Seal River Trip June 27 to July 15, 1995 [Return to Picture Book]     [Return to News]

Day 1 - Camp to Park Near Grand Rapids (as told by Bret)

We awoke at 6:00 a.m. and had a hearty breakfast of cereal, milk, juice, eggs, toast, and hot chocolate. We left camp at 7:22 a.m. and headed northwest. We all slept in the van for about four hours sporadically. We stopped at a gas station in a small northwestern Minnesota town. We crossed the border into Manitoba, Canada and stopped for lunch that consisted of PB&J sandwiches, chips, and cookies. We drove for a little while after lunch until we had to make a phone call at a small gas station to ask about the forest fire status and to see if the road was closed. While we were there we saw a movie for sale that was released in 1962 but on its package it had a sticker that said "just arrived". That was worth a few good laughs and so were some of the magazines. C.J. called our float plane charter in Lynn Lake Manitoba, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The RCMP told us that the road to Lynn Lake was closed because of fires, and the town was evacuated. So we would have to stop in Thompson and make other arrangements.

After that it was back to the van and back to driving for a couple more hours. We ate dinner around 7:20 p.m. and it consisted of fresh greens and creamy ranch salad dressing which Mike mixed together with his hands. For dessert we had apples. After dinner I called my mom and C.J., Pedro, Adam, and Steve talked to her. Then C.J. showed us how to have fun playing with bugs. After dinner we continued heading northward toward the small town of Grand Rapids. It was about an hour drive and toward the end Mike saved the life of a baby brown bear by magnificently maneuvering the van. We arrived at a campsite near Grand Rapids, set up camp, talked for about five minutes, and went right to bed.

Day 2 - Park Near Grand Rapids to Tadoule Lake (as told by Mark)

Today was … well let's just say it was an adventure all by itself. We woke up at 6:30 a.m. to Mike's furious shaking of the tent. We had oranges, orange juice, Rice Krispies, and a graham cracker for breakfast. We were on the road by 7:30.

We drove for a couple hours and then stopped at a small gas station/diner. We refilled on gas and water. Later on, we had a similar incident to yesterday. This time, a road worker jumped right in front of the van and once again Mike avoided him with superior driving skill.

When we reached Thompson, we stopped at the historical museum, looked around, and used the bathroom. C.J. made some more phone calls to a man who was our contact. After the museum, we went to the man's house. His name was Jack, and he was a really cool guy. Jack gave us our new options. Due to the fires, we could either take the Seal, the Little Churchill, the North Knife, or some others. Of course, we all had our hearts set on the Seal.

While C.J. and Mike made more phone calls, the rest of us went down to Jack's basement to watch a video on the Seal that he and his friends made a few years ago. The video gave us a feel for what the rapids and terrain were like, as well as the various types of animal dung. During the video we ate lunch in the basement. We had PB&J sandwiches, cookies, and chips.

After the video and lunch, we still had time, so we decided to watch the movie Forrest Gump. It was kind of strange, watching Forrest Gump on our Canadian canoeing adventure. I mean, my family thinks I'm running from some polar bear while surviving hypothermia, when I'm actually sitting on a couch in somebody's basement watching Tom Hanks make comparisons between a box of chocolate and life.

C.J. and Mike interrupted our movie-fest at the part where Forrest comes home from the Army. They brought us good news. We would be able to fly into the Seal River at a different point than we expected. It would be a place where the fires had not struck, and it would make the trip shorter. But we had two problems.

The first problem, was getting a plane to take us into the area. Because of the fires, the airplanes in the area were being used to transport fire fighters and equipment. However, we managed to charter an airplane from Calm Air and a flight crew for that evening at 8:30p.m.

The plane was called a Hawker. It had wheels, not floats, so we needed to find a place with a runway instead of landing at our chosen lake. We found an Indian Reservation on Tadoule Lake with a dirt runway. The Hawker was big enough to carry all twelve of us, all our gear, and five canoes inside. It would take only one trip.

