I thought I would post a brief trip report and some pictures from this summer’s solo trip in the NWT.
The route derived from my curiosity about two streams: an unnamed drainage flowing south from Pate Lake into Snare Lake, which old GSC reports described as a route (with many portages) used in 1949 to access the headwaters of the Indin River; and the Bousso River, which the GSC had described in the 1930’s as a good route (for light canoes) to explore the country north of Rae (now Behchoko). I had flown over this area several times, but never uncovered any detailed information on the Bousso route until I found out last summer that the high school trip from Behchoko had paddled it. I wrote John B. Zoe, the program leader, and he kindly marked the route – known to the Tlicho (Dogrib) as the “Small River Trail” - on my map. (Some WCS Symposium attendees may remember John B’s 1999 presentation on the “Trails of Our Ancestors” program, which takes Tlicho students, leaders, and elders out each summer to canoe the ancestral trails linking their communities.)
According to John, the Small River Trail had been an important route between the Snare Lake (Wekweti) area and Behchoko. But the route he drew only followed the Bousso River for its last five kilometres to Russell Lake – it in fact followed a more northerly tributary of the Bousso which originated near the western tip of Ghost Lake. So here was another interesting question: was this the Bousso route the GSC referred to? Or was there another trail up the Bousso proper? One more thing to look into.
I flew to Pate Lake, 220km north of Yellowknife, with Air Tindi on the evening of June 23rd to start the trip. Pate was an attractive lake, on the edge of the Barrens, and offered good camping on an esker in its southwest corner. I spent the next two days descending its outlet stream to Snare Lake, a distance of about 40 km. It was strenuous in places – it would have been a very difficult ascent for the GSC team in wood-canvas boats – but plastic slides so well, and I only had to make 4 portages. And it offered a fine campsite halfway.
After an easy day’s paddle to the west end of Snare Lake, I made the portage to Cotterill Lake and started on the trail south to Behchoko. I was glad to see the portage trails were well worn and generally easy to follow – confirmation this had been an important route in the past. From Cotterill, the route is a chain of lakes and portages to the east end of Ghost Lake. After a 33 km paddle to its western tip, an easy portage over a sand ridge – obviously an important traditional camping area – puts you in the headwaters of the “small river”, which you follow to its junction with the Bousso just above Russell Lake. This is no whitewater river: it lacks the volume to make any serious rapids paddleable. Rather it is a pretty, if unspectacular, stretch of small lakes, quiet streams, and portages – a classic taiga shield canoe route.
From the lake just above Russell Lake where it joins the Bousso, I took a day and a half to explore up the Bousso proper, to see if it had been a canoe route as well. The answer was no: after a promising start, I had to struggle up through deadfalls and sweepers to reach the first sizeable lake. Above there, I worked up to the third rapid. None of these showed any signs of old portage trails. The first rapid was passed in open forest; the second with half an hour’s machete work; the third would have eaten up a day with a chain saw. Lacking one, I backtracked, headed down the Bousso to Russell Lake, and paddled 60 km down Russell and Marian Lakes to my take out at the Yellowknife highway bridge near Edzo. Strong south winds made this stretch a challenge. Fortunately it was light enough to paddle at any time, and a couple of midnight paddles got me to my takeout on time to meet my friend from Yellowknife who drove out to pick me up.
Trip summary – including the Bousso side trip – 17 days, 300 km, 47 portages, a lot of wading, lining, and dragging. Lots of eagles and ospreys, ducks, beavers and muskrats. One near-albino moose and her calf; one (thankfully) very timid black bear. Many good memories.
A map and some photos follow -

The beginning - Pate Lake:

Scenes along the Pate outflow, on route to Snare Lake:




Onto the small river trail:
Start of the portage from Snare Lake to Cotterill Lake:

Old canoe in Cotterill:

Good trails!

Portaging towards Ghost Lake:

Scenes from the small river:




Not enough water when the river spreads out!


Last rapids on the little river:

Below the last rapids - a gentle stream flowing to Russell Lake:

Russell Lake -almost home:

Regards,
jmc