Do you know how much a 17ft Pelican canoe weights? At 91lbs and it is one of the heavier canoes on the market. As years go by, it also appears to be getting heavier and heavier (from our perspective). No, it’s not just the cool rocks and other shiny treasures we collect on each trip. 😁
It has been since our last couple of portages in Lakeland Provincial Park, the purchase of a more lightweight canoe has been on our radar.
Stars Align – June 6th
By pure luck and the stars being aligned, on Facebook marketplace, the Clipper Scout suddenly appeared.
Things did not look in our favor as the initial post date was May 2nd; over a month ago. But to our surprise, when we reached out, it was still available and what it appeared on Google Earth to be just west of Entwistle. To a bit of a surprise it was a 4-hour drive to load him up in Marlboro west of Edson. 😲 Okay, excitement may have blurred the initial distance calculation. But, in all honestly, a road trip with sightseeing and visiting was all part of the adventure.
Today we are adding canoe number 5 to our fleet. Green, red, red, yellow and now white. Greenbean Canoe Adventures featuring Marvin #sillysisters. Let the paddling adventures begin.
“Canoe Day” – June 26th 🛶
Now, three weeks later, we finally have our schedules aligned and it is time for Marvin’s maiden voyage. With both sporting injuries (Jen tennis elbow & Stacey shoulder muscle issues…one might amusingly suggest these are canoe injuries?? 😮), we decided to revisit one of our favorite paddles from our trip around Lac La Biche lake.
We dropped one pick-up at Maccagno’s Point; or as we refer to is as Modeen’s Point (with good reason). A few years back we met a local elder who referred to it as Modeen’s Point. Modeen was the family name of the people who lived here prior to the Maccagno’s purchasing the land. Thanks to Edgar Ladouceur for the history lesson.
Off we go to the Old Trail boat launch. Lac La Biche County has spent quite a few dollars upgrading this site over the last five years or so. It has a nice big, paved parking lot, two docks, and a cement launch pad. This last season, a picnic gazebo and washroom had been added. Not just a port-a-potty, a brick washroom with lights and running water. It is the finest public washroom on Lac La Biche, hands down. 👍
National Lake Blitz co Living Lakes Canada
This year, we joined the National Lake Blitz; a program by Living Lakes Canada. The programs’ goal is to help people understand climate change’s impacts on the health of our water sources. The data collected by the widespread volunteer base across Canada will help give a clear picture of what is happening in our lakes. Pretty cool hey! 😎 Here is the link if you want to check it out https://livinglakescanada.ca/
At our designated area on Lac La Biche lake, armed with our thermometer, camera and really cool app to record our data; we proceeded with our 1st data collection. (Every 2nd weekend until the end of September we will collect the same info at this very spot, FYI).
Data Collection at Old Trail on Mission Road - Air temperature 21`C under a cloudless sky. - Water temperature in 1m of water 12` C. - Pictures: water color (description clear), pictures down the right shore, left shore and across the lake. - Note any invasive plant species; stinging nettle is very prominent across the entire shoreline. The water level is down considerably compared to last year, there are a lot of stinging nettles growing on the beach. This is all on areas that would normally have been under water. - Note any animals or birds; chickadees, common gulls and blue herons. Two Herons flew by just as we noticed three dead herons on the shore. Two right on shore, one in the water. This is the first time in five years of paddling around LLB that we see dead herons. As there are outbreaks of Avian Flu in the province and because its so we take pictures of them and will be reporting them to Alberta Wildlife.
Under a clear, sunny sky, we unload Marvin.
Finished with our data collection, we finally launched around 10:10am. We get in Marvin and not even three paddles out into the lake; we realize just how impressive he is. We sit low, so the canoe is extra stable. The bottom is more streamline than our Greenbean, making him more aerodynamic; having less drag. As a result, with less drag; it takes less power to move…we go faster!!! ⏩ 😃
According to the fit bit tracking we do 🤓, our paddles last year had us averaging 21 minutes per km. Today we are averaging 17 minutes per km. A test at full throttle paddling for a km might be in order.
About an hour and a half in, we spy a beautiful beach with easy access. Not many large rocks on shore. We pull up, avoiding the stinging nettle. As self-proclaimed rock hounds, a nice pebbly beach can keep us amused for hours. Armed with our rock picking gear; pails and Ziploc baggies; we leisurely walk the beach. As our dear father made us pick rocks in fields as children, it is fairly amusing that we comb the beaches looking for special rocks on each outing (and pack them home). 😂
The water along this stretch is very clear, so we can see what is hiding just below the surface with ease. There is quite the variety here; orange, red, clear, blacker than black, mixtures, solids, you name it. We both find cool stones: marbles one, sparkly ones, smooth ones, one with pockmarks. Some are quartz, granite, or sandstone. The 2 AHHA! treasurers…an impressive piece of petrified wood and a piece of fossilized bone. The bone is a first…and yes 100% bone. It has a hard edge, like what you would find on a hoof, with a definite spongy, fibrous texture in the middle.
After spending maybe too much time picking rocks, we decided to get back to paddling. We spy two bald eagles cruising about. Slow and somewhat stealthy and camera ready; a few quick shots before he flies away. Have to wait and see if they turn out good.
About this time, we notice a lot more green algae accumulating. As the wind usually blows in from the northwest, this part of the lake collects surface algae with the wind. But with water levels so much lower than this time last year and with the warm weather, the algae bloom is more concentrated.
We paddle past the spot we found a wagon wheel last year. There is a defined old path along the shore between Maccagno’s Point and Ulliac Beach. One day we will need to walk the entire trail along this stretch. Last year we did a portion of it, armed with a metal detector; we mainly found big nails.
Getting closer to our exit point, the algae growth is more concentrated here. As we paddle, clear water is not even being stirred up any more, and it is noticeably thicker. When you put your hand in, it comes out green. Right on the shore line, it would be comparable to cream of mushroom soup thickness….yuck. 🤢
With a big thunderhead building to the north, these canoers are happy to be back on shore.
I am so ready for your adventures…..stay safe, happy and healthy