The second problem was actually paddling down the river. Apparently, the local Indians and the provincial government were in a little argument.  The government had designated an area up there to become a new provincial park, and had not consulted with the Indians. While the park is not with the reservation, it is in an area that is the Indian's traditional land. The only way we could get in would be if we agreed to write a letter to the Manitoba Government supporting the Indians in their argument. After agreeing to do this, the Chief gave us permission, and we were on our way to the Seal.

We left Jack's house, and stopped at the grocery store. We ate free samples of meat and iced tea. Boy was it terrific. C.J. and Mike bought some supplies.

After ravaging the grocery store, we went to Subway for dinner. Everybody ordered a sandwich, and then we proceeded to the Thompson airport. The airport was pretty boring, and we had an hour wait. We were about ready to board, but part of the plane broke so we had to wait a little while more. They gave us free coffee.

The plane ride was fun. We were very excited when we took off. The pilot said we could go into the cockpit. Brodi went into the cockpit, and the copilot let him sit down. Next thing we know, Brodi was flying the plane! Meanwhile, I was vomiting into a little bag. Everyone had a chance to fly, except I continued to be sick. The pilots were very cool. The copilot was from Argentina, so the Mexicans talked with him for a while.

We finally landed at the Tadoule Lake airport on a dirt runway. We got out and then we were immediately surrounded by swarms of mosquitoes. I have never seen so many in my entire life. There were billions, and they covered us. We had our heads completely covered, and some of us ran around in a vain attempt to avoid them.

We met some of the Indians on the reserve who tried to frighten us about the difficulty of the river so we would hire them to guide us.  We finally went to bed very late with plans to get up early in the morning to get on our way.  This day was a very special day. It was fun and exciting.

Day 3 - Tadoule Lake to Beach on Shethanei Lake (as told by Adam)

Our first paddling day began at 6:50 just 20 minutes after our 6:30 wake up call. Since we had been made to feel less than welcome the night before, our primary objective was to get on the water as soon as possible. With this in mind, we postponed our breakfast until after we had rounded the first point. The calmness of Tadoule Lake expedited this event. At breakfast we all expressed our thoughts about the previous night's events. We felt that we were approached in the wrong way, and we could have learned something from them if only they had been more friendly. C.J. made a special presentation of a Calm Air pin to each of us. (That is the airline that flew us into Tadoule Lake.) I am sure each and every one of us will cherish this forever as a memory of this trip.

After breakfast we again paddled across a windless lake. We made good time as we tried to find our way around Tadoule's many islands and peninsulas. At one point we stopped to snack on honey roasted peanuts that C.J. had meant to use as a plane snack, however, the unlimited supply of peanuts, cookies, pretzels, and soft drinks provided by the stewardess, made that unnecessary. By this time a slight tail wind had picked up, making our travel all the swifter. Finally our good luck ended. As we moved into an open part of the lake a headwind picked up and it began to drizzle. We finally reached some calm water in the lee of an island. We decided to stop, have lunch and see what the wind would do. The wind did in fact stop soon and then the bugs came out. We ate our lunch of gorp, PB&J on pilot biscuits, and chips quickly, and then lay down for a rest, covered from head to toe in bugproof material.

In the afternoon we continued our search for the mouth of the Seal where it leaves Tadoule Lake, ending it with a long pull into the wind across the last bay. We passed a cabin, as Marcel had said we would, and entered the Seal River. Soon afterwards we hit our first whitewater. All made it through safely with C.J. leading the way.

On the way to Negassa Lake we had to skirt another island. Our maps recommended we take the longer left fork, but Mike suggested that we try the right one as no falls were indicated. It turned out to be impassable and shallow. Pedro and his canoe portaged, while the rest of us retraced our steps and went around the other way.

Before we reached Negassa Lake however, we had a few more rapids to go. On the second-to-last one; Pedro, Paul, and Peter tipped over. Both Peter and Paul got out immediately, but Pedro was in the water for a few minutes holding on to the packs. While only one paddle was lost the biggest problem was that the canoe got stuck on a rock. Mike and I ferried out to the rock on which Paul was sitting, and with much work, Mike freed the canoe.

