Eagle-Dogtooth Park Canoe Trip 2020
Following the success of our canoe trips on
the Stewart Lake Loop in 2017
and in Nopiming Park in 2018,
Sophie, Celeste and I again paddled with Aaron and Genevieve,
this time in Eagle-Dogtooth Provincial Park
(access through Rushing River Provincial Park)
on August 25-28, 2020.
The park is east of Kenora, with the familiar lakes, rivers, forests and granite of the Canadian shield.
Our route passed through Dogtooth Lake, Kilvert Lake, Bass Lake, Luke Lake, Hawk Lake, Little Dogtooth Lake, and back to Dogtooth Lake, covering over 40 km over four days. We attempted a more ambitious trip this year, and the kids were enthusiastic, with long days of paddling and several portages (all done is a single carry, with Sophie carrying the food barrel and paddles without pausing on any portage, include 1300m and 700m portages). We had excellent weather for the first three days, with sunshine, little wind, and few bugs. On our last day we had heavy rain during breakfast and while packing camp, followed by strong headwinds on our paddle out. Thanks Aaron once again for planning a great route for our group!
photo:
We make our way from Dogtooth Lake to Kilvert Lake on Day 1.
Unlike previous years in which all five of us fit in one canoe, we had two canoes, with a dad and kids in each.
We rented an 18' kevlar canoe from Wilderness Supply
which we picked up on the afternoon before our departure.
We left Winnipeg on Tuesday morning for a 2.5 hour drive to
Rushing River Provincial Park.
Due to having two canoes, the older kids needed to paddle full time this year.
After complaining about the duress of paddling for the first 20 minutes we were on the water,
the kids somehow accepted the physical requirements of the trip, and by
some welcome miracle there was almost no further complaining about the several hours of paddling required
every day. Sophie and Genevieve paddled 95% of the time. Sophie deserves credit for paddling (mostly)
happily while her younger sister Celeste spent the day relaxing in the sun in the middle seat of the canoe.
photo:
Celeste enjoys the sun during our lunch stop. The scrape on her knee was from a cycling fall prior to the canoe trip.
Our trip was free of injuries
other than scratches on Steph's torso from climbing a tree that was sparse on branches to retrieve a stuck
bear-proofing rope.
photo:
The kids sat by the water late into the evening at our campsite on Kilvert Lake on Day 1.
photo: Our tent site on Day 2 was next to a rocky cliff, on the only flat spot we
could find. We cooked lower down, next to nearby rapids.
photo:
Sophie and Celeste share the hammock at our campsite on Day 2.
This setup, on a twiggy sapling next to a rocky drop over the water is perhaps questionable,
despite its scenic location.
photo:
The kids did really well on the portages.
This portage on Day 3 shows the typical distribution of gear: Sophie carries the food barrel and paddles, Celeste
carries the day pack (water bottles, lunch and snacks, jackets, sunscreen, etc.), and Steph carries the
overnight camp pack and the canoe. Most portages on this loop were less overgrown than this photo suggests, and
we rarely had difficulty locating the trail.
photo:
snacks at the end of our first portage of the day on Day 3
photo: We had lunch on a small beach before our 1300m portage on Day 3.
All five of us were prepared for a challenging portage, which was easier and
required less time than expected, with a decent trail, more downhill than up,
and a dedicated team of hardworking sherpas!
photo:
Rain in the morning and a long paddle into headwind didn't deter these campers on Day 4!
