"Grey Owl (Archibald Belaney) writer and conservationist", (1936) by Yousuf Karsh courtesy National Archives of Canada.
Itinerary
More than just a canoe race.
The following is a proposed itinerary for the team's time in Canada. The feasibility of many of the activities is unconfirmed so this itinerary must be considered, at most, as provisional.
Pre-Race Training and Acclimatisation | |
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| 11 Jun | Fly in to Calgary. |
| Pick up rental van. | |
| Spend remainder of afternoon in Calgary. | |
| Hotel in Calgary. | |
| 12 Jun | Drive from Calgary to Prince Albert (750km) |
| Pick up rented canoe. | |
| Purchase bulk and speciality food items and other supplies in Prince Albert's large stores. | |
| Hotel in Prince Albert. | |
| 13 Jun | Drive from Prince Albert to La Ronge. (241km) |
| Orientational tour of La Ronge. | |
| Tour Robertson's Trading Post: filled with the smoky aroma of tanned moose hide, see native beaded jackets, buy moccasins or mukluks handmade by local Dene and Cree Indian craftswomen, try on clothing that's rated to -100°C and hear arguments in support of trapping. | |
| Visit a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (the mounties) detachment. | |
| Camp at La Ronge's Nut Point Provincial Campground within Lac La Ronge Provincial Park | |
| 14 Jun | Open water training on Lac La Ronge: Paddle to the Don Allen forest hiking trails. |
| At a small hut in the forest, with a wood-fire stove and a view over distant Lac La Ronge, meet native tracker Tom Charles, who will give a course on essential survival and wilderness skills such as fire and shelter making, food gathering, navigation, rescue signals, basic first-aid etc. | |
| Sleep in the summit hut at the Don Allen Trails. | |
| 15 Jun | Open water training on Lac La Ronge: Paddle back from the Don Allen trails. |
| Camp at La Ronge's Nut Point Provincial Campground. | |
| 16 Jun | Drive from La Ronge to Otter Rapids on the Churchill River. (84km) |
| Practice on moving water and at running rapids and train at portaging the big canoe. | |
| Take a short flight in a float-plane (an airplane that lands on water) from Missinipe (near Otter Rapids) over the Churchill River and appreciate the grandeur, scale and beauty of the landscape from a different perspective. | |
| Pick up rented satellite phone. | |
| Drive from Otter Rapids back to La Ronge. (84km) | |
| Camp at La Ronge's Nut Point Provincial Campground. | |
| 17 Jun | Drive from La Ronge to Waskesiu in Prince Albert National Park. (211km) |
| A mini expedition: Paddle across Waskesiu and Kingsmere Lakes to visit the cabin of Grey Owl. | |
| Grey Owl was an early environmentalist who travelled the world preaching conservation and ecological responsibility. In his latter years, he lived in a small cabin, built over an active beaver lodge, on Ajawaan Lake in Prince Albert National Park. It's only accessible by canoe or a long bush trek. Little did anyone suspect that Grey Owl's real name was Archie and he came from Hastings. | |
| Camp in Prince Albert National Park. | |
| 18 Jun | A mini expedition continued: Return from Grey Owl's cabin. |
| Drive from Waskesiu to Prince Albert. (90km) | |
Race | |
| Date | Activity |
| In Prince Albert, attend race registration, boat measuring, rule explanation and meet all the other paddlers. | |
| Hotel in Prince Albert. | |
| 19 Jun | Sprints. |
| Drive from Prince Albert to Clearwater River Dene Nation. (521km) | |
| Camp at Clearwater River Dene Nation. | |
| 20 Jun | Race Stage 1: Clearwater River Dene Nation to Michel Village. (89km) |
