure.  I was too lazy to paddle around to the bottom for a full pic
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Here's a pic of the falls in avg to slightly high water...
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I really have mixed feelings.  On a persoanl level, I'm a cynic.  The LLC band does not "Need" this income project IMO, and yes, that's stated as an uneducated yankee.  The LLC tribe does NEED income though.  Why doesn't the Canadian govm't just give them $$ if that's what they need?  I guess $$ handouts would be degrading.  But how is that anymore degrading than this..."Hey LLC tribe, here's a dam we'll give ya.  and you can sell the power back to us"...

Apparantly the only thing the tribe would have to sell is power from the river.  But these 2 dams aren't even on First Nation land.  They do have Snake falls  and some drop in the river to work with on their own land.  Yes, the tribe "claims" rights to much of the surrounding areas.    From the best I can tell, the plan is for the Canadian citizens to build this series of dams, give them to the First Nations, then lease the power back from the Natives.  All as an "Income Generating project".. Wierd politics if you ask me.  But no one has asked, and it's not my country.  The Americans are screaming bloody murder over this, and the Canadians don't seem to give a dam.  The yankee position is that the Namakan Lake Sturgeon migrate upstream to base of the falls to spawn, and they claim it will messup that process.

If the LLC really needed an income producer, I wouldn't give a rip, and say "have at it".  But this just seems to be one of those "gratis projects" that the Canadian's handout to their First Nations (IMO).  I see no need for power in the area.  There seems to be plenty of it.  And there are no known plans fopr future development of the area requiring lots more power as far as I can tell. (again IMO).

On the other hand?  If I was the benefactor of an Income Producing project, I wouldn't give a rip about what the Canadian's thought.  As far as danger in messing with the Namakan water levels?  Well it's been done before at Kettle Falls.  And that project had us and the cannuk's involved.  Dam on the N side of island goes across border, dam on S side is all Canndian.  Building of the Rainey lake outlet dam at I Falls was a similar issue I suppose.


Well, I've now seen it before it is gone.

Here's a good description of the High Falls dam/diversion proposal.  The diversion and powerhouse are to run right down the existing portage trail.
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I suggest you get out there in the next couple of years if it is on your bucket list.  She may be gone in the next decade (although I haven't read anything about it's current status in the last year).

(Final chapter starts on previous page...page 4)

Once through, I realized that Lady Rapids, my takeout and my bike (I hope) were jsut 1-2 miles ahead.  I slowed and drifted with the current as getting out by 2:30 meant I was going to ride my bike back to Wesa lake for my truck this afternoon.  I had planned to camp at the takeout if I had reached it late.

There she be, LAdy Rapids bridge ahead!  Couple of pics
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At the takeout, I had lunch, changed to dry clothes, then went looking for my bike.  I figured a 5+ hour walk if it wasn't there, or had a flat.  But, there she be, just where i had left her!  Tires in good shape.  Before I left, i realized this bike had not been ridden in years.  Front derailer stuck in middle ring, rear derailuer only could use 3 lowest gears.  Chain was rusty...hope it doesn't break!

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I set off with GPS, phone, map, EXTRA WATER!  I couldn't pedal up the bigger hills.  I think I wallked up about 10 hills.  Handled the flats and downhills just fine.  Took me about 1 hr 45 minutes to get to Wesa.  I used almost all my water as it was an 80 degree afternoon and full sun.  You can imagine the looks I garnered from the locals....275lb fat bald whiteman on girls bike, peddaling like the dikkens,.  Got alot of looks.  Found the trail back to my ride, again anxiety as I pondered the condition I might find it in.  But there it was, untouched!

Drove back to the Lady rapids portage, loaded my gear, headed out and was in I Falls back at the Voyaguer Inn for another night by 9PM.  MANY moose hunters setting camp along the 40 mile dirt road as I exited.

