Well, with the beginning of October, paddling season is officially over. However, we are enjoying a very nice Indian Summer, so if it’s particularly nice one day and you really want to go for a paddle, you can still give us a call. Until the ice starts forming! Then we all have to wait for spring!

Even once it’s too cold for paddling and all the water is frozen over, keep checking this blog throughout the winter. I have lots of ideas for blog articles that I’ll be writing up into posts. I’m also working on getting an RSS feed going and a really nice gallery of all the pictures I’ve taken! So stay tuned! And also make sure to check out this new page with comparisons of our local rivers and lakes to get you thinking about next year!

Cliffs along the Peace River

Well, I took Saturday, Sunday and Monday to finish the big trip on the Peace River I started in July, from Peace River (the town) to Fort Vermilion. I started at Tompkins landing, just a few metres from where I had finished about 5 weeks before. One major difference this time was that I didn’t have to dodge (or be aware of the comings and goings of) the ferry. The water level is so low, the ferry is anchored on the east side and not running at all. This means that all vehicle traffic has to drive to La Crete and Fort Vermilion the long way, through High Level. I definitely noticed the increased road traffic across the Vermilion bridge… but I’m getting ahead of myself.

The trip went really well! It’s about 136 km, and I didn’t push myself the first day, going only 34 km. Remember, my goal in the original trip was 50 km/day, which I held to, which would have meant a slightly shorter leg of only 43 km on the third day. This isn’t how it went, though! I did 34 on the first day, as I said, 49 on the second day, and 53 on the third. Whew!

I had nice weather on all days, and generally felt like I was really picking up from where I’d left off. Except that it was a bit cooler now. I had almost all the same equipment, except I added a collapsible bucket but forgot to bring a facecloth or towel, which meant I didn’t really need the bucket! I really missed the facecloth and towel, and I’m not sure how I forgot them. I was a little less strict about my list, since much of the stuff was still packed in dry bags and simply had to be reclosed. Obviously I had to pack clothes again, and I brought a few more items — a wool sweater for example, which I wore on the morning of the third day. I hadn’t packed warm gloves, which I also wished for, since it was a little breezy and cool on the evening of the second day.

I found some really unique spots to camp this time, so I was very happy about that. The first night, for example, I camped beside a dirt-quad trail, thinking it probably never got used. Nope. I had 5 horses and one quad pass by me, twice. Once on the way down to the water and again on the way back. I thought I might get trampled by one horse who was very skittish. It seemed she could smell me, but since I was in my tent (I went to bed early that night), she couldn’t see me, and instead only saw an odd blue cube (what would a tent look like to a horse?)! So I popped my head out and said “hi” but this didn’t calm her much! Now I was a disembodied head sticking out of an odd blue cube!

I knew this trip would be less remote than other sections I’d done, but this was more company that I’d expected!

The second night I had no visitors at all, as I was much farther from any roads or trails. I took a chance down a narrow channel between an island and the shore and found a great little spot, albeit a bit lacking in wind protection. I learned patience while I sat and held up a thick drybag as a windbreak for the cookstove — and yes, a watched pot will eventually boil! Supper was very tasty that night, perhaps because I was a little more tired. As I breezed by Atlas Landing on the second day, I think the people fishing and relaxing there must have wondered about me… I didn’t stop, just came very close, took a GPS point, said “hi…. yes, I’m on my way to Fort… I’ll arrive tomorrow. Have a nice day!”

The third day was the toughie. Not just because it was the farthest, and not even the slowest current, but somehow it was the toughest. I think my body was getting very tired and I was fighting a cold. I ate a Mars bar for energy at one point and immediately felt my throat get sore — not a good sign! I tried to stay hydrated, but I think I got a little dehydrated too. You really have to be very careful about this! Although I found Gatorade helpful in the first part of my trip, I think the sugar wasn’t helping my impending sore throat. I have found that sugary and fizzy drinks give me a sore throat even when I’m not overdoing it by paddling 53 km in one day! I was also surprised by how tired I was since I even paddled 60 km one day on the first trip (mind you, I was pretty toast after that).