We reached Negassa Lake soon after and paddled it with relative ease despite being very tired. After the lake came some more rapids, then Shethanei Lake, the second large lake of the trip. These were easy rapids, but Mike and Bret got hung up on a rock and went over. After all the gear was collected, we headed for Shethanei Lake to find a campsite. After an hour or so we found one. It was a poor spot with a flat sand beach, but there were no other options and we were wet and tired. We set up our tents while C.J. and Mike made mac & cheese with potatoes. The bugs were unbearable, so we all went straight to bed, knowing a layover day was to follow.

Day 4 - Layover Day at Beach on Shethanei Lake (as told by Andres)

Since today was a layover day we all slept late and slept right through breakfast. While they were making lunch Peter went fishing and caught a pretty good sized northern on the very first cast. C.J. filleted it with some help from Rulo, and added it to the soup which was really good. We had a very late lunch around 2:00 p.m. After that we decided to go in the tents and have a rest period. While we were in our tents it started raining, so we stayed inside the tents and couldn't go to explore a rock formation that was at the back of our campsite. Everyone fell asleep or talked for hours inside the tents. It was like this until C.J. called us to have dinner at about 10:00 p.m. Since we were so far north it was still light at this time of day. The wind was blowing from the east so the bugs were not that bad and it was not raining any more. So we had a brief talk about the adversity of the trip and the rapids. After that we had a strange dinner which consisted of gorp, 4 Oreo cookies, and a Bar None. After that it started raining and we went to bed.

Day 5 - Beach on Shethanei Lake to Rocky Point on Shethanei Lake (as told by Pedro)

It was a windy morning with on and off showers, so Mike and C.J. decided to let us sleep late until the rain stopped. A ridiculous 11:30 wake up call came. We were all tired but anxious to get on the water. Breakfast consisted of raisin bran with powdered milk. We got on the water around 12:45 and started paddling through Shethanei Lake. The wind was fierce but our fleet of canoes raged on toward victory, but we were tackled before the end zone. As we rounded a point we saw white caps ahead of us for miles, so our small flotilla was windbound on a deserted point, like refugees. It was impossible to continue.

We ate lunch which consisted of pilot biscuits with peanut butter and jelly and chips. Brodi built a fire. With much remorse we all slept by the warm fire for about two hours. We finally accepted the hard truth that we were stuck on this rocky point. After keeping the fire going we went fishing, and the fishing proved to be excellent. After 30 seconds Rulo had a fish, a minute later I had another, 5 minutes later Bret pulled out another, within a 15 minute period Brodi had two more. The tally was five good size northerns. Rulo filleted them all and put them in boiling water while Andres and Bret were making a dinner that consisted of pasta, sauce, and peas, served up with the more than plentiful fish. Mike and Steve made a very good chocolate cake. We put the canoes away for the night and went to bed. We felt distressed about being windbound and hoped to press on as soon as the weather allowed.

Day 6 - Windbound Layover Day at Rocky Point on Shethanei Lake (as told by Rulo)

This morning it was still windy and rainy, so we stayed in our tents until very late. Then we had Grapenuts, prunes, and hot tea. The wind was still blowing just as bad as yesterday, so we decided to wait and see what happened. After starting a fire, Steve, Paul, and Bret decided to make some Labrador tea, and it really tasted good. Peter made some gorp brownies. After that some people went fishing and some others just sat around the fire. The wind started to decrease and the sky started clearing. Mike was casting from the shore and suddenly hooked a big fish. After a short battle he landed a huge lake trout that was 34 inches long and it must have weighed 15 to 20 pounds. Everyone was excited to see that huge fish laying on the rock and still jumping. After several pictures, C.J. cleaned the fish and Mike cooked it. Boy was it good!

After filling our bellies with fish and Labrador tea we realized that the wind was gone and the blue sky was out, but so were the bugs. We had a meeting where we expressed our feelings about the trip, and Mark read to us. We talked about how we would make it to the Bay and how we should handle the rapids so we would minimize the risk of flipping over. After that some of us went to our tents and others just stayed outside by the fire.

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Day 7 - Rocky Point on Shethanei Lake to Emergency Campsite (told by Brodie)

As we listened to the waves lap against the shore, we heard Mike yell to wake us up. We were very excited, because we knew the wind was finally going our way. We were in a hurry to get back on the water. As we chewed our tasty Grapenuts, we felt happiness for leaving this miserable rock. We casted off and started paddling toward our next adventure.

