Cross Canada Canoe Expedition
Tahtsa Lake to Prince George
Submitted by Chris Koch on behalf of Joe O’Blenis / 30.06.2004
Well it is good to be back on the water once again, the 51 kilometer portage now behind me...thankfully! Once paddling on Tahtsa Lake, I was again right where I most wanted to be...in a canoe, paddling all the way across Canada. The scenery here on Tahtsa Lake was just incredible. A beautiful lake surrounded by majestic mountains and not another person to be seen. Tahtsa Lake is part of the vast Nechako reservoir system however and unfortunately it was not fully logged in the areas to be flooded. This resulted in many, many dead trees still in the water and numerous barely submerged log heads. Despite this though, it was still a beautiful lake and I thoroughly enjoyed paddling it. My first night\'s camp was on a nice gravel beach, littered with driftwood. I had a great camp and relaxed after supper with a couple cups of coffee while reading until the sun went down.The following morning, I was back on the water, finishing off the main part of the lake and heading into \"Tahtsa Reach\", essentially a second lake connected by lowlands that, at high water levels, are under water. This time of year was perfect as the water was high. Tahtsa Reach was nice but the main portion of the lake was the true gem. Next came Ootsa Lake, a much bigger lake, subject to heavy winds and big water conditions. Luck was with me though and for the 125-kilometer portion of Ootsa Lake that I paddled. I had great conditions - a nice little tailwind and following seas of about 3 feet at most.
River paddling
It got tougher when it came time to portage over to Skins Lake, the headwaters of the Cheslatta River. The portage to Skins Lake took about an hour and I was able to use the cart for most of it. Paddling Skins Lake was nice, a beautiful little lake with very pretty, rocky islands. Finally I was paddling on the Cheslatta River, time to see how the Clipper canoe handles the whitewater. It has handled the coastal and lake paddling with ease so far, so much so that I can barely wait to get it out into bigger conditions on Lake Winnipeg and Lake Superior in the months to come. The first set of rapids was no problem. The next set though had a couple of significant, rocky drops...time to portage. This portage was a bushwhack all the way. Only a couple hundred meters but it took an hour and a half and four trips to shuttle everything through...and along the way I had a black bear drop by to say hello...luckily after exchanging pleasantries, he was on his way and I was on mine, no damage done!See All Event Posts
