DentonDoc wrote on Sep 11^th, 2012 at 5:07am:

Extra trash:  Seems like visitors from Manitoba are not of the LNT philosophy.

I don't think Manitobans are more of a problem than visitors from anywhere else. The trashier sites I found were further into the park (Broken Arrow etc) rather than at the MB end (Jester to SW Haggart). Campsites on my only other trip to MB canoe wilderness (Rabbit River / Cole Lake in Nopiming last year) were pretty clean too, although that's one of the most popular weekend trips for Winnipeggers.


DentonDoc wrote on Sep 11^th, 2012 at 5:07am:

But it is interesting to have them fly over low enough you could toss a rock up and hit them.

I didn't think of rocks, but Bruce Cockburn's song "If I Had A Rocket Launcher" did come to mind.


DentonDoc wrote on Sep 11^th, 2012 at 5:07am:

This time I'll be using fly-in services both ways since I'll be headed to the north side of the park.

Et tu Brute?


Marten wrote on Sep 11^th, 2012 at 3:33pm:

I have come to accept the planes because they are the taxi cabs of the area. We canoiest do not spend enough money to support a few outfitters in the area much less all those employed by the fishing camps. If the plan is put in place to limit planes to five landing places it will only affect the planes transporting paddlers.

Yes, this is the crux of the problem.

IMO once you allow float planes into the park, then WCPP is no longer "wilderness" (not even "managed wilderness"), but instead just a high-priced KOA. If WCPP wants to be a true wilderness park, it will need to get rid of the float planes, and that will mean dealing with the economic issues as well as renegotiating legal agreements with the camp operators who (I understand) do have agreed-upon rights to fly in to the park.

I don't have a feel for how much plane traffic is lodge access, how much is canoe shuttling, and how much is turboprop flyovers from Bissett and Red Lake. Maybe there's a way to at least limit the shuttles to the periphery of the park (preferably outside the boundary), or to reroute commercial routes?


Marten wrote on Sep 11^th, 2012 at 3:33pm:

I am looking forward to the rest of your report.

The campsite and portage parts will be more of a reference for future paddlers, sort of a poorboy substitute for a PCD and a portage database. With your experience in the area, I don't think you will get much from those. The photos may first appear as PODs, but I still have to sort and cull them, and time is at a bit of a premium right now. Besides, September - October is prime hiking season in Alberta ...


As a postscript, somehow I forgot to mention one of the biggest positives of the trip: the WCPP park staff. Despite a limited budget and who-knows-how-much meddling from Queen's Park, they do a great job, and were a big help in planning my trip. They are the best !!