There & Back - Rain - Sawyer - Moccasin - Home (modified route from plan)
21.6 km paddling
3 km portaging

Day 1 - Home to Sawyer Lake
7.1km paddling
310 m portage

We were up early. And since the gear was all pre-packed, we loaded up the car, showered, and hit the road. A quick stop at Tim Horton's, and we were northbound at 6:05 AM.

After an uneventful drive, we arrived at Kearney at 8:30 AM and obtained our permit. After a pee break, we were off along the 25km dirt road to the put it. At the put in, we found the parking to be insane, cars everywhere. We thought that might be an indication of how busy the water would be. We didn't realize at the time that there is a backpacking trail head, and how many paddling routes start here and go off in different directions.

Rain Lake put in - Our first real canoe trip together - see the smiles.

We met 2 guys and their dog from the US loading up as we were, so we exchanged the favour of taking each others photos. The only real difference is we were using a little Cannon G10, and they were using a Nikon D3 SLR. Nice kit! We loaded up, and after a quick double check that the car was locked, we paddled off around 9:06 AM.

We passed a few canoes paddling the other way. We also saw a loon and chick along the shore as we paddled by. As we came out into to open part of the lake, the wind picked up a bit, but it was at our back.

At 10:00 AM, we arrived at the portage into Sawyer Lake. We unloaded, and set out stuff aside, as the 2 guys arrived just behind us. They were continuing through to Misty or in that area for their first night, so we let them hit the portage ahead of us.

We set out on the 310m portage, and tried a single carry for this one. I had the canoe, and the bag, and Melissa took the barrel. The barrel was around 45lbs, the bag was around 40 lbs, and the canoe is around 55lbs. It was a pretty good load, and if it was a rougher portage trail I don't think I would have been happy with myself. I was quite tired at the end, so we took a minute to catch our breath before heading off.

At 10:30 AM we set off on Sawyer and checked out a few sites. The two that seemed to be the best were already taken, so we set up on one on the south side of the lake near the middle of the lake. The weather was grey damp and windy. The site was a cedar grove, so was fairly open underneath, but it did have a fairly enclosed canopy above. The site had a small hill to navigate right at the waters edge, and it had been raining for a few days before, so the ground was wet. We set up our tent, and located the thunder box, before we collected some firewood for later on.

Around 12:00 Noon, Melissa made wraps and took a few photos. After lunch we decided to have a lay down in the tent, not sleeping, but passed the time listening to the wind, blow in the trees and chatted. We got back up a bit later, maybe around 3:00 PM. We paddled out and pumped some water, as there was a little break in the light rain that was blowing through in bands.

Sawyer Lake campsite on the south shore.

View of Sawyer Lake from our site.

Around 4:30 PM a larger group arrived on the lake, and paddled around finally choosing two campsites to set up on, 1 on either side of us, so we had them paddling back and forth as they sorted out which site had or needed gear. We re-hydrated and had pea soup with crackers for supper. It was very tasty.

Around 7:00 AM, I was a bit hungry again, so had a wrap to tied me over. I enjoyed a scotch, and we started a fire. It was a good little fire for a couple of hours. Around 9:00 PM we put the fire out, and had our last potty break and then off to bed. Melissa seemed to sleep better than me. I heard the loons calling through the night.

Day 2 - Sawyer to Moccasin
4.9 km paddling
1185 m portaging

We were awake early, around 5:00 AM, but didn't get up until it started to get a bit brighter out. We packed up our sleeping bags etc. in the tent to kill a bit of time. Once it got a bit lighter out, we ventured out for our morning pee. We had oatmeal and coffee for breakfast (Melissa had hot Nestea drink instead of coffee). We rinsed our dishes, and tidied up the campsite gear. We packed the tent and tarps etc, and loaded the gear into the canoe.

We pushed off around 8:00 AM, and arrived at our portage at 8:10 AM. Whew! What a morning. Haha. We portaged the 550m into Jubilee Lake. I carried the canoe across in one trip, and Melissa took the barrel (hereafter known as the pig) ½ way, dropping it and going back for the bag. I picked up the pig, and Melissa took the bag the full trip. There were a couple of large muddy sections, but generally it wasn't too bad, until we hit the end at Jubilee. The entry was steep, and barely room for 1 canoe to fit in at shore. It was a narrow tight squeeze and the chances of upsetting were pretty good. We put the pig in and Melissa paddled it a little way down the shore, to a spot that was a tiny bit more open. It made it easier to put the other bag in, and for me to get in. Finally, around 9:00 AM we paddled off.

Jubilee Lake starts as a little pond, and then you paddle through a narrow channel. In this channel we scraped over a couple of rocks that were just under the surface, and with the angle of the light, we didn't see them until on top of them. We navigated around the rest as best we could, and made it out into the open lake. Jubilee is a horseshoe shaped lake. As we paddled out into it, the wind started a bit, but nothing too strong, but enough to be aware of. We didn't see anyone on this lake .. nobody camping or paddling. Given the shape of the lake, we were able to stay out of the wind for most of it hugging one shore or the other. We made the next portage around 9:30 AM.

Between Jubilee & Juan is a 450m portage. It started out very muddy, and slick, with the rain from the day before not helping us. We had to be careful, and as we went across, it didn't get any better. The majority of it was all mud and muck, and shin deep in places. This didn't help us when we came to a fairly steep hill. We managed to do it with some careful planning and foot placement. There were a couple of hills that made it challenging. I took the canoe all the way across and Melissa took the Pig first. As I was nearing the end, I heard the distinctive clang and crash of Melissa falling down with the barrel still on. I quickly finished with the canoe, and hustled back to help her. It seemed that she slipped and fell down on her knee, hitting a rock, and then rolling over on her back. She hurt herself, but nothing broken or sprained. Melissa wasn't so impressed with the trip at this point. We finished the portage, and then just sat and chilled at the end for a bit, discussing our options.

Around 10:30 AM we had recovered, loaded the canoe, and set off across the tiny Juan lake .. very shortly reaching the 180m portage into Moccasin. This carry was dry and up and down hill, but all in all not a bad one, especially after what we just did. At the end, around 11:00 AM we met 3 canoes coming off Moccasin. They were all younger, and too impatient to wait for us to finish loading the canoe and get out of their way. All three boats jammed into the take out as we were trying to load our canoe. I resisted the urge to dunk them or yell, and just went about our business, and shoved off.

We paddled through the narrow channel leading into the open lake, and made our way past the only 2 campsites on the lake. Both were empty, so we discussed our options depending on the next portage. After Melissa's fall, we didn't want to have a more serious mishap. The wind had picked up a bit, but was still at our back. We made our way to the Cranebill Lake portage, which was to be our last one of the day. Melissa spotted a deer on the shore at the portage. As soon as it spotted us, it took off into the woods. We scoped out the portage, and even though it is marked as a regular maintenance portage, it leads into a lake that is low maintenance campsite lake. The portage was clearly not used often and overgrown with grasses and ground cover. Since we wanted to avoid the risk of injury if Melissa fell again the same day, we opted to stay on Moccasin for the night. We paddled back to where the campsites were, tucked in behind an island and filtered some water, before grabbing one of the sites.

Moccasin Lake campsite on the north side.

Around noon we chose the site on the north as it looked like it would have the morning sun, and was fairly large with a good tent site. Based in information from some paddling sites and maps, it has a deer mouse problem. We figured that was not an issue for us, as we keep a very clean site, and the barrel would keep any mice out. We unloaded the canoe and pulled it up on shore for the night. Melissa wasn't feeling too well, with some upper stomach and lower chest pains, probably related to the fall she had on the portage earlier. We set up camp, and whipped up a few wraps, and flavoured drinks for lunch, which was great as I as quite hungry and thirsty.

Looking out over Moccasin Lake.

Melissa went and laid down for a bit, still not feeling 100%. I gathered some firewood, and watched a few groups paddle through the lake on their way to Misty Lake, etc. The sun was starting to come out now, and the wind was a bit stronger. A good time to be off the water for us novices. I decided to go for a swim, and came out with some leeches on me. As a result Melissa didn't swim, but just washed with a cloth from shore. She then laid down again and had a nap. I had a scotch, and watched a pair of loons fishing, right off our site. As long as I stayed still, they came quite close. It was beautiful. I caught up our journal, and around 3:40 PM Melissa got back up. We just hung out in the sun, and watched as the loons came back fishing still. We just chilled and hung out. Not portaging into Cranebill was a good idea for Melissa's sake. She was a bit sore all day after her fall.

Our visiting loons, fishing off our campsite.

We had cup a soup for supper, and some Maple Blueberry granola, and Melissa tried to get a few photos of the loons, but they were in the shade of the late afternoon sun, so the pics didn't turn out great, but she did get them. We watched a beaver swim past our site. As soon as he realized we were there, he dove and didn't pop up again until he was clear of us. We started a fire and kept it going until about 9:30 PM, letting us get just beyond sunset. We crawled into the tent for the night, and watched as the full moon began to rise, casting a lovely shadow of the maple leaves on the tent. It was great. We listened to the deer mice run around outside for a bit, but I wouldn't say they were an extreme nuisance or anything, just there in healthy numbers, but not overrun. We discussed our options for tomorrow depending on how Melissa felt, and the weather.

Greg the fire master .. a little twig fire to pass the time.

Day 3 - Moccasin to Home
9.6 km paddling
1495 m portaging

We had a lazy sleep in, not getting mobile until around 7:30 AM. We discussed again about just paddling out today, and decided to play it by ear once we got to Jubilee, which is where we were to spend our last night on this trip. The sun was shining, and it made for a great morning, lifting our spirits. We had banana breakfast bars and our hot drinks for breakfast. We packed up, taking time to put the tarp and fly out to dry in the morning sun before putting it away. By 9:15 AM we had loaded the canoe and pushed off. We filtered a bit of water, and made our way to the first portage into Juan.

