Post by fraserdw on Apr 5, 2011 13:34:46 GMT -5
From Canadian Army Journal Vol 13 1959. Rockingham came up from Officer Cadet in WW2 to General, he commanded Canadian's contingent to Korea in that war.
LES VOYAGEURS - 1958
By MAJOR-GENERAL J.M. ROCKINGHAM, CB, CBE, DSO, ED, GENERAL OFFICER COMMANDING, QUEBEC COMMAND, MONTREAL, QUE.
Recognized as a sport for soldiers, skiing to some extent has replaced horseback riding, but I believe that canoeing is another sport which practises and develops the abilities which a good soldier must have. For this reason, and because I enjoy it, I have written this article in the hope that more soldiers will try this sport. In these days of highly scientific development, our means of travel are generally accepted to be aircraft, diesel trains and fast cars with high-power engines. How often, as you fly, ride in a train or drive across Canada in a car, do you think of the ways in which the pioneers who have developed this vast country have travelled over it? In the prairie and open country, travel was by wagon drawn by teams of horses or oxen, but the waterways provided the principle means of travel across huge areas of the country. The rivers and lakes are virtually a highway for explorers and traders. Apart from the hazard of hostile Indians, there were many problems of transportation by water, including rapids and portages. Conflicting logistic requirements forced the early travellers to develop a boat which would travel in rough river water and big lakes and survive the high waves of rushing rapids, but at the same time the boat and all the equipment had to be light enough to portage. Hence a variety of canoes was developed. To study these difficulties and to return to more basic means of transportation, the modern Canadian can under take a canoe trip. It is about such a trip that this article is written a 230-mile journey which I and three companions made last summer from Ile ... la Crosse on the Churchill River to Waterways at the junction of Clearwater and Athabaska Rivers. This route was followed by Alexander Mackenzie, Thompson and many other explorers and traders, and it became part of the highway of the voyageurs buying furs in Western Canada and moving them to Montreal. It is, of course, only a small portion of the route followed by those early travellers.
The first problem, as it always has been, is to accumulate the supplies and equipment necessary to undertake such a voyage. Our canvas-covered cedar canoes could be a lot more efficient than the birch-bark canoe of the earlier voyageur, but not too different in weight and performance. Canned and dehydrated food would survive the journey better than the salt pork and other foods used by the pioneers, and which were not protected from insects and the elements. Maps, although on a rather small scale, were available and would be more accurate than those, if any, carried by those other voyageurs. Nevertheless, the means of propelling the equipment through the water and over the portages might be a little inferior as the result of the softness of the modern man acquired through his close acquaintance with office chairs, padded seats of airplanes, trains and automobiles. To "keep face" with the voyageurs, the trip would be undertaken without any power plant, other than the human one, and without re-supplying except in places where the voyageurs were able to do it. The list of supplies which appears at the end of this article was drawn up from previous experience of similar parties during similar trips, including one undertaken the year before when three of the four canoes used had been left at Waterways in Alberta, near the junction of the Clearwater and Athabaska Rivers. To accommodate the four persons making the 1958 expedition, two of these canoes were moved by the Hudson's Bay Company to Ile ... la Crosse on the Churchill River, Saskatchewan, about 200 miles north of Prince Albert. The HBC also accumulated the required supplies at the same place. The party consisted of Major-General N. Elliot Rodger, formerly Vice Chief of the General Staff and now retired from the Canadian Army, and Mr. Eric Morse of the Association of the Canadian Clubs, veterans of the routes of the voyageurs. The two newcomers were Arthur Maybee, a Toronto businessman, and myself. The other three were able to be at Ile ... la Crosse to start the 230-mile journey on the afternoon of August the 6th, but owing to other commitments I was not able to arrive on the Churchill River until the morning of the 7th. After obtaining supplies, checking the canoes and making other preparations, the three decided to start off up-stream, travelling north west up the Aubichon Arm, from Ile ... la Crosse. They covered about seven miles that night and had done another couple of miles when I landed beside them the next morning at 0930 hours aboard a float-equipped Otter aircraft. My absence made it necessary for one man to paddle, by himself, a canoe loaded with about 250 lb. of equipment and supplies. If for no other reason, they were therefore pleased to see me. From the air, I had noticed that there was a following wind and suspected that we would take full advantage of it for the day's paddling. I also noticed a flock of white birds around a green boat four miles upstream, and I judged them to be seagulls. A rapid transfer was made from the Otter to the canoe and we were under way in about 20 minutes. Much to my amazement, the white birds I had seen earlier turned out to be pelicans, and the green boat to be that of some Indians who were netting fish to feed their mink. These animals had been placed in crude pens on the river bank.
The awkward-looking pelican appears to have some difficulty with his take-off, even when his capacious bill is not filled with fish. He uses his webbed feet in a running motion on the water, and there is a great flapping of the wings. However, in flight he is a very graceful bird. We examined the Indians' net and discovered that they were catching pike, pickerel, tullabee (similar to the Winnipeg goldeye) and a few whitefish. Apparently, the nets had been heavily laden the day before and had drifted to the surface. The heat of the sun had caused many of the fish to decay. The Indians were discarding those they did not want, and the pelicans were having a rare feast. The Indians had very little English, but said "No good" as they threw fish away. It would be interesting to know just how bad fish would have to be before mink would not eat them. The following wind was lending considerable speed to our progress, as the current opposing us was very gentle, and by 12.30 we had done close to 15 miles. Our lunching spot was on the south bank of the river on a nice sandy beach. You will realize that there are considerable organization and supply problems to solve to supply such an expedition, but also there are others which make canoeing a particularly suitable sport for soldiers. The time-and-space problem is an important one. Usually, the trip must commence on a certain date and must end at a fairly exact time on another date, necessitated by transportation arrangements at the end of the journey. Normally, trips such as this end in a fairly remote part of the country where transportation is infrequent, either by air or train, and in this case we had to catch the weekly Canadian Pacific Airlines plane from Fort McMurray on Saturday, the 16th of August. The exact timings and requisite distances have to be planned and maintained from day to day in order to arrive on time. In this case, 230 miles had to be covered within 10 days. Other characteristics which a soldier must possess are required also for canoeing, and most important among these, I would think, is physical fitness and endurance. Eight to ten hours of paddling a day require both. On this trip, there was an added physical hazard: "atrophy" of the legs. Not until the seventh day of the trip were we to do any walking, except from the bank of the river to our camp-site, but on the seventh we were faced with a very stiff portage of 13 miles, carrying 100-pound loads.
A good soldier requires nerve, good judgment and keen powers of observation. All these senses are required in shooting rapids, because the canoeist must have a steady nerve to position his craft properly in the rapid and shoot through patches of rough water which unexpectedly appear. He needs powers of observation to detect the rocks which lurk below the swift water and which would tear the bottom of his canoe if struck at the high speed attained in rapid- shooting. His reactions must be quick if he is to avoid these rocks. A variety of drills, not unlike battle drills, are worked out for the canoeist, and thus on this first day at noon the drills began to appear without any particular instruction from anybody in our party. General Rodger had been appointed bourgeois and cook. This meant that he was a very special person and had to be looked after by the rest of the party. We paddled all the morning until five minutes to each hour, and we then would have a "pipe". As I was the only smoker in the party, the others spent their five minutes chewing candy or bits of chocolate, or adjusting their gear. All of us lay back on the packs on our backs in the canoe and put our feet up to ease the strain caused by paddling. On starting to paddle after the five-minute "pipe", we usually changed from the side on which we had been paddling, and strangely enough this was almost like a rest in itself. In addition, a man would paddle in the bow position or the stern position for an afternoon and a morning and then change to the other position in the canoe. Thus, no paddler was in the same position every evening when he was becoming tired. Another drill, simple but effective, is that the wet paddle is never brought into the canoe without twirling it on the gunwhales with the flat of the hand to rid it of surplus water. Each position in the canoe had a piece of old towelling which was used for bailing water shipped in by the waves or rapids and which served to pre vent the bottom of the packs from getting wet. An additional insurance against wetting the bottom of the packs was to place a number of sticks under them so they were raised about two inches above the bottom of the canoe.
The lunch-time drills consisted of the cook removing the food pack from the canoe, spreading out a poncho and unpacking the food. While Art Maybee, who was appointed barman and general provider of liquid refreshments, filled containers with fresh water to make a drink of dehydrated lemonade, etc., either Eric Morse or myself would carve slices of bologna from the end of our three-foot sausage, and the other one would get out the butter and jam and spread the bread. Anyone not immediately required for the preparation of lunch would usually be employed in adjusting loads in the canoe or effecting minor repairs to the equipment. Depending on the progress which had been made up to lunch time, the "break" would be anywhere from one-half hour to one hour, and, in the latter case, would give an opportunity for a bit of shut-eye or exploration in search of artifacts. The evening routine was somewhat different. Usually the bourgeois (General Rodger) and myself would seek a camp spot, and believe me the experienced canoeist is very fussy on this subject. He wants a level place for pitching tents and and a good landing for the canoes where they can easily be unloaded and put up on the beach to dry in the night. He wants a dry camp place; he wants a breeze to keep the mosquitoes away; he wants a good view and he wants stones to make a fireplace, as well as firewood to burn in it, and he would like a place to swim before going to bed! As soon as the place was selected, the bourgeois and I would go ashore, light a fire and unload the canoe. When the second canoe arrived, Eric Morse and I would pitch the tents, while the bourgeois and the other member of the party, Art Maybee, would start to cook the supper. Usually, all these activities would finish about the same time and Art Maybee, the bartender, would have our issue of rum (two ounces) ready for the preprandial drink. One really felt that one had earned it by this time. Ten or more hours of paddling and a rather light lunch made two ounces of rum quite sufficient. Then the big meal would commence, usually consisting of dehydrated soup, fish or ham, bacon or bully beef. Sometimes they would be made into a sort of stew and would always be accompanied by a variety of dehydrated vegetables, such as beans, carrots, onions and always potatoes. We found that we, too, became dehydrated during the day. With the hot sun and considerable physical exertion, the body evaporates its liquid quickly and, therefore, the most satisfying meals were those which contained more liquid than one would normally choose.
