Ice Conditions in NWO April 21, 2014

As we approach opening weekend, those that are anxiously waiting to make their annual trip to Northwestern Ontario are wanting to know what the ice conditions are like. Remembering the late spring we had last year and looking back on the brutal winter we had this year, many people are nervous that the ice is going to hang on again.

All we can do is keep you informed on the present conditions and let you know how things are looking. Here is the inside scoop on the ice conditions as it sits April 21, 2014.

Over the weekend, my Dad and I got a good look at the ice conditions as we flew about 140 miles North, from Vermilion Bay to Kapikik Lake (near Cat Lake). We flew there on Sunday and back home on Monday, giving us a good look at lots of lakes in the area and at the different stages of melting. The snow has melted from the surface of the ice, many lakes are turning brown, and some even have open water.

The difference between the ice on Sunday morning and the ice on Monday morning was noticeable. Sunday was very warm and sunny. Yesterday (Tuesday) was also very warm and sunny, so I can only imagine that there is a noticeable change again in the ice conditions.

The brown ice that we see is caused by large amounts of runoff going onto the lakes and this type of ice will erode quickly if we see temperatures of +10 degrees Celcius or higher. The open water (mostly seen on Lac Seul), is also caused by runoff, but also from a current that runs through the lake. Every year, the the water level drops around this time, which causes current and causes the narrows to open up. Having said that, compared to previous years there is far more open area this spring on Lac Seul.

Will the ice be out by opening weekend? This is something we still cannot predict. We are on schedule IF we see lots of days with temperatures reaching the double-digits (Celsius). As I had mentioned before, today will be a good day for melting, but cooler temperatures are expected throughout the rest of the week.

You can keep an eye on our weather by visiting this link: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/canada/ontario/vermilion-bay.

And as I said before in previous blog entries, my Dad and Chris will be the last ones flying on skis in the area so we will be able to give our readers very accurate reports of the ice conditions and the weather. You can expect lots more reports and pictures in the near future.

Check out the pictures below.

- Meagan

Lac Seul, Near McKenzie Bay

Lac Seul, West Side of McKenzie Bay

Lac Seul, West Side of McKenzie Bay

Brown Ice on a Lake North of Lac Seul

Lac Seul, Looking East

Perrault Lake

Clay Lake

Crunch Time!

Just a quick update on Kapikik...

Dad and Chris just got back yesterday afternoon from Kapikik. They left on Monday for Ear Falls where they stayed the night in a hotel. Monday night was going to be a cold one, which was why they packed everything up and took off. They wanted to leave as early as possible on Tuesday morning from Ear Falls to hit the winter road.

They left Ear Falls around 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday in their trucks, hauling those great big trailers, full of snowmobiles, (2) boats, mattresses, and bed frames. They made it to the end of the South Bay Mine Road round 9:00 a.m. and parked their trucks.

They secured the boats behind their snowmobiles and piled the mattresses and bed frames inside the boats. They began their 51 mile journey across the several lakes and portages. It was still very cold at this time, which made for good lake conditions. The crust kept their snowmobiles and the boats out of the slush and by some miracle, they didn't get stuck even once! It only took them two hours to get to the cabin.

They arrived at the cabin at about 11:00 a.m., giving them the entire day ahead to work on the interior. They finished the bathroom walls & floor and they put together the metal bunk bed frames. The bunk beds are now complete with comfortable mattresses just like you'd find in a home; no flat foam mattresses here...

They had no problems on their way out either and were home by late afternoon yesterday. Next on the agenda is hanging the interior doors, finishing the plumbing, and installing the bathroom vanity. We don't have very much time now before the ice conditions worsen. It's officially crunch time!

Until next time,

Meagan

The Progress Continues

So much has happened at Kapikik in the last two weeks and we have lots planned for the week ahead of us. It is now crunch time! Less than five weeks until opener!

