Kayaking Journals: The Mackenzie River in The Northwest Territories
Journal 4
By: David H. Scott and Stormy
July 13th Wednesday in Fort Simpson:
I spent the day going over my gear once again, consolidating and cutting way back since now as I have said several times, no reason to take much. Every village down river has a Northern Store and any and everything one could want.
I went back out to the Bannock Land B&B for the night. They have good Wifi, good showers, quiet and I could wash a load of clothes, so I started out all clean on Thursday AM.
While there Wednesday morning I met the chief of the Trout Lake Band at Trout Lake, a community about 125-mile flight time from Ft. Simpson. Turns out Rod under contract as the Construction Manager built the Airport there for the tribe about 10 years ago. There is a story that will be explained later that has come out of that chance encounter meeting.
I got things squared away with In Reach, got caught on the computer and was ready to go.
July 14th Thursday Day 9 on the River:
I picked Rod up at his house at 7AM. What a great guy he is turning out to be. He is not an early riser in any sense of the word early. 2 hours drive and we are at the Ferry Crossing that gets you across the Mackenzie and the road dead ends at Wrigley.
It took a couple of hours to get the kayak packed and ready to go. Rod stuck with me until I was ready to go. Then I told him I wanted to go for a little walk with Stormy and I would see him when I got back. I had been at the Ferry Landing before. I had taken a break here on my way down the river out of Ft. Simpson the 2nd time I put on the river.
We got into the kayak and off we were. I felt better this time, although now that I look back on it, I had a lot of anxiety, I was tired, I knew I wasn’t right and that kind of set the tone, which is totally unlike any feeling I have ever had on any of my trips.
It was a beautiful morning. Once again, nobody on the river, I have the entire water way to myself. I knew approximately where I was going to stop for the 1st night and felt comfortable in doing the number of miles it would take to get there.
Sometime in the afternoon, the wind came up and it looked like it was going to rain. I spotted an area that was just before going around a point and it looked like it would be out of the wind that was blowing upriver.
I hurried to the bank and wanted to get set up before the rain hit. We barely got things squared away, the tent up, things out of the kayak and in the tent and the kayak secured and it started raining. Fortunately, we were in a good spot for the wind, and it didn’t create any issues.
If I would have stayed here, I might have finished my trip
Got out bed set up, things squared away and went to bed. Now, all night long I hear the wind blowing thru the tops of the trees. I have done enough of this to know that we were on the windward side and if the wind didn’t quit blowing once we went around that bend in the morning and head down river, we were going to be going straight into the wind. I didn’t get a lot of sleep thinking and worrying about that. Normally I would have just waited the storm out. I don’t know why I was in such a hurry. I have never been like this before.
The storm is coming
July 15th Friday Day 10 on the River:
Up and packing the kayak and breaking down camp by 7 AM. The wind is still blowing but it had quit raining. I was right. The second we rounded the bend, it was brutal, it was relentless, it was no fun, and it was more work than I think I have put forth on any of my trips.
Now, I don’t know why I just didn’t turn around, let the wind blow me back around the corner and set camp up again in the same spot. It was a good spot to wait a storm out.
I fought this for several hours and was on the verge of giving out. It started to rain, and I could tell it was going to be a hell of a wind and rainstorm. Then the temperature dropped from about 85 degrees down to about 45 degrees. I got cold. I got completely soaked and I was beyond miserable, and I was hurting. Stormy was fine. She was in her seat with the clear bubble cover I had made for here.
If I just would have waited until end of July
I spotted a large log which would give me a break from the wind, but the place was all mud, but decided I had no choice. With a lot of work, slipping and sliding got the tent set up, the gear out of the kayak, the kayak secure. All the while it is blowing and raining, and I am freezing. I was not prepared for the temperature drop. I didn’t have the right pair of gloves. I didn’t have the right gear. I didn’t have my dry suit. Why would I? It has been in the 80’s for weeks.
By then Stormy is wet and cold also. We both got in the sleeping bag and tried to warm up. With in a couple of hours I knew this wasn’t going to work. Things were just against me. Nothing was lining up. This trip didn’t start right, and it was obvious it was going to end right.
I messaged Rod and told him I couldn’t take any more. What a blessing to have met him and in a matter of no time be able to rely on him. I asked him the best way to get me out of there. Keep in mind, Rod used to be the Federal Road Superintendent in this part of the country, and he was in that position most of his working career. He had built literally all the roads in the country and knew everybody and every foot of every one of those roads.