In each canoe there were plastic cups, usually tied to one of the thwarts for scooping up water for the paddlers to drink, but during the day one's thirst never seemed to be satisfied, and it was only after the sun had gone down and when the heavy exercise had stopped that this thirst could be quenched. Soldiers who have fought in Korea in the summer or in other hot countries will remember that this has always been the case. When the supper was finished and the dishes washed, time was practically your own. If you had enough energy left, you could fish, take photographs or search for artifacts. I found that the back-bending involved in paddling and the stooping while pitching tents, gathering wood, etc., was very tiring on my back, and I made a contribution to the well-being of the expedition by propping the canoes on their sides while the preparation of food and cleaning was going on. Besides, the canoes made convenient tables on which to wash and shave. Although the insects are bad in this part of the country, the repellents are so efficient that when they were used no one ever got bitten. The only trouble with them is that they remove paint and varnish from the paddles. The paddle to a canoeist is something like a horseman's saddle or a soldier's rifle. His very existence and progress depend entirely on the paddle, and he holds it in his hands for many, many hours each day. Naturally, the lighter the paddle, the less tiring it is to use all day, but on the other hand, in the rapids, it has to be strong enough to stand the paddler's full weight against a rock in emergencies. Each canoe carries a spare paddle in case one is broken and, in my case, I used a white spruce paddle all the time, except in the rapids when I used a spare one made of maple and twice the weight of the spruce paddle. The edge of a paddle becomes frayed from its continual immersion in the water, and periodic contact with rock, gravel and weeds. This lowers the efficiency of the paddle and most canoeists will trim it with a knife or sand it so that its movement in and out of the water is as smooth as possible.
This particular trip could be divided into three broad challenges. The first consisted of paddling across big open lakes and on this trip we crossed Peter Pond Lake which is about 30 miles long, 30 miles wide and without any islands. The obstacle here, of course, consisted of wind and waves, and we had a real dose of these. At one period, almost every second wave was coming in over the bow of the canoe which, of course, slowed the progress as the wind and waves were head-on. We actually paddled eight and one-half hours into a straight head-wind without a break and covered only about 20 miles. The basic speed in still water and no wind is four miles an hour, so you can appreciate the effect the wind has on the distance travelled. The next division of this trip could be called "up-river travelling" and, in this case, we paddled up the Methy River for a distance of about 24 miles. When rapids are encountered going up- stream, there are two choices: one is to portage and the other is to drag the canoe up the rapids. If the water is shallow enough and the ascent not too steep, it is much easier to drag the canoe up the rapids. It can be done either by pulling the canoe with your hands or walking on the bank, dragging it with a rope. In the Methy River the bush grows right over the water. So we waded and dragged the canoe with us. As a result of much experience, my companions had selected basketball boots for this purpose. They protect the ankles from bruising on the rocks, give a good footing and dry quickly. As soon as the rapids were negotiated and comparatively calm water reached again, paddling was resumed until it was necessary to drag the canoe once more. The third obstacle on our trip was the 13-mile Methy portage which crosses the height of land between the MacKenzie Basin and the Hudson Bay watershed. This is an unusually long portage and, although the going was good, the canoe-carrying proved very tiring. Like my companions, I, too, wore basketball boots. Because of the erect position in which one must walk with a 100-pound canoe on the shoulders, I found that there was a heavy impact on my feet. Being an Infanteer and accustomed to much marching, I was surprised to find that my arches suffered badly; this was caused, I presume, by the basketball boots. We found that a seven-minute carry of the canoe and then a change was the best. With a five-minute rest in each hour, we were covering about 2‹ miles in the hour. In other words, three changes would represent a mile.