We double carried the portage, as we were in no rush. On Juan, we passed 3 canoes heading to Moccasin. Around 10:00 AM we pulled out and started the 450m portage into Jubilee, which is where Melissa fell yesterday. What a difference that a day of no rain, and a bit of sun and drier air makes. The portage was still muddy, but the hills were not as slippery, and some of the flat spots were drier. This time I carried the canoe part way, and put it down, going back for the bag, as Melissa took the pig all the way across. I then dropped the bag for her at the canoe, and I took the canoe to the end and she took the bag the rest of the way. We made short work of the portage this time, and were shoving off around 10:40 AM.

Since it was so early, and would make for a long day hanging around on Jubilee, we decided to continue on and would paddle right out. This time there still were no sites occupied, but we still chose to go right through as it was so early. As we were nearing the west end of the lake around 10:55 AM I saw some movement in a marshy bay. We soon realized that it was a moose in the water feeding on the lily pads. We paddled over and watched her feeding and blowing bubbles in the water for about ½ hr. We took a few photos and a couple of movies of her before continuing on our way. It was very special, as this was a dream come true for Melissa to see a moose in the wild, not on the side of the highway, in the water feeding on the plants. To be able to see it from the canoe, and be all alone watching her was fantastic. We kept enough distance not to scare her. She knew we were there, and every once in a while she would look over at us and make sure we weren't doing anything stupid, and then she would go back to feeding. We loved it and took it all in. We carried on to the portage, this time missing all the hidden rocks, and unloaded around 11:20 AM.

Melissa and her dream moose.

We had learned from our earlier portages, so this time we each took a bag and left the canoe. Melissa had the pig, and I had the bag. She went right to the end and I went about ½ way. I dropped the bag in a spot so it would be easy for her to load it up, and then I went back for the canoe. I then took the canoe all the way across, and Melissa came back for the bag I left. This was faster than what we had done before. Near the end, with the canoe on my head, I caught a glimpse of a martin or fisher crossing the trail as I came around a curve. I didn't get a good look, but it was not a fox, and too big to be a squirrel, and was brownish coloured.

Happy Moose on Jubilee, munching on the water lilies.

Around noon we finished the carry, had a drink and loaded up the boat. We made short work of the paddle across Sawyer, passing a few boats spread out on their way to Jubilee for a couple of nights. It looked like a group of dads and sons, we told them about the moose and wished them a good trip.

We hit our last portage around 12:30 PM, and Melissa was sweet and took both packs, doing the trail twice, and I took the canoe. She took 1 pack, and hit the trail right away, while I secured the paddles and life jackets before following her. She was just starting her way back as I approached the end. Since I had some time to kill, I went for a little swim at the portage. When Melissa arrived, she laughed at me, but I convinced her to have a swim too. It felt great, and since we only had Rain Lake to cross, it would be like having a shower before driving home. It got the mud off our shoes and legs from the portages, and was very refreshing.

Around 1:15 PM we pushed off again, just as a couple of boats were arriving. The wind was picking up again now, so we had to plan our route. We saw a Hercules plane flying low over the treetops just south of us, maybe going over Islet Lake. We hid in the shadow of the island as long as we could, and then took the channel on the north side. It was a little bit of shelter before hitting the open middle of the lake. The wind was blowing roughly straight down the lake, making it a pretty good head wind for us. We aimed for a point on the north shore, as it appeared to be a bit more sheltered than the south side. We had to take the waves on a slight angle, to hit our target. Otherwise we would have to go straight down the middle and not have any chance for a rest. The bonus was that the wind obviously had just started to pick up, so the waves weren't too big yet, just the strong headwind. We rested in the lee on the north shore and then zig zaged though the narrow part of the west arm, taking advantage of little bits of shelter from the wind for a rest. It felt like a very long paddle.

We arrived at the access point around 2:30 PM, and we were both pretty tired. Even though it only took about 15 minutes longer this time than on day 1, the difference between having wind at our backs, versus in our face was huge. We unloaded the canoe, and began loading the car. We almost lost our canoe, leaving it on shore as we put the packs in the car, the wind caught it and it started to drift. Melissa spied it moving and ran to catch it before the wind got a good hold of it, and took it across the lake. Whew! We had a toast to a good 1st trip together, and chatted with 2 couples who had just arrived, with babies in diapers and dogs in tow. Good for them. They had a lovely Nova Scotia Duck Toller for a dog, and she was lovely. It is a breed we are considering for ourselves, so we had a chat with them about the breed, pros and cons.

We had the car loaded, and were on the road at 3:00 PM drinking the coke we left in the trunk for ourselves, and munching on Doritos and chocolate bars. We had a good trip, even with Melissa's wipe out, and we learned a lot. Next trip coming up is with our daughter, and we can't wait.