Will post a Youtube shot of high Falls next

Next day I decided to run for the takeout.  I was nervous about Hay rapids  as I have very little info on it.   As I entered the S end of Little Eva lake, I noted the really shallow water here.  About 3/4ths of the way across to the portage at Hay...the water was only 1-2 ft deep.  My MacKenzie showed the "Hay Rapids Portage" starting between the 2 sets of small drops on the S side of the Isle of Little Eva lk.   NOTE to all readers...THERE IS NO PORTAGE HERE.  After checking with the Fisher's and Google Earth, I believe one can see the real portage around the Hay Complex starting S shore of Little Eva.  Anyway....I missed it.  I couldn't figure out why the portage makers would send me through this drop, then start the portage?  Wouldn't it make sense to start upstreamm from here???   DUH!!

Anyway, I portaged around this first drop behind Island, then went looking for a trail for 40 minutes...NAADDA!
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I gave up on finding the trail.  I said to self..."self, how hard could it be to go down the rest of rapids?"  I had no idea that in low water, it would be a series of 7 drops and numerous rock gardens.  I set of with trepidation as i could not see around the corner, I shot the next drop ok, not with style, but I did ok.  Certainly I would be able to do this.  As the river straightens out, I see rocks and drops for about 1/4 mile continuous.  I decide the next drop is doable on the fly.  Just don't hit that rock in the middle!  Dam, why am I going towards that rock?  Double (explitive), I'm going to hit that rock!  SMACK!  Instant roll of the boat, and I dive out into 3 ft water, canoe again rights itself with bags all inside.  Me, sitting on my but in a pool with water up to neck, holding onto my ride.  I sheepishly looked around, certain that other canoers somewhere had just wittnessed this mistake and were ROFL.  Paddled over to shore and again beached and dryed out.  After that, I decided to portage the next two drops by walking along the shore...rock-hopping.

It took an hour to do that and I was spent.  I could see several more drops ahead.  So I decided I would walk my craft along the shoreline and drag it over the rocks and drops, boat loaded.  No problem with a Royalex, but my kevlar did take a beating.  By that time, I didn't care.  Using this method, it only took aboput 30 minutes to negotiate the next 4 drops.  Ankle to waist deep water.  Along the way, I spot another 2 cow moose together crossing, just about 50 yds in front of me.  camera was not handy!

Some pics of the Hay rapids "complex" as I called it.  In low water as you can see, it is a rock garden.  In high water as i stated earlier, I watched a video of a motorboat negotitating upstream.  Either way, TAKE THE PORTAGE!  You will then miss it all and stay dry.
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Ok, FINAL CHAPTER

decided to go to high falls, camp early.  Figured there would be somebody there as this was a weekend, great colors and perfect weather....again...NO one!  Thought I'd grab a pic of E and W Quetico creeks as I passed Wawa Is.  Here's a pic of the East chute...Wawa on left
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I was too busy fumbling in the rapids to grab a pic of the west chute.


Bill lake is next....the colors were simply breathtaking...as was the sky....as was the weather!
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I had slept late, left late, and was at High falls by 1PM.  It was indeed breathtaking.  This is low water about 2 ft low...think of it in the spring in high water....4 ft higer!  There were house sized trees washed up high and dry  on the rocks...some High Falls shots to include a sunrise
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It was a special place.  Retrospectively, I'd hate to see it damed up.

I've been enjoying your trip report too Wally, and looking forward to "the rest of the story".
If I have them, I often take both McKenzie and Fisher maps.  What one doesn't make clear the other version often does.  Sometimes just looking for a portage where you think one might/should be will reveal at least a path...probably made by someone like MagicPaddler who has no qualms about crashing through what looks to be the shortest route to the next lake, trail or not.

Mat...I suspect its water level related.  Most of the rapids/rocks I encountered would have been 2 feet deeper most years..and 3-4 ft deeper in high water.

Like I said, the last mile of Wesa creek was completely dry

Im putting the last chapter together...portage at the Hay rapids complex was nowhere to be found by me.  Was not impressed by my McKenzie's data.  It was a mile of 7 rapids/small drops, but I just watched a video of powerboat driving up the whole complex in higher water.