The canoes finally hit the water at 1:30 and we headed for the 925 meter portage to Broken Arrow Lake. We passed another campsite on our way to the portage. The portage is a really neat one. It rises through a Jack Pine forest that covers a large rock area. The highest point of the portage is about 100 feet higher than the lake. Numerous rock cairns help keep you on the proper path in the open areas of solid rock. We took numerous rest breaks on the portage as we leap frogged our gear over to Broken Arrow Lake. This is one of those portages that you have to stop on and just marvel at what it has to offer the eye and other senses.

We made camp for the night on a peninsula jutting out into the lake one half mile southeast of the portage. The water was about three feet below the line on the rocks in this lake also. It was a fantastic camp with a natural jetty extending 100 feet out into the lake. I sleep in a bivy sack on these fall trips so that I can fully enjoy the skies at night. I checked out the ample sites to lay it out and selected a spot with a clear view of the heavens. Then the rest of the camp was unpacked so our chef could fix our meal later. Don was going to do a little fishing and I decided to cruise down the lake in my solo canoe. There was enough of a breeze that I just let it push me eastward on the lake. I was content to lean back in my Crazy Creek chair that was strapped to my canoe seat and soak in the beauty of another clear and warm afternoon.

A Bald Eagle took off as I came through some narrows on the lake. It had come from near the top of a 100 foot high bare rock. It was one of those high perches that has "climb me" written all over it. The view was grand and I lingered for some time enjoying it. With the sun on my back I then paddled to the little bay on the northeast end of the lake. For the last two miles the water has been shallow enough for a sprinkling of lily pads to grow.

The spot we are camped is the obvious spot to set up camp on this end of the lake and it has seen very little use. In the three miles I traveled up the lake there were numerous rock shelves that would make great camp spots. None of them had been scarred with an ugly fire ring. If anyone had camped up here they had done the proper thing and built their fires in a natural bowl on the rock. I had noted that when we were in Manitoba open fires are prohibited.

After having supper back at camp we went out on the rock point and enjoyed a nice fire that Don had prepared. The Northern Lights were teasing us by starting up and then retreating. Then I saw what looked to be thin wispy clouds high in the sky and knew that we could be in for quite a show. In the past I had seen these same type or wispy clouds suddenly come alive with swirling and pulsing action. We headed to bed at 10:00 with nothing having happened. I awoke at 4:30 and could see these same wispy clouds overhead. This time they were pulsating and jumping all over the sky. They were more active overhead and in the south than the north. I had not seen a such a show in a long time and kept my eyes open as long as I could before falling back to sleep.

Wednesday was a repeat of the previous days weather. Clear blue skies and light winds allowed us to put on light shirts and pants for the day time activities. After breakfast we paddled up the stream that is marked "navigable" on the park map. It was located near our camp and I was curious to see if it was still open with the low water. There was enough water in the mile that we paddled and the current had a good flow. After climbing a high rock to scan further downstream we headed back to pack up the camp.

We completed the 40 and 20 meter portages and picked out a spot to camp high on a rock. Possible sites abounded but we took the one with a view. We came across no other sign of people having camped at the numerous spots that we checked out . This area has a lot of bare rock with a lot of it gently sloping to the waters edge. My watch said it was Sept. 26 but it felt more like a hot July day. The wool, gore tex and poly were stowed in the packs along with the rain tarps that have not even been unrolled. The afternoon was so hot that we were satisfied to enjoy the view from camp until 3:00 in the afternoon. It was then that we decided to have fish for supper. That is a testament to how good the fishing is in these seldom traveled lakes. You can decide to have a fish supper and then go get it. We went out on a bright and hot afternoon and had no luck for 15 minutes but then got enough northern from a patch of lily pads for our supper. The fish went well with hash browns and corn bread. We were so full that we saved the Jello NO Bake Chocolate Lovers Dessert to have around the fire later on.

It was the only night all week that I did not see any Northern Lights. When I awoke about 4:00 the half moon that had been lighting our camp in the evenings had set. The stars were at there finest. With the Northern Lights taking the night off the bright stars stretched from horizon to horizon. Some very bright shooting stars blazing trails above me were icing on the cake.

We traveled back to Crystal Lake on Thursday morning. We were glad to have the 925 meter portage done before the hot afternoon sun started baking us again. But there were no complaints about it being too hot on a late Sept. canoe trip. A Kingfisher was still on the lake and a Black-backed Woodpecker was working on a tree behind our camp. A few loons were calling quietly in the morning but it had been a rare sound all week. It was surprising that there had been no moose calling and I blamed it on the heat. Don and I caught some Northern for supper and when that was done the sun slipped down in the West and another fantastic day in Woodland Caribou Park had come to a close.

Friday morning we rose early and with the aid of the lantern we fixed breakfast and packed up. As we headed back down the Wanipigow River to Siderock Lake and our last camp of the trip we knew that we had 9 portages totaling about 1500 meters and seven miles of river and lake to wade and paddle. We took a lot of rest breaks and even with the water being lower arrived at our camp in seven hours. The next morning we paddled on down the river to the Wallace Lake Recreation Area and our van in a little over two hours.

In retrospect I would have no qualms about using the Wanipigow River to access Woodland Caribou Park in the future. When we went in it had not rained in the area for a month and the water levels were very low. It was not the easiest way into the park but I feel that it is a very good way to get into a little used area in the park. A small group of canoeist could do the travel in half the time we took. If there was more water to paddle in the trip would be even easier.