Ashley & Harriet's Canoe Trip: DAY 1

Ashley arrived at the train "stop" at Red Lake Road in the middle of the night Sunday/Monday, July 18th. The reason I call it a "stop" and not a station is because it only stops beside a dirt road off the highway, 120 miles short of Red Lake, and lets off any passengers bound for Red Lake. There are no buildings out there... just a street light and a few CN vehicles. So if your ride doesn't show up for your 2:00 AM arrival...you're a bit SOL. Her train was late, so when we finally left Red Lake Road, our two hour drive back to town brought us into Red Lake at about 6:30 in the morning. I spotted eight moose, a few deer, and at least a dozen foxes on the way to the train, and almost as many on the way back.

So Ashley and I combined our canoe trip gear... Food pack, personal packs, cooking equipment, beer cooler, canoe and paddles. Then we waited for our flight out to Mexican Hat Lake.


This was right at the peak of the FIRE BAN, so the sky was thick with smoke, the visibility was poor, and the air smelled like fire. Quite an exciting time for Red Lake really. The town is buzzing with helicopters and forest fire crews from across the country (every province including Nova Scotia, BC, and the Yukon). Many of the northern communities were being evacuated due to nearby fires. Some of the fires were "rank 5"...meaning maximum intensity. The Red Lake area was hitting 100 forest fires and counting. Our town was featured on the national news broadcast. It had been years and years since things heated up like this.


So on this particular day, the airplanes weren't flying. Hugh was stuck on Viking Island. Low visibility stopped him from flying back to town to pick us up. We stayed on hand, ready to go, for most of the day, but by 4pm, Hugh put an official "no fly day" into effect (to the west, anyway). We were disappointed, but it's one of those things you can't control! We ended up cooking our "first dinner of the canoe trip" at home on the BBQ... Hot dogs.


Our Beaver pilot, Russ, ended up making a trip north to McInnes Lake. Our friend Morgan (who flies the Turbo Otter, down the bay from Viking Outposts) called to get Russ's SPOT information to see if he made it successfully to McInnes without having to land because of smoke. We checked the SPOT website, on Russ's profile, and we saw that he had made it there, so, that gave the go ahead to some other pilots to make trips on a similar route.
posted by Harriet Carlson

Dick Asbell finds THE northern

Our trip to Rheaume in mid July started with a big bang.

On day one we were idling out from the dock while putting on our jigs and setting up our reels but not really fishing…yet somehow I hooked a small northern and nice walleye within minutes. My dad (Dick Asbell) was with Jeff Elkins a little behind me and he did a little better. On his first cast……“BANG”! the biggest northern ever caught in our group! After a serious battle and a failed attempt netting (with what looked like a butterfly net compared to this alligator), I tossed them the net from my boat (which is bent now) and Jeff was able to land the pig. It was healthy 46”, 31lb (est.) and based on charts, a 24 year old fish. We snapped some photos and quickly got her (a male this big would be an anomaly) back in the water and revived. After a few moments she gave a quick burst with her tail to soak all of us and let us know what she thought of that experience! Now she is out there patrolling for the next lucky fisherman.

We have been to Rheaume for the last (12) years and never fished in front of the cabin….I guarantee we will now!
Pat Asbell

FIRE BAN IS LIFTED

Remember these? Campfires to cook fish with or dry your boots on, or both? The MNR has lifted the fire ban that was in effect until now. There was a little bit of rain lately. The fire situation is still active and exciting, so there is still reason to be even more cautious than usual when you are making a campfire. But the good news is, our guests can have shorelunch again!

Tuesday Morning

It is 7 am and no one is stirring, only the birds singing, not a ripple on the water, only a wisp of cloud. Coffee on the deck...... Heaven.

Forest Fire Hazard Just a Memory

The hot weather, crazy winds and forest fires of last week are a memory now. A cabin on Spoonbill Lake burned to the ground while the owners watched from their boat. Some northerners are returning home after being evacuated for a week.Our boreal forest is meant to burn to renew itself. The jack pine cones don't even open without the extreme heat of a forest fire. Blueberries, fire weed and other plants are waiting in the wings for acidic soil of a fire. For us humans, though, a forest fire can be viewed as a disaster. We must try to take these natural events in stride. Some days we can't fly because of smoke that can cover 1000s of square miles. Some times we need to stay off the portages after lightning strikes. In very rare situations we need to evacuate people out of the path of the fire, but in this country there is always a boat and lots of water to escape to.
For the next month and a half, forest fire fighters will be working the recent fires, putting out hot spots and checking things out and finally declaring each fire out one by one.
Here are some pictures taken by our friend Chris Sherwin who fights these fires for a living.

Planning your Fishing Trip?

