The Athabasca River
The Athabasca River is just over 1500 kilometres and the longest river in Alberta. Whilst the area has a wide diversity of wildlife, the only creature I saw during four days of canoeing and camping was an eagle – spectacular nonetheless!
Having said goodbye to some of our group who had kept us company hiking through the Canadian Rocky Mountains, we were joined by new companions to continue our adventures canoeing on the Athabasca River. The group dynamics changed; a family of four joined us who needed to be coerced into doing shared chores, and our two new guides were at each others’ throats from the outset. I’m glad to say that we made it to the end of our journey without any loss of life!
The first day on the river was spent practising in the canoes which gave us a minor introduction of what was to come. Once off and away, we were very much out in the wilderness. Our canoes were loaded with all food, drinks, tents, luggage, cooking equipment, and all rubbish. Each canoe started with about 150 kilograms of provisions. Capsizing was not an option!
The site below was isolated and comfortable and my favourite of the places we camped at. Soft sand banks, no ants, and digging a toilet hole was easy.
We shared the canoes in pairs; some days we were canoeing for six hours or more. Despite a history of weight training, both my forearms got cramp on the first day. For about two hours, I could not close my hands around the paddle. One of the guides came to the rescue and swapped with my partner to help by canoeing with me.
The scenery on the Athabasca River is beautiful, but during four-days of canoeing it changes very little.
I think it is fair to say, after four days we were all happy to leave the canoes behind. Would I do it again? Yes, for a day!
