Rip My Canoe Kit apart

[Joe tahkahikew]

J

Maybe my English isn't my 1st language and maybe I'm not as good as expressing myself like you but I can say that I have had no intention of mocking anyone regardless of what their equipment. All I hope i've said is that the people i see on the norther rivers carry more equipment than us much of which we have no need for. So I also don't understand your comment regarding my tone. But no bother I've explained.

2. Throw lines we don't use or have. We do have rope when we need to rope a canoe up or down river. When I've guided europeans and canadians if they capsize it is mostly in rapids. The rivers I've been on guiding have very long sections of rapids where you could not use throw line. No where to stop, too many snags/trees/boulders. But I am aware that they are common on smaller rivers amongst none Dene recreational paddlers. I've seen them used on the Petawawa which is small river.

3. I did not know you had big rivers 7 miles wide thats bigger than most of ours. where is such a river? (I'll get one of our volunteers to find me a video of a river up here and she can put it on line.) maybe that is better than I can explain.

4. I have difficulty explaining about 1st aid. To us there is nothing much we'd need one for. Small cuts and the like are we normally get. I guess if someone broke a leg we'd have to bring him out of the bush. I agree with your point that a big injury would be fatal. But I guess people die also in England with accidents. I've seen no fatal accidents here aside from a builder working on a roof of a office building.

5. To me a bush/bow saw already has a saw blade.

Joe

I hope this is the right tone.

 

[mrcharly]

Miscommunication there - the uk has some rivers several - not 7 - miles wide.

Some of the UK rivers look smallish - only 50-60 yards across. But they get tidal currents and tidal waves (we call them tidal bores or 'augers') up to 40miles inland. These waves can travel at incredible speeds and are very powerful, they are not like ocean waves. I've seen them catch a tied up boat and rip cleats clean through a 4mm steel deck. So a lot of the time the river is very calm and placid, almost no current. Then without warning it becomes extremely dangerous.

I think I learned paddling in rivers more similar to yours (without the cold water). That was in Australia. Fast flowing stretches, sometimes through trees, then deep calm sections. Rivers like those are less common in the UK, trees tend to be cleared away by floods or by man from the rivers.

 

[bearbait]

I used to do a lot of sailing: coastal, offshore and ocean. I never wore a pfd (lifejacket) at sea but I did wear a safety harness at some times (night, or serious sea state) to prevent doing over the side.

However, I always wore a lifejacket when going ashore in the dinghy from wherever anchored, day or night.

Can you swim though?

Yes.

Perhaps I should (have) add(ed) that I always wear a PFD in a canoe or kayak or (sailing or other) dinghy, on the sea, estuary or river.

 

[Robson Valley]

The 21' Chestnut freighter canoe is a cedar wooden boat covered with painted canvas.
That's 21' at the water line, 60" wide at most and maybe 23-24' stem to stern, both of which are well out of the water.
The V-stern and the 18Hp motor gave us lots of time to work on chores while travelling.
They don't make them any more. But lots of Google pictures of restorations.
Dry after winter storage, I'll guess 175 - 180 lbs. Not hard for 2 guys to portage.
Flipped over and the skin dried, scraped/torn leaky place can be slopped up with carpenter's glue for a quick fix.
If I was travelling and not trying to work out of a boat all day long, 16' would be roomy for everything.

 

[bloodline]

Thanks for posting Joe, your trips sound great, enjoy many more, I have a great respect and admiration for your people,

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

One of our rivers further north snakes its way through the treeline in June, snow still covers some ground.

More wolves, bears, muskox,caribou and other critters live here than people. This river is too small to have a name in English.

Here a couple of hundred miles maybe from nearest settlement on james/hudson bay to east. Only way out is paddling.

 

[Janne]

Wonderful!
What fish do you catch there?

 

[dewi]

One of our rivers further north snakes its way through the treeline in June, snow still covers some ground.

More wolves, bears, muskox,caribou and other critters live here than people. This river is too small to have a name in English.

Here a couple of hundred miles maybe from nearest settlement on james/hudson bay to east. Only way out is paddling.

I've just realised that we've banged on about pfds etc, but nobody has asked what you do if you did capsize Joe... it must have happened at some point? You said your gear isn't strapped in, but is it wrapped up or attached to something that floats?

Could I ask as well, and I realise this might sound bizarre, but when you're in fairly open country like the river pictured, do you ever hunt from the canoe?

 

[Robson Valley]

How big is your boat? How deep is the water? Any current? How far from home are you?
White man's rules are useless on the river as you can see.

