July 2013 - 2 Week Canoe Trip Around North Basin of Gods Lake

After school concluded on June 27, I loaded the canoe for a 2 week canoe trip exploring the northern basin of Gods Lake, as well as some back country lakes.  The kids at school know about my canoe trips, and several of them volunteered to help me carry my gear from the teacherage to the canoe.

This was a challenging trip, as the north basin can get quite rough, and there are large expanses of open water, where islands offer no protection to the 16' canoe.

                                          Route of canoe trip

On the first night, I camped on an island near "the secret spot".  It is a local hot spot for adolescent lake trout.  The lake trout stack up on the edge of a drop off in front of a bay.  Here, I met one of the owners of Healey's Lodge.  He showed me how to fish the secret spot and offered some advice as to where to go on my canoe trip.  He told me that I should go to Gods River on the North end of the lake.  So, after a supper of fresh lake trout, walleye, and beans, I looked at the map and plotted my course.

                                          Calm evening at camp

The lake was like glass the next day.  Here was my chance to cross the lake.  I followed a string of islands north east and camped on an island when the wind began to increase.  The next day, I made it to Gods River.  It is a small community located on the shore at the mouth of the river.  The houses are lined up along the shore of the lake - what a view!  The river itself is crystal clear.  There is a lodge located at the first set of rapids upriver.  Gods River is famous for its large brook trout.  Hopefully, next year I will canoe down Gods River to Hudson Bay.

I then paddled south to Elk Island.  Elk Island is a large island, and home to Elk Island lodge and a defunct gold mine.  Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to visit either this trip, as the wind was against me both times I visited the island.
 

                                          East end of Elk Island

I ventured to the east end of the lake and to east end lodge.  There used to be a Hudson Bay trading post here, and the old log cabins are presently used as accommodations for guests.  Here, I met the owner and staff and was treated to a cold Pepsi and tasty snack.  The lodge is located above a sandy beach overlooking the lake.

                                          Old Hudson Bay post cabins at east end lodge


Then, I ventured west and down into Knife River Bay, and up the Knife River.  The Knife River is a shallow river.  Although there is a portage along the river, I was able to walk up the river tied to my canoe most of the river until a steep set of rapids.  Here, I cooked up a great shore lunch!

                                          Shore lunch on Knife River

 After moving upstream the Knife River, I crossed Knife Lake and bushwacked a portage into Chateway Lake.  The school operates a cabin here for the outdoor education program.  Chateway Lake is a nice lake.  It is full of islands, the water has a nice blue colour, and is full of lake trout.  During my stay here, I built a table and bench, finished cutting out the windows, brushed around the cabin with the machete, and explored the lake.

                                        Chateway Lake cabin

                                          Inside the cabin
 

On my final push home, I crossed Chateway Lake to the portage.  I could not rope down this creek, as it was too shallow, shallow, and rocky.  I made my way back along the shore back home.  What a fantastic trip!!  Gods Lake is aptly named, as it is very beautiful here!!

June 2013 - Canoe Trip around the Southern Basin of Gods Lake

Things are starting to wind down at the school.  Preparing students for exams, finalizing attendance reports, getting ready for the grade 9 graduation, etc.  It has been a learning curve, but all is going well.

The school provides a teacherage beside the school for teachers.  There are 2 rows of 1-BR apartments, and 2 duplexes of 2-BR apartments.    It is very convenient to live here.

They also provide canoes for staff to use.  Since ice-out was late this year, I have been taking advantage of the canoes by going camping during the weekends.  My last trip was a circumnavigation of the southern basin of Gods Lake.

Gods Lake is the 7th largest lake in Manitoba.  It is a large, deep lake, with parts of the lake over 150 metres deep.  The lake is divided into two basins by the narrows:  the larger, deeper northern basin, and the smaller, shallower southern basin.

                                          Map of Gods Lake

It was a four day trip, as Aboriginal day was a holiday here.  The weather was pretty calm during the trip, except for the second day.   

                                          Map of canoe route

The first stop was the Wasachuan River.  The river is located on the western edge of the reserve.  There are several cabins there, but all are vandalized.  It is easy to see why they selected this area as part of the reserve, because the river is literally full of walleye.   You can catch them one after the other.  This river is a favorite of the locals.  Boats are stopped by the first set of rapids, but there is a short portage that takes you above the rapids and finally into Touchwood Lake.  Hopefully, I will get in there next year.

