“I stood on the rocky shoreline in awe of the beauty and
immenseness of Lac LaRonge. It was
raining and the temp. was 40 F when we arrived on its shore in late May 2002. Nine
of us women traveled 3 days by bus to get there. This place, LaRonge,
Saskatchewan, Canada, would be our trailhead. From here, we paddled canoes filled with over 500+ pounds of food,
tents, and gear across expansive lakes, rivers (the kind that are slow and
meandering and others that offered class-4 and 5 whitewater), and tributaries
that would take us across the beautiful taiga and arctic tundra. The enormity
of the water was humbling. Our
journey would take 55 days.
As we paddled north into the tundra, the conifer trees that
were so plentiful became shorter and then non-existent. However, while the tundra at
first glance appears stark and desolate, it is abundant with vibrant life. The ecology was astounding. I just had to slow down and notice (this
would be one of many lessons along the way). The archipelagos were teaming with
small flowers and low-growing brush, grasses, off-the-chart gorgeous mosses and
lichen, and my all-time favorite – Cloud Berries. Also, there were times when
we’d be paddling along side the land and it was teaming with thousands of
caribou that were making an annual migration.
When we reached the Thlewiaza River inlet that would take us
onto Hudson Bay, seals greeted and interacted with us. This was an awesome moment and it was
also anxiety producing because where there are seals, there are polar bears. Paddle quickly ladies, I thought to
myself.
Once on the Hudson Bay, it would take us 5 more days to
reach our destination, Arviat, a small Inuit community. The first couple days on the Bay were
spent trying to figure out the tide schedule. We paddled when
the tide was in. And, when the
tide was out, we portaged all of our gear and canoes in order to keep moving; it
was August and summer was fading. At
night we slept in makeshift “canoe tents” that sat atop large soft clumps of
seaweed on the bottom of the Bay.
We knew when the tide came in because our canoes would start to
float. We’d pack up our sleeping
gear, grab a snack, and paddle by moonlight.”
The summary above consists of excerpts taken from the diary I kept while co-leading this trip. Every once in a while, when I need some extra courage, I re-read some of the passages written by a younger me. I’m reminded that I already possess the strength and determination required to take on the challenges that are ahead.
I’ve always had a deep connection to nature.
While it is not the Canadian wilderness, my love of the West Central WI
countryside is no less profound. I enter the next stage of my life as a humble
steward and student. I have no
idea how to get organic tomato seeds to germinate, what specific cover crops make the most sense for our small farm, or how to apply permaculture
principles, like building Swales in order to conserve water. But, I will. I look forward to, once again, being challenged everyday by
the complexity of nature.
BrewWife
