George River Solo 2018

Day 31
Start Time: 8/14/2018 9:32 PM
Duration: 8:48
Distance / Total (km): 35.0 / 407.7

I was up at 6:30am, clear skies with a slight breeze. It was still quite cool so the bugs were minimal. I just went with leftover tea, a fig bar and an orange for breakfast in an attempt to get away early. It was nice to be able to be out in the open without being attacked by bugs and keeping sand from getting into everything. I was hopeful of a pleasant day not only was the weather better than it had been for days there was a very good chance that I would meet other humans today! This was my 31st day on my own, I would not say I was desperate to meet people but throughout the past weeks, I assumed I would not see anyone until Indian House Lake but once there the chance of encountering other paddlers coming down the Rivière De Pas from Schefferville was a possibility. There was also Wedge Point, which was a traditional meeting place between the Inuit of Ungava and the Montagnais of the south. There is a seasonal “eco-camp” (Adventure Ashini) operating there in August. When I passed by in 2008 it was July with no one home, in 2010 it was a few weeks later and the camp staff were there getting set up, we had camped nearby on a huge beach across from the point and stopped for a visit which included an invite to lunch which included fresh salads and tropical fruit! So I had been thinking about this for quite some time, the idea of people and fresh food was VERY appealing.

It was 9:30am when I set off, the clouds had returned and except for a brief break in the early afternoon, it would remain slightly dismal all day. I paddled the 20km to Wedge Point; I took my time, stopping to gaze at the vistas. I came around the tip to find the camp was empty! What a disappointment! I paused to recover and consider my options. The huge beach on the eastern shore is very nice but I had camped there on both previous trips, about 16km ahead at Slippery Brook I knew there was several good choices as well and it might set me up better to make it to the end of Indian House in two days. It is about 3:00pm I could get there before dark or use an optional spot 10km ahead, best to keep going.

Past the empty camp, there is a short but refreshing stretch of modest current, about 2km, I past the option camp, a bit of a climb up the bank to what is probably an ok spot. I continued in spite of being tired, my wrist was also bothering me so I switched to my ottertail paddle to reduce the strain. The last two days (plus the previous month?) were really starting to ear on my ass! I have plenty of padding on the seat but my butt itself is not well padded and since I am losing weight every day the situation gets worse. In the river sections with rapids I am switching between sitting and kneeling which provide enough variation but on the flats after a few hours the pain starts, the longer I paddle the worse it gets and by the end of an 8 – 9 hour day it is BAD!.

In 2008, we had camped in the lagoon on the west shore, a very nice spot with shallow water that was quite warm with a nice sandy bottom. It is a great place to soak up some sun and float in the water. It was far too cold for swimming and I wanted to check out the east shore where Slippery Brook enters, I hoped it might have something to offer other than sand! I turned into the cove to find there was just lots of sand along the shore, higher ground where there might be moss or grass was far too high up so I just picked a flat area that offered some shelter from wind. The bugs were pretty bad, mostly due to my bad timing I am right at the end of the black flies day and right at the start of the evening influx of mosquitos. I set up the Pod and Marmot and settled in. With no rain, I was at least able to have all the windows open and enjoy the view. I discovered that my InReach tracking had turned off at 2:00pm, I never did figure out what happened but the issue never reoccurred.

I made a bag of Mountain Chili (Alpine Aire), edible if you are hungry, if not forget about this one. Shortly after dinner a light rain started, with the windows now closed it hardly made sense to stay in the Pod so I moved over to the Marmot for the night with a fresh mug and thermos of tea. During a short break in the rain, I gathered my stuff and scurried over accumulating clouds of bugs on the way. I spent the next few hours updating my journal, planning the next day or so, listening to tunes and munching on cookies and chocolate. Six hours past, the rain while still light continued. A new forecast indicates a mixed bag for tomorrow, with 18km to reach the Norpaq fish/hunt camp I decided that would be my next destination. It was unlikely that anyone would be there although it was possible, in any event I would stay there or close by. I knew of another camping spot about halfway so if the wind is really bad that would be an option.

It has gotten very late, 2:30am and I am ready for lights out.