When I found myself in a canoe on a huge wilderness lake in Prince Albert National Park, northern Saskatchewan, sweating and swearing, neck and back stiff with pain, I blamed Richard Attenborough. I never would have known about Grey Owl if he had not resurrected one of his childhood heroes and made a film about him.
My guide Colleen and I were on our way to the remote cabin by Ajawaan Lake where Grey Owl (aka Archie Belaney from Hastings) lived more than than sixty years ago and where he wrote some of the books that were to make him famous as one of the world’s first conservationists. When he first saw Ajawaan he knew this was the place he was looking for. It was difficult to reach then, and it still is.
I flew from London Heathrow, transferred at Calgary for Saskatoon, and picked up a rented car at Saskatoon airport. From here it’s about a two and a half hour drive to Prince Albert National Park. There is a bus service once a day which arrives at the park around 6pm
The journey to Ajawaan started at the village of Waskesiu, home to the park headquarters and the only community within the park boundaries. We drove the fifteen miles to where the road peters out, parked the car, unloaded the canoe, and were on our way. We began very gently along a quiet little river, the Kingsmere, lined with cat-tails (reeds). This peaceful introduction to paddling a canoe was perfect for a first-timer like myself and I soon got into the rhythm of it. However, once we reached Kingsmere Lake, after about a mile and half of paddling, it was a different story – now it was into real paddling, dealing with rippling waves and a hearty breeze, but still manageable once I got used to it. There was also the feeling of isolation, of being the only two human beings on this vast expanse of water, the horizon of our destination way out of sight. The lake is eleven miles long straight down the middle. Forget about the middle – the golden rule is stick to the shore line, which makes the journey longer but is much safer. These lakes can be whipped up in a matter of minutes and you’re out of luck if you are caught in the centre.
Along the way we saw bald eagles and kingfishers. Red squirrels scampered along the shore as we pulled in at Northend, the last campsite before reaching the cabin. The campsites in the park are spartan but clean – all campers carry out their own rubbish. There’s a place for a fire, a toilet – usually tucked away in the trees a few yards from the campsite – and a raised platform reached by a wooden ladder where food must be stashed overnight, out of reach of the curious black bears who live in the park – we did not come across any.
At this small woodland campsite I saw and heard things I had never seen or heard before: through the open flap of my tent I saw the great sweep of the northern lights and dozed off to the lament of loons. In the morning a plume of mist rose through the pale sunshine, rising across the lake like a white rainbow. I heard the howling of wolves in the distance and a dawn chorus of unknown songs from birds with unfamiliar names.
We set out early in the morning to walk the remaining couple of miles to Ajawaan Lake. The sun shone through glades of birch and aspen and the undergrowth was full of rustlings. It’s a narrow trail, soft underfoot with moss and leaves, and has changed little since Grey Owl portaged his canoe along here.
The cabin stands by the edge of the lake, surrounded by thick forest. He named it Beaver Lodge and built it from rounded logs with a traditional caulking of sphagnum moss. Inside is the preserved beaver lodge that was home to the beavers he wrote about and who he called “the wilderness personified”. They came right into the one-room cabin through an underwater entrance from the lake. The bed he made from stripped pine saplings is against the wall, as is the blackened old wood-burning stove and a few shelves. The cabin is unlocked and unattended and visitors are free to enter and sign the visitors book. Sitting on the porch in the sun we didn’t speak, neither of us wishing to break the spell. The only sounds were those of nature itself: the light plop of a fish in the lake, the chatter of whiskey jacks, the scuttlings of squirrels. Up a nearby slope is the cabin built for Grey Owl’s wife, Anahareo, when their daughter was born, and close by in a sunlit clearing are the gravestones marking where all three are buried.
As we set out for the return hike to the campsite a silver fox walked across the path in front of us; we froze and he did too, eyes and ears quickly checking us out, then calmly continued on his way, his great silver bush of a tail disappearing into the forest.
