A Voyage Down the Bloodvein Heritage River

The Canadian Heritage Rivers System was established in 1984, as a cooperative program of the Government of Canada and all of the provincial and territorial governments. The objectives of the program are to give national recognition to the important rivers of our country, and to ensure the conservation of their natural, historical and recreational values for the benefit and enjoyment of Canadians. Among the rivers designated as Heritage Rivers is the Bloodvein, which begins its westerly flow in northwestern Ontario, and eventually enters Lake Winnipeg at the Bloodvein Indian Reserve.

During July, 1999, my husband, Bernie Lodge, and our two sons, Andrew and Jonathan, had the pleasure of canoeing this spectacular river from Artery Lake near the Ontario border, to Lake Winnipeg. Our daughter, Elizabeth, provided transportation to Bissett on the first lap of our trip, and again from Pine Dock at the end of our voyage.

Thursday, July 22, 1999

This morning Bernie and I, along with Andrew and Jonathan, flew from Bissett to Artery Lake on a floatplane. Elizabeth headed back to Winnipeg with our car. Last night all of us drove up to Bissett, and spent the night camped at a local campsite. We had arranged to meet the pilot at 6:30 this morning, and made a point of being there in good time.

The Bloodvein is a Heritage River, and is truly spectacular. It has long been used as a waterway by the aboriginal peoples of Canada, and this, in particular, qualifies it as a heritage river.

We worked hard today, and put in approximately twenty-four kilometres. There are many rapids, some of which required lining and one of which had to be portaged.

We have seen bald eagles, loons, and ducks today, as well as a gartersnake, although I missed that one. We also passed several other canoeing parties.

It was a bright, sunny, warm day, and our campsite tonight, located in something of an inlet, is beautiful.

Saturday, July 24, 1999

We are camped in a spacious campsite, near a set of rapids, after a hard day’s work. We left before 7:00 a.m., both yesterday and today, and put in twenty-seven and thirty-two kilometres respectively.

Portaging and lining continue to be part of the daily routine, and both Andrew and Jonathan carry heavy loads.

The Bloodvein is an impressive river with trees on either side, most being coniferous. Mosses and lichens grow in abundance, as do small wildflowers. This afternoon I saw the tiniest, delicate, scarlet flowers growing out of some grey moss. It was a very pretty sight.

We’ve continued to meet scout groups from the United States, along the river. This afternoon a group of ten young men in four canoes passed us as we were pausing, while Andrew checked the map. We must have looked quite funny to them, as we had pulled over into a reedy area of the river, and were simply sitting there when they came upon us. Instead of the vigour of youth that they portrayed, there were the four of us, and two of us certainly do not fall into the category of youthfulness. Furthermore, my hands were getting sun and wind burned, and so I had wrapped both of them in white cloths! Oh well, they’re down the river, somewhere ahead of us now.

As with all such outings, we’re experiencing a mixture of camaraderie and frustration. We are, however, having a good time.

Our firepit and “dining” area this evening are a sunken rocky space right next to the falls. It’s really quite pleasant and presents no fire hazard. When we see how easily wood catches fire, we’re reminded that that’s what forest fires are made of.

Yesterday’s campsite was at a spectacular location, and Bernie and I had our tent pitched on a high point of land. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes almost drove us to distraction. We would have been well advised to chase them all out of the tent, rather than trying to deal with them on a one to one basis.

The sense of native history here is palpable. Yesterday we saw pictographs on a rock face -- a man in a canoe, water, a bison, etc. Who knows how long they’ve been there.

Sunday, July 25, 1999

We camped early today, and were fortunate to find a pleasant spot, looking over the portion of the river we just traversed. It’s a bright, sunny evening, and all of us are around the fire, in amicable conversation.

We slept well last night, but woke up this morning to the sound of rain. We felt, however, that we had to start out anyway. It essentially stopped for awhile but when we were on the river it rained quite steadily, and at one point, very hard. There were also lightning and thunder, but not so severe that we felt unsafe. All of us got wet.

We portaged and lined numerous times today, one occasion being past the campsite where the ten young men were camped. Some of them seemed to be in a state of meditation as we lined past. They seem generally somewhat uncommunicative. They passed us as we pulled in for lunch at a lodge that appears not be operational this year. We caught up with them at another set of rapids, but after that we did not see them again.

Lunch was relaxing and pleasant. We had a busy morning, some of it being against strong winds. Fortunately we also had the wind in our backs part of the morning. Both scenarios repeated themselves in the afternoon. Just before we got off the water today we really fought the wind for awhile.

We passed a trapper’s cabin today, but other than that there is little of civilization here. The scenery continues to be beautiful with trees of mixed forest on both sides. The lichens and mosses continue to catch my eye. They are so varied, and delicate, and hardy.

The wind was in our backs as we were crossing a small lake this morning. It would have been tough had it been the other way around.