During the first week of April, they made several trips to the cabin. The flooring is now finished and the snowmobile is unstuck! Once the flooring was done, they were left with no more material to work with. It was time to get more material to the cabin and the majority of it was at the Springpole Mine on Birch Lake. If you read my blog entry about our winter road trip "Battling the Elements in the Great White North", you will understand why. We have been waiting for better conditions to hire a large airplane to fly everything over from the mine to the cabin. Finally, last Tuesday, our day had arrived.

The "Big-Rig" Ready to Head to Sioux Lookout

I pulled the 24-foot enclosed trailer full of supplies up to Sioux Lookout to Slate Falls Airways. We packed their Turbo Otter full of panelling, doors, mattresses, and even a generator. The pilot headed North to Kapikik where he would meet Dad, Chris, and Chris' uncle, Jack. It was a bright sunny day, mild temperatures, but cool enough so that the snow wasn't too soft.

Perfect Conditions for Flying

After unloading the first load at the cabin, they took three trips back and forth from the mine to Kapikik and were able to move all of the material and supplies. At the cabin, they were able to use the snowmobile and a sleigh to move it all from the airplane up to the cabin. Their pilot, Morgan, was awesome and the guys at the mine were incredibly helpful. My parents are so grateful for everything they have done for us.

Loading the Airplane at the Mine

Unloading the Plane at the Cabin

After a very successful day, Dad, Chris, and Jack stayed overnight at the cabin. During their stay they were able to start putting panelling up in the bedrooms, install the kitchen cupboards & countertop, build the bar, and put together the bar stools. The cabin is looking incredible... the pictures speak for themselves.

The Kitchen is Coming Together

Our Hand-Made Bar Turned Out Beautiful

The Living Area

This past weekend, both my Mom and Dad stayed a night and finished the panelling in the bedrooms, and finished staining the kitchen cupboards.

Putting Up the Panelling

Mom Staining the Cupboards

Now, I know lots of people are wanting to know what our weather and ice conditions are looking like. Since my Dad has been flying so much lately, he's had a good look at all of the lakes around us. For the most part, the ice is turning brown from the amount of runoff going onto the surface. Brown ice is good as it melts fast. However, since the middle of last week we've been stuck in another cold-snap and have even seen some snow flurries! Not to worry though, starting mid-way through this week, the forecast is on our side again with sun and warmer temperatures.

The cold weather is not all bad for us. Dad and Chris are going to take full advantage of it. They left tonight to stay over in Ear Falls and they will leave early tomorrow morning to take on the winter road one last time. We have two brand-new, 16-foot Crestliner boats, two mattresses, and some bed frames that need to get to Kapikik. They have been waiting for the conditions to turn just right to take on the treacherous road and long, rough trail across all of those lakes again. Fortunately, tonight and tomorrow morning are supposed to be very cold, which should provide a good crust on the snow and keep them out of the slush. Our fingers are crossed that they don't have another adventure like the last! I opted to stay home this time :)

We will keep everyone updated on the ice conditions. Towards the end of this week or middle of next, I will be flying up there with my Dad and I will take some aerial shots of the ice so you can see what we are talking about.

Stay tuned :)

Until next time,

Meagan

Dock Pontoons Canada

Dock Pontoons Canada… have you ever heard of them? They are a Canadian company based out of Quebec that sells highly revolutionized pontoons for floating docks. These pontoons are the future for floating docks.

The pontoons are made of corrugated high-density polyethylene pipe, fusion sealed on both ends, and pressure tested against leaks during the fusion process. The double thickness walls protect against punctures making them MUCH more durable than Styrofoam.

Are you starting to wonder why I am telling you so much about this amazing new way to float your docks? Well, the best thing about these dock pontoons is that you can pick yours up right in Kenora or Vermilion Bay through your regional distributors – Wayne and Karla Clark!

My parents have been in the resort business for over 20 years, so you can imagine how many docks they have built! Now, with three resorts and ten outposts, they are building more floating docks than ever. My Dad has always used Styrofoam to float his docks, but has always been looking for a better way. Finally, he came across the ultimate dock flotation system with Dock Pontoons Canada. He ordered a whole bunch of them for his own use and they are coming all the way from Quebec! Since there are so many other people around here that could benefit from these pontoons, my parents decided to become the regional distributors. They will supply the area between Thunder Bay and the Manitoba border.

