Today, we finished packing most of our gear into dry bags. We are going camping and canoeing and we have the luxury of good food and lots of it. From fresh veggies to plenty and various carbs to homemade chocolate cake. I even made a thermos of martinis (vodka, cranberry juice, and fresh-squeezed lime) so we can celebrate by raising a glass in the wilderness. We’re roughing it after all.

We decided against going on Great Slave Lake: I met some seasoned outdoorsfolks who said that the winds are swift and unexpected — Doug from next door said that there are waves up to 50 feet that can swoop down on boaters. He was on the lake last weekend and a wave washed into his boat — a motorboat — that would have swamped our canoe. Even experienced paddlers of this lake — the tenth largest in the world — approach it with caution and are very well prepared.

So, we’re going to Tibbitt, Terry, and Upper Terry Lakes, an interconnected lake and river system with some minor rapids — and with lots of nooks and crannies ripe for exploration. No motor boats (yay!) because of the system’s shallow waters — at most 10 feet deep. According to Dave — an experienced outdoorsman and friend of Tasha’s — one small section of Terry Lake is a mere 2 1/2 feet deep, and is unusual in that the bottom is filled with methane gas. Once we paddle through it, if we look back we should be able to see bubbles surfacing.

Anyway, because this system is inhospitable to power-vehicles, there aren’t a lot of folks who frequent it. Mostly canoeists. And not even many of those. So there’s plenty of green and quiet. Dave told us that there are lots of tiny islands all over the lakes. Camping on the islands is more bear aware than doing so on the mainland; it’s where I’d like to set up a base camp, and then do some exploring (and fishing!) by canoe.

Dave mentioned the forest area north-east of the lake system was burned to the ground about ten years ago. Apparently, that creates prime feeding ground for moose, so there’s a chance we might see some of those large creatures. We might also see woodland cariboo — one or two were recently spotted there.

Dave has been canoeing in the region for about 17 years. In all that time he’s only seen two bears: one yearling on the shore as he was canoeing along the lake system — the bear scampered away as fast as possible; the other near Yellowknife (I think) at a camping spot that regularly had lots of garbage in cans — I forget but I think the bear ended up back in the greater wilderness.

Tasha — who’s an environmental educator and has spent time with members of the Dene First Nation in the course of her life and work — told me that according to the Dene, when in Bear country, saying Bear’s name summons Bear. And that it is wiser to call Bear Animal when in Bear’s home. This seems like a handing down of a gift of knowledge. I am grateful for this widom.

As for the water, the whole system is swimmable — I’ve brought my bathing suit! And as for fishing, according to local outdoorsfolks and literature, we can reasonably expect northern pike, lake whitefish, and lake cisco, possibly even lake trout though these tend to live in deeper, colder waters.

I have my rod and reel at the ready!