This journey was filled with happiness and great hope. Manitou had blessed us that morning, for the wind was coming at our tails and Mr. Sun shed his grace on us. As we approached noon we pulled over to shore for a rest. Once our small crew had caught some zz's and listened to a few conversations in Spanish, we set off in hopes of reaching the mouth of the Seal where it leaves Shethanei Lake.

After a little time had past we found a good lunch spot on a large esker, which we all know is a mound of dirt and sand formed by a river of a melting glacier. Once there we hungrily chowed down our Spam and pilot biscuits, and took a little time to ourselves. I was very entertained by watching ants.

After rest time we climbed the Esker hill and got a good view of the surrounding country, It was very flat with lots of forest fire burn. We looked at where we were heading, and the wind did not look good. As we decided what to do, we took time to explore the esker and found many different type of feces. Then we pressed on.

The wind was now directly in front of us and that was very discouraging. After a hard 30 minute paddle we rounded a point and headed for a small bay. We looked around the next point. We saw that there was a powerful wind and waves in our face, and our hopes of reaching the river were smashed. It was going to be another day marooned on a deserted campsite. I looked around and saw nothing but grim faces. Luckily we had Bret's humor to keep us from breaking into tears.

C.J. and I found a place that would make a decent emergency campsite on a flat grassy area with just enough room for our tents. Peter started a small fire while burning his toilet paper, so we had a fire brigade to put it out. Later that evening after dinner and apple pie, we noticed smoke from the same area, so we hurried back to the spot and put the fire out for good. After a disappointing day, we went to bed with hopes of a tailwind and more fun times in the morning.

Day 8 - Bushy Shore of Shethanei Lake to Really Buggy Bill Mason Campsite on the Seal (as told by Peter)

Anxious to finally get off Shethanei Lake, C.J. roused us at 6:00 a.m. An uneventful Grapenuts breakfast ended at 7:00 and we began our day's pull. C.J. said that last night's temperature got down to 40° F, but most of us were fast asleep before the cold really set in. The lake that once presented a barrier to our progress was now an open path to the Seal. After paddling in a steady wind for a while, we came to a stop. After a brief discussion we concluded that we had made a wrong turn. After a couple dead-ends we were back on course, and at last reached the mouth of the Seal where it exits Shethanei Lake. From here on, there were no more lakes, just river and good current all the way to the Bay. We pulled over and celebrated with a snack of dried sausage. It was cold and rainy, but the strong pull of the Seal's current brought smiles to our cold faces and relief to our strained shoulders. Careful not to hit more dead-ends, we carefully consulted the map and found the right way down the channel. We pulled over for lunch and sat around C.J.'s blazing fire. A nice nap was well deserved.

Back on the river, the current carried us and we all gawked at our speed as we raced past the rocks. We handled several segments of fastwater, with just a couple of problems with shallow rock beds. Most of the group grew tired, but spotting our esker campsite in the distance served as a second wind. Hiking up from the river bank to the tent area, we were quite literally smacked in the face by a never-ending cloud of blackflies. Bret discovered a trail of sizable foot prints that he believed to be bear tracks, but Mike's logic led us to believe they were a wolf's.

After lugging all the gear and a lot of water up a steep slope from the river we set up camp. The flies persisted, and a chicken soup dinner was made quickly and eaten quietly. There was a small rock monument honoring the great Canadian canoeist, Bill Mason. The bugs thickened, and most people fled to their tents. But some of us went to explore the tall sandy esker. We enjoyed a truly incredible view with few bugs. We walked along our esker and took pictures.

The wind receded and that was a sure sign of more bugs, we ran to our tents and got cozy in our bags. It was a physically tiring but exhilarating day. We were now on a one-way downhill path to our ultimate goal, the Hudson Bay.

Day 9 - Really Buggy Bill Mason Campsite on the Seal to Campsite near Great Island (as told by Paul)

We awoke at our bug infested campsite at around 9:00. We broke camp with the bugs which were so bad that we decided to leave the campsite and eat breakfast on the river. We loaded the canoes and shoved off. We stopped at a big rock in the middle of the river and had our usual Grapenuts while Brodi sat on the rock and held the bow lines of all five canoes.