The second day, I traveled from Wasachuan to Kanuchuan River at the very southern tip of the lake.  It was windy that day, but luckily it was a north wind that blew me into the southern bay.  This river is much faster than the Wasachuan, with steeper, wider rapids.  This river is the closest river to town that has brook trout.  There is an old tractor trail on the west end of the river that used to take you to the generating station for the Elk Island gold mine that used to be in operation on Elk Island in God's Lake in the 1940s.  Elk Island is in the north basin of the lake!!!!  The old tractor is still there, parked by the entrance to the trail.  The generating station is still there, but I could not find it.  A reason for a return visit.  

 

The third day was ideal canoeing weather, as the lake was like glass most of the day.  

I decided to make the best of it by exploring the southern part of the lake.  The southern part of the lake is different from the rest of the lake because it is made up of mostly glacial till - sand, clay, gravel, rubble, cobble, eskers.  In the northern part of the lake (including God's Lake Narrows), it is mostly smooth rock and large boulders.  There are many stretches of sandy beaches along the southern basin shoreline - ideal places to take a pit stop.  

                                          Long sandy beach

                                          Fish fry

I paddled to a small island in Father's Fishing Bay.  It was a great site, as I could look over the southern basin from a smooth rock perched above the lake.  The full moon made an appearance before the storm clouds rolled in.  The wind picked up overnight, but it did not rain.  I awoke to a glass lake again and paddled home.

                                          Relaxing in Father's Fishing Bay

June 2013 - Gods Lake Narrows 

Gods Lake Narrows is spread out over a large area.  On the mainland is the reserve, and on the island is the Metis community.  Healey's Lodge, the Northern Store, and the RCMP building is located on the island, while the school is located on the reserve.  It is about a 30 minute walk on the road to the Northern store from the school, while maybe a 10-12 minute walk across the lake.

A recent bridge between the mainland and island facilitates commerce and travel within the community.  The bridge is single lane.  There is an unusually high number of vehicles in this community.  Due to the cost of air travel and freight, the winter roads play an important role in this community.

                                          The Narrows 

                                         The bridge across the narrows


Gods Lake Narrows has many remnants of the past.  The old Hudson Bay post is now the site of Healey's Lodge.  It is an old log building located near the lakeshore.  

                                          Healey's Lodge

Next door to the lodge is the Northern store.  Having the store on the lake shore is both convenient and bothersome.  It is easy to access from the lake.   However, it is at the end of a dead end road.  With a large amount of vehicles in the community, coming in and out by vehicle requires some skillful driving when the store is busy.  

The store carries a variety of groceries and merchandise, as well as the post office.  While some healthy foods are subsidized by the government, prices are generally expensive.  Bananas are $4.75/kg, a 2L of Coke is about $10-12, a large bag of chips is $5.  Meat prices are expensive.  I haven't bought any meat there yet, as I eat a lot of fish.    I will put up some pictures inside the store land more prices later.

                                          View from the front of the Northern store

May 2013 - Gods Lake Narrows First Nation School

After practicum at Gillam School, I drove to Dauphin, unpacked the truck, packed my backpack, took the bus to Winnipeg, and flew to Gods Lake Narrows, MB to start my new job as science/math teacher at Gods Lake First Nation School.

Gods Lake Narrows is a community about 550 km NE of Winnipeg located on a granite constriction in the middle of Gods Lake.  It is a remote community with daily flights from/to Winnipeg and Thompson and a winter road to Thompson.    

Gods Lake School is a K-9 school, with about 350 students and 20 teachers.  It used to be a K-12 school with Frontier School Division, but became locally controlled around 1994.  The school is situated on a granite rise overlooking the east side of the narrows.

                                          View from the front of the school looking onto Gods Lake.

My room is the science room.  The science room is in the middle of the school.  It is a large room with vaulted ceilings.  There is lots of counter space, one side with sinks.  We now have one tap working, although several sinks are hooked up.  This spring, I have put in an interactive white board and computer lab in the room.  It is slowly becoming a real science room.

                                         View from the front of the science room. 

                                         View from the back of the science room.