View topic - Broadleaf River upstream of Leaf Lake?

Karin/Christy,

Are the sections that required dragging only at rapids or is the Broadleaf too low to paddle (north of Leaf)? We're considering the Broadleaf for our trip despite the low water. We did the three mothers last year (which would've been a great year for the Broadleaf). I'd be fine with doing them again but I'm recovering from a hernia and the start of the trip will be rough.

If we can't do the Broadleaf, we'd probably have to take the Haggart. Or maybe start with the Three Mothers and risk cutting our trip short over doing it and forcing an early exit.

When we went three weeks ago paddling was fine up to the first portage upstream of Leaf Lake. There was a drag over at a new beaver dam and a couple of lay downs that cross in the river, both of which are close to that portage. The area has had much rain since so it could be much better. The Broadleaf is always a crap shoot considering how short the actual river is. The headwaters are just above Kosteck Lake. If there is 6 inches more water coming down you will still need to wade a few spots and likely the rapids, but it would make all the difference on getting up.

If the levels are the same as 3 weeks ago, I would guess that only near rapids/portages should wading/dragging be necessary.

If it is still drier than normal up there the Mother's might be the choice this year. We did them in a dry year and gave up during a wet one. Not ones I would choose to do if they are exceptionally wet.

Aren't there many gnarly ports on the Haggard?

The plan at this point is to go up through that area early June next year with Martin Kehoe to cut all the ports out up to Aiken's.

Karin

I have been watching the daily rain fall amounts here http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/fire/ ... xdisp.html

for the last few weeks. 43 mm early July and a lot of 10-15 mm's lately in that area. I am starting to wonder if the Mothers could be getting really wet.

Today's fire danger map tells a story too, http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/fire/ ... azard.html

_________________
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheNorthwoodsman1

You may be right but you have to treat some of the rainfall figures with caution. Areas even a few km apart have had widely varying rainfall and with very few rain gauges on the ground, even in populated areas, the tendency to extrapolate has lead to forecasters coming unstuck on several occasions in the past few years. This problem is being addressed in some areas of the USA and Canada by something called CoCoRaHS, a community effort to get many more recorders on the ground but of course this relies on someone being there to take a reading. If you have time take a look at the website to see where they have recorders and how much the data can vary. If you live somewhere without local weather data consider becoming a recorder.

_________________
http://www.canoepaddler.net

I have been watching the radar too and it goes along with what is being reported the next day. The 42.9 mm report from early July was from a gauge at Bissett. Some areas a little further south that day were even higher. I'm hoping for normal.

_________________
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheNorthwoodsman1

I would try the rivers myself, especially if going solo. The ports are much less of a hassle than going over the Obukowin ports.

Most of the storms that have run through our area have been of short duration. Cloudbursts mostly. They dump a ton of rain when they are here but only last maybe 10 minutes. Not enough to make a big difference like an all day rain would. Still though, they may leave just enough extra water to raise levels a bit.

I am thinking of a late fall trip up that way.

Christy

We made the mistake of heading up to the Rice River this weekend. Very, very low with lots of mud and rocks at the portages. We were hitting black rocks lurking middle channel in perfectly innocent looking sections of river. What looked really strange was a bathtub ring of weed covered rocks and mud all along the banks as if the levels had dropped fairly quickly, maybe once the upstream lakes had lost their water.
Plus it rained all the time we were travelling and the deer flies were awful.
We did have a great campsite though and the rain held off for the time we were in camp.

_________________
http://www.canoepaddler.net

How far up did you get? Did you make it to the lake ?
There is an awesome site at the lake where the river meets. One back about half way just past the longish portage too...sort of on a bend in the river. We stayed there last fall.
The Rice does tend to suffer in dry weather...we have seen it totally dried up, just a thin trickle in spots. One year there was on water going under the bridge at all. But if you catch it during good weather it is a beautiful place. Sorry for your bad luck.


Christy

Friends and I had a fishing trip planned for Zerk lake (just south of Leaf Lake) this summer, but it fell through, so I can't offer first hand information of water levels in the immediate area. But I have a cottage on English Lake, some 42 kilometers west of Leaf Lake, and English levels are stable, slightly higher than norms for this time of year.

What I found interesting was the report regarding Rice River low water levels, since the watershed of the Rice River is immediately west and north of English Lake watershed. As other commentators have noted, rainfall seems localized, and short term.

_________________

Always a good day, east of James Bay.