Bowron Lakes Circuit - BC Canada

[mwsp8]

Hi All,

It's been a long time since I was here but I have been busy paddling. In September I checked a big one off the list and did the Bowron Lakes circuit in BC Canada. It is listed as one of the top ten canoe/kayak routes in the world and it did not disappoint. For those unfamiliar it is a 71 mile route about 5.5 of that is portage. The great thing about Bowron is that it is a loop route so no shuttle.

I took my 18 year old son and 4 friends. My son paddled in my Kodiak, a friend paddled my Yukon and I rented a hardshell along with the other three. It was very interesting to observe the pros (many) and cons (few) of the Folbots vs the hardshells. The trip tests boats and paddlers in every way. Some tough portages, wind, rain, long days, swift river sections and the need for storage space for 6 – 8 days of gear and supplies.

We started the route on Sept 3, for the previous 5-6 weeks it had been warm and dry so there was a total fire ban. The day we departed it started raining – really raining. By day four it was snowing in the peaks just above us. We had a couple of nice days but the fire ban was not lifted until our last morning – unfortunate timing but it didn't matter the place is so awesome I didn’t care.

We did not see a bear but that is because the park is managed well and you have to put your food in bear-proof cashes. We did see moose and lots of other critters. We had one exciting near disastrous event. There is a stretch of the Caribou River that is swift and colored with glacier melt so zero visibility in the water. They warn you about this 4-5 mile stretch as being the most hazardous part of the trip. So I put everyone in a line single file and had them follow my line through.

My friend in my Yukon was 5th in line (he is in the Yukon because he's a newbie and its so stable) he swung wide on a turn and hit a deadhead, the water is milky and the surface had just enough ripple that you could not read the hazards. He hit with such force he completely broke a rib (old style poly rib) and dented a longeron. The boat listed but stayed upright and took no water. Boat six – a hardshell helped him off but nearly capsized in the process. Some very tense moments.

We all got to a sand/gravel bar in the middle of the river. I popped the rib out and used the Folbot repair kit (two aluminum strips, duct tape and some steel wire I added to the kit to fix the rib and we were off again. The skin had a minor scratch and the repaired rib was as good as new – no problems the rest of the trip. Those boats are tough and stable – but you all know that.

Enjoy the pics and I’ll post more later.

Mark

[hrhpj1]

Mark,

Amazing pictures! Talk about a dream trip....I hope to do something similar someday. What an adventure that must have been, and talk about making memories with your son; he'll never forget that trip.

Thanks so much for sharing and by all means, when you get time, post a few more pictures. That area is so picturesque!

Juanita Homan
2009 Olive Yukon "Nessie"
2009 Native Ultimate 12 "Sasquatch"

[PeteS]

Sounds like a real nice trip, Mark. Thanks for posting pictures. Love the "rock art", must have been a real randy day and the folks had nothing better to do....

[Dickc]

Great trip report and pictures. I love to read about people PADDLING.

Dickc

[redguy]

Awesome! Bowron Lakes Park is still on my list. Tough to find enough time off in the summer, but: one of these days!

[Rory]

Hi Mark,
This one is on my list. Just wondering of you could elaborate with any further advice and wisdom for the trip?
You mention 6 to 8 days- how long did the total trip take your group?
Also wondering specifically about the portages- what percentage were cart friendly & how much did you have to abandon carts and carry the boats?
Rory

[mwsp8]

Rory,

We did the trip in 7 nights - 8 days. It was 8 full days on the move and 7 different camps. A couple of short side paddles and a hike to a great waterfall. We weren't a fast group so it certainly can be done faster but what's the point of that. As far as the portage trails go - most are pretty good. There are spots where it is good to have two people to get over the rough spots but we never took the boats off the carts.

I chose to use smaller carts for my two Folbots and my rental - the other three in the group choose to rent large carts. The trade-off is the portage is easier with the large cart but you have to strap the big heavy thing to deck - which I did not want to do.

Mark

[gobe]

WOW! Beautiful picture. Do you see the 'swimmer' going across the sky? Would make a great 'Wallpaper' for your computer if it was higher resolution than you had to have to post it here.

[flatwater]

Do you happen to know what the bright point to the right of the moon is?
Venus?
Betelgeuse?
Or?

Excellent picture.
Do you have a hi-res version you could share?

[mwsp8]

All,

One of the challenges of taking quality photo’s when you have fun loving friends along is keeping them out of the shots. In this example the sun was setting on a glorious day the scene was outstanding and my friend – let’s call him Duane – was lurking. Now Duane kind of looks like Goober but is in fact a partner in a successful law firm. I would never tell him but I actually think it made the picture better because it’s just funny. This pic was taken at the camp about midway down Isaac Lake in the Bowron Wilderness. My trusty Kodiak on the beach.

Mark

[mwsp8]

Here are a couple of pictures from the story about having to do the rib repair in the middle of the Caribou River. We were very fortunate to have been by the gravel bar we stopped on. As you can see from the picture the bar was not really above the water line. The repair was made and the paddle was retrieved from down river and we were off again. When I got home I did buy a replacement rib - the new style made of tubing. I like it but at first wasn't sure they had sent me the correct part. The broken one is hanging in the shed as a reminder to be careful out there.

Mark

Bowron 134.jpg (62.28 KiB) Viewed 311 times

Bowron 328.JPG (80.42 KiB) Viewed 311 times