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High Temp.
35 F
Low Temp.
28 F
Wind
NW 5-10 MPH
Miles Traveled
21
Hours Traveling
8
New Snow 0
Inch
(since last update)
People
Seen 50
(since last update)
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Sunday, March 16th Catfish Creek, Lake Winnipeg
| Word of our pending arrival had reached
Berens River long before we entered the community, and it wasn't long
before we started receiving visitors. Wesley, a retired water truck
driver, gave us a tour of the village in his truck and told us about
his childhood. His father was a trapper and their family would spend
months at a time living in the bush, surviving on the animals that
they trapped and other food that they gathered. |
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We enjoyed our visit with Wesley and were
excited when he said he would stop by that evening to visit some more.
On Saturday morning we got up early to prepare to leave Berens River.
With the sleds packed we were ready to go when there was a knock at
the door. Wesley and Gerald, came by for a visit and told us about
writing on a rock near the cabin we were staying in. They took us
to see the rock, drove us around town again, and pretty soon it was
1 PM and too late to leave! |
| Gerald, a member of the tribal council,
invited us over for dinner. Wesley and Dylan,a 7th grader, joined
us for a wonderful walleye feast. Gerald has a net set in the river,
which he uses to harvest fish for his family. The walleye was delicious
and piece after piece disappeared from my plate until I couldn't eat
another fork-full. The trio continued to share stories about the area
and its history until we were all sleepy and ready for bed. |
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Click on photo to enlarge
After dinner Gerald let us examine stone tools
he found in his backyard. It looks like the Ojibwe
have been living here for a long time!
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Dylan spends two days a week helping the local power
company maintain the power lines He wants to work for the power company
as a hydro-man when he gets older. When he is not working or going
to school he likes to ride snowmobiles. His dad is a fishermen, and
Dylan also goes fishing with him sometimes. One of Dylan's ears is
peeling because it froze when their Bombardier broke down a few weeks
ago. |
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This morning we left Berens River bright and early. The warm snow
made for very fast skiing and we sped along. We took a short cut
through several miles of spruce
bog and enjoyed to intimate feel of skiing through the woods.
Wolf
tracks wandered across our path and ravens
were constantly squawking over head.
The trail abruptly deposited us onto a lake blanketed in fog. All
depth perception was lost and we groped and lurched over unseen
snowdrifts, like toddlers taking their first unsure steps. We both
took a few tumbles as we trudged through the blinding fog.
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After rounding Pigeon Point we began skirting a large pressure ridge
that towered 5 to 10 feet above the lake's surface. A mote of slush ran
along the ridge, making any attempt at crossing the ridge a wet and possibly
dangerous affair. We trudged along for miles gazing at the wall of ice
and brown pools of slush. As temperatures rise, we are likely to encounter
more of these slush-lined pressure ridges. I am thinking that on a warm
sunny day, a bath might be in order, but I am not sure Frosty will agree.
The Wilderness Classroom Organization
4605 Grand Ave.
Western Springs, IL 60558
(630) 204-0420
info@wildernessclassroom.com
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