Wednesday 16th July

Crossed Mills Lake. For the first 2 hours it was like a mill pond before chopping up again. Had a snack at a rocky spot. Caught another fish. With my fishing licence costing US$40, I need to get my moneys worth!

Entered the river again, no more lakes, and found another decent campsite. Caught another fish. Hot and calm.
Tuesday 15th July

With less than 3 hours sleep, it was going to be a rough day, but a least the current had increased again. We had about 16km to get to Fort Providence where we stopped for two and a half hours. A friendly dog followed me for two hours and was sitting at the rivers edge when we left.

We paddled another 20kms before stopping on an island just before Mills Lake. And I proved my worth after catching a fish each and donating to the girls to cook. It was a good campsite!
Monday 14th July

Left the Great Slave Lake and entered the Mackenzie River. We were now on our final leg, 1800kms of it.

Our spirits were lifted by an increase in current. It felt good after having no help from the current. With another few kms we would be entering Beaver Lake. Another barrier in our way. We paddled for 25kms and stopping on another island before the big expanse of water.

The idea was was to camp early, try to get some sleep and then cross the lake at night when the wind dropped. By 8.30pm it was calm enough to do the big crossing. The lake opened onto a mill pond and was absolutely beautiful. We were headed toward the setting sun which occured about 11.30pm. The moon came up and the clouds and dying sun made the crossing magnificent. Certainly a highlight!!

We crossed the lake and arrived where the river narrowed at 3.30am. Although it was dark, we could still see. We crashed for few hours, and were up at 6.30am to face another day.

July 2008

Update for Sunday 13th July

Wind was still blowing when we left. It was cold and Alaine, who was in the front was becoming wet from the splash of the waves. It was hard work and our speed was down to 3 - 4 knots an hour.

Finally reached some water where 150 pelicans were floating and bobbing around. We found a camping spot on Island next to an old house. Lots of insects, but was okay after 7 hours of paddling. The girls had blisters and were a little sore. They paddled well.

Update for Sat 12th July

We finally left Hay River on calm conditions, although the forecast was supposed to be 20 knot winds. It was great to be in the water again and have the girls with us. The conversation might be a little better.

After a while we saw a canoeist chasing us. He was a local who wanted to know who we were.

We had calm conditions for about 3 hours. The lake was magnificent and the girls didn't know what all the fuss was about.

Then the wind suddenly picked up and we were headed into quite a rough time. The girls remained quiet. We managed about 23kms till we stopped and called it a day. We had paddled for about five and a half hours!!

Windy Weather

Friday 11th July

Unfortunately when we rechecked the weather this morning, there was a wind warning. So we will not travel today as the Lake is no place to be in windy conditions....this, Tony and I know from experience!!

Leonie's bag has finally arrived and she is now a much happier camper.

Whilst in Hay River, I've had the opportunity to update the Blog and there are many new details that I've added. You may want to revisit previous postings.

Suncor admits it wrongly evicted canoeists

Followup Article in Slade River Journal - Many thanks to SRJ for their kind permission to reproduce.

By GABRIEL ZARATE, SRJ Reporter 09.JUL.08

Two Australian campers evicted by a Suncor employee from an island in the middle of the Athabasca River should never have been bothered.

A spokesman for Suncor said the company “regrets the inconvenience” to the two Australian canoeists who were evicted from an island at 10:00 p.m. as they were about to go to sleep on an island just offshore of Suncor’s industrial operations.

“I think this is a case of good intentions misapplied,” said Brad Bellows of Suncor.

On June 20, Tony Chounding and Terry Bolland (featured last week in the SRJ as “Visitors of the Week”) were canoeing down the Athabasca, on a journey from Jasper National Park to Tuktoyaktuk. After a long day on the river they set up camp on a small island just upstream from the bridge linking Suncor facilities on both sides of the river. The two made supper and were about to go to sleep when a security guard using a blowhorn ordered them off the island. They protested, saying it was night and they did not know the river. But the Suncor employee would not listen.

Oilsands leases end at the banks of the river. Suncor had no legal right to evict the campers.
Asked why the action took place, Bellows explained the island was in the middle of an industrial site. “The foremost concern of our security people is the safety of our employees and the public,” he said.

Bellows indicated Suncor would review its security procedures to ensure recreational users of the river were not interfered with.

Thursday 10th July

The canoe has arrived but Leonie's missing bag hasn't.

Have finished last minute shopping and tonight we're busy packing with the hope of leaving Hay River paddling the lake and towards the MacKenzie River tomorrow.

We have two or three days on the lake to paddle before we reach the river. Fingers crossed the weather will be to our benefit.

We were invited by the Groenewegen family to join them for 'smokeys' (sausages) and coffee.

Wednesday 9th July

Today was a busy day, we spent all day shopping.......definitely not my favourite pass time, but shop I did. I called into Superior Sound to see if I could have the images from my digital camera uploaded onto a disk. Craig Kovatch very kindly took the time to do this for me, thanks Craig.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Stephen Prior of Freeway Communications in Abbotsford, BC for the personal time he took, to input and upload and register my SPOT messenger. The spot messenger has been a valuable way of giving our location to family and friends at home. I sincerely recommend this tool for anyone considering travelling into the wilderness.

Brett Murdoch from Valhalla Pure Outfitters, Abbotsford, BC for downloading all the maps onto my GPS, again impossible for me to do without a computer. I know it took a considerable time to do. Thank you Brett. The GPS with maps of the river has been another fantastic aid, which has made travelling along the river much easier.

Doug Swallow of Canoe North, Hay River NWT has also been a big help. We've had many an email from Doug answering Alaine and Leonie's questions over this past 9 months of planning. He has been very generous with his time and knowledge. Thanks Doug.

During our stay here at Hay River, we've met many friendly and helpful people who have been happy to share their knowledge and experiences of this vast area.

The hire canoe is still to arrive, as is Leonie's missing bag.

Back at Harbour House we began to pack the food into day packs, seemingly a never ending job. We're (well I am) worried that we wont be able to fit every thing into the canoe.

Tuesday July 8th

Alaine and Leonie have arrived. Tony and I met them at the airport, we had ridden on bikes lent to us from Harbour House. Alaine looked like she need some exercise so I got her to ride the bike back, it was only a 15 minute ride.


Unfortunately Leonie has one of her bags missing. It's one that has her paddle, sleeping bag, sleeping mattress, a few clothes (we're a bit tired of seeing her in the same top now) and a few other bits and pieces.