Before we had even loaded the gear into the canoe the lake changed from gentle ripples to heaving troughs, tossing foam into the wind. I was all for unpacking the tents and creeping back into the woods but Colleen expected me to get on board and start paddling so I put on a brave face and we pushed out the canoe. It took us six and a half hours to paddle the seven miles to the entrance to Kingsmere River. There isn’t a word to describe how scared I was. But it was all in a day’s work for Colleen so I just kept paddling. When we finally turned into the calm of the river I felt as though my shoulders had converged into a painful lump at the back of my neck. But it was worth it; a true wilderness experience.
We had decided to do the trip as a mixture of canoeing and walking as this is how Grey Owl would have travelled. The other way to reach Ajawaan Lake and the cabin is to walk in. The hiking trail follows the east shore of Kingsmere Lake.There are natural beaches all around the lake – you can have lunch on the beach and do a bit of sun bathing at the same time. These northern lakes never warm up so I decided a swim was not for me.
Park officials recommend taking at least two days for the 25 mile round-trip. The trail begins at the Kingsmere River and there are three campsites en route. The forested pathways are alternated with stretches of beach walking and about 8 miles along the trail is a mineral lick, a good spot to look for signs of moose, deer, bear and wolves. To preserve the wilderness experience the park has deliberately limited access to the trail. One of the campsites, Chipewyan, for example, contains only two campsites, a double and a single.
The Grey Owl trail is a popular attraction but there’s much more to Prince Albert National Park. It spreads over a million acres in the middle of Saskatchewan and sits on the southern edge of a great boreal forest of spruce, pine, birch and aspen. There are more nesting songbirds here than anywhere else in North America – it is twitcher heaven, with more than 230 species. Some of the many animals that live here include elk, badger, lynx, osprey and eagle, as well as a flock of rare white pelicans and a free-roaming herd of Plains bison. It is also one of the few places left in the world where timber wolves live undisturbed.
There are more than 90 miles of well-maintained trails throughout the park, for everything from relaxed strolling to vigorous hiking, cycling or cross-country skiing in winter. On the Boundary Bog Nature Trail you can explore the heart of a black spruce and tamarack bog. Self-guiding brochures are available at the trailhead. I tried the Shady Lake Trail, walking through glades of aspen shimmering in the sun, and took a detour to Height-of-Land Tower, a 40 foot vantage point with a fantastic view over this wonderful northern boreal forest.
Although we did not encounter any bears, there is a healthy population of black bears in the park. They look cuddly and friendly but they are unpredictable and very powerful. All they think about is food and will eat anything from a can of beans to a tube of toothpaste. They are not fussy – but they are dangerous and it is important not to leave food or cosmetics in or near your tent. Yes, they will even eat lipstick!
Three great lakes dominate the northern half of the park: Kingsmere, Crean and Waskesiu. All three are are favourites with fishermen (gear and boats can be rented in Waskesiu). Perch, walleye, whitefish, lake trout and northern pike are only a few of the species found here.
At the southern end of Lake Waskesiu the community of Waskesiu spreads alongside the broad sandy beach for about half a mile; the park headquarters and information centre are located here. Waskesiu is a pleasant resort with plenty of good and varied accommodation; everything from hotels and motels to self-catering apartments and log cabins. There are boutiques, restaurants, camping areas, a beach, tennis courts. grocery stores, post office, liquor store, cinema, petrol station, and one of the most beautiful golf courses in the province. Note, however, there is no bank.
Back country camping is not limited to the designated trails and routes but campers must register at the park information centre in Waskesiu before setting off into the wilderness. There are many opportunities for wilderness travel and there’s no nightly charge for camping in these unserviced areas.
Driving the long straight road to Saskatoon and the flight home I saw a sign ouside a roadside cafe: “12 robins’ eggs for 50 cents.” Grey Owl would not have been happy. However, it turned out that what they were selling were the middle bits of doughnuts, so that’s okay.