We shoved off and paddled on. We encountered many rapids and fast waters. Everyone handled the rapids well and gained more confidence and skill. We decided to eat lunch on a rock next to a set of rapids. During our stay on the rocks we saw a baby seagull and a nest which we carefully avoided. We ate lunch and decided to take a little nap. We awoke and pressed on. We encountered many more rapids and paddled for a couple more hours. We decided to stop for the day at a nice hill across the river from Great Island.

We pulled up the canoes. We saw the fish jumping so Rulo tested his luck and caught a nice arctic grayling. So Bret decided to try, and sure enough he was lucky and also caught a nice grayling. The fish went into the pot with our potatoes au gratin. The dinner was topped off by a wonderful cherry pie. Some people decided to go for a dip and by the sound of their screams I guess the water was cold. The night ended around 9:00 when everybody decided to retire to their tents.

Day 10 - Campsite near Great Island to Grassy Rocky Spot at End of Long Rapids (as told by CJ)

This day was going to be an interesting one for us because the map showed several rapids, and a big one that was marked as being three or four miles long. So when we shoved off we all had a sense of anticipation and foreboding.

The river splits in two and forms Great Island which rises 200 feet above the river. We took the south channel. We came to a rapids that was too much to shoot so we had a short portage.

While we paddled along Great Island the river was only half of its normal size, it was very scenic, and the current was moving quickly.

We came to a rapids that consisted of several shelves with big waves. We portaged the packs on the left and got a good view of the rapids from on top of the cliffs that overlooked the rapids. Having found a good path through the rapids we all shot it easily unloaded.

Finally we came to where the long rapids began. We got out and scouted for a few hundred yards and it looked good, so we shot the first section one at a time and pulled out at a quiet spot. It was not so bad, just a few rocks and big waves to watch out for, and lots of current. Since this was going on for three miles we decided to shoot it with all five canoes in a row where we could see each other. We would stay as close as possible to the left bank. Each sternman had a whistle and if anyone blew their whistle we would all pull over to the shore.

C.J. and Brodie lead the way scouting out the best path, and everyone else followed in a row. It took constant vigilance and maneuvering, and it was exciting. It went on and on. Finally we neared the end, and there was a shelf with a big wave. We all pulled over to the left side and lined the canoes safely through the calm shallow water close to the shore. When we all reached the calm water below, we were filled with happiness and congratulated each other.

The river became wide and calm, and we found a rude campsite on the right side. There were no good spots, and the whole area had been burned two years ago. Our campsite was strewn with boulders and there were some grassy areas with enough room for our tents.

We finished a very satisfying day with a good dinner and a campfire made with whatever wood we could find.

Day 11 - Grassy Rocky Spot at End of Long Rapids to Riverside Campsite Under the Tundra Tarp (as told by Bret)

Today we awoke at 10:00 and paddled away from our campsite at the end of the four-mile-long-rapids we had encountered the night before. We paddled the lake-like river for a while. There was much burn-out on the banks as we merrily paddled our canoes down that joy-filled river of fun, the Seal. We paddled for a while and then had a lunch on a huge beach on an island. Our lunch consisted of pilot biscuits with PB&J and Pringles. After we rested there for a while we shoved off and headed down the river, but it wasn't long before we had to pull to the side of the river and pitch camp because of the approaching rain.

Brodie and I constructed a dinner of mac & cheese with ham and potatoes in it. For dessert we had yellow cake with chocolate frosting made by Steve. It was great. A little while later after going to see the tundra and talking while sitting under the tundra tarp, we all hit the sack. What a great day!

Day 12 - Riverside Campsite to Sand Beach (as told by Mark)

When we awoke, we looked at the weather to decide whether to stay or to go. The sun was shining and we began to fry in our tents, so we decided to press on. We broke camp rather quickly and added a chocolate chip cookie pie to our usual mundane breakfast which we baked the night before. It was delicious.