The next phase of the trip was down-stream paddling with many rapids. This, of course, is the thrilling and exciting part and much mileage can be covered if there are not too many portages or if the portages are short. As an example, we did 50 miles in one day down the Clearwater River. The negotiation of the rapids produces another "battle drill". The man astern is the strategist and the man in the bow is the tactician. The stern paddler decides and announces what his course will be through the rapids and the bow paddler watches for rocks and, to avoid them, makes quick pushing or pulling movements with his paddle to influence the direction of the bow. This requires good team-work and a fair amount of practice. All the equipment must be tied in or the crew will go very hungry and be without shelter in the case of an upset. The particular thing to avoid is crossing the current at a sharp angle because, naturally, the canoe makes considerable leeway in the fast current and if it strikes a rock while drifting sideways, it will turn over so quickly that the paddlers are in the water before they know what has happened. This was exactly the experience General Rodger and I had. Because it was late at night and we were getting over-confident, we ran a rapid with a bend in it without stopping at the bend to examine the lower part of the rapid, and found ourselves faced with a four-foot drop preceded by very fast water. We decided to cross to our left to a small break in the drop, but struck a rock. As we were drifting sideways, we were dumped in the waters right on the very brink of the fall.
The drill on these occasions is to grasp the canoe so as to stabilize one's body to prevent heads from hitting rocks in the turbulent water. We both did this and went over the fall with the canoe over our heads, but both surfaced before our breath was exhausted. I was badly scratched on the right arm, shoulder and hip during the tumble over the fall and General Rodger was too, but to a lesser degree. We negotiated the canoe to the bank of the river, still in very fast, white water, and examined the damage. Our cameras were both enclosed in water-tight bags and were undamaged. The rye-crisp was no longer crisp and some of our dehydrated foods were no longer dehydrated. The bedrolls and most of our clothing were wet, but the sun was shining and it looked as though it would be a fine evening. General Rodger had taken his boots off and was drying them on the top of his pack and, naturally, lost them when we capsized. He also lost his poncho. I lost the top of my rain-suit, we both lost our maps and that was all of importance. The canoe was slightly damaged and leaked thereafter, but not seriously.
The moral of this story is to try always to keep the canoe as closely parallel to the current as possible, particularly in the very fast water. Incidentally, we nearly lost the spare paddle, but I managed to catch it just as I surfaced. The only people we saw were those at the Hudson's Bay Company posts, except for Indians. On one occasion, three boat-loads of Indians, one of them towing a canoe, came up to us as we were eating our supper on the bank of the Methy River. Each one had an outboard engine of pretty ancient vintage and all his worldly goods, squaw and family. They were puzzled because the four of us could not raise enough money to buy an outboard engine. We tried to explain that we were paddling for fun, but they obviously thought us mad. It was, however, rather interesting to see that two days later, as we camped for the evening on Methy Lake, within sight of La Loche, that all three boat-loads of Indians were behind us. They were members of the Chipewyan tribe and were fine-looking people. Canoeing is a very pleasant way to travel. Lots of air and sunshine, of course, and one sees everything at such a modest speed. The silent progress is both restful for the nerves and one is able to see much more wild-life than by any other means of travel. Of course its greatest advantage is that one can always carry the canoe over land and other obstacles. We found that the sitting position tired the back tremendously, and relief from this was obtained by paddling in the kneeling position from time to time. Also an air-cushion to sit or kneel on is a great help. I wore gloves for one day, when I found small signs of blisters beginning to appear. They were canvas gloves with leather palms. The next day the blister threat had passed and I was able to paddle with bare hands. It was a satisfying experience and gave us a look at the way in which the country was developed by our early explorers and traders. I often wished that I could have seen all the people who must have travelled this way before us. This year we hope to do an other piece of the route.
GENERAL EQUIPMENT REQUIRED FOR FOUR MEN WITH TWO CANOES
Covering 2 two-man tents 2 ponchos 1 large ground sheet
Carrying 6 Duluth packs (large) 1 basket pack (for breakables) 2 40-oz polythene bottles (for rum)
Canoes 2 yokes 2 spare paddles repair kit
Miscellaneous Maps and air photos (1 set) 2 compasses rope (for lining up rapids) first aid kit binoculars insect repellent and sun lotion
Cooking and Eating Cooking set for 4 cooking and eating utensils cups and plates 2 small axes cooking grill and cover matches canvas pot-covers plastic food containers scouring pads, dish towels sealers for butter and grease oven mitt
PERSONAL EQUIPMENT SUGGESTED FOR EACH MAN
Clothing Jeans or heavy khaki ducks shorts under-shorts 2 heavy shifts 1 pr heavy-soled basketball boots 1 pr mocassins (or canvas shoes) 2 pr heavy socks sweater plastic rain suit pyjamas (rayon or silk will make it easier to turn over in a sleeping bag) canvas hat or cap handkerchiefs belt
Bedding sleeping bag air mattress pillow slip
Miscellaneous flashlight extra bulb, batteries light reading (soft paper) light, large-bladed paddle
Optional mosquito bar pencil, paper maps (4-mile) fishing gear and fishing license small cushion or pad cotton gloves for sun (back of the hands burn) blanket air pillow (also to sit on in the canoe) sun glasses waterproof match case swim trunks
LES VOYAGEURS - 1958
By MAJOR-GENERAL J.M. ROCKINGHAM, CB, CBE, DSO, ED, GENERAL OFFICER COMMANDING, QUEBEC COMMAND, MONTREAL, QUE.
