O
BACK FERRY
n broad, continuous northern rivers, the back ferry is an essential tool. It allows you to pick your way through large waves without taking on water. If you master this technique, you won’t need a spray
deck, even in solid class III rapids. Retrieving a swamped canoe with a spray deck is much more difficult and this outfit can be a real pain if there are many portages, not to mention the extra 10 pounds in material. Back ferries can also buy you time in a rapid to boat scout
and assess your next move. You can save a lot of scouting time on sections where you feel comfortable using this technique. Remember, it’s easiest to back ferry from a stronger current towards a weaker one; for example, from the outside of a river bend to the slower flow on the inside of the curve. As for a front ferry, the downstream partner—in this case,
the bow paddler—sets the angle. This can be achieved using a reverse J stroke or reverse sweep stroke. The stern paddler simply provides power, back paddling against the current. If your ferry angle becomes too open, the best way to recov-
er it is for the bow paddler to use either a cross draw or back draw. Most people need more practice with these strokes— excellent descriptions are found in Paul Mason and Mark Scriver’s Thrill of the Paddle (p.58–59, Key Porter Books). Even though these strokes don’t generate reverse momentum, you will recover the angle much faster. And, if you end up los- ing it, you still have the option to switch to a front ferry. —EL
SKILL ESSENTIAL
NORTHERN WISDOM
HOW MUCH TIME? T
wenty to 50 miles a day is reason- able on placid water where there are
few portages. But it’s a recipe for disaster in the unknown. Figure an average of 15 miles per day and allow one day in five for bad weather and the unexpected. If you anticipate many rapids and portages, reduce the mileage even more. It’s wise to make a daily travel plan with
your projected miles per day based on the obstacles along your route. On trip, keep track of your actual miles so you know if you’re ahead of or behind schedule. If a storm plays havoc with your sched-
ule, your best plan is to camp and wait for favorable weather, then make up lost time when the weather improves. The sun sets late in the Far North so you can paddle well into the night. —CJ
PRO TIP
GETTING TO THE RIVER
BY CAR Drive the “Dumpster” highway or Wollaston Lake tote road and you’ll see why the most important person on a canoe trip is an auto mechanic! You need high clearance, two full-size spare tires and a bug screen. Trailers should have minimum 15-inch wheels and spares.
BY FLOATPLANE Until recently, if you had a party of six, a Twin Otter was the cheapest way to fly because everything fit inside the airplane. For safety reasons, some companies
will no longer fly passengers and canoes together. Smaller planes—Single Otters, Caravans and Beavers—will carry just one canoe on the floats. Tip: Communicate with airplanes up to about 15 miles away using a handheld VHF aircraft radio (a marine radio won’t work). Get your pilot’s radio frequency when you book your flight. The emergency channel is 121.5 MHz.
BY TRAIN Bush trains will often—but not always—stop at a requested mile marker to take on and let off passengers. Call the nearest stationmaster for details, and book tickets in advance. Unless you are on the roster, even remote bush trains may steam right past your frantic waves. Tip: Canoes accompanied by their owners are usually considered excess baggage and travel for about the same fare as a passenger.
BY BOAT If you end your trip on Hudson Bay, the safest plan is to charter a boat to Arviat or Churchill. Bring a CB radio so you can talk to your boat captain and get his channel informa- tion before you leave home. —CJ
www.canoerootsmag.com 39
PHOTO: PETER MATHER
PHOTO: JAMES SMEDLEY
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