We took off and the weather was very hot, so rain jackets and bandannas went in the day packs. The wind was blowing, so the bugs were not too bad. The first set of rapids were too difficult for us to manage, so we had a fast portage around it. Our second set of rapids were rather easy, and lots of fun. Nobody took in much water.

The rapids brought us in view of a strange new sight. On the rocks near the shore we saw something none of us had seen since last winter — snow! There was a huge mass of snow along the shore, so we stopped for a photo shoot and lunch. It was great to see snow in the middle of July. We played on it for quite a while, and it was a lot of fun. We threw snowballs, and ate ice, and it brightened all our spirits.

We hung out on the snow bank for a couple of hours, then we took off. Less than ten minutes after paddling we saw a couple of seals! Before we knew it, there were 5 or 6, and they had surrounded us. They talked to us, and Bret tried to communicate back to them. After leaving the seals, we had some more rapids up ahead. They turned out to be more like fast water, and it was real fun.

We spent the rest of the day paddling down the "Seal River Stretch". The stretch is about 30 miles of very wide river. We paddled hard, but a head wind slowed our progress. After a couple hours, we took a break and broke out the dried sausage. It was excellent, and we talked about how we would buy some in Milwaukee if we could remember the name.

Many wanted to stop and set up camp, but we decided to press onward. The sun was coming out, and so were the bugs. This combination is the worst, since you're wearing lots of clothes, but sweating to death.

We found a decent campsite on a sand beach. It was nice, except for the bugs. We set up camp and had a wicked dinner. C.J. said we were going to have a layover day tomorrow, and we thought it was well deserved after 6 days of straight paddling.

Today overall was a great day. We had some decent rapids, and our snow-capped lunch spot was the coolest by far. And seeing more seals is always a plus.

Day 13 - Layover Day at Sand Beach (as told by Adam)

I don't know exactly what time it was when I first woke up this morning. Maybe it was around 9 or 10. All I know is that it was cold, and I could hear the rain splashing on our tent. Disappointed by the dreary weather, I checked outside just to make sure it wasn't bugs dive-bombing our tent that I heard. But sure enough, it was rain. Seeing no reason to disturb my warm state, and fighting off the urge to go visit a tree, I zipped my bag up to my chin and closed my eyes again.

When I next awoke, I could hear the voices of my fellow campers who were by now stirring in their tents. Unable to resist any longer, I braved the cold just long enough to take care of my needs, then dove back in my warm tent. I tried briefly to write in my journal, which is unfortunately a couple days behind schedule, but the effort was too much. I fell back into my warm sleeping bag and lay motionless. Within 15 minutes Peter was up and about. Slowly, others joined him. It was only when C.J. announced that we would cook pancakes, that I was persuaded to move.

Once up, I found the cold bearable, and a light wind blowing to keep off the bugs. We set up the tundra tarp over a big log, and we all sat around while C.J. cooked pancakes and Mike cooked canned bacon. We were all astounded by C.J. the chef who was able to flip pancakes and even made some with smiley faces on them. Had it not been for the wind, I'm sure we would have seen C.J.'s world-famous pancake flipping show, in which he flips them high above the treetops, upwards of 15˝ flips per toss. So one by one we all got our firsts, and seconds, and thirds.... The syrup made by Bret and Steve was just the right thing to make it taste perfect. We were all totally filled up.

When breakfast was over at around 3:00, most retired to their tents to escape the bugs that had begun to come out. Along with the bugs came the sun. This persuaded a brave few to take the opportunity for a swim and wash. C.J. cooked big pots of hot water and gave each one a shower. After all this we began to make pizzas. Mike dished out servings of two crusts, sauce, mushrooms, pepperoni, cheese, and onion, and we each found a partner for the pizza making. The pizzas were big and tasty. Much of the credit must be given to the Outback Oven™ that we used for all the baking.

After three hours, we were all done, and Steve and Pedro made brownies. Mark baked something for tomorrow's breakfast, and C.J. heated hot water for dish washing. Brodie had built a fire, so when all was put away and cleaned up, we sat around it and had the log reading by Steve. C.J. then said a few words about taking responsibility to make sure things get done around the campsite, and a few of us then responded with what we thought worked best. Before long, the conversation had taken the same turn it had taken many times this trip, and we were once again joking about our encounter with Marcel. Since it had turned cold and windy, the third type of weather today, and we have a long day tomorrow, we all turned in before it got too late.