The scenery along this reach is lovely as always. Many of the islands show more erosion than deposition, which was interesting. They had steep cliffs showing layers instead of the long, gradual slopes. The water level was so low, there were sand bars showing — really, it was the river bed — beside some of these steep cliffs. It was weird to see! I mean, a long, gradual slope just shows more when the water is low! But when it’s a cliff, it makes an “L” shape, and you can see the base of the “L!” So besides discovering all the shallow spots, sand bars, and gravel bars, I even got to see the actual river bed.

The BEST part about paddling at this time of year is the birds! I saw — no exaggerating — over 1000 sandhill cranes fly over me, and about 200 Canada geese migrating. I scared no less than 1000 Canada geese on the shores near Blumenort, but they didn’t start migrating. They just made a big ruckus, honking away, then flew around in circles or flew a little ways behind me and settled back again on the beach. I guess they weren’t quite ready for their Big Trip. Overall, I bet I scared 2000 geese from along the shores (even though I never got very close)! By the way, the photo at left is Sandhill cranes, who fly very high and make wonderful “cooo cooo” noises that sound like they are gargling at the same time. Sometimes you can only hear them and can’t find them, they’re so high and so small. They’re very large birds, and quite a sight to see in large numbers! A friend and I saw a few hundred in a field about 2 weeks ago, and that was amazing too!

At long last, I saw the bridge that crosses the river, a lovely sight indeed. And truck after truck crossing it (remember, the ferry’s not running). I hope more than a few drivers looked out their windows, saw me and thought “man, that looks relaxing! I need a vacation!” I like to work hard, but I’m very much in favour of vacations! Perhaps instead they thought “geez, that person looks tired! She’s hardly paddling at all!” Um, ya, well, you would be too! I got a little extra wind (so to speak) after the bridge and paddled the glassy water to the welcome sign. How many villages do you know that have a welcome sign on their river? Then just a couple more km to the dock and I was done!

That’s all to report for now! I am still planning on doing the upstream reach of the Peace, from Hudson’s Hope (or thereabouts) to the town of Peace River. That’s about 375 km, which I was going to do in 7 days, but I might stretch it out a bit. The days are getting noticeably shorter (the sun sets at 9:15 pm now) and I think I’d like to try a more moderate pace of 30 km/day, with more time for exploring and campfire building! So, that’ll add up to about 805 km on the Peace — not quite half its length, actually. In case you think I’m

a) crazy,
b) nuts, or
c) bonkers

let me explain that I’m not just doing this to

a) be able to brag about how far I went this summer on my arms (the geese have me beat!), or
b) to have the most incredible core muscles ever (you should see me twist)!

I actually have really good reasons! They are

a) to have first-hand knowledge of the river so that when you rent a boat from us, we can really tell you what to expect, where you might like to camp, and some neat spots to explore, and
b) to write a Paddling the Peace guide for GeoTourism Canada (which you’ll all be able to download for free next spring), and
c) to write another book about all that I’ve learned on these long solo trips. Find out more about my first book here.

So there you have it. I am not nuts. I eat nuts. Then again, you are what you eat…

Canada Geese

rescued dragonfly

Shadows on shore

I always blink for photos!

Fort V Bridge

I’ve been listening to my audio notes from my Peace River expedition from a few weeks ago, and it reminded me of the awesome serenity I experienced while out there on my own in the wilderness. So I’ve decided to have a 3-day “Spirit Paddle” on the Peace River, from Friday, Sept 3 to Sunday, Sept 5 (allowing everyone time to travel home on Labour Day Monday).

