View topic - Seal River 2009

Here is my trip report which is about as complete as its going to get unless someone has some ideas or corrections to recommend.

click here

Enjoy!

Barry

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It's all about forward progression!


"Preservation of our waterways comes from those with little voices, big paddles, strong backs, weak minds and thick hides with which to ignore the bug bites." Organizer of "The Wabakimi Project"

Barry,

I've been waiting for this one.
After your "I'm back" post and your foreshadowing of high water and bad weather, I wasn't disappointed.
I'm betting that 45 minute baptism at the Church of Tambanay had you gasping "Why the hell did I leave Wisconsin?"

I find it strange that Manitoba can enact aircraft regulations for the province when the feds are the governing body. Is it an insurance thing?

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Each hour should be lived as though it were an express creation in precious material wrested from death and oblivion.

Thanks for the great read Barry! Sounds like quite the trip.

Canoeheadted.

I'm insanely jealous.

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"Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made." - Kant

I would have said that portaging Bastion is impossible!

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If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all. (AJ)

When the water is pushing everything through the narrows with no right side to run and 12 foot tall waves in the center, you got to do what you can. You know how those cliffs are because you have been there in 1996! We climbed them with our gear!

It's one for the record in my book!

Barry

_________________
It's all about forward progression!


"Preservation of our waterways comes from those with little voices, big paddles, strong backs, weak minds and thick hides with which to ignore the bug bites." Organizer of "The Wabakimi Project"

Wow, that was great to read! Sooo cool!

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Ban the deed not the breed.

excellent!
thanks, I'll book mark it for the bucket list

.... soooooo, anytime during that 45 minutes you thought, dam, shoulda not been a skin flint and bought the drysuit?

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http://campfireblues.wetpaint.com/
home of the opinionated old farts!

Great report.

Where did you find or get Boil In Bag Cornbread?

And, are you sure the water station shack is owned my Manitoba Hydro and not Water Survey Canada?

Scary swim. I don't reading about those events--glad to read you survived.

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Brian
http://www.lssd.ca/~bjohnston/FOV1-00033C7A/

 

Boil in the bag came from a backpacker mag that one of the guys brought. Correct, the shack is owned by Water Survey Canada. I'll make the correction.

That day I was going to wear the new bomber top but instead I had my rain jacket and quick dries on. It was extreamly cold. The only thought running through my head was how the heck can we get to shore in the fast current? Really, I was very concern and pissed off at the same time!

I am very lucky indeed.

Thanks for the good word on the website. Its fun to do but do take a lot of time to create. I am still using the old HTLM writting methods which I am sure there are better ways to do this.

Barry

_________________
It's all about forward progression!


"Preservation of our waterways comes from those with little voices, big paddles, strong backs, weak minds and thick hides with which to ignore the bug bites." Organizer of "The Wabakimi Project"

I was only teasing
seriously, sooner or later everyone swims or comes up on a situation where they need to be prepared.
Our last trip we had a pin in the group. It got filed under "shit happens"...... wow do loaded boats wrap quick

anywho... I'm a believer in a little gear redundancy with boat rescue equipment, funny I do believe I learned that here? (our chief rigger's boat got wrapped) we had redundancy so no probs. It's being prepared cause it's pretty arrogant and stupid to think it's never going to happen to you.

There's all kinds of stuff you don't "need" like the extra full set of boat extraction or my favorite recommend the drysuit.

You proved you didn't need the suit and you don't. But when it rains everyday or you take a swim on a cold day their dam nice to have......affords your crew comfort and therefore a more happy crew.
Now, your engineer brain will think of a thousand things I could never come up with (that's why they pay you the big bucks eh)......don't overkill.....sometimes shit happens. You dealt with it. I think you'll find that lots of us "get away with one" from time to time
I'm not being patronizing...more like winking at a fellow canoe buddy and saying, yea, the river gods, they cut you some luck eh.....brother, been there

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http://campfireblues.wetpaint.com/
home of the opinionated old farts!

to the canoe Gods!

_________________
It's all about forward progression!


"Preservation of our waterways comes from those with little voices, big paddles, strong backs, weak minds and thick hides with which to ignore the bug bites." Organizer of "The Wabakimi Project"

for purposes of comparing what happens at different water levels on the same river at the same place:

Bastion Rapids at low water and Bastion Rapids at high water.

These posts reinforce my intention to include a statement like the following in all my trip reports:
In the final analysis, you are responsible for your own safety. Believe no friend, guidebook or trip report (including this one).

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If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all. (AJ)

At low levels it appears to be a piece of cake. I tell you, portaging up the 50' cliff wasn't easy. I wished we could have ran it at the levels you experienced.

Thanks for the photo.

Barry

_________________
It's all about forward progression!


"Preservation of our waterways comes from those with little voices, big paddles, strong backs, weak minds and thick hides with which to ignore the bug bites." Organizer of "The Wabakimi Project"