Day 14 - Sand Beach to Tundra Campsite (as told by Andres)

After a good layover day and a very cold and windy night we woke up. The wind was blowing so hard that C.J. and Mike decided to wait a while. At 11:00 they finally gave the wake-up call. It was hard to get the tents down with the wind but we finally made it and had breakfast. We got on the water by 12:00 and started paddling. We had a hard wind from the north, and after an hour of paddling we reached the big turn where the river starts going south. We stopped to rest for a little time and we had those delicious dried sausages. After that we continued paddling and we decided to go between an island and mainland where it was very shallow and we had to get out of our canoes several times.

We finally reached the next rapids which we shot without a problem. After that we had to stop for lunch on the tundra. This was around 4:00. The wind was blowing at first but then it died a little and the lovely bugs came out again and that made me so happy. Then we continued paddling through rapids and fast water for a long time, until we reached a wide part of the river, where a campsite was supposed to be, but we couldn't find it, so we stopped to check out some place but it was too muddy, so we decided to camp on the tundra. It was very windy and bug-free. We actually had a kite flying out there.

Adam and Mark made spaghetti for dinner and Steve and Pedro made an apple cake for dessert. After we finished eating the wind started dying a little and the lovely and nice bugs came out, so we had to cover ourselves up again. Rulo and I made raspberry bars for tomorrow's breakfast, and after that everyone went to sleep.

Campsite on the tundra with lots of lovely bugs

Day 15 - Tundra Campsite to Hudson Bay (as told by Pedro)

A surprisingly early wake-up call came from C.J. at 8:00. As always we took on our old routine of rolling up and rolling out. We started our day without knowing that this would be our last paddling day.

We paddled for hours until we reached a place on the river that was only 100 feet above sea-level. We entered an area that was like a maze, that river separated into many channels and was filled with islands. We got a little lost, but made our way through and got into the main channel. We shot many rapids, and we all did well. Then we reached Deaf Rapids which was impossible to shoot. First we portaged our gear across rough terrain, then we came back and had lunch, and then portaged the rest of the stuff.

We knew that we were on the ocean after tasting salt in the water. Then we thought that the tide was coming out and braced ourselves for a long 6 hour wait, but when we saw that the rocks were sinking we knew that the tide was obviously coming in. With much joy we entered Hudson Bay, turned north, and paddled on towards the lodge, our designated pick-up spot.

After hours of paddling in Hudson Bay we came to the lodge paddling in a nice formation, but then noticed that there was no one watching us. We looked around the area. It was a rustic looking lodge with a fenced area where we were supposed to set up camp. This was for protection against polar bears. We set our tents up and ate dinner. After having a nice talk we were very happy to receive our tams. After this we were driven to bed by the bugs, proud that we had proven ourselves and successfully completed the Seal.

Day 16 - Layover Day on Hudson Bay (as told by Rulo)

Okay, today we woke up like at 10:30 after a good night in a very safe campsite. Breakfast was served, and some of us had tent service and ate our breakfast in the tents served by C.J. and Mike. After that we talked and rested and then we prepared to portage the canoes 1˝ miles across the tundra to a small freshwater lake where the float plane will pick us up tomorrow.

After portaging we ate lunch at the dock and had a short rest period, then we started to head back. When we reached the lodge everybody went into their tents and went to sleep until 6:00 p.m. Bret and I made dinner which consisted of spaghetti, and apple pie made by Adam and Mark. Then we all gathered together and had the horsengoggle to determine the order in which we were going to fly to Churchill tomorrow. After a good time of horsengoggling the order was the Pegasus (C.J. and Brodi), the Columbia (Adam, Mark, Rulo), él Pitufo (Andres and Steve), the other Penobscot (Pedro, Peter, Paul), and the Valkyrie (Mike and Bret). Then some of us went to sleep and others stayed out with the lovely bugs that were as bad as always. Well I guess that's all for today and tomorrow we are flying to Churchill and taking the train to Thompson, and I can't wait for that. Good night.

