GGTBod's 2016 Solo Adirondack Canoe Camping Adventures

[GGTBod]

Well folks the metaphysical mountain of raw data is slowly getting eaten up, joyously to myself I am now editing up the solo part of my trip


Video number 1 is all about getting into the Five Ponds Wilderness

[video=youtube;tCTn_PClaRA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCTn_PClaRA[/video]

plenty more to come, I couldn't have got stuck into this new video at a better time, talk about therapeutic

As always full plain English subtitles are available in the video menu.


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All the best for the New Years you bunch of crazy bushwhackers, i am going to have a great year you should too

 

[bopdude]

I'll watch this later mate, subtitles though ?

 

[GGTBod]

I always add subtitles, it opens my content up to the world and people with hearing difficulties, I used to have a lot of Dutch and German friends and they all spoke amazing flawless English, but we all went to the cinema to watch Borat when i was in Belgium we all went to see it in English but they all insisted we go to the showing with the English subtitles, I couldn't help but ask why as they all spoke great English but they all said the subtitles ensured full understanding regarding slang and local terminology

 

[bopdude]

I always add subtitles, it opens my content up to the world and people with hearing difficulties, I used to have a lot of Dutch and German friends and they all spoke amazing flawless English, but we all went to the cinema to watch Borat when i was in Belgium we all went to see it in English but they all insisted we go to the showing with the English subtitles, I couldn't help but ask why as they all spoke great English but they all said the subtitles ensured full understanding regarding slang and local terminology

LOL, reminds me of Rab C Nessbit, when aired down South that has subtitles

 

[Robson Valley]

Rock, water & trees. There's so much of that in North America. You picked a fine campsite.
Looks so much like the Precambrian Shield country along the Churchill River in Saskatchewan where I lived for several summers.
Thanks for the memories and I'm really pleased that you had such a good time.

 

[GGTBod]

The simple things in life, it is a crime against yourself if your eyes have lost the joy of taking in real nature, once I emigrate to the US Alaska and Canada will be within adventuring reach, I have plans and dreams.

thanks for watching and giving the feedback gents

 

[Robson Valley]

Dig out a map of western Canada and find the Churchill River where it flows across central Saskatchewan.
On the water, it's really a connected chain of quite big and small lakes, substantial river current in all.
I only know from Black Bear Island Lake east (downstream) to Keg Falls.
It all pretty much looks like your video! You'd be happy there.
Lots of organized canoe tour trips but a couple levels below your solitary experience.

 

[GGTBod]

I love going solo into new places i've never been, i'm all maps and smiles all the way, the thought of someone leading me along sounds horrifying although i do like the side effect of a real good guide would have a wealth of local knowledge to share

 

[GGTBod]

Just been googling the Churchill River you could spend a few months going down that thing with just over 1600km of river, in nearly every pics i've looked at so far you can see the current in the water surface

 

[Robson Valley]

And they did. The Churchill was the major fur trading route across that part of Canada from the early 1700's.
The road past LaRonge didn't get north to the river until 1964(?) when they slid the bridge across the previous winter.
It crosses Otter Rapids, a few miles up from Missinippe village on Otter Lake. Many family fishing trips started there.
21' Chestnut freighter and a long shaft 18Hp (white man's paddle).

North and east of LaRonge is the community of Stanley Mission, one of the oldest settlements in Canada.
Paddle over to the church some day and sign the Guest Register, like I did.

I lived at the east end of Nipew Lake. It means dead. The fur traders brought smallpox that killed everybody.
About half way/6 miles up the lake is "payuk" (Cree for one/singular) an island where many bodies were left.
The only treeless, grass covered island that I have ever seen. Never set foot on it, either.
Still looking for my Kodachromes of those places.

 

[GGTBod]

I love getting rosey eyed and nostalgic about great times being a real human, my father thinks i am emigrating to join him as a professional carpenter, he doesn't realise i am perfecting my carpentry skills somewhat building a boat and buggering off in it

 

[Robson Valley]

You can still make your fortune building copies of the 21' Chestnut Freighter canoe.
Painted canvas covered cedar, 2 guys can portage, easy. They are extinct now.
That's 21' at the waterline, maybe 24', stem to stern. V-stern for a motor.
They are 5' wide, will hold a dead moose or a couple of 45 gal barrels of gas,
your woman, 3 kids and all your camp kit!

 

[GGTBod]

Everything a woodsman needs to fit in one i like the order too, the moose first, then the gas, if there is space after this the wife and kids can come too

 

[Robson Valley]

Didn't mean to do that, it just kinda slipped out.
Mark off 24' and 5' wide in the middle. Was my daily driver.

 

[GGTBod]

instinctive backwoods priorities, i'm sure your misses would not want to be home freezing cold waiting for the gas to arrive with a big moose carcass whilst you went back for the gas, that is if gas = heat and cooking n hot water etc

 

[Robson Valley]

Yeah but that's winter camp, wouldn't need the boat. There's no great rush to clean a frozen moose
except for the cats, wolverines and the Fisher/Mink/Marten crowd.
Snow machine eats the gas, couple of Coleman lanterns and the Coleman stove. Coleman gear lights at -40 C.

Most native families have 2 camps, depending on season. Winter camp could be almost in a swamp but close to the
rice and the winter garden veggies.

Best thing we got here now is that 3M finally came up with a Duck-Tape formulation which is useless above -10 C.
Man, is it sticky at -25 C.

 

[GGTBod]

See there is that good local knowledge I was talking about, you can't learnt that stuff without living it, where i live we think being cold is when it is 29f outside with a windchill factor of 26f (my weather now), not too hot, not too cold, we are like the Goldilocks people

 

[Robson Valley]

Come and visit next week and freeze your bottom off. Maybe -25 C daytime highs. I'm too old for the experiments but I got a big yard
with some shelter from the mountain winds. You could mess with a hot tent ( I have lots of wood) and scoot into the house if that doesn't work out.
Melt snow but don't boil it = you stir up the rock dust for gritty everything foods.

My partner gave me a new Carhartt winter coat. Doesn't look as worn as the old one that I've been wearing for 15+ years.
The new coat has the biggest, fattest brass zipper that I have ever seen! Humungous!
Man, but Carhartt is windproof. The most serious winter wear that Canada can offer. Oil Drilling Rigs at -50 C = no problem.
Gotta be careful not to get it crapped up too quickly. Swapping truck batteries at -20C in the dark was kinda messy for me.