If you have any questions about your trip,
For Viking Outposts please call Craig and Roseanne at 807-727-3461
For Viking Island, please call Enid and Hugh at 807-727-0321
We have some openings at Viking Island for this coming week July 23- 30

Red Lake Area Fires

This is a picture of a water bomber taken by our friend Chris Sherwin. He is busy mapping the fires from above and planning strategies to work with nature and beat this storm of fires.

Here at Viking Island, the smoke has cleared and we are fine although it is extremely dry and hot here. Hugh tells me that flying north is getting more difficult and we may need to move guests around. If for safety it is necessary, we do have room for our guests at our camps in Woodland Caribou Park where there are no fires at present and the skies are clear.

So if you are coming north to fish with us Vikings, we are waiting for you and have a cabin ready for you. ( You just may have to be ready to fish a different lake.)

Current Forest Fire Situation in Ontario.
I'll try to keep you up to date but for now this is all I know.
If you want to get in touch with us, call Roseanne and Craig at 807-727-3461 or Enid at 897-727-0321. Hugh and Craig will be sitting down to make plans for the weekend tomorrow, Wednesday.

All our outposts are far from fires

The air is still Very smokey. The visibility is so low we are not flying for now. However all our outposts are safe from the present fires and all is well with us.

Smoke in the Air

Last night we watched thunder storms in the distance. Today the air is smoky. We gather the fires are a long way off as the smoke is spread out and we hear no airplanes.

Dry Hot Wind and Low Water

A stiff south wind is blowing, the land is dry, the water is low and thunder storms are predicted for tonight and tomorrow morning. I'm antsy ....... thinking about forest fires. The Ministry of Natural Resources are in high gear, trying to keep up with the new lightning strikes. Here is a site which shows where the fires are at present: Current Forest Fire Situation in Ontario

Kevin you asked about the water levels and in the last week they have gone way down. The water is the lowest I've seen in about 8 years. Onnie Creek is difficult to navigate but, on the other hand, all our docks are well above the water. 15 years ago this would be a normal water level but in 2011 it is considered low.

What does a pilot do on his Days Off?

Go fishing of course

Kristen Peebles and Russ Stephenson have their supper for tonight. Tim Kachur and Amber Kruger almost.... Hey guys, those fish are a little big for the fry pan.
Up here, when you need a little R&R.....

Just go Fishing

Rheaume Lake with Brent McGill

Enid,

Just returned on 6/30 from another great week at Rheaume. Great weather and fishing. Attached is a picture of a moose eating some grass as we motored into a bay one afternoon. She took a long look at us to figure out what we were doing. Then she started trotting off through the water and ultimately back onto shore.

The other picture is of a 27" walleye I caught on the newly named Treibic's rock! Unfortunately this 27 incher did not take the weekly prize for big walleye. That came to Joe Miller who won both the biggest walleye 27.5" and northern 40" for 2011 bragging rights.

Already looking forward to our next trip.

Thanks, Brent McGill

Tis the Season for Canoeing

Who of us does not dream of that wilderness canoe trip or remember past adventures? When the sun is out and the water has warmed up, when you head off to work on a Monday morning, doesn't that feel of the canoe on the water and the sound of the paddle ripple through your mind?
Here is a video of Harriet and Jori on such a trip. It could be aptly named "Dining in Woodland Caribou" as they seem to bring out the camera at meal time.

We are meeting lots of canoers this summer. We have teamed up with Harlan Schwartz from Red Lake Outfitters. Our job is the flying and we do know the park. Our pilots enjoy the challenge of flying canoes and landing on wilderness lakes with no docks or camps. For more information, videos and ideas, check out Harlan's websites, blogs and forums.
Red Lake Outfitters
Harlan's Blog

Oh yes a few days in a canoe is good for the soul.

Lake Trout in July? oh Yes

Mike, Jim and Scott have always come fishing over Independence Day. For one week each year, Douglas is their lake. They have named all their favourite spots and it is hard to understand them as they loudly discuss the day with their Chicago accent.

Mike knows how to find those lake trout on Caribou, Douglas, Peterson and Paige. He can also find all the walleye he needs for a grand shorelunch. Of course, he goes hunting big northern as well.

You're Flying with Tim

Tim flew both Cessna 180'2 last summer and then the 185. This summer, Craig trained him to fly Craig's favourite De Haviland Beaver, CF-GMB. They put in plenty of hours flying freight and doing camp checks together. Today was the day for Tim's first passenger flight with GMB. Mike works at O'Hare tower, Joe was an air traffic controller and Scott works for the airlines so they were critcal. They reported all was good and the landing was better than Craig's. you are a good teacher Craig!

So, Craig, you are a good Teacher!