Lost portages of Irvine Lake

Lost portages of Irvine Lake
A solo canoe trip into
Woodland Caribou
Provincial Park
by
Martin Kehoe
Part 5
Irvine Lake - Larus Creek - southwest to connect with "Boot Lake"
GPS Waypoints Listings at the bottom of the part 8

My plan on this trip was to spend thirty days in the park and now that the search for the lost portages has proved a lot easier than thought possible my pace has to be slowed. To that end, my departure from Irvine is stalled until after lunch. A lunch that consisted of a platter of fried Walleye taken with "Old Pinkie." It was a grand sunny morning spent lolling around on the rocks at camp. Many of my GPS coordinates were written out in my journal for safekeeping. The maps for the coming day’s travel were studied intently and showed an easy open water trip after the slot canyon portage.

Finally, the canoe was loaded and was pointed for new country. The portage through the slot canyon was as inspiring as it was the first time. I cannot help but wonder at all the times in previous years that travelers sought shelter in this tomb like structure. Over seven kilometers of rock and tree lined shores lay ahead of me for my enjoyment. The wind had gotten into some of the stands and snapped off many trees high in the air. In my map study the waters look like a lot of narrow ponds to get by but once on them they are all fine lakes.

Larus Creek Falls - Woodland Caribou Park

At the end of a leisure afternoon paddle my camp is set up on some rock ledges that will block the evening sun but allow me to bask in its glory in the morning. A large rock in the water off the point my camp sits on made a nice resting place. A dip in the lake and then back on the rock was the most work done between putting up the tent and fixing supper.

Rested and well fed a trip was taken to check out Larus Creek as it headed north from this chain of lakes. A broad channel led to a roaring waterfall right before another creek joins Larus Creek from the south. At the top of the falls there was an old blaze on a tree. No blaze adorned any of the trees at the bottom so the search continued down stream. Right around the corner another rock garden could be seen. Below the rocks the stream was wide and open except for trees that had fallen across over the years. My information says that it should be open all the way out to Larus Lake many kilometers to the north. With the good news about my route out of here, a retreat was made to my rock at camp to enjoy a treat. My pudding dessert had been saved for a bedtime snack. It was as enjoyable as the view up and down the lake as the sun set lighting the far shores in its yellow evening glow.

Today is an important one in my exploration. It is an exploration south on a creek that flows from "Salamander," "Split Rock" and "Boot Lakes." With the evidence found on those lakes last week it is sure that a route exists down to them but the excitement is in how nice it will be. A short dry portage laden with blowdown got me to the next small lake on the way to "Boot Lake." At the next narrow section I was blessed with a good creek channel to the next lake. A beaver dam there should keep water backed up for good travel. Approaching the last obstacle to "Boot Lake" another bonus was being able to paddle half way up the creek before a rapids blocked the way. From there a walk was made up the Alder choked shore 400 meters to "Boot Lake." This part of the mission was now complete, an easy route up the west side of the "O" on the park map. On the way back a short climb put me up in the woods on a game trail that took me back to my canoe. This route was brush free and very pretty as it ran parallel to the creek. In my opinion coming up the west side of the "O" is the best and easiest route. Once out on Larus Creek you can go upstream either to Irvine or downstream to Larus Lake.

A day’s task had taken a short morning. Lunch was in my pack but I backtracked out to one of the small lakes and climbed up on a big rock. There a two-hour lunch took place. Most of the time spent reclined on one great rock and admiring others across the water. It had been one grand day and back at camp a little paperwork was done concerning the mornings exploration. Then Old Pinkie was put to work for some fish census work. Trolling, casting and jigging my way east produced only a pleasurable paddle with little breeze and blue skies. The spots jigged were four to seven meters deep but did not stir any fish to action. My mouth was watering for a fish fry so I gave in and headed to a grassy shallow at a bottleneck on the lake. The Walleye feast had spoiled me but Northerns are usually my dinners up here and are delicious. Old Pinkie landed perfectly in an open area between two beds of floating grass. On the retrieve a good fish grabbed the lure. As I brought it to the boat, it stayed deep in the water and thoughts of Walleye instead of a tail dancing Northern were in my mind. A twenty-inch Walleye is a little big to be prime, but I was hungry and ready to eat.

The fish dinner and dessert are history as I lay back enjoying a glass smooth lake. I marvel at what a day it has been. It is also day 15, the halfway point of my trip. My niece Erika was visiting while I packed for the trip and she asked if I was excited. The honest answer to her was that I was not. She gave a surprised look and I explained that my excitement for a trip begins to rise three or four days into the trip. The packing and travel for a canoe trip are a lot of toil that is just the preparation so you can get excited on days like this.


Exploring a Creek	Exploring a Creek