For those that are looking to upgrade their existing docks or are needing to build brand-new ones, this is very exciting news. We now have available the best and most economical method to float our docks, whether it is for commercial or personal use. When you purchase these pontoons, they come in a kit, which includes two (2) pontoons, six (6) fastening brackets, and an installation manual with easy directions. This is the ultimate kit to build your own dock with.

One incredible feature of these pontoons is that the ice will not damage them in the winter! No more taking them out of the water or floating them into a bay where they are safe. They can stay right where they are and the ice will not hurt them. Another awesome feature is that the wood does not touch the water, which allows you to use treated lumber and also ensures that the wood will last a long time.

Building docks with these pontoon kits is extremely economical and they will last so much longer than other types of docks. Unlike Styrofoam, these pontoons will not deteriorate or become water-logged, and they keep the wood out of the water. You can customize with various lengths and diameters, depending on your needs, and deck anchors and stabilizers are available upon request. They are very environmentally friendly and are light weight and easy to handle. Another awesome feature is that they are made in Canada!

This new venture is very exciting for us and for everyone in our area who uses floating docks! Please call and talk to myself, my Mom (Karla), or my Dad (Wayne) to get more information on these pontoons. You can reach us at 807-227-2154 or toll free at 1-866-744-2154. You can also send us an email with any questions you may have to dockpontoons@gmail.com. Once the snow is gone, we will have display models set up at both Eagle Junction and Sunset Baits!

Thanks everyone! 

Until next time,

Meagan

So This is Spring...

Waking up yesterday in Northwestern Ontario, you couldn't help but ask yourself - is this Mother Nature playing an April Fools trick on us? However, when you stepped outside into the foot-and-a-half of fresh snow, it was obvious that this was no trick. Within 24 hours we received about 18 inches of snow. Most highways were closed, many businesses in the area were closed, and all of the schools were shut down. A "snow day" on April 1st... who would have thought.

The view from my front door, Dryden, ON.

This past winter has been one for the books. We've had record-breaking cold temperatures and the most snow we've seen in years. We now have over 5 feet of snow in some areas and 4 feet of ice on the lakes. We need everyone to cross their fingers and toes and hope for warm temperatures this month, along with rain and wind to knock down this snow and get the ice off the lakes.

After a busy day of shovelling yesterday, it is nice to see the sun shining today. The temperature is only expected to rise to the freezing mark, but hopefully the sun will be strong enough to do some melting. According to the calendar, we are now well into our second week of spring. I thought I would take this time to look back on this past winter and hopefully put it behind us. So far I have mostly focussed the blog on our adventures to Kapikik, but there has been lots more keeping us busy over the winter months.

Most people assume that the winter season is "down-time" for the Clark's, but that is definitely not the case. My parents like to keep busy all year round! Minnow harvesting still needs to be done, the two stores (Eagle Junction and Sunset Baits) are open all winter, and we still have guests in camp. Then of course there are the sports shows in the States, bait fishery meetings in Toronto, marketing work, bookkeeping, correspondence with guests, maintenance on all the cabins, and work to be done in the shop such as building minnow traps and furniture.

Chicago Sport Show

Minnow Traps

As far as the minnow business goes, we are not as busy in the winter as we are in the summer because we are not supplying the tourist camps. In the winter, we supply our own two stores as well as a handful of others. This winter, the demand for minnows has been low due to the poor weather conditions.  There are less people fishing due to the snow, slush, and cold temperatures. Less demand for minnows has been a blessing in disguise because trapping them this winter has not been an easy task.

