Churchill River Country - Saskatchewan

[dogbrain]

Well done! Wonderful video! I need to focus on getting more video on my future trips and editing it.

One question, it looks like you have at least a partial spray cover for your cedar stripper. Any details on that? Purchased? Homemade? How does it attach to your cedar strip Kite (beautiful canoe by the way)?

Thanks Alsg, I made them from 1.6 oz silpoly sold by ripstop by the roll. There's a loop on each end that goes over the gunwales tips, then the rest snaps just under the gunwales. The spray skirt has gros grain webbing along the inside edge to stiffen it up a little where the snaps are attached to the fabric. I should have used wider gros grain and put it on the outside to protect the light fabric, it gets snagged and abraded through quickly. I put Velcro tabs where the skirt goes over the front and rear thwart.

They work well for keeping rain off the gear if it's a crappy day. The poly doesn't stretch when wet, so I built it to fit tight. Water accumulates in the front where my pack isnt tall enough to help, but rolling the canoe from side to side gets rid of it. If I was slightly more motivated i would sew in a sleeve to add something that resembles a coaming at the front thwart. The canoe also seems to handle better in the wind.

Mark

 

[alsg]

There's a loop on each end that goes over the gunwales tips, then the rest snaps just under the gunwales.
Mark

Were the snaps difficult to apply to the gunwales?

 

[dogbrain]

Were the snaps difficult to apply to the gunwales?

I made the skirt first, then lined up and marked where each snap would go on the hull, about an inch or so below the gunwale. The snaps are held to the hull with a stainless rivet and a backer, so you need a rivet gun. And you have to be willing to drill a bunch of holes in your canoe.

Mark

 

[alsg]

I made the skirt first, then lined up and marked where each snap would go on the hull, about an inch or so below the gunwale. The snaps are held to the hull with a stainless rivet and a backer, so you need a rivet gun. And you have to be willing to drill a bunch of holes in your canoe.

Mark

Ah, I thought they might be on the underside of the gunwale (gunnel?) itself! These are through the hull. Got it.

 

[dogbrain]

Ah, I thought they might be on the underside of the gunwale (gunnel?) itself! These are through the hull. Got it.

Here's a pic.

 

[dogbrain]

Here's part 3 of 4 of my Churchill River trip.

This video covers days 5 and 6. On day 5, I traveled south from Black Bear Island Lake up Besnard Creek through the portages to a campsite in McDougall Bay on the north end of Besnard Lake. On day 6, I paddled the length of Besnard Lake and found a great campsite near the portage heading east.

Enjoy!

 

[Jim Dodd]

Your video got me really Jones-en for a paddle !

I've got to share it !

Thanks Mark !

 

[PaddlingPitt]

Enjoyed Part 3, Mark. Thanks. Camp number 6 looked fantastic.

 

[TrailBlaser]

Great video, thanks for sharing it. Keep them coming!

 

[dogbrain]

Here's the 4th and final episode of my trip to Churchill River Country.

This video covers days 7 through 9. On day 7, I portaged out of Besnard Lake, through an un-named lake, Gull Lake, Morning Lake and Triveet Lake, then on to Clam Lake where I luckily found a campsite for the night. On day 8 I paddled to the east end of Clam Lake, portaged to the long channel of Howard Lake, then across Pine Portage to Head Lake. One final portage of the trip brought me to the west shore of Nemeiben Lake and a welcome respite to one more stormy day in Churchill River country. On day 9, I crossed the western bay of Nemeiben Lake and closed the loop on my journey, bringing me to Bell Bay where I concluded my trip.

By the time I reached my car it was snowing and the temperature was in the 30's. I had originally planned to do another short trip in the area, but the weather report I got in nearby Laronge was for colder temperatures and a fair amount of snow over the next 5 or 6 days. So, with cold numb feet and the weather deteriorating I decided to head south towards home.

Enjoy! Mark

 

[Jim Dodd]

Thanks Mark for making, and sharing this Trip video !
Enjoyed it very much !
That stripper looked good, even in the rain !

Jim

 

[dougd]

Thank you Mark, it was great to watch this unfold one step at a time. I really enjoyed it and can relate to days on end of rain. But even the wet trips turn into some pretty good memories down the road. Thanks again.

 

[Gamma1214]

...colder temperatures and a fair amount of snow over the next 5 or 6 days. So, with cold numb feet and the weather deteriorating I decided to head south towards home.

After 9 days of cold & rainy... seems pretty reasonable to me.

Thanks for posting. Pretty country and I enjoyed it very much. Might even be tempted to give it a whirl sometime (a bit earlier in the year though... with less chance of snow).

 

[dogbrain]

Thanks Mark for making, and sharing this Trip video !
Enjoyed it very much !
That stripper looked good, even in the rain !

Jim

Thanks Jim. There's something about being out there with the boat I built that makes the challenging conditions a bit more tolerable.

Mark.

 

[dogbrain]

Thank you Mark, it was great to watch this unfold one step at a time. I really enjoyed it and can relate to days on end of rain. But even the wet trips turn into some pretty good memories down the road. Thanks again.

I agree Doug. It never rained all day, and even though I sound a little frustrated on a couple of occasions in the video, this was a great trip nonetheless. The only real issue I had was with my footwear. Neoprene socks and sandles weren't up to the task towards the end when things got cold.

Mark

 

[wjmc]

Yes, thanks for the videos. I was actually not that far away from you, as I paddled a route east of McLennan lake from September 10 - 17, 2018. I can confirm the inclement weather, one of the coldest and wettest Septembers I have experienced up there. My feet appreciated the rubber boots!

-wjmc

 

[dogbrain]

Yes, thanks for the videos. I was actually not that far away from you, as I paddled a route east of McLennan lake from September 10 - 17, 2018. I can confirm the inclement weather, one of the coldest and wettest Septembers I have experienced up there. My feet appreciated the rubber boots!

-wjmc

Did you do one of the established historic routes from McLennan Lake, or a route of your own design? I'm looking to do a 2 week trip up there with my brother this year and am looking for another good route. I have been thinking about Besnard to Black Bear Island lakes, then just exploring upstream on the Churchill and maybe trying to get into some of the lakes to the north of the Churchill from there. Any suggestions? What else have you done in that area?

Mark

 

[Jim Dodd]

On the eve of our first Snow ! I sat here enjoying Mark's ( dogbrain) videos.. He as a couple new ones out, but I couldn't help, look over some of his others !
Thanks Mark !