View topic - Finnlay River

I realize I am responding to a REALLY old post, but if anyone still looks at it, I will confirm that I did paddle the Finlay River back in the early 1990's. Three gents and myself paddled solo open canadian canoes, rigged with airbags and gear for 3 weeks. We portaged the falls, approx. 4 km below Thutade Lake, and a few other drops, but ran most of the river out to Williston Lake with just careful scouting and cautious lines (a word of caution:
at least two of Patterson's pictures are reversed!) Absolutely beautiful trip, with great friends - a highlight of my paddling life, for sure!

Hi Patty,

I was one of the crew with Laurel, Tony Shaw and Lyle Dickieson. Great trip except cold and flows very high. I never trusted Patterson's account as he didn't paddle it. He was a good writer, but tended to wax poetic at times. At Cottonwood Rapids on the Dease, I never saw rocks "passing by like destroyers", I also didn't put much stock in LM Bower's account. The most complete information on the river was from you and especially, Blacks' journals. We did in tandems no airbags, in 18 days or so, as I recall. Portaged the falls, and two other drops, including the hellish one where Patterson shows a photo of Swannell portaging the cottonwood dug out.

Best,

Erich