In the summertime, all minnow harvesting is done by airplane. In the winter it is done by snowmobile. My Dad and Chris trailer the snowmobiles and travel as far as they can by truck, then break trail on snowmobile to the minnow lakes. Getting to the lake is half the battle. The machines get stuck countless times in the deep snow, they sometimes have to cut down trees to clear the trails, and usually one snowmobile will end up breaking down. Once they get to the lake, in order to set or check one trap, they must drill six holes with an ice auger to make an opening large enough for a trap to fit through. It takes the full length of the auger plus the extension to get through the ice this year. They usually set about 15 traps in one lake. To make things more difficult, many lakes have not been producing this winter due to low oxygen levels from the heavy amounts of snow and ice.

With the conditions being so bad, Dad has been avoiding harvesting one of his best minnow lakes because the only way to get there is by airplane. In order to meet the demand, he had to fly there the other day. Since he goes by himself, he must always be prepared for a very long day and possibly an overnight stay in the airplane because if he gets stuck in the slush, he won't be getting home anytime soon. In the past he's had to pack a trail with snowshoes and let it freeze overnight to get the plane moving again. Luckily he didn't have to do that this time, but he did get stuck. He was able to dig himself out and get home at a decent hour with a good catch of minnows. Everyday of minnow trapping for these guys is quite the adventure. I wish I had the time to write about each trip they make because there is always a good story.

We also supply the minnows (for free) to our fisherman in camp. We've had quite a few parties staying with us this winter. Despite the amount of snow and slush, they have been fishing the entire chain of lakes and of course, spending lots of time in the shacks in front of camp. They've caught and released some massive trout further down the chain, and some huge walleyes in front of camp. They've been keeping the smaller ones for dinner that they mostly catch in the shack. The two pictures below were taken a few weeks ago right out in front of K.C.'s Landing Resort.

Trophy Walleye caught & released at K.C.'s

Trophy Walleye caught & released at K.C.'s

And of course, I have to mention a little bit about the cabin on Kapikik. I haven't written about it since our trip by winter road. Since then, the guys have made many trips by airplane hauling supplies. Two weeks ago, my Dad, Grampa, and I stayed overnight at the cabin and finished off the rest of the pine, varnished the entire cabin, and finished all of the trim. My Dad went by himself the following weekend and started laying the laminate flooring. Dad and Chris are on there way there right now to stay overnight and finish off the flooring. Next, the kitchen cabinets will go in, and the panelling will go up on the bedroom walls. When the conditions improve, the brand new boats will be taken in by snowmobile. It is truly amazing how far that cabin has come along since February 1st, when we made our first trip. With all of the challenges we've faced, its incredible that we've been able to stay on schedule with the progress.

Pine & Flooring done at Kapikik

My parents and I just got back from the Minneapolis Northwest Sport Show, our last sport show of the season. We had a great time, enjoyed the warm weather, and talked to lots of people. The question that almost everyone asked was if the ice will be out in time for opener. Looking outside right now at the 5 feet of snow on the ground and knowing that there is still 4 feet of ice on the lake, it is easy to assume that it won't be. However, it is honestly far too early to tell just yet. A lot can happen during the month of April and we can assure you that through our Facebook page and our blog, we will keep everyone posted on the weather and ice conditions. In the spring, my Dad is the last person that flies in the area on skis and now that we are into April, he will be flying almost every day. By the end of the month, we should be able to give you all a good idea of when the ice will be out. Lets hope for the best!

Until next time,

Meagan

Winter Road to Kapikik Video

Battling the Elements in the Great White North

On February 21, 2014 myself and my Dad, and my two cousins, Dan and Chris, and a friend, Jackson, began our journey North to Kapikik Lake. This time we were not in an airplane. Kapikik Lake is technically only accessible by air, making it an extremely remote location for our fisherman in the summer. That being said, there is one other way to get there, which can only happen in the wintertime. There is a winter bush/ice road that takes you to Birch Lake where the Springpole Gold Project is situated. From there, there are about 6 lakes between Birch and Kapikik that can be crossed only by snowmobile.

Taking advantage of this winter road is a great way to haul materials and furniture to your outpost cabin to cut down on the amount of freight that needs to be flown in by airplane. Having done this many times before to our other outpost cabins, my Dad and Chris were well prepared with the proper equipment to move our stuff from point A to point B.

