On the Burnside River with
the early 1990s in bloom. PHOTO: DALEN BAYES
OVER THE LAST FOUR DECADES, UNASSUMING LORETTA BAYES HAS AMASSED ONE OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE TRIPPING HISTORIES AROUND
IT’S SURPRISINGLY EASY for Loretta Bayes to come up with one highlight from 40 years spent canoeing more
than 30 rivers in the north. Without a moment’s hesitation she describes the end of a long day on the Taltson River, N.W.T. “There was a mother moose and her calf right between us and our camp,” says the 67-year-old retired nurse. “They turned and looked at us and then went right back to eating. We paddled past them and then pulled into camp. That night there was a beautiful sunset and no bugs and the moose kept on eating. It just kept getting better and better.” The date of that special night is lost within the bulk of an
impressive résumé of northern Canadian canoe trips that have consumed a chunk of almost every summer since 1970. Together with her husband Dalen, Bayes paddled classics (the Thelon, Nahanni and Burnside rivers), historic trade routes (the Churchill and Slave rivers) and some rivers that had rarely, if ever, been paddled before (Taltson River and D&L Creek). And they accom- plished it all for self satisfaction. No sponsorships. No guiding fees. No magazine articles.
Every summer since 1970 it was somewhere new for two to four weeks
“I love to explore,” she says, “and I fell in love with the North.
I love the solitude. I love being outdoors with my family. I love the wildlife.” Call it a love story. It was also a welcome escape from the
high-stress life as a nurse in Washington State. “A doctor I worked with once asked to come along on one of our trips,” she remembers. “I said no. This is my summer holiday.” Full-time jobs. Tight finances. Kids. Nothing kept them from
their summers up North. Not even inexperience. The couple started canoeing in 1965 when Dalen, a geologist, read a book on canoeing. “He figured we could do it,” Bayes remembers. So, on their second wedding anniversary Dalen picked up their first canoe. The next day they were paddling in circles on a local lake. They joined a paddling club and knocked off a few local rivers and short trips in Washington and southern B.C. Five years later they took off alone on their first northern trip down the Reindeer and Churchill rivers.
LORETTA BAYESTHE LIFER
“Getting time off was always the biggest battle,” she says.
“We had to make it a priority or the trips would never have happened.” Every summer it was somewhere new for two to four weeks, never shying from hard work. “We did a lot of portages, going from one river overland to another,” Bayes says. “It’s what we were passionate about.” Even the arrival of two sons didn’t slow them down. By
the time the boys were aged five and six they joined the trips. “They’d be carrying 35-pound packs right along with us,” Bayes says. “I was carrying more of course. I couldn’t wait till they got stronger.” The yearly trips had costs of course. They had to save
money all year, missed weddings and family gatherings, but Bayes doesn’t regret it at all. “We both worked full time,” she says of her busy life. “Up
there, the quality and quantity of time with my family was ex- cellent. It was essential to my idea of raising kids.” Bayes has kept on tripping even now that the boys no
longer come along. Like an aging athlete her speed and stamina have diminished over the years but it hasn’t changed the kinds of trips she goes on. “We have to paddle differently now,” Bayes admits, with no
trace of frustration. “We can’t canoe as long or as hard. But we’re still portaging. We just have to go slower.” “I don’t think about quitting canoeing,” she says. “It’s the thing I love. We’ll keep going into our 70s.” » RYAN STUART
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SUMMER/FALL 2009
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