It’s no coincidence that the trip will be on the Peace River. It’s such a beautiful river to paddle. We’ll start in the town of Peace River and paddle to Sunny Valley, about 90 km downstream. We’ll paddle about 30 km (19 miles) each day, which is more than just floating, but not a strenuous day’s paddle. Expect to see plenty of wildlife, such as deer, moose, elk, beavers, eagles, and many other types of birds. There are bears and wolves in this area as well, but there is less chance of seeing any of them.

There is spectacular scenery along this part of the Peace River (all of it, actually)! The river has carved a path for itself out of the shale and sandstone, creating spectacular cliffs and revealing fossils. We’ll stop in a few spots to do a little rockhounding along the shore. We’ll see oil and gas exploration sites, including a patch of dead forest where an abandoned well once burned for many years! The valley is beautiful and although we might see a few motorboats and cottages, we’ll be quite alone. There are more remote sections of the Peace, but my intuition said to paddle this section.

The website with more details is here! Please use the contact us form to express your interest or ask any questions you may have.

Welcome to High Level, Little League Teams!

High Level is happy to be hosting the Little League Prairie Championship Tournament! Coaches, you will be given packages of information about the special Canoe Parties we are offering to you and your teams at the coaches meeting Wednesday morning. If you have any questions, please call us at 780-926-2649, and if you have a special request, such as a shorter or longer paddling time, a special start time, or any other change to the canoe party package. We are very flexible and we don’t mind short-notice requests!

Canoe and kayaks are also available for rent to accompanying adults — just call us and we’ll get you set up!

Looking forward to seeing you at the lake!

Mother Nature just doesn’t always cooperate with our plans, does she?!? Unfortunately, we will have to cancel the Full Moon Paddling event tonight, as the weather is still just too hit-and-miss for clouds, wind and rain. We had a canoe party today despite the weather, and it went quite well although we did get rained on a little. For the night time paddling, with all this cloud, we just won’t have enough light to paddle by without twilight and moonlight. Not to mention that it’s always cooler in the evening anyway.

So, we’ll have to wait til next month! Tuesday night, August 24 is the next scheduled Full Moon Paddling Night. If you are interested in paddling another evening, just call us!

Some of you have been following Teresa’s progress on her solo kayak expedition from Peace River to Fort Vermilion (especially using the map). I am happy to report that she is doing great.

Teresa has been averaging 46 km per day, which was her goal, and she has been on the water for 6 days and 5 nights. (Today is the sixth day.) She made her fifth camp just before Carcajou, and though I thought she would be reaching Tompkins Landing by this evening, she appears to have had a slow day today, going half as far as previous days. I will be able to catch up with her at Tompkins tomorrow, then, by driving down to meet her.

Regarding her trip, today I received a wonderful phone call from a helicopter friend of ours. He had been in Peace River this week, so yesterday, as he headed back north to High Level, he swung over the Peace River estimating where he thought Teresa would be. Sure enough, he found her. He put down on a gravel beach and was able to chat with her for a minute. He said he had no food on board, but he was able to give her some nice, cool juice boxes.

It sure is nice to have friends in high places! And I appreciated hearing that she was doing well.

Hi! This is Darren. I’ll be updating you on Teresa’s progress as she travels by kayak from the town of Peace River to Fort Vermilion on the mighty Peace River.

She started her solo kayak expedition on Thursday morning at 11:11 MDT from the beautiful River Front Park in the town of Peace River. We managed to get all of her gear and supplies for the next 9 days into the 17′ Prijon Kodiak. So far, the weather has been warm and sunny.

Since Teresa has the SPOT GPS device with her, we can know that she’s safe and the progress that she’s making, including where she’s been camping every night. Feel free to explore the following map of where she is. Be sure to try the Satellite view and the Topo view on the map.

On Thursday, I start my big river journey — downstream on the Peace River from the town of Peace River (which used to be called Peace River Crossing, which I feel like calling it so I don’t have to always say “town of” to avoid confusion) all the way to Fort Vermilion. This is the package that we offer, either in an 8-day or 10-day version. I’m giving myself 9 days, which means I have to cover 48 km per day. I am pretty excited — most of my food is packed, clothes are all in a pile, and gear is coming together too. Tomorrow we drive to the Crossing, and then Thursday I shove off!