With three trucks, each hauling a huge trailer, we were loaded down to the max. Lumber, paneling, cupboards, appliances, furniture, 7 snowmobiles, and a few large hauling sleighs, we were going to make this trip count. Ahead of us, we had about 75 miles on the Red Lake Hwy, 60 miles through the bush on the winter road, and about 30 miles across lakes and portages by snowmobile. We left at 5:00 a.m., which would give us lots of time to get to the cabin before dark.

Fuelling Up in Ear Falls Around 7:00 a.m.

We fueled up in Ear Falls and then turned down toward the winter road. We thought the road had been plowed recently, but we were sadly mistaken. There was about 2 feet of snow on this very rough and narrow road with snowdrifts upwards of 3 feet. Once we started down the road and realized what a challenge it was going to be, there was not one place we could have turned around – we were committed.

And the Shovelling Begins...

How we made it down that road is beyond me. The trucks took turns pulling each other out of the ditch and up hills. We broke many tow ropes, shoveled until we couldn’t shovel anymore, and somehow always managed to become unstuck. With about 20 miles left to go, we unloaded a couple of snowmobiles to lighten up the trailers. Jackson and I rode these machines the rest of the way on the road. This was after we used the snowmobiles to pull one of the trucks up a hill because being the truck in the lead, there was no one ahead to pull it out.

Pulling the Truck & Trailer with Snowmobiles

9 hours later, after getting the trucks stuck 20+ times, we eventually made it to the first lake that we would cross by truck. We were one portage away from Birch Lake and were held up for about an hour as we waited for a jack-knifed semi truck to get pulled out by a grader. These guys are the definition of "ice road truckers" and they were about to tackle the same road that we had just come down.

Ice Road Truckers Leaving the Mine

It was a great feeling arriving at Birch Lake. Excited to get to the cabin, we unloaded the other snowmobiles and packed the sleighs with supplies. We studied the map, which showed the several lakes we would be crossing and the portages to get from lake to lake. We had a few hours left of daylight – plenty of time to get some miles behind us and get our journey started.  We decided that if it wasn’t working out, we would follow our trail back to the trucks and stay in one of the trailers for the night, which was equipped with a heater.

We took off in single file; the Summits ahead to break trail. Things seemed to be going well, despite the huge snowdrifts and blizzard-like conditions that would sweep away our tracks within minutes.  However, we figured we would still be able to find our way back, if need be. We had a few miles behind us, when we hit our first patch of slush. The first 4 sleds made it through, but my Dad who was pulling a heavy aluminum sleigh, got absolutely buried. After about an hour of digging and pulling and getting other machines stuck, we all broke free and continued on. It was a minor set back, but nothing that we hadn’t expected.

At the end of Birch Lake, it was time to find the first portage. This should be easy enough, as our map marked the spot exactly and it was still daylight. As we sat on the lake waiting for Chris and Dan on their Summits to locate the trail, the daylight started to slip away. But, they eventually found the trail and we continued on.

At the beginning of this first portage was where things started to go downhill for me. I had no idea how hard it would be to handle a snowmobile in that deep of snow! Following a trail should have been easy, but keeping my sled on it was such a challenge! It wasn’t long before I flew off the trail and fell off of my machine. When I stood up, the snow was up to my chest. I have no idea how Dan and my Dad were able to dig me out, but thank goodness I had them. The journey didn’t get any easier after that. We got stuck countless times in chest deep snow and waist deep slush.

We had made it across a few lakes getting closer to our destination. The dark had set in completely and the wind and snow hadn’t let up at all. The only lights we had were our snow-covered headlights. At times we would spend an hour in one bay searching and searching for the portage trail. The Summits would search the shoreline for any break in the trees, getting stuck over and over again.  We stopped and talked many times discussing whether to turn back and stay in the trucks overnight or to trudge on in the dark. Everyone was in consensus that we wanted to get to the cabin and stay the night. This way we would get a good sleep, and have a trail to follow the next day when it came time to haul more supplies from the trucks to the cabin.

