River Rough, River Smooth by Anthony Dalton

Author:Anthony Dalton [Dalton, Anthony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Travel, Canada, General, Nature, Ecosystems & Habitats, Rivers, Prairie Provinces (MB; SK), Essays & Travelogues
ISBN: 9781554887125
Google: JqF2Oa-gIDMC
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: 2010-01-11T04:54:43+00:00

CHAPTER 11

Near Disaster at Hell Gates

LEAVING KEN MCKAY, MURRAY, AND Wayne on board, the rest of us pushed our way through bushes and branches of trees to get a good look at the next hazard. The river was confined to a slot ten metres wide, running through a gorge of near-vertical granite. On our bank, where the side of the gorge was lowest, there were bushes and many trees right to the water’s edge, plus soft, spongy ground cover and occasional limited access to the river.

Forming the opposite cliff, a large island of near-vertical rock towered over the flow, studded with a few trees. Behind it, a short portage led to a less exuberant part of the river,but too shallow for our boat. Neither side of the main stream appeared to offer particularly safe purchase for handlining. The consensus was that Hell Gates was a mean-looking bitch of a rapid, but we could handle it. I could only continue to hope it wouldn’t live up to its sinister name. Franklin and his men had tracked their boat up this rapid in preference to battling their way over Hill Portage. To lighten the load, they portaged their cargo up the shallow route behind the rock island.1 That route was not a viable option for our heavy boat.

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