Darren, who is not coming with me, will be updating this blog so you can all track where I am. I’ll be using the SPOT device, of course, so you’ll know I’m okay! If you would like to receive every update, please let Darren know and he can add you to the SPOT list.

On another note, I just found a friend’s photos on Panoramio, and he has some nice aerial photos of the Vermilion Chutes! They don’t look too scary from the air, but don’t EVER try to shoot them in a boat. I’ve heard there might be spots at certain water levels that allow them to be passed safely, but I would never take that chance! I feel much better telling you NOT to try. Your canoe may survive the trip, but if you are thrown out, the circulation under the falls can drown you. So, you must follow the south shore and keep a keen eye out for the portage trail. If you’re interested in paddling this section of the Peace, give us a call and we’ll chat about it and see if we can help in any way. (Keep reading after the photo.)

What a great photo! And if any of you worried… these rapids and chutes are about 80 km downstream from Fort Vermilion and I won’t be going that far! I’ll stop at Fort after 433 km — that’s far enough, I think! I will get picked up early if I am running late, because…

On Saturday, July 17th, we are hosting our first canoe races at Hutch Lake!

Come to Hutch Lake (30 km north of High Level) between 11 am and noon to register in either men’s doubles, women’s doubles, or mixed team. It costs $80 to race (per boat) and 100% of the fees go to the winners (50% to first place, 30% to second place and 30% to third place). You can register in 2 races if you like (one mixed, the other not). We are working with the Hutch Lake cottagers to put this event on, and it’s bound to be a lot of fun!

If you’re interested in racing but need a boat, we will be there renting boats for this day — call us to book it ahead of time! It will cost $20/race. Have a look at our canoes page to see which one you’re interested in.

Have you ever dreamed of going on an expedition? Do stories of men who ski to the north pole or climb Mount Everest catch your imagination? Stories of explorers and far away lands have always sparked something within us!

Have you ever thought of retracing Sir Alexander Mackenzie’s historic voyageur route? In 1789, he led a group of voyageurs and natives to look for a river leading to the Pacific; instead, they followed a massive river flowing north to the arctic ocean, later named the Mackenzie River after him.

I really cannot imagine paddling down a river, truly not knowing where it leads. When I am on the water, I often refer to my maps to see what islands or river confluences are coming up, and I certainly know where I’ll end up in 2-3 days’ time. Not so with the early explorers; when Mackenzie left the Great Slave Lake, he only knew the river they were on flowed west, for the time being. When it curved North and didn’t resume its westerly flow, he realized it wouldn’t lead to the Pacific, but he didn’t know where it would lead. It was only when they noticed tidal fluctuations in the water level near their camp that they knew they were near the Arctic Ocean. After this journey, he returned to England to improve his skills with the navigational instruments of the day, to obtain better latitude and longitude measurements.

In 1792, he tried again, this time following the Peace River upstream to Fort Fork, located near the present-day town of Peace River, to spend the winter. In spring of 1793, he and his crew of 9 made the push upstream again, eventually over the continental divide, downstream and overland to an inlet of the Pacific Ocean.

There’s no question that paddling the Peace River is a chance to retrace history… to follow in the footsteps and paddle-strokes of explorers, fur traders, aboriginal people, entrepreneurs and men of vision. It’s length is epic; it can take a month to paddle the full length, although Mackenzie and his contemporaries paddled it much faster than that. They made their entire return trip in 30 days, from the Pacific to Fort Chipewyan, which included 450 km (280 miles) of hiking. Once they reached the end of that very long portage, they covered 1380 km (860 miles) of water in 24 days — an average of 58 km/day (36 miles/day), including portages!

