One Warm Line:
Coppermine River by Raft, from Rocknest Lake to the Arctic Ocean,
July 23rd to August 3rd, 2014
Fifteen intrepid souls embarked on an adventure to raft the wild Coppermine River through Canada's Northwest Territories and Nunavut to the Arctic Ocean. Here is our story set in historical context...
There were a good number of cabins along the way, mostly on the west bank, but a few also on the east. When I spend the summer of 1977 at Kugluktuk there were maybe one or two cabins; today perhaps as many as 25. Approaching the town, the westernmost community in Nunavut, it was reassuring to see the communication towers of the air strip and power generating station perched on the cliffs above the river. However, we still had to find a channel of the river that led into the Coronation Gulf and the Arctic Ocean. Kugluktuk itself is located on a north-facing slope and beach area of the ocean shore about two miles west of the mouth of the Coppermine River.
With a brisk wind from the northwest at about 25 miles an hour, there were some whitecaps and a lot of spray coming back over the rafts. We reached a beach and docking area around 9:30 a.m., and began immediately emptying the rafts and deflating them. A number of Inuit came down to the dock to get a closer look at the spectacle of bedraggled voyageurs appearing on their shore in such inclement weather. Some of the Inuit even remarked how cold it was!
We needed to get all our gear assembled, and repacked in some cases, ready to be picked up by a cargo truck owned by “Kikiak,” a company with connections to Karl. Karl called the office as soon as we touched shore, and the truck arrived in short order. After loading it, the same company generously took us in their passenger van to the company headquarters on the road to the airport.
Our hope was to get into the Community Recreation Center for a major clean-up before boarding First Air and the flight back to Yellowknife, but the place was locked. After some phoning around town, some kind employee went over to the complex and opened it up for us. While the place was in disarray after a wedding celebration the night before, the water was hot and wonderful. As was arranged by Carina and Linda before we left on the trip, about noon we headed over to the Coppermine Hotel for brunch that consisted of pancakes, fruit, muffins, and some spectacular squares that makes your eyes roll backward. After almost two weeks huddled in the cold over campfires, it was pure luxury to be sitting in a café, at real tables, being waited on in a lovely warm café.
At 1:30 we hustled off to the airport, about two miles out of town, to do a final sort and repack of our gear and determine what to take on this flight and what could wait for a cargo plane some days later. There was some confusion as to what each person was allowed for luggage, but it was sorted out and we climbed aboard. I was struck by the contrast this day brought for us. Early morning we were cold and wet on the rocky banks of Bloody Falls, completely exposed to the brisk wind off the Arctic Ocean, and 6 hours later we are on a sophisticated plane taxiing down the runway. We lifted off at 2:45 p.m., and within five minutes just about every one of our group was sound asleep.
We arrived in Yellowknife at 4:15 p.m. with time enough for those continuing south to Edmonton to make connections. Doug, Greg and I stayed in Yellowknife that night, back at the Harbour B&B, having missed a connecting flight on Buffalo Airways to Hay River. The ensuing two days was another little adventure of getting out of Yellowknife given road closures due to the continuing fire danger, mix-ups of various kinds and overbooked flights, but that is another story.
This was an amazing adventure I am sure we will all remember for the rest of our lives. One cannot say it was entirely a “vacation,” but certainly it was an adventure. The high points and the low points all contribute to our incredible effort of “tracing one warm line through a land so wild and savage,” and we indeed made a Northwest Passage to the sea. We did it!
Day Twelve, Sunday, August 3rd – Kugluktuk
I was wakened about 5:30 a.m. by an especially strong northwest wind that blew in my side of the tent; it wasn’t worth getting up to fix it. The rain lasted throughout the night and had turned very cold with a brisk wind off the ocean (approximately 10 miles to the north). It was only a couple of degrees above freezing now and the chill of the wind and dampness made it feel bitterly cold for early August. By 6:30 Linda was up trying to rouse the camp—we needed to get going as quickly as possible. Greg was up by 6:45 and built a nice fire to help us warm up. For breakfast we had only a few granola and fruit bars, some cookies and a gulp of coffee, then began taking down tents and loading the rafts. We left a fair bit of gear at the campsite for others to use, including always welcomed firewood.
We headed across the face of the falls to a channel supposedly on the west side of the river. We had noticed last evening a couple jet boats speeding through this area. However, it turned out to be very shallow and rocky making the first mile or so rather tricky. We paddled through and came to a little deeper water on the far side of a high profile island. Shortly thereafter, the river opened up, the waters deepened, and we were able to use the kickers. Dwight again had trouble getting the motor going on the blue raft. For the first time, Greg and I were able to get our small raft on step and we sped along at 10 or 15 miles an hour. As we were bucking head winds and dealing with spray, it was especially chilly—but with our goal of reaching Kugluktuk by late morning, we didn’t mind.
Wednesday July 18th 1821
At 5 O’clock a.m. embarked and proceeded down the river, the Indians at the same time setting out on their return promising to wait three days on the Copper mountains for Mr Wentzel and 4 men that Mr Franklin intends to discharge at the sea, to reduce the size of our party and lessen the consumption of provisions. They were furnished with ammunition at their departure. After we had passed a few rapids the river became wider and more navigable for a canoe and flowed through a channel considerably below the level of a tract of alluvial sandy soil. We arrived at the mouth of the river before noon, and encamped on its western bank. The river at its confluence with the sea is very shallow and barred nearly across by sand banks, which run out from the main land on each side, to a low alluvial island, which lying in the centre, divides the channel into two. Of these the westernmost only is navigable for canoe. The water beyond the sand banks is of a clear green colour, and is decidedly salt. Hearne must have tasted the water of the river, when he pronounced it to be merely brackish. We saw many seals in the mouth of the river. This islands are high and numerous and shut the horizon in, on many points of the compass. The sea appears clear from the eminences on which we are encamped from NWbW to NbW per compass; and towards the NE the land makes like a chain of islands. In every other direction the land appears continuous. The ice lies in a pretty solid field, three or four mile distant from the mouth of the river. Pp. 81-82
A few ducks were seen today, for the first time since we passed the Copper mountains. The shore is strewed with a considerable quantity of drift lumber, which is principally the wood of the populous balsamifera [Balsam poplar] and none of a great size. The nets were set in the afternoon, Mr Franklin proposing to make up his dispatches from England here. P. 82.
The most southerly part of the Coppermine River seen by the Expedition lies Lat. 64 degrees 50 minutes N, Long. 112 degrees 12 minutes W. Hence the direct line of its course which was traced is NNw ½ w distance 203 ¾ miles geographically or 236 statute miles. P. 83
John Richardson completes his journal of the Franklin Expedition exporing the Coppermine River, 1821...
Tuesday, July 17th 1821 Massacre Rapid
During the night an old woman who had concealed herself amongst the rocks, came to Terregannoeucks tent, which with the assistance of Junius and Augustus he had erected—and from her we learnt, that the rest of the party had fled to a river a short distance westward where there was another party of Eskimaux fishing…. P. 81
Mr Hood went today with a party to bring some meat which Terregannoeuck had promised us yesterday and which he said was stored up in the neighbourhood—but it proved to be too putrid for our use. P. 81
In the afternoon a party of nine Eskimaux, appeared on the banks of the river, about a mile below our encampment, carrying their canoes and baggage on their backs, but they turned and fled as soon as they perceived our tents. The appearance of so many different bands of Eskimaux, has terrified our Indian hunters to such a degree, that they have determined on leaving us tomorrow, lest they should be surrounded, and their retreat cut off. Mr Franklin endeavoured by large promises to induce one or two of them to accompany us along the coast, but in vain. P. 81