Recognized as a sport for soldiers, skiing to some extent has replaced horseback riding, but I believe that canoeing is another sport which practises and develops the abilities which a good soldier must have. For this reason, and because I enjoy it, I have written this article in the hope that more soldiers will try this sport. In these days of highly scientific development, our means of travel are generally accepted to be aircraft, diesel trains and fast cars with high-power engines. How often, as you fly, ride in a train or drive across Canada in a car, do you think of the ways in which the pioneers who have developed this vast country have travelled over it? In the prairie and open country, travel was by wagon drawn by teams of horses or oxen, but the waterways provided the principle means of travel across huge areas of the country. The rivers and lakes are virtually a highway for explorers and traders. Apart from the hazard of hostile Indians, there were many problems of transportation by water, including rapids and portages. Conflicting logistic requirements forced the early travellers to develop a boat which would travel in rough river water and big lakes and survive the high waves of rushing rapids, but at the same time the boat and all the equipment had to be light enough to portage. Hence a variety of canoes was developed. To study these difficulties and to return to more basic means of transportation, the modern Canadian can under take a canoe trip. It is about such a trip that this article is written a 230-mile journey which I and three companions made last summer from Ile ... la Crosse on the Churchill River to Waterways at the junction of Clearwater and Athabaska Rivers. This route was followed by Alexander Mackenzie, Thompson and many other explorers and traders, and it became part of the highway of the voyageurs buying furs in Western Canada and moving them to Montreal. It is, of course, only a small portion of the route followed by those early travellers.
The first problem, as it always has been, is to accumulate the supplies and equipment necessary to undertake such a voyage. Our canvas-covered cedar canoes could be a lot more efficient than the birch-bark canoe of the earlier voyageur, but not too different in weight and performance. Canned and dehydrated food would survive the journey better than the salt pork and other foods used by the pioneers, and which were not protected from insects and the elements. Maps, although on a rather small scale, were available and would be more accurate than those, if any, carried by those other voyageurs. Nevertheless, the means of propelling the equipment through the water and over the portages might be a little inferior as the result of the softness of the modern man acquired through his close acquaintance with office chairs, padded seats of airplanes, trains and automobiles. To "keep face" with the voyageurs, the trip would be undertaken without any power plant, other than the human one, and without re-supplying except in places where the voyageurs were able to do it. The list of supplies which appears at the end of this article was drawn up from previous experience of similar parties during similar trips, including one undertaken the year before when three of the four canoes used had been left at Waterways in Alberta, near the junction of the Clearwater and Athabaska Rivers. To accommodate the four persons making the 1958 expedition, two of these canoes were moved by the Hudson's Bay Company to Ile ... la Crosse on the Churchill River, Saskatchewan, about 200 miles north of Prince Albert. The HBC also accumulated the required supplies at the same place. The party consisted of Major-General N. Elliot Rodger, formerly Vice Chief of the General Staff and now retired from the Canadian Army, and Mr. Eric Morse of the Association of the Canadian Clubs, veterans of the routes of the voyageurs. The two newcomers were Arthur Maybee, a Toronto businessman, and myself. The other three were able to be at Ile ... la Crosse to start the 230-mile journey on the afternoon of August the 6th, but owing to other commitments I was not able to arrive on the Churchill River until the morning of the 7th. After obtaining supplies, checking the canoes and making other preparations, the three decided to start off up-stream, travelling north west up the Aubichon Arm, from Ile ... la Crosse. They covered about seven miles that night and had done another couple of miles when I landed beside them the next morning at 0930 hours aboard a float-equipped Otter aircraft. My absence made it necessary for one man to paddle, by himself, a canoe loaded with about 250 lb. of equipment and supplies. If for no other reason, they were therefore pleased to see me. From the air, I had noticed that there was a following wind and suspected that we would take full advantage of it for the day's paddling. I also noticed a flock of white birds around a green boat four miles upstream, and I judged them to be seagulls. A rapid transfer was made from the Otter to the canoe and we were under way in about 20 minutes. Much to my amazement, the white birds I had seen earlier turned out to be pelicans, and the green boat to be that of some Indians who were netting fish to feed their mink. These animals had been placed in crude pens on the river bank.
The awkward-looking pelican appears to have some difficulty with his take-off, even when his capacious bill is not filled with fish. He uses his webbed feet in a running motion on the water, and there is a great flapping of the wings. However, in flight he is a very graceful bird. We examined the Indians' net and discovered that they were catching pike, pickerel, tullabee (similar to the Winnipeg goldeye) and a few whitefish. Apparently, the nets had been heavily laden the day before and had drifted to the surface. The heat of the sun had caused many of the fish to decay. The Indians were discarding those they did not want, and the pelicans were having a rare feast. The Indians had very little English, but said "No good" as they threw fish away. It would be interesting to know just how bad fish would have to be before mink would not eat them. The following wind was lending considerable speed to our progress, as the current opposing us was very gentle, and by 12.30 we had done close to 15 miles. Our lunching spot was on the south bank of the river on a nice sandy beach. You will realize that there are considerable organization and supply problems to solve to supply such an expedition, but also there are others which make canoeing a particularly suitable sport for soldiers. The time-and-space problem is an important one. Usually, the trip must commence on a certain date and must end at a fairly exact time on another date, necessitated by transportation arrangements at the end of the journey. Normally, trips such as this end in a fairly remote part of the country where transportation is infrequent, either by air or train, and in this case we had to catch the weekly Canadian Pacific Airlines plane from Fort McMurray on Saturday, the 16th of August. The exact timings and requisite distances have to be planned and maintained from day to day in order to arrive on time. In this case, 230 miles had to be covered within 10 days. Other characteristics which a soldier must possess are required also for canoeing, and most important among these, I would think, is physical fitness and endurance. Eight to ten hours of paddling a day require both. On this trip, there was an added physical hazard: "atrophy" of the legs. Not until the seventh day of the trip were we to do any walking, except from the bank of the river to our camp-site, but on the seventh we were faced with a very stiff portage of 13 miles, carrying 100-pound loads.
A good soldier requires nerve, good judgment and keen powers of observation. All these senses are required in shooting rapids, because the canoeist must have a steady nerve to position his craft properly in the rapid and shoot through patches of rough water which unexpectedly appear. He needs powers of observation to detect the rocks which lurk below the swift water and which would tear the bottom of his canoe if struck at the high speed attained in rapid- shooting. His reactions must be quick if he is to avoid these rocks. A variety of drills, not unlike battle drills, are worked out for the canoeist, and thus on this first day at noon the drills began to appear without any particular instruction from anybody in our party. General Rodger had been appointed bourgeois and cook. This meant that he was a very special person and had to be looked after by the rest of the party. We paddled all the morning until five minutes to each hour, and we then would have a "pipe". As I was the only smoker in the party, the others spent their five minutes chewing candy or bits of chocolate, or adjusting their gear. All of us lay back on the packs on our backs in the canoe and put our feet up to ease the strain caused by paddling. On starting to paddle after the five-minute "pipe", we usually changed from the side on which we had been paddling, and strangely enough this was almost like a rest in itself. In addition, a man would paddle in the bow position or the stern position for an afternoon and a morning and then change to the other position in the canoe. Thus, no paddler was in the same position every evening when he was becoming tired. Another drill, simple but effective, is that the wet paddle is never brought into the canoe without twirling it on the gunwhales with the flat of the hand to rid it of surplus water. Each position in the canoe had a piece of old towelling which was used for bailing water shipped in by the waves or rapids and which served to pre vent the bottom of the packs from getting wet. An additional insurance against wetting the bottom of the packs was to place a number of sticks under them so they were raised about two inches above the bottom of the canoe.
The lunch-time drills consisted of the cook removing the food pack from the canoe, spreading out a poncho and unpacking the food. While Art Maybee, who was appointed barman and general provider of liquid refreshments, filled containers with fresh water to make a drink of dehydrated lemonade, etc., either Eric Morse or myself would carve slices of bologna from the end of our three-foot sausage, and the other one would get out the butter and jam and spread the bread. Anyone not immediately required for the preparation of lunch would usually be employed in adjusting loads in the canoe or effecting minor repairs to the equipment. Depending on the progress which had been made up to lunch time, the "break" would be anywhere from one-half hour to one hour, and, in the latter case, would give an opportunity for a bit of shut-eye or exploration in search of artifacts. The evening routine was somewhat different. Usually the bourgeois (General Rodger) and myself would seek a camp spot, and believe me the experienced canoeist is very fussy on this subject. He wants a level place for pitching tents and and a good landing for the canoes where they can easily be unloaded and put up on the beach to dry in the night. He wants a dry camp place; he wants a breeze to keep the mosquitoes away; he wants a good view and he wants stones to make a fireplace, as well as firewood to burn in it, and he would like a place to swim before going to bed! As soon as the place was selected, the bourgeois and I would go ashore, light a fire and unload the canoe. When the second canoe arrived, Eric Morse and I would pitch the tents, while the bourgeois and the other member of the party, Art Maybee, would start to cook the supper. Usually, all these activities would finish about the same time and Art Maybee, the bartender, would have our issue of rum (two ounces) ready for the preprandial drink. One really felt that one had earned it by this time. Ten or more hours of paddling and a rather light lunch made two ounces of rum quite sufficient. Then the big meal would commence, usually consisting of dehydrated soup, fish or ham, bacon or bully beef. Sometimes they would be made into a sort of stew and would always be accompanied by a variety of dehydrated vegetables, such as beans, carrots, onions and always potatoes. We found that we, too, became dehydrated during the day. With the hot sun and considerable physical exertion, the body evaporates its liquid quickly and, therefore, the most satisfying meals were those which contained more liquid than one would normally choose.
In each canoe there were plastic cups, usually tied to one of the thwarts for scooping up water for the paddlers to drink, but during the day one's thirst never seemed to be satisfied, and it was only after the sun had gone down and when the heavy exercise had stopped that this thirst could be quenched. Soldiers who have fought in Korea in the summer or in other hot countries will remember that this has always been the case. When the supper was finished and the dishes washed, time was practically your own. If you had enough energy left, you could fish, take photographs or search for artifacts. I found that the back-bending involved in paddling and the stooping while pitching tents, gathering wood, etc., was very tiring on my back, and I made a contribution to the well-being of the expedition by propping the canoes on their sides while the preparation of food and cleaning was going on. Besides, the canoes made convenient tables on which to wash and shave. Although the insects are bad in this part of the country, the repellents are so efficient that when they were used no one ever got bitten. The only trouble with them is that they remove paint and varnish from the paddles. The paddle to a canoeist is something like a horseman's saddle or a soldier's rifle. His very existence and progress depend entirely on the paddle, and he holds it in his hands for many, many hours each day. Naturally, the lighter the paddle, the less tiring it is to use all day, but on the other hand, in the rapids, it has to be strong enough to stand the paddler's full weight against a rock in emergencies. Each canoe carries a spare paddle in case one is broken and, in my case, I used a white spruce paddle all the time, except in the rapids when I used a spare one made of maple and twice the weight of the spruce paddle. The edge of a paddle becomes frayed from its continual immersion in the water, and periodic contact with rock, gravel and weeds. This lowers the efficiency of the paddle and most canoeists will trim it with a knife or sand it so that its movement in and out of the water is as smooth as possible.
This particular trip could be divided into three broad challenges. The first consisted of paddling across big open lakes and on this trip we crossed Peter Pond Lake which is about 30 miles long, 30 miles wide and without any islands. The obstacle here, of course, consisted of wind and waves, and we had a real dose of these. At one period, almost every second wave was coming in over the bow of the canoe which, of course, slowed the progress as the wind and waves were head-on. We actually paddled eight and one-half hours into a straight head-wind without a break and covered only about 20 miles. The basic speed in still water and no wind is four miles an hour, so you can appreciate the effect the wind has on the distance travelled. The next division of this trip could be called "up-river travelling" and, in this case, we paddled up the Methy River for a distance of about 24 miles. When rapids are encountered going up- stream, there are two choices: one is to portage and the other is to drag the canoe up the rapids. If the water is shallow enough and the ascent not too steep, it is much easier to drag the canoe up the rapids. It can be done either by pulling the canoe with your hands or walking on the bank, dragging it with a rope. In the Methy River the bush grows right over the water. So we waded and dragged the canoe with us. As a result of much experience, my companions had selected basketball boots for this purpose. They protect the ankles from bruising on the rocks, give a good footing and dry quickly. As soon as the rapids were negotiated and comparatively calm water reached again, paddling was resumed until it was necessary to drag the canoe once more. The third obstacle on our trip was the 13-mile Methy portage which crosses the height of land between the MacKenzie Basin and the Hudson Bay watershed. This is an unusually long portage and, although the going was good, the canoe-carrying proved very tiring. Like my companions, I, too, wore basketball boots. Because of the erect position in which one must walk with a 100-pound canoe on the shoulders, I found that there was a heavy impact on my feet. Being an Infanteer and accustomed to much marching, I was surprised to find that my arches suffered badly; this was caused, I presume, by the basketball boots. We found that a seven-minute carry of the canoe and then a change was the best. With a five-minute rest in each hour, we were covering about 2‹ miles in the hour. In other words, three changes would represent a mile.