Day 17 - Hudson Bay to the Night on the Train (as told by Brodie)

A day at the lodge (as told by Bret)

The first trip of the day was to be Brodie and C.J. We wondered if the plane would show up, but Peter saw it in the distance and Peter screamed "the plane, the plane!" The float plane landed, the canoe was tied on top of the float, the gear loaded, and off they went. The plane returned later, and this process was repeated all day long. Since Mike and I were last, we killed time and talked with Mitch who arrived with the first plane and helped with the loading.

A day at Churchill (as told by Brodie)

C.J. came and woke me up around 8:00. It was a particularly cold morning, but I was quick to get up and was ready to get out of the wilderness and back to civilization. I ate my Grapenuts as quick as possible. C.J. and I walked to the landing lake just in time to see a small yellow plane fly over our heads and land in the water.

Once we got there, two rugged outdoorsmen jumped out to greet us. The pilot, and Mitch. Soon we were flying over the heads of our comrades on our way to Churchill. As we flew we saw many beluga whales swimming in the Bay. I felt a mix of emotions that I will never forget. I was happy to end the trip, but I knew I would miss our adventures in northern Manitoba.

We flew over the town of Churchill and landed in a little lake with no idea of how we were to get back to town and the train station. The pilot radioed for someone to pick us up. When we got to town, we bought one more train ticket and found where to put our canoes and gear at the train station. There is not much to do in Churchill. There is a small museum and a few shops. It was pretty boring.

One by one, the airplane brought a load of campers, a canoe, and gear to the little lake. C.J. drove an old rusty van, bringing each group to the train station. Bret and Mike were delayed by a mechanical problem. We took showers at the Town Centre and changed into clean clothes that we saved for the return trip. I must have washed my hair six times. Mike, Bret, and C.J. arrived too late to take a shower, but with just enough time for dinner at the famous Tundra Inn. Never has a cheeseburger tasted so good.

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Day 18 - Night on the Train to Park near Moosehorn (as told by Peter)

After a long night on the train, we all were awake by 8:45 and ate breakfast in the dining car in groups of four. An egg and cheese sandwich with hash browns and cantaloupe was amazingly satisfying. This wonderful breakfast was leisurely finished, and soon after we got off the train and gathered for a photo. C.J. and I took a taxi to the airport to get the van and we took a short visit at the airport to reminisce about the last time we were there two and a half weeks ago.

We drove back to the train station, loaded up, and headed for a grocery store in town. We got food for the next two days. All of the food at the grocery store intimidated us after two weeks of rationing. We posed for a photo at the statue of "the drilling guy".

Then it was time for driving, time to relax. A glorified trail lunch in the van and a couple of bathroom and gas station breaks interrupted an uneventful drive. At around 8:00 p.m. we came to a campground near the small town of Moosehorn. It was on the shore of Lake Manitoba. Potato soup, salad, and popcorn was enjoyed by all. The biggest treat of the night was almost no bugs, and no wind. We were all happy.

Day 19 - Park near Moosehorn to Camp

Our uneventful drive back to camp continued. We drive through Manitoba which is flat and boring, so when we came to the city of Winnipeg we skipped the bypass and drove straight through the middle of downtown. We must have been quite a sight in our van and trailer with five canoes.

The last official tasks was to stop at the car wash near the Mississippi River bridge. We got the van completely clean, inside and out. As we neared camp C.J. pulled over at the Lake Andrusia boat ramp where our T-shirts had been hidden in a plastic bag in the woods. We proudly put on our new Seal River shirts and came into camp in time for dinner.

The End

Thanks to everyone for helping to make this a very memorable trip! We can all be very proud of the way we overcame adversity to reach our goal. The trip was very difficult, not just physically, but also emotionally – the remote region of northern Manitoba can be cold, harsh, and unforgiving. But we all stuck together and pushed forward, successfully reaching the end of the Seal River, the salt water of Hudson Bay, and the long ride back to relative civilization of Camp Chippewa by air, train, and van. What a trip !!! Thank you all. --- C.J.

CJ

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