Brad
Bassi and Phil Royce scout a drop
on the Little Whale River
© John Angus |
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Two hundred
feet above the raging waters of Quebec’s Little Whale River,
perched on a forty-five degree slope covered with dwarf spruce
and mats of mint green lichen, the canoe slipped another inch
as my grip on its thirty foot bow line weakened. A redoubling
of effort resulted in gaining back the two lost inches plus a
few more, bringing a brief smile to my sweat streaked and fly-bitten
face.
Although this seems
like quite a ridiculous situation to be in on a canoe trip, it
was one of necessity. A mere fifteen kilometers from its mouth
on Hudson Bay, the Little Whale River enters a sheer walled canyon
and plummets over a one hundred foot waterfall. The only option
is to portage up and out of the gorge before the cliffs close
in at the big drop. After hauling the canoes and gear up a slope
that would qualify as a double black diamond at any ski area,
everything had to be carried for a hundred yards before being
belayed back to water level. The reward was getting to paddle
a few kilometers of potentially un-run class II – III whitewater
tucked into one of the most surreal canyons on the planet.
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While
such scenes and locations are increasingly hard to find in today’s
world, Quebec’s Northern Ungava holds an endless supply of them.
Last summer’s trip down the Little Whale River led to the rebirth
of an idea I had been developing for some time. I wanted to spend the
entire summer exploring the barrens of Quebec’s Ungava Peninsula
by canoe. The route had been established years before while pondering
an endless pile of maps back at my New England home.
This fall I
was able to convince Eric Nemitz, also from Dublin, New Hampshire, to
complete the two-person team that would tackle the ambitious route developed
to explore one of the most remote and least traveled portions of the world.
Our
objective
Our two-man team’s objective is to circumnavigate the Ungava
Peninsula of northern Quebec by canoe. The route will start and
end on Hudson Bay and involve travel up and down several watersheds
including the Nastapoka, Leaf, Payne, and Povungnituk. This route
has never been attempted in its entirety, as its distance and the
terrain covered pushes the limits of regular canoe trips. The expedition
will cover 800 miles and take 70 days of traveling.
Significant upstream travel will be required for extended periods
of time. Upstream work consists of lining canoes along shore, dragging
the boats in places, and portaging gear for great distances. The
work is wet, cold and physically taxing. Switching drainages requires
working in small headwater streams that may or may not have water
levels that facilitate canoe travel. Movement between watersheds
requires portaging for significant distances over jumbled terrain
with loads of up to 100 pounds. |
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Brad
Bassi peels out below a large drop on
the Little Whale River
© John Angus |
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Our
supplies will be carried in NRS Outfitter Drybags equipped with Paragon
Pack carrying harnesses. Preliminary training has already proved that
this system can comfortably haul these tremendous loads. When not moving
upstream the expedition will face long stretches of flatwater paddling
on some truly huge windswept lakes. This can be enjoyable or impossible
depending on wind conditions. The finale of the expedition will be running
the Povungnitunk River, where we will navigate numerous rapids and falls.
Some will be runnable, while others will force our canoe to be lined down
the edges of the river or portaged.
2005 Little
Whale River team members prepare to belay gear into gorge after
an exhausting 3 hour portage of a major waterfall
© Brad Bassi |
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Our
Style and Purpose
Our self-supported team of two will move light and fast through
the harsh terrain of northern Quebec. In order to make good time
we will reduce weight by carrying a minimum of food, relying on
fishing to supplement our meals. To reduce costs we have eliminated
as much outside support as possible, leaving it up to us to paddle
a longer distance that involves upstream work
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Traditionally, travel in Ungava was by canoe and involved crossing
watersheds and portaging. We will mimic this style by carrying
our own gear and food and working our way up and down several
different river systems. By not confining ourselves to a single
watershed we will be able to explore much more terrain than most
expeditions. Ambition, patience and hard work will be key ingredients
to successfully completing this route.
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Arctic
Quebec, although only a thousand miles north of Montreal, remains a relatively
unexplored wilderness. Northern Quebec, traditionally known as Ungava,
has recently been renamed Nunavik. Less than 30,000 Inuit living in small
coastal villages inhabit this landmass. The barren and rugged interior
is completely uninhabited and remote by any standards.
This
is truly one of the world’s last frontiers. In many
ways, it is more wild and secluded than well-known wilderness
areas in western Canada and Alaska, where tourism and adventure
travel are well established. The level of commitment that
the expedition will face is high. During the nearly 800-mile
route we will encounter no permanent settlements and be
hundreds of miles from the nearest remote outposts.
For
the last 6,000 years the Inuit people have inhabited the
wind scoured, treeless tundra of arctic Quebec. Through
carefully studying this harsh land, these people have been
able to adapt to the environment and survive in one of the
harshest climates in the world. The Inuit language, Inuktitut,
represents their connection to the land. The Inuit have
no less than ten different words for snow and their religion
is based on characters resembling animals they’ve
relied on for food. It is our intention to immerse ourselves
in this land in order to better understand its intricacies
and successfully complete the expedition. By the end of
the expedition everyone involved will have a much deeper
understanding and appreciation of the world they live in..
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Barret
Miles, Phil Royce, and Brad Bassi complete a portage
on the Little Whale River
© Brian Chaffin |
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Perhaps
most important is our desire to raise public awareness of
the vast wilderness that is northern Quebec. This land is
threatened by hydroelectric development and mining interests
and it would be a shame to lose such a beautiful place. Awareness
will hopefully foster caring and a sense of stewardship. On
return from the expedition the team will be traveling with
a slide show to help share the wonders of arctic Quebec and
raise awareness of this great land while at the same time
demonstrating the resilience of the human body and mind.
This
expedition is being made possible by :
NRS, W.L. Gore, Nova Craft, MSR, Mitchell Paddles, Emergency
Beacon Corporation, Bear Valley Nutrition Bars, Beefjerky.com,
Northwater, and Seattle Fabrics.
Full
trip report coming this fall.
Brad
Bassi
Dublin, New Hampshire
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