He said that Willow Lake River was about 20 miles from where I was camped. He said he would go get my van, gas it up and be there by noon tomorrow. I knew where it was and also knew a native family lived there and I could see on my In reach that there was a road that went in there off of the main road that went on to Wrigley.
I told him I would be there waiting for him by noon tomorrow. At that time, it was my intention to spend the night and then get on the water early. But as time went by, I got worried, that perhaps the wind would be blowing in the morning, and I wouldn’t make it. The rain had stopped, and the wind was lessening. I got up got the kayak packed and headed out. It was still a tough paddle. It was just blowing enough that it was work and I had already paddled myself out, fighting the wind this morning.
Now you must think about this. I knew I had 20 plus miles to paddle. That is normally what I do in an average day. This was not going to be an easy thing to accomplish.
I paddled consistently and added some extra effort into getting there. I knew it was going to be worth it, because once I got there, that was it. I was done. I was beat up and I was hurting.
Once we got there, it was obviously there was no road down to the river and like all most all cabins along the river they sat up on the top/on the bluff looking out over the river. This was no different.
I knew somebody lived here. I tied Stormy up; most native families have dogs, and they are half wild and they are not friendly. One I got up to the top, I started to go around the house and there were 2 huge German Shepard’s and they were not happy to see me. I was lucky they were chained up under the porch on the house.
I went around to the front of the house and knocked on the door and noticed the vehicle was gone, and assumed they were in town. It was late in the afternoon, and I just knew they would be back soon. I also knew that they welcomed kayakers to camp on their lawn and there was plenty of it.
I completely cleaned the kayak out and hauled everything up. Got the tent set up, bed made. Once they showed up and came over to meet me, they knew Rod very well and they said in a while they would help me carry the kayak up, which they did.
That was it for me. I ate something. Laid down and didn’t move until in the morning.
I didn’t take any pictures. I was just to tired and to focused on getting ready for Rod to show up.
July 16th Saturday Day 11:
We sure have been gone a long time for only spending 11 days on the water and paddling about 400 miles.
I spent the morning get ready for Rod to arrive. I knew the Ferry wasn’t going to start up until about 9 I think it was and then it was about a 2-hour drive to where I was. Sure enough, he showed up about 11. We loaded up, he had some conversation with the fellow he knew who lived there and we were on our way back.
I was both relived and not happy, but after the 3rd time in attempting this river, I was thru and had realized a couple of things. I was a month to early. Timing dictated the highest water in The Great Slave Lake people could remember, close to 10 feet higher. The most water in the Mackenzie River since the 1940’s. I had no idea it was going to be that hot for days and days at a time. Then there was the double hernia operation that obviously had not healed as much as I was hoping it was going to. And for sure, the trauma that my body went thru on the colon cancer surgery going bad the beginning of 2020 had changed things.
Of course, my thinking went towards, was I ever going to be able to do another kayak trip?
We got back about 4. Rod’s wife had dinner ready again, for the second time. If you will remember she had dinner ready for us when he took me back up to get the kayak and gear off the bank of the river.
I spent the night in his driveway. Got up and was at the Ferry Crossing about 7. It made it’s first trip across the Liard River at 8. I drove 2,400 miles in 4 days and went straight back up to the lake.
As it is now August 23,2022.
This Journal for the Mackenzie River is to be continued:
One of 2 things is going to happen next summer.
I am either going to go back up to the NWT and open a fishing lodge for the Trout Lake Band that has been closed for the last 3 years because of COVID, mid-May to end of September. Remember the conversation at breakfast with the Chief of the Trout Lake Band? I hope it happens. I would commit to 3 years which ties right in with going down to Bisbee, AZ for the next 3 winters.
OR! I will be back up to Fort Simpson mid-July 2022 and hire a Native Guide/guy to paddle the river with me in a canoe. A canoe will be easier to get in and out of. Easier to set camp up and break down. He can Zarry a long rifle legally for the Grizzlies. There is two of us paddling and two of us to do the work.
Now if I do the Trout Lake Fishing Lodge adventure, I will make sure they know the last week in July and all of August 2024 I will be paddling the Mackenzie River and the assistant manager/host will make sure things work while I am gone for those 5 weeks.
To be continued:
