Yukon Territory - North/Black/Liard River Canoe Trip, Trip Report

Chapter Three -- On to Fire Lake (To a 56kb Text-Only version, no pictures)

North River just below Lake enlarge me (34kb)

Day 4. Wednesday, 2 July, 1997

Up at 7:00 am, frost again this morning. Breakfast of the rest of last night's potato supper. Our first downriver traveling day, on the water at 9:20.

The river started small, very fast, narrow, and rocky. Steep, but no problems. A short distance to a large pond, then more of the steep, fast, rocky stuff. Very soon it split into at least three very narrow, low banked, brushy channels. We chose the first and right-most which

North River just above sieve enlarge me (28kb)

averaged about six feet wide (2 m). The water was deep enough, current very fast, steep, twisty -- no rapids, just a couple of rocks to avoid. Probably an eighth to a quarter mile long (200-400 m), like paddling a long water slide. A very different experience. Overhanging brush and the crooked water course made it very difficult to see much more than about a boat length, and we wondered if we were going to crash into a moose or bear, possibly in, or straddling the channel. The conditions in the other two channels are unknown to us, maybe better, but ice-out floods may change them all periodically.

North River sieve enlarge me (33kb)

Out onto the typically rocky stream, which almost immediately turned into very wide shallows at a small creek coming in from the right. This is what Hank saw from the top of the cirque climb yesterday (and had thought, "Uh oh..." -- but didn't tell the others!). Some snow right at water level on the bank at that confluence. The shallows continued for about a quarter mile (400 m), and we alternated paddling short sections of barely sufficient depth with pulling the boats over and through wide rock sieves. We could paddle a long stretch of slow meanders below that. Reached them at 10:40.

Sieve looking upstream enlarge me (27kb)

In this slow stretch somewhere is where we went into a low treed area and Hank started to worry about the possibilities of log jams in a high gradient section, but the steepness and spring ice must sweep it all out. Wouldn't hurt to watch for wood though. We had no log or sweeper problems until we hit the Braids 20 miles (32 km) downstream, just between the Falls and Black Lake. Before lunch, John's seven year old ABS Mad River Explorer 17 sustained it's first good crunch in the bow. It collected another significant one later that day. Neither leaked, or were even a structural or hydrodynamic problem, but as a builder of cedar strip canoes they were a real blow to his aesthetic sense.

North River "flatwater" enlarge me (29kb)

After lunch, a short, light rain shower, then Hank and Laurie pinned their boat briefly on a midstream rock, their first pin in almost 25 years of paddling together. Put the first small wrinkles in middle of both sides of their five year old ABS Dagger Venture. The entire pin, unpin, then empty the boat sequence took maybe a minute, and no problem except for wet feet, though Laurie did lose her light canoe paddle in the process of emptying the boat. We all looked, but didn't find the paddle again. The stream was still very narrow, but so busy that watching for it was difficult, plus the sun reflection was in our eyes at the time.

North River campsite enlarge me (31kb)

There are a total of three main long, narrow, steep, rocky sections separated by lengthy areas of lower gradient, all evident on the 50k topo map series. Big rocks between high banks at one spot with one huge boulder at a narrow place. The rapids are long and very continuous sets, eddies are small and seem to tilt steeply down hill. Stopping is not easy. The scenery doesn't matter much because you do not have time to look when in the rapids. Except in the wide sieve mentioned above, the stream bed is usually two boat lengths wide or less (10 m). Much tight, technical class 3 white water maneuvering. At our water flow, I would consider this about the limit for tandem loaded open canoeing in long tripping boats. A little more water may make it a little easier, but very much more will make it really pushy.

North River attire enlarge me (16kb)

The river slowed and started meandering as we approached Fire Lake. We pulled over at 2:30 pm to camp on a big open gravel bar about 1¼ miles (2 km) above Fire Lake. (Fire Lake Area Map) Five very busy paddling hours today, distance covered was about 13 miles (21 km). Rain still a threat, but we ended up not getting any more. Lots of thunder downstream, south of Fire Lake, and we could see rain at times all around us. Wind helped keep bugs away, but mosquitoes were very bad when calm. Warm today, about 70 degrees (21°C). One caribou on a snowfield two miles away (3+ km) seen from this camp, plus recent wolf tracks on the beach, and a few grayling in the river. Supper of mashed potatoes and chicken strogonoff. To bed at 9 pm to avoid bugs.

Back to previous page or:

Copyright © 1996 - 2002, and legal fine print
Revised: 15 November, 2002
http://www.canoebase.com/nbl/journal3.htm