We offer two packages with much more relaxed pace — 8-day and 10-day paddling packages for one 430-km section (267 miles), from the town of Peace River to one of Alberta’s first communities, Fort Vermilion. Check this page for details on this unguided trip. (Photo at left is the highway bridge near Fort Vermilion.)

If you are interested in paddling this historic waterway, with or without our paddling package, we’d be happy to help in any way, either by supplying equipment, sharing local knowledge, or by picking you up at the end. When you’re on the water, it’s very reassuring to know that someone will be waving on the shore when you reach your destination!

Happy Canada Day!

In hot weather, especially with high humidity, you can lose a great deal of body fluid through exercise. This can lead to a variety of heat-related illnesses, including heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Heat challenge is a combination of a number of external heat factors. Balanced against this heat challenge is your body’s methods of heat loss (passive and active). When the heat challenge is greater than heat loss (positive factors), you are at risk for a heat-related injury. In order to reduce the risk, you need to either decrease the heat challenge or increase your heat loss. Maintaining proper fluid balance is a central part of exercising in a heat challenge.

Heat Challenge—Negative Factors
* Temperature
* Exercise
* Humidity (see Heat Index below)
* Body wetness from sweating, rain, or water
* Wind (see Windchill Index)

Passive Heat Loss—Positive Factors
* Body size/shape—your surface-to-volume ratio affects how quickly you lose heat
* Insulation—type of clothing affects how you lose heat
* Body fat—amount of body fat affects how quickly you lose heat
* Shell/Core Response—allows the body shell to act as a thermal barrier

Active Heat Loss—Positive Factors
* Radiant heat from the body
* Sweating—ability to sweat is limited by fluid levels and level of fitness
* Wind (see Windchill Index)

The Heat Index

Ambient temperature is not the only factor in creating the potential for heat injuries; humidity is also important. Since our bodies rely on the evaporation of sweat as a major method of cooling, high humidity reduces our ability to evaporate sweat and cool the body, increasing the risk of heat illnesses. The Heat Index shows the relative effects of temperature and humidity.

Heat Index

Caution: This chart provides guidelines for assessing the potential severity of heat stress. Individual reactions to heat will vary. Heat illnesses can occur at lower temperature than indicated on this chart. Exposure to full sunshine can increase values up to 15° F.

Heat illnesses are the result of elevated body temperatures due to an inability to dissipate the body’s heat and/or a decreased fluid level. Always remember that mild heat illnesses have the potential of becoming life-threatening emergencies if not treated properly.

Heat Cramps

Heat cramps are a form of muscle cramp brought on by exertion and insufficient salt.

Treatment

Replace salt and fluid and stretch the muscle. Kneading and pounding the muscle is less effective than stretching and probably contributes to residual soreness.

Heat Syncope

Heat syncope (fainting) is a mild form of heat illness that results from physical exertion in a hot environment. In an effort to increase heat loss, the blood vessels in the skin dilate to such an extent that blood flow to the brain is reduced, resulting in symptoms of faintness, dizziness, headache, increased pulse rate, restlessness, nausea, vomiting, and possibly even a brief loss of consciousness. Inadequate fluid replacement that leads to dehydration contributes significantly to this problem.

Treatment

Heat syncope should be treated as fainting. The person should lie or sit down, preferably in the shade or in a cool environment. Elevate the feet and give fluids, particularly those containing salt (commercial rehydration mix or 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda per quart or liter). The patient should not engage in vigorous activity at least for the rest of that day. Only after she has completely restored her body fluids and salt and has a normal urinary output should exercise in a hot environment be resumed, and then cautiously.

