Family enjoys 500-mile canoe journey - Churchill River, Saskatchewan

July 14-August 12, 1975 - Churchill River, Saskatchewan

In 1975, our family canoed the Churchill River. The trip started at Ile a la Crosse, Saskatchewan, and finished at Flin Flon, Manitoba.

The trip was approximately 500 miles, and it took over a month. 

The following piece is re-typed from a newspaper article that was printed in the Kenora Miner and News.

The Paulson family, who reside on the shores of Darlington Bay in Keewatin, have just returned from a 500-mile canoe trip they termed challenging, rewarding, and time well-spent.

Joe Paulson, a math teacher at Lakewood Secondary School in Kenora, his wife Margaret and children Ragnar, 14, and Roxanne, 11, chose the particular route which they followed, after having become inspired by a book written by Sigurd Olson, entitled "The Lonely Land." Mr. Paulson, who has spent a couple of summers canoeing about the country with his family, said the route outlined by Mr. Olson in his book, appeared to offer a challenge in canoeing and an opportunity to escape from television, telephone and other many interruptions experience during urban living.

Friends took the Paulson's canoe out to a starting point at a village called Ile A La Crosse, about 500 miles northwest of Regina, near the start of the Churchill River system. There they bid their friends farewell and returned to Kenora.

Mr. Paulson said things didn't get off to a very good start because due to a misjudgement they headed out in the wrong direction, paddling vigorously, happy to be free of the chains of confined living and looking forward to the adventure in the great outdoors. After stroking along for almost three hours, and the sun starting to lower in the east, Mr. Paulson decided it was time to check his compass.



Margaret, Roxanne, Ragnar and Johann Paulson, 1975

To his utter dismay, he realized the mistake. They returned to their starting point and camped on a sand beach near Ile A La Crosse. The starting point was on a 40 mile long lake and this gave the voyageurs an ideal opportunity to condition themselves for what was ahead of them.

WATERS FAST

They found the waters of the Churchill River very fast, exciting and beautiful. Going by the information garnered prior to the trip, they found no difficulty what so ever in shooting the first two sets of rapids, then portaged around the third. At 5 p.m. one evening, with heavy rain falling, and acting upon advice received from a party in a passing outboard, who claimed it was completely safe to shoot the rapids which lie ahead, the Keewatin foursome, following instructions, went along the left bank, passed a big rock and moved to the right, according to information received.

"However" said Mr. Paulson, "someone failed to mention the other rock 50 feet downstream with two inches of water hiding it." Daughter Roxanne let a yell out of her, "We're sinking. We're sinking." Mrs. Paulson didn't see the hole, punctured in the bottom of the canvas covered craft from where she was sitting and just shook her head and advised her daughter to keep quiet, and sit still.

The rip in the canvas was a triangular tear about 10 inches each way with two of the craft's ribs broken. Fortunately, said Mr. Paulson, the water depth was only between knee and waist depth. After 200 yards and a canoe full of water, the travellers unloaded their bedrolls, supplies and other essentials on a clump of willows, which were anchored in the river. The two children were left at this point with the gear and Mr. and Mrs. Paulson travelled another 300 yards or so until they found a suitable spot to pull their canoe up on shore, where necessary repairs were discussed.

There was no supper that night and the foursome squeezed into two bedrolls beneath a dripping wet tent.

They were greeted with beautiful sunshine the following morning and Mrs. Paulson performed a work of art doing a beautiful cross-stitch job on the canvas. Aided by some fibre-glass patching, the job was like one done by an expert and the paddles were dipped into the fast-flowing river once again.

From then on, said Mr. Paulson, a careful survey was made of all rapids they approaches and they declined from accepting advice from passing motorboats as to the safety of running any certain section of fast water. On many occasions their better judgement told them to take the apparent harder route and portage. Most times they were thankful that they had.

ENCOUNTER OTHERS

The lonely land, as explained in the book of Mr. Olson, has disappeared and during the 31 days of traveling on the water, there were only three that outboard powered boats weren't encountered.

On one canoe party they met, there were 12 men enjoying a week-long trip. Another group they met was made up of 14 young people from Saskatoon who had a couple of leaders with them. They were heading upstream for a week's journey. The Paulsons travelled for two days with seven men from the New England States who had driven 2,300 miles to The Pas, and travelled by train to Lynn Lake, Man., where they hired a truck to take them 60 miles into Reindeer Lake.

With a mixture of approximately 50 portages and rapids, the route was never really boring. Wild game was observed form time to time but kept themselves fairly well hidden thought there was plenty of signs. They sighted four bear during the voyage but the mighty moose, which are fairly plentiful in that area, kept themselves in the seclusion of the tree-line. Thousands of ducks frequented the marshes and would take off at the approach of the canoe, only to settle back again as the travellers proceeded on their way.

Mr. Paulson said the Saskatchewan government has laid out 50 different canoe routes in the Lac La Ronge area and these routes can be covered in anywhere form three to 15 days or can be combined into a long haul such as experience by the Paulsons. Portages are all marked out and there wasn't too much difficulty experienced in locating them.

The government issues certificates to canoeists who have completed the trip. These certificates show the participants as "Saskatchewan Voyageurs." Mr. and Mrs. Paulson and children are looking forward to a similar adventure in the future. All are fit and well following their stint in the outdoors.