| Land support team drive stage 1: Clearwater River Dene Nation to Michel Village. (200km) | |
| Camp at Michel Village. | |
| 21 Jun | Race Stage 2a: Michel Village to Dillon. (12km) |
| Land support team drive stage 2a: Michel Village to Dillon. (28km) | |
| Race Stage 2b: Dillon to Buffalo Narrows. (41km) | |
| Land support team drive stage 2b: Dillon to Buffalo Narrows. (72km) | |
| Camp at Buffalo Narrows. | |
| 22 Jun | Race Stage 3: Buffalo Narrows to Île-à-La-Crosse. (64km) |
| Land support team drive stage 3: Buffalo Narrows to Île-à-La-Crosse. (64km) | |
| Camp at Île-à-La-Crosse. | |
| 23 Jun | Race Stage 4: Île-à-La-Crosse to Patuanak. (63km) |
| Land support team drive stage 4: Île-à-La-Crosse to Patuanak. (182km) | |
| Camp at Patuanak. | |
| 24 Jun | Race Stage 5: Patuanak to Knee Lake Settlement. Mandatory portage: Dipper Rapids. (96km) |
| Land support team drive stage 5-6: Patuanak to Pinehouse. (182km) | |
| Camp at Knee Lake Settlement and Pinehouse | |
| 25 Jun | Race Stage 6: Knee Lake Settlement to Pinehouse. (79km) |
| Camp (or possibly rent cabins) at Pinehouse. | |
| 26 Jun | Race Stage 7: Pinehouse to Souris River/Bélanger (40km) |
| Land support team drive stage 7-9: Pinehouse to Grandmother's Bay. (308km) | |
| Camp at Souris River/Bélanger and Grandmother's Bay. | |
| 27 Jun | Race Stage 8: Souris River/Bélanger to Black Bear Island Lake. Mandatory portages: 1st Needle Rapids; Needle Falls. (68km) |
| Camp at Black Bear Island Lake and Grandmother's Bay. | |
| 28 Jun | Race Stage 9: Black Bear Island Lake to Grandmother's Bay. Mandatory portages: 1st Birch Rapids; Trout Falls; Great Devil. (67km) |
| Camp at Grandmother's Bay. | |
| 29 Jun | Race Stage 10: Grandmother's Bay to Stanley Mission. Mandatory portages: Robertson Falls; Twin Falls. (30km) |
| Land support team drive stage 10: Grandmother's Bay to Stanley Mission. (94km) | |
| Camp at Stanley Mission. | |
| 30 Jun | Race Stage 11: Stanley Mission to Frog Portage. Mandatory portages: Potter Rapids; Keg Falls; Grand Rapids. (72km) |
| Land support team drive stage 11-12: Stanley Mission to Pelican Narrows. (385km) | |
| Camp at Frog Portage and Pelican Narrows. | |
| 01 Jul | Race Stage 12: Frog Portage to Pelican Narrows. Mandatory portages: 1st Pot Hole; 2nd Pot Hole; 3rd Pot Hole. (53km) |
| Camp at Pelican Narrows. | |
| 02 Jul | Race Stage 13: Pelican Narrows to Maligne Lake. Mandatory portages: Corneille Rapids; Dog Rapid; Birch Rapids. (53km) |
| Land support team drive stage 13: Pelican Narrows to Maligne Lake. (64km) | |
| Camp at Maligne Lake. | |
| 03 Jul | Race Stage 14: Maligne Lake to Denare Beach. Mandatory portages: Scoop Rapids; Spruce Rapids. (74km) |
| Land support team drive stage 14: Maligne Lake to Denare Beach. (73km) | |
| Camp at Denare Beach. | |
| 04 Jul | Race Stage 15: Denare Beach to Sturgeon Landing. (65km) |
| Land support team drive stage 15: Denare Beach to Sturgeon Landing. (336km) | |
| Camp at Sturgeon Landing. | |
| 05 Jul | Race Stage 16: Sturgeon Landing to Cumberland House. (52km) |
| Land support team drive stage 16: Sturgeon Landing to Cumberland House. (336km) | |
| Camp at Cumberland House. | |
Post-Race | |
| Date | Activity |
| 06 Jul | Drive from Cumberland House to Prince Albert. (309km) |
| Return the rented canoe. | |
| Drive from Prince Albert to Saskatoon. (142km) | |
| Hotel in Saskatoon. | |
| 07 Jul | Drive from Saskatoon to Banff. (740km) |
| Camp in Banff. | |
| 08 Jul | Day off in Banff. |
| Camp in Banff. | |
| 09 Jul | Drive from Banff to Calgary (140km) |
| Return the rental van. | |
| Fly out of Calgary. | |
Stueck Island, Lac La Ronge, Saskatchewan.