Heat Exhaustion

This occurs when fluid losses from sweating and respiration are greater than internal fluid reserves (volume depletion). Heat exhaustion is really a form of volume shock. The lack of fluid causes the body to constrict blood vessels, especially in the arms and legs. To understand heat exhaustion, think of a car with a radiator leak pulling a trailer up a mountain pass. There is not enough fluid in the system to cool off the engine, so the car overheats. Adding fluid solves the problem. The signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion are:

* Sweating
* Skin—pale, clammy (from peripheral vasoconstriction)
* Pulse rate increased
* Respiration rate increased
* Temperature normal or slightly elevated
* Urine output decreased
* Patient feels weak, dizzy, thirsty, “sick,” anxious
* Nausea and vomiting (from decreased circulation in the stomach)

Treatment

Victims of heat exhaustion must be properly rehydrated and must be very careful about resuming physical activity (it is best to see a physician before doing so). Treatment is as described for heat syncope, but the person should be more conservative about resuming physical activity to give the body a chance to recover. Have the person rest (lying down) in the shade. Replace fluid with a water-salt solution (commercial rehydration mix or 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda per quart or liter). Drink slowly; drinking too much, too fast very often causes nausea and vomiting.

Evacuation is not usually necessary. Heat exhaustion can become heatstroke if not properly treated. A victim of heat exhaustion should be closely monitored to make sure that her temperature does not go above 103° F (39° C). If it does, treat the person for heatstroke.

Heatstroke

Heatstroke is an immediate life-threatening medical emergency. A victim can die within minutes if not properly treated. Heatstroke is caused by an increase in the body’s core temperature. Core temperatures over 105° F (41° C) can lead to death. The rate of onset of heatstroke depends on the individual’s fluid status. To understand heatstroke, think of that same car pulling a trailer up a mountain pass on a hot day. This time the radiator has plenty of fluid, but the heat challenge of the engine combined with the external temperature is too much. The engine can’t get rid of the heat fast enough and the engine overheats.

There are two types of heatstroke—fluid depleted (slow onset) and fluid intact (fast onset).

* Fluid depleted: The person has heat exhaustion due to fluid loss from sweating and/or inadequate fluid replacement, but continues to function in a heat challenge situation. Ultimately, the lack of fluid minimizes the body’s active heat-loss capabilities to such an extent that the internal core temperature begins to rise. Example: a cyclist on a hot day with limited water.
* Fluid intact: The person is under an extreme heat challenge. The heat challenge overwhelms the body’s active heat-loss mechanisms even though the fluid level is sufficient. This typically has a very fast onset. Example: a cyclist pushing hard on a 104° F day (40° C).

Signs and Symptoms of Heatstroke

The key to identifying heatstroke is hot skin. Some victims may have hot dry skin; others may have hot wet skin because they have just moved from heat exhaustion to heatstroke. Also look for:

* Pale skin (Peripheral vasoconstriction)
* Increased pulse rate
* Increased respiratory rate
* Decreased urine output
* Increased temperature (may be over 105° F/41° C)—skin hot to the touch
* Skin that is wet or dry and flushed
* Severe changes in mental status and motor/sensory changes; the person may become comatose; possibility of seizures
* Pupils that are dilated and unresponsive to light

Treatment

Efforts to reduce body temperature must begin immediately! Move the patient (gently) to a cooler spot or shade the victim. Remove clothing. Pour water on the extremities and fan the person to increase air circulation and evaporation, or cover the extremities with cool wet cloths and fan the patient. Immersion in cool (not cold) water is also useful. Cooling extremities should be massaged vigorously to help propel the cooled blood back into the core.

After the temperature has been reduced to 102° F (39° C), active cooling should be reduced to avoid hypothermia (if shivering begins, it produces more heat). The patient must be monitored closely to make sure her temperature does not increase again. She will probably need fluids regardless of the type of onset. Apply basic life support (CPR) if needed. Afterward, there can be serious medical problems. Prepare to evacuate your patient.

From Teresa: I don’t normally copy web content, but this is so well-written and as I am not an expert in the medical field, I chose to do so for this article. Many thanks again to the Princeton Outdoor Action which took material from The Backpacker’s Field Manual.