We saw a Canada goose by the side of the river today, and later, another one on the far bank. I had commented earlier that we had not been seeing any of them. We also saw a bald eagle perched on the edge of its nest high up in a tree. It probably was a young one.

It’s dark now, and I am ready to crawl into my sleeping bag. We did about thirty-one kilometres today.

Monday, July 26, 1999

We worked very hard today, battling a fierce headwind virtually the entire day. This morning we were on the river before 6:30, and as on other days, ran rapids, as well as lining and portaging. At one point Jonathan slipped into the falls during one of the lining exercises. Fortunately he was able to extricate himself. Andrew is very capable with respect to assessing the river, and organizing the proceedings generally, particularly as it relates to rapids and falls.

We are camped across from a large island in the river. It was very windy when we pulled in and almost immediately, a dark cloud came up. It looked as if we were in for a storm, but fortunately, it blew over. A rainbow followed. Now the sky is clear, and the clouds have a rosy-purplish hue. Everything is perfectly calm, and a beautiful moon is out.

There is a great deal of rugged beauty here. The flowers, generally small, are nevertheless breath-taking. Today I saw the tiniest white flower. Also, I saw what appeared to be a willow plant, blooming in a white cluster, which looked like a chokecherry blossom. I’ve also seen lovely white flowers blooming on a reed in marshy areas. Here and there, we’ve seen water lilies, both white ones and yellow buds. I saw an exquisite white one, reminiscent of what we saw in Guyana.

So far, we have passed the Gammon River, Katunigan Lake, and the Sasaginigak River. In spite of adverse conditions, we were able to traverse approximately twenty-three kilometres today. Considering we were on the water approximately twelve hours, we obviously did not make very good time.

All of us are in our tents now, and it’s a peaceful evening.

Tuesday, July 27, 1999

We’ve had supper, and are gathered around the campfire, having tea. It’s a perfectly delightful evening, the sun just about setting, and the sky beautifully clear, with a few purple clouds. It is absolutely calm. We are high up on a rock, with a wide arc of the river before us. Three beavers are swimming around, and a moose is feeding near the water’s edge in the distance.

This morning we again passed the large group of Americans, and later they caught up with us at a portage. We saw them again at another portage. Later we also saw two sets of girls at campsites, also, we think, part of the same group or organization. Obviously our southern neighbours find our wilderness appealing.

We had good weather today, and managed thirty-eight kilometres. That gives us a comfortable cushion to get us to the ferry in time on Thursday.

I see a huge moon rising over the trees. It’s very lovely.

Wednesday, July 28, 1999

We are near the end of our trip -- just over three kilometres from the Bloodvein Reserve. Our campsite once again is spacious and overlooking the river. Tonight motorboats have gone by, quite likely going fishing. It is once again a beautiful evening. Unfortunately the flies are as merciless as ever. Their sting is as bad as a mosquito’s, but catching them is quite impossible.

Last night, after we had gone to our tent, a whip-poor-will began calling. It was a long time since I had heard one of them.

When we left this morning, we again saw a beaver cruising around. Soon after we began paddling, Bernie saw a very well camouflaged bird -- possibly a golden eagle. During the day we also saw numerous bald eagles.

We came across some rapids that we lined, fairly early in the day. There is a cairn near this location, marking the drowning of a young, native man, in 1994. It’s a reminder to take the necessary precautions.

We again had our share of portaging, lining and shooting of rapids today. This evening everyone is relaxed. We set up camp early, and will likely go to bed before long.

We began to see more signs of civilization today -- for example, Environment Canada water monitoring equipment, a hydro line, and more debris than previously.

At noon we built a fire at a campsite, and cooked noodle soup. There was a small “barbeque” consisting of rocks laid out on three sides, with a grill on top.

Yesterday we saw an abandoned canoe at a portage trail, and at another location, something resembling a small jetboat.

The weather was lovely today, although it looked as though it would rain, a couple of times. We didn’t have to work very hard today, but nevertheless, we’re all tired. We’ve been pushing pretty hard.

Friday, July 30, 1999

We got up early yesterday morning, and left the campsite shortly before 7:00, arriving at the ferry terminal at approximately 8:15 a.m. We had received conflicting information on ferry scheduling, and didn’t want to miss it. In the end, we didn’t leave until 1:30p.m. There seems to be a degree of flexibility in this matter. Evidently people make reservations for their vehicles, and the ferry waits for them.

The children at the Bloodvein Reserve were friendly and unreserved. It was pleasant chatting with them, and watching them jump into the river time and again. Some of the older ones even jumped off the ferry. Obviously they are perfectly familiar with the comings and goings of the vessel.

Elizabeth was waiting for us when we reached the terminus on the west side of Lake Winnipeg. It was good to see her, and to return home again.

The trip was demanding, but rewarding in many ways. The last night on the river we again heard a whip-poor-will, this one calling much more brilliantly than the initial call the previous night. It was a fitting farewell to us as we were nearing the end of our trip.