We spent hours and hours searching and circling around on these lakes. We had left behind us the aluminum sleigh on one lake, Chris’s sleigh on a different lake, and a smaller sleigh on another lake. It was just too hard to break trail pulling these sleighs and we were tired of getting them stuck in the slush. Eventually, I had had enough of driving, so we left my snowmobile behind too. I got on the back of my Dad’s machine and we continued on. We had a few big lakes ahead of us, but according to the map we were getting close to Kapikik.

We finally came through the narrows on Kapikik Lake. It didn’t take long to find the cabin and oh, what a feeling when we did! It was 11:00 p.m. and we had been travelling on snowmobiles since 4:00 p.m. We got all of the heat sources going in the cabin, the generator started, and the lights on. We took off our soaking wet and frozen clothing and hung it up around the cabin to thaw out and dry. Despite the way our suits looked, everyone had kept extremely warm – probably from working so hard! We sat around the fire and talked about our crazy adventure over a couple of well-deserved drinks. What a day we had had! Everyone was so happy to be at the cabin after traveling for 18 hours.

We Finally Made It!

After a very short sleep, the guys regrouped and took off to get some more supplies from the trucks and pick up the sleighs and the snowmobile that we had left behind. After our experience the night before, I expected that they would be gone pretty well all day. I blasted some Johnny Cash and began my day. I cleaned the cabin from top to bottom, prepared some food for when the guys returned, and then I started to put pine on the walls. I only had a small amount (as the rest was still on the trailers), but it was enough to finish off a couple of small walls.

Putting Pine on the Walls

Around 7:00 p.m. I heard the sleds coming across the lake. I stepped outside and counted 4 headlights coming towards me so that was a good sign. As they got closer, I realized that none of them were pulling a sleigh. Obviously they had had another day/night like the one before. Apparently they had got stuck in the slush so many times and decided that getting to the cabin was priority once again.

It turned out that they had actually had a productive day over all. They had spent most of their day at the mine, fixing one of the trailer hitches and also unloading their things from the trucks. Since they weren't going to be able to haul it all to the cabin as planned, my Dad asked the miners if they could leave their lumber and material there for a couple of weeks rather than bringing it all back home. My Dad was so grateful when they said yes. My parents will hire a plane in the next couple of weeks to fly everything from the mine to the cabin. The miners were beyond friendly and helpful to the guys. They even offered them tea, coffee, and snacks.

We enjoyed a delicious steak dinner that night and laughed and talked about the last couple of days. The plan was to get a good sleep and then retrieve the sleighs in the morning, and then we would head home.

It only took a couple of hours in the morning for the guys to retrieve the sleighs. I stayed behind and packed up our things and prepared for the long journey home. It would only take a couple of hours by snowmobile now that we had a trail, but the winter road could easily take us another 9 hours.

Finally Got a Couple of Sleighs to the Cabin!

The snowmobile ride was great. It only took us an hour and a half. The wind had changed overnight and flattened out those huge snowdrifts. The wind however, didn’t do the ice road any favours. We loaded up our sleds and started down the ice road in the trucks, which was at least two feet deep in snow! The trucks barely made it through. We were imagining these huge drifts on the bush road as well, which would not be good news for us. BUT, to our surprise, the road had JUST been plowed. Talk about a miracle! It took us only about 4 hours to get to Ear Falls and we were home safe and sound before dark.

The Bush Road... Plowed... What a Beautiful Thing.

What a weekend! At times we were in a little over our heads (quite literally, in snow), but we made it there and back safely!  Although our bodies were a little “broken-down”, not one of the sleds or trucks broke down on us, which was a bonus. We didn’t exactly get the work done that we had anticipated, but everything is within a short flying distance from the cabin, which is a big help.

It was a once in a lifetime experience for some of us. For my Dad and Chris… it was just another day at the office!

Hope you enjoyed our story :)

Until next time,

Meagan