The next phase of the trip was down-stream paddling with many rapids. This, of course, is the thrilling and exciting part and much mileage can be covered if there are not too many portages or if the portages are short. As an example, we did 50 miles in one day down the Clearwater River. The negotiation of the rapids produces another "battle drill". The man astern is the strategist and the man in the bow is the tactician. The stern paddler decides and announces what his course will be through the rapids and the bow paddler watches for rocks and, to avoid them, makes quick pushing or pulling movements with his paddle to influence the direction of the bow. This requires good team-work and a fair amount of practice. All the equipment must be tied in or the crew will go very hungry and be without shelter in the case of an upset. The particular thing to avoid is crossing the current at a sharp angle because, naturally, the canoe makes considerable leeway in the fast current and if it strikes a rock while drifting sideways, it will turn over so quickly that the paddlers are in the water before they know what has happened. This was exactly the experience General Rodger and I had. Because it was late at night and we were getting over-confident, we ran a rapid with a bend in it without stopping at the bend to examine the lower part of the rapid, and found ourselves faced with a four-foot drop preceded by very fast water. We decided to cross to our left to a small break in the drop, but struck a rock. As we were drifting sideways, we were dumped in the waters right on the very brink of the fall.
The drill on these occasions is to grasp the canoe so as to stabilize one's body to prevent heads from hitting rocks in the turbulent water. We both did this and went over the fall with the canoe over our heads, but both surfaced before our breath was exhausted. I was badly scratched on the right arm, shoulder and hip during the tumble over the fall and General Rodger was too, but to a lesser degree. We negotiated the canoe to the bank of the river, still in very fast, white water, and examined the damage. Our cameras were both enclosed in water-tight bags and were undamaged. The rye-crisp was no longer crisp and some of our dehydrated foods were no longer dehydrated. The bedrolls and most of our clothing were wet, but the sun was shining and it looked as though it would be a fine evening. General Rodger had taken his boots off and was drying them on the top of his pack and, naturally, lost them when we capsized. He also lost his poncho. I lost the top of my rain-suit, we both lost our maps and that was all of importance. The canoe was slightly damaged and leaked thereafter, but not seriously.
The moral of this story is to try always to keep the canoe as closely parallel to the current as possible, particularly in the very fast water. Incidentally, we nearly lost the spare paddle, but I managed to catch it just as I surfaced. The only people we saw were those at the Hudson's Bay Company posts, except for Indians. On one occasion, three boat-loads of Indians, one of them towing a canoe, came up to us as we were eating our supper on the bank of the Methy River. Each one had an outboard engine of pretty ancient vintage and all his worldly goods, squaw and family. They were puzzled because the four of us could not raise enough money to buy an outboard engine. We tried to explain that we were paddling for fun, but they obviously thought us mad. It was, however, rather interesting to see that two days later, as we camped for the evening on Methy Lake, within sight of La Loche, that all three boat-loads of Indians were behind us. They were members of the Chipewyan tribe and were fine-looking people. Canoeing is a very pleasant way to travel. Lots of air and sunshine, of course, and one sees everything at such a modest speed. The silent progress is both restful for the nerves and one is able to see much more wild-life than by any other means of travel. Of course its greatest advantage is that one can always carry the canoe over land and other obstacles. We found that the sitting position tired the back tremendously, and relief from this was obtained by paddling in the kneeling position from time to time. Also an air-cushion to sit or kneel on is a great help. I wore gloves for one day, when I found small signs of blisters beginning to appear. They were canvas gloves with leather palms. The next day the blister threat had passed and I was able to paddle with bare hands. It was a satisfying experience and gave us a look at the way in which the country was developed by our early explorers and traders. I often wished that I could have seen all the people who must have travelled this way before us. This year we hope to do an other piece of the route.
GENERAL EQUIPMENT REQUIRED FOR FOUR MEN WITH TWO CANOES
Covering 2 two-man tents 2 ponchos 1 large ground sheet
Carrying 6 Duluth packs (large) 1 basket pack (for breakables) 2 40-oz polythene bottles (for rum)
Canoes 2 yokes 2 spare paddles repair kit
Miscellaneous Maps and air photos (1 set) 2 compasses rope (for lining up rapids) first aid kit binoculars insect repellent and sun lotion
Cooking and Eating Cooking set for 4 cooking and eating utensils cups and plates 2 small axes cooking grill and cover matches canvas pot-covers plastic food containers scouring pads, dish towels sealers for butter and grease oven mitt
PERSONAL EQUIPMENT SUGGESTED FOR EACH MAN
Clothing Jeans or heavy khaki ducks shorts under-shorts 2 heavy shifts 1 pr heavy-soled basketball boots 1 pr mocassins (or canvas shoes) 2 pr heavy socks sweater plastic rain suit pyjamas (rayon or silk will make it easier to turn over in a sleeping bag) canvas hat or cap handkerchiefs belt
Bedding sleeping bag air mattress pillow slip
Miscellaneous flashlight extra bulb, batteries light reading (soft paper) light, large-bladed paddle
Optional mosquito bar pencil, paper maps (4-mile) fishing gear and fishing license small cushion or pad cotton gloves for sun (back of the hands burn) blanket air pillow (also to sit on in the canoe) sun glasses waterproof match case swim trunks