Coppermine River - 2015 - Sony RX100 III
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Getting started at Russel Lake.
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Very silty water on Russel Lake. Less so on the northern end of Slemon Lake.
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Shield country.
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Where the heck is the portage trail?
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Here
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Some say that discretion is the better part of valour. Certainly a consoling thought after my retreat.
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Canada’s maze of waterways.
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About to land on Point Lake.
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Peterson's Point Lake Lodge. Very nice people!
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Point Lake entering into Red Rock Lake.
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Not too many flat camp spots without any shrubs.
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Red Rock of Red Rock Lake.
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No fish into or onto my canoe.
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Lake trout caught trailing a spoon.
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Fast food - hard to beat!
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The first trouble on the Coppermine. This year with a low water level.
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Island camp. I like the idea of bears having to swim to my tent. Hoping they may not want to. Likely a false believe but providing a good sleep.
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Some may think there are too many pictures of clouds in my collections. But clouds - especially in the featureless Barrenlands are more than often the most pleasing feature to the traveller's eye.
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All of a sudden around the corner in the middle of nowhere: a plane from Plummers fishing lodge.
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No escape from rules.
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Entrance to Rocky Defile.
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Chasm of Rocky Defile from up the hill.
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Hinterland around Rocky Defile.
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Up the Kendall River.
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With many sections where paddling was not possible. Either too fast a current, too shallow, too rocky or all of it combined.
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Most of the time even lining was no option. Wading was the only way to go.
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And not an awful lot of nice camp sites like this one here.
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One of the few large animals on this trip. He knew I was sitting quite close but was not bothered for some 30 minutes feeding on water plants. More than a 70mm lens was not at hand. But a good set of binoculars.
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And even the smaller animals were rather fearless.
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Old hands - old style - retracing George M. Douglas' expedition from 1911/12. Bob and Bob on their 54th day. A little pressed with only a few days left for the remaining kilometres to Kugluktuk.
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Finally - after 3 days up the creek: calm water. The outflow of the Dismal Lakes into the Kendall River.
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Dismal Lake #1 of 3 with Mt. Teshierpi.
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Looking down onto the Dismal Lakes #1 and #2 from Mt. Teshierpi. With the Teshierpi River flowing in from the right. In the far distance on the very right is the outflow into the Kendall River.
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Still on Mt. Teshierpi. Looking at the other shore line.
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Heralding fall
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Glacier Cove from Mt. Teshierpi.
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Area above Glacier Cove. Pretty much where George Mellis Douglas spent some time on their 1911/12 expedition.
map by G. M. Douglas
From landsforlorn.org courtesy of Robert S. Hildebrand
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Exposed camp site on the hill. A good idea with bugs around. A bad idea when winds are picking up.
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Looking towards the 3rd of the Dismal Lakes with Mt. Teshierpi on the left.
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Very nice country. Very pleasant to stroll around
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Camp site still on the hill with Mt. Teshierpi in the back
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No reason yet to pitch the cooking tent.
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A crater lake?
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Glacier Cove proper.
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Exploring the Coppermine Mts. to the north.
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Surprisingly large trees.
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Wondering "who" and "when".
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Tent rings.
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Looking towards the 3rd of the Dismal Lakes.
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Still clambering around.
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The Barrenlands.
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Looking at the junction between 1st and 2nd of the Dismal Lakes.
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Fabulous Northern skys.
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"We spent a few days on the north side of the middle Dismal Lake
attempting to investigate the country to the north. "Glacier Cove" we
called our camp ; it was right under a steep gravel hill, with hills to protect
us on either side. A level space lay between us and the lake, a regular floor
of fine hard gravel covered with a carpet of short thick moss, of all beautiful
shades of red. It was a snug camp, and among the hills behind us there were
lots of dead spruce for fire-wood. This is the only place where spruce occurs
on the Dismal Lakes, except at the extreme eastern and western ends." Excerpt from Lands forlorn by George Mellis Douglas.
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Windbound and more than happy about my cooking tent.
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A warm tent, hot soup and time aplenty.
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Now - with the flow: still tricky but way more pleasant.
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No volcano ash layer but caribou hair for many miles along the sides of both shores.
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A particularly nasty corner on my way up.
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Back to the short canyon section on the Kendall River.
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This Arctic Char came in second after I felt that the small grayling should have a companion in the fry pan. Good thing: Black Feather passed by with their group soon after to help on too much fish for one person.
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Onwards!
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Plenty of food and time are allowing for another hike. This time into the September Mountains.
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Looking upstream at the area shortly after leaving the Kendall River.
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Eskers are the way to go.
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Not the wetlands.
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Too many pictures of clouds? Having a look at the cloud appreciation society’s website may change your mind.
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One of the few miserable days.
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Red lentils with corned beef and dried eggs.
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On the esker above Muskox Rapids.
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Looking upstream from the very same esker.
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Muskox Rapids.
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Copper?
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Rice pudding with lots of Ghee.
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Lunch for the next day and supper for an immediate feast.
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Still Muskox Rapids with faint green tents to the right.
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Edible?
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Adept or perish.
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Long stretches of fast flowing water with the occasional boulder to be aware of.
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Approaching Escape Rapids
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Bloody Falls
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Looking back.
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Wilderness 2.0
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The face behind the camera.
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The final rapid of Bloody Falls (in low water year).
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Last camp before the big smoke.
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Coronation Gulf ahead.
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View out onto Coronation Gulf.
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A little later.
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The obstruction in-between the waters course (left of centre) is Bloody Falls.
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