Johnson Lake to Esker

CanadaNewfoundland-LabradorLabrador
Submitter & Author Information
Route submitted by: 
Arne Klepinger
Trip Date : 
8 August 2014
Additional Route Information
Distance: 
110 km
Duration: 
9 days
Loop Trip: 
No
Portage Information
No. of portages: 
0
Total Portage Distance: 
0 m
Longest Portage: 
0 m
Difficulty Ratings
River Travel: 
Intermediate
Lake Travel: 
Intermediate
Portaging: 
Not applicable
Remoteness: 
Advanced
Background Trip Info
Water Levels: 
Medium
Route Description
Access to Put-In Information: 

This is a variation of our 2012 trip to Esker. Air Saguenay flew ten of us in three trips, two with the canoes nested together. The lake, located at 53 44 08N 67 12 20 W, I named after my canoe partner who passed away several years ago. The river has very small shallow rapids, the first few days, passing through many small pretty lakes. The first campsite was on a beautiful beach, and warm enough for "swimming". The river had no portages, but numerous (25+) rapids 1-4, which many were dragging over, or lined. One day was through a burned area, which  normally means poor camping, but we found a island with moss. The lower section, has many runnable rapids, some are long. Reaching the Square lake area, there many hiking options. The best hike for us was on the north shore of Clark Lake, which has great views and blueberries. We camped two days on a beach, on the southwest shore. The crossing of Menihek was easy due calm 

Technical Guide: 

 conditions. The folks at Eaker were very freindly and helpful, like usual. The train was on time, and we had paid a taxi company to drive our three vehicles to Emril Station, which is worth the money. We so happy to have great weather, and  great group of paddlers. We were averaging 8 miles a day, due to the  very rough country, and the need to scout every rapid. Our group included novice paddlers, an experienced group could do this trip with less days. We spent around $800 a person, most of that was for the floatplane. It took us 22 hours to drive straight through, to Portland, Maine.

 

Maps Required
Topo Maps (1:50,000): 
23G14-E&W,23G16,23G15,23G11-E&W.
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