My first canoe trip of 2006 was a great one. Myself, and a group of friends from school chose Adies Lake - Upper Humber as our first paddle of the new season and on June 12th we departed for a 4 day - 60km ride through class 1-2 rapids and great slow moving steadies.
The Adies Lake - Upper Humber route is one of the best on the Island for paddlers new to whitewater and looking for a true wilderness adventure. All of the rapids are easily navigated with just a little bit of training and skill, and even Bear Reef, the last big rapid (class 3) before the take out at Big Fall's, features a sneak route that avoids a long portage.
We Put in at Deadwater brook, just off of highway 422 near Deer Lake and paddled the 11km first leg to our campsite on the west end of Adies Lake. We made camp and enjoyed a pleasant night beside the lake.
The next morning we awoke early, anxious to hit the river and have some fun. We were not disappointed. The first rapid on Adies River is and old sluiceway that was used by the logging companies in the 40's and 50's to run logs down to the Humber River and eventually to the mill at Corner Brook, over 100km away. Many of the old timbers still remain at the site providing some extra obstacles to avoid. We ran it cleanly with the exception of one paddler who lost his paddle, but luckily he was in the bow instead of the stern and the got through safely.
The rest of the day was a mix between long slow steadies and fast, short rapids. We ran all of the rapids cleanly and without anyone getting wet. We decided at lunchtime to try and make Alder Pond on the Humber River to make our second camp. We put in an amazing 27km on day 2, traversing the whole of Adies River in a single day.
We made our camp at Alder Point which lies along a big steady on the Humber. I was kept up for a while thanks to a persistent beaver who kept slapping his tail just outside my tent.
Up until day 3, we had experienced excellent weather conditions. That all changed when the rain clouds rolled in by lunchtime forcing us to take a 3 hour break. Finally we were able to make a break for it at 2pm. This section of the river brought us back in to civilization as there were a number of cabins along the banks of the river. Several ledges along the river gave us some enjoyment but there were no rapids today. This area is very popular with sports fisherman catching Atlantic salmon, as the make their way up the river to spawn.
We made our third camp just below Dancing Point, a total of 15km. While building our campfire, we knocked down an old dead tree and were horrified to find a nest full of baby woodpeckers inside. We hoisted the tree back up as best we could; I only hope that the mother returned to her chicks after our departure.
We awoke with mixed feelings on day 4. We were anxious to get moving, but we didn't want our trip to end. We took about an hour to scout Bear Reef, before deciding to take the sneak route. We ran the final 6km in a few hours to our take out at Big Falls, in Sir Richard Squires Provincial Park.
This trip was truly fantastic. Although we did not see much wildlife, the water levels were ideal, making for a great paddle and some great memories. It was a great way to back to nature and enjoy the history of a river that is very important to the history of the province. I would not recommend taking this trip at any time after the third week in June, because, like most Newfoundland Rivers, water levels drop dramatically by July 1st. All in all it was a great adventure and a wonderful experience.
Ryan Young
Newfoundland Editor
Directions:
from Port aux Basques ferry. Follow TCH east to Deer Lake. Take route 430, also known as the Viking Trail and follow it to the road cormack, route 422. Take route 422 past cormack to a dirt road at 21 476594 E 546636 N. Put in at the second bridge at deadwater brook.
There is a regional airport located in Deer lake (45 minute drive)
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