Absolom's boys banged a moose in a swamp, maybe 15' of water or more. They had 14' canoes.
They came to ask for help. We got the swamp donkey tied to our 21' Chestnut so it wouldn't sink
and the boys spent the rest of the day roping us to shore.
On land, it was their deal.
We got some fresh meat the next day, that was really nice.
You don't expect a share, you just help out. They all knew we had a food cache for months to come.
They didn't.
Joe: you can fill in the blanks.

 

[The Cumbrian]

Good morning Joe.

If you're wearing leather boots for the paddling and portages how do you take care of them? When I first started paddling I ruined a good pair of boots with the repeated wetting / drying on a much shorter trip than yours. Ever since then I've worn synthetic shoes in the canoe which can withstand the wet / dry cycle much better (or to be more realistic over here in the UK, wet - partially dry - wet again - dry - stay wet for a few days - partially dry - dry them off at home).

Cheers, Michael.

 

[sunndog]

Could I ask as well, and I realise this might sound bizarre, but when you're in fairly open country like the river pictured, do you ever hunt from the canoe?

A non-opportunistic hunter is often a hungry hunter

 

[dewi]

A non-opportunistic hunter is often a hungry hunter

True, but I got to thinking with the distances they must travel, if the opportunity arose would they take it? Interested if they did hunt from the canoe how it happens if that makes sense.

 

[mrcharly]

A river like the one pictured, with open banks - I think trolling for fish would be more productive.

 

[Robson Valley]

Given the landscape, I'd go ashore with a .22cal for rabbits and grouse.

I wonder what fish are there. Species-specific holding habitat might dictate where and how to fish.
It seems in northern Canada that 95% of the fish are in 5% of the water.
What would you like to eat for lunch?

Some kinds of our local salmonids (Bull trout & Dolly Varden) hold in such specific places that if you don't catch it in 10 minutes, move on.
There will be a new fish in that location tomorrow.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

Wonderful!
What fish do you catch there?

The further north the less species. This river like many around the tree line hold only Lake Trout. (Yes, they live in rivers!) Small ones around five pounds to around twenty pounds. Easy for anyone to catch with spinner. We sometimes net them in winter under the ice.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

I've just realised that we've banged on about pfds etc, but nobody has asked what you do if you did capsize Joe... it must have happened at some point? You said your gear isn't strapped in, but is it wrapped up or attached to something that floats?

Could I ask as well, and I realise this might sound bizarre, but when you're in fairly open country like the river pictured, do you ever hunt from the canoe?

I've only fallen in once, swamped a couple of times but many years ago. I guess I was brought up to be in a canoe from early age, so as long as you are careful and only paddle in rapids you know you or/and your partner can handle you stay in the canoe. I guess we get better as we get older.

Like in the film I posted the link to, if we are just paddling around on easier water then nothing is tied in. If we travel with lots of gear such as taking stuff to a cabin or summer camp we wrap our gear up like big parcels in canvas or some use plastic sheets and tied up with rope. This floats!! Wrap it up tight and dont capsize i't doesn't get wet. Its easier this way I think if you need to portage as there is less carrying.

If we guide we use bags like Duluth packs, with waterproof liners because we don't need to carry as much equipment.

Do I hunt from the canoe? Only for loons, duck or small game. If you shoot stuff in rapids it may get away from you and may loose it. The problem with shooting game from the canoe is you may not be in a position to retrieve things like caribou if you can't get to the bank where he is. Its harder to hit stuff with a rifle from a moving canoe too! And birds on the rivers are often breeding in summer on rivers or lakes so we avoid doing this.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

A non-opportunistic hunter is often a hungry hunter

yes you are right sundog but a better hunter is one who plans where and when he goes for game.

 

[Joe tahkahikew]

Given the landscape, I'd go ashore with a .22cal for rabbits and grouse.

I wonder what fish are there. Species-specific holding habitat might dictate where and how to fish.
It seems in northern Canada that 95% of the fish are in 5% of the water.
What would you like to eat for lunch?

Some kinds of our local salmonids (Bull trout & Dolly Varden) hold in such specific places that if you don't catch it in 10 minutes, move on.
There will be a new fish in that location tomorrow.

Rivers south of the treeline hold more species like northern pike, pickerel too and many whitefish, which we'll eat fresh but if we are out for larger game we don't generally stop to cook food as we would end up taking more kit and it just slows things up. In winter it is often too cold to stop anyhow and daylight is short.

I hope this makes sense.

 

[Robson Valley]

Makes sense. I like to eat lots of fish. You get any char or grayling in there?
Pickerel is wonderful (we call them walleye in the west).

I've got mountains east and west of my place. Last Dec 21/solstice, sun went behind the west range at 1:52PM.