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Kazan River
-One canoe, two paddlers : Laval Tremblay, Nicolas Perrault.
-Start of the trip: Kasba Lake; mid-July 2017.
-End of the trip: Inuit village of Baker Lake; mid-August 2017.
-Number of days: 29 (including 4 days lost to the wind).
-Approximate length: 1000 km.
-Water level: High.
Logistics: canoe, gear and food sent from Montreal by truck and afterwards by airplane to Kasba Lake lodge (Kazan River). We arrived by plane at Kasba Lake lodge at a later date. Our canoe was sent back from the village of Baker Lake to a town near Montreal via Desgagnés cargo boat.
In Canada’s Central Arctic we have successively paddled the following rivers: Kazan : 2004, Back : 2006, Thelon : 2009, Kazan : 2014, Dubawnt : 2015, Kazan : 2017. In decreasing order of difficulty are the Back (most difficult) followed by the Dubawnt, Kazan and Thelon.
The Kazan River is very isolated and should be attempted only by experienced canoeists. Solid lake and river paddling skills must be combined to sound judgment to ensure a safe trip.
For river paddlers who like long trips and do not mind many hundred kilometers on lakes the Kazan River makes for a memorable trip. The following comments will succinctly point out the main features of the Kazan River as we recollect them. The paddlers must remain vigilant as we cannot guarantee that the following comments do not contain mistakes or oversights. All geographic references are from Google Earth.
1) We started from Kasba lake lodge on Kasba Lake. Paddling along the west side of the lake in a northerly direction will bring the paddlers to a “narrow” at 60 deg. 26’ 25’’ N. 102 deg. 19’ 08’’ W. From there it is possible to cross the lake following an easterly direction by hopping from one island to the next. After having reached the east side of the lake, the location where it empties into the Kazan River is not far. We would have liked to follow this course but judged that it was too windy. Instead we kept to the West and eventually paddled around the northern section of the lake and finally reached the Kazan River.
2) The only rapid of note between Kasba Lake and Ennedai Lake runs along dense vegetation and forested lands. In high water the rapid could not be scouted from the bank as the vegetation was too dense. Hence we opted for a portage. On the left side we found to our delight an old trail. This portage was not very long. (No other trail was found during the rest of the trip but the vegetation thereafter became too thin to be much of a hindrance.)
3) The rapid encountered at some distance from Dimma Lake (61 deg. 28’ 56’’ N. 100 deg. 34’ 17’’ W.) can be navigated on the right close to the bank. A back ferry toward the right bank kept our canoe away from the big waves to our left. We would not have attempted this rapid along the left bank.
4) The first rapid of note after Lake Angikuni (62 deg. 15’ 23’’ N. 98 deg. 44’ 39’’W.) is a ledge that is portaged on the right. The portage is short.
5) Soon thereafter (62 deg. 15’ 05’’ N. 98 deg. 43’ 29’’W.) there is a long and at times tumultuous rapid. It is a must-see place that we enjoyed by walking along the right bank. Starting from the same bank, we portaged the full length of the rapid by cutting across the river’s bend. A compass was used to progress in the desired direction. The portage is about 1500 meters.
18) Near the location where the portage begins is a pile of rocks on which stands an ammunition box containing note pads in which you may scribble your “souvenirs de voyage” and read about the trips of your predecessors.
19) The falls and associated canyon are absolute marvels to behold. To gain a view of the falls one has to reach a small island by fording a narrow stream which is in reality a puny arm of the river. In high water this may prove too dangerous. Should this be the case the small island may be reached by canoe from an area of flat water located immediately upstream.
20) The last 20 kilometers before Lake Baker are home to very strong currents in mid and high water levels. The experienced paddler will not find the navigation difficult. Nevertheless one must make absolutely sure not to hit a rock as this would almost certainly cause the canoe to capsize. Such a misfortune may well result in a long life threatening swim in cold water. Depending on the side of the river the canoe might find itself on (and the water level) a few short portages may prove necessary along this section.
21) To reach the village of Baker Lake, canoeists have to avoid difficult if not impassable sand bars caused by the slowing down of the current of the Thelon River. This is done by reaching Nicholls Island at 64 deg. 15’ 29’’ N. 95 deg. 58’ 43’’W. The canoe then follows the shore of Nicholls Island facing the village for about 2.7 kilometers. Having done this expect a 4.5 kilometers crossing to reach the village. It is unadvisable to attempt this if you have any reason to believe that the weather might not remain calm for the next couple of hours.