Volume 4, 1951 - The Arctic Circle - Home

f the route offered good footing on an elevated gravel
1dge. Exploration of Dawson Bay revealed the presence of
ny lime-loving plants, but perhaps the most interesting
eature is the numerous salt springs around which grow plants
ore normally found along coastal salt marshes. On the return
to the Grand Rapids portage, the lightened canoes were
un down the awe-inspiring rapids, covering in one part a
1stance of two miles in six minutes. The party returned
to Winnipeg on the S.S. ~~enoFa, a steamboat originally
lying Lake of the Woods, but rebuilt on Lake Winnipeg, and
now rounding out its ancient life in serving isolated comunities
along the stormy waters of this shallow remuant of
lacial Lake Agassize
Besides the writer, the 1949 field party again inluded
Nick Neufeld and Jim Robinson, together with John
• Campbell of Hamilton, Onta~io. The route led down the
elson River from Nc:rway House: across nFainted Stone
ortage" on the height of lal1(}at. the hGadw·~J.te!"s of the
ohimamish, and j.nto the Hayes River system. The greater
art of the Hayes lies in th8 Procambrian, and includes a
,hain of lakes bearing the names Robinson, Logan, Max, Windy,
xford, Knee, and S'tJ':é'.mpy" Many portages are necessary in the
ntervening reaches. About hO miles belmv SW8lnPy Lake, or
bout 100 miles above York F~ctory, the river enters the
laeozoic formations of the Hudson Bay Lowlands, and winds
ith great regularity between clay banks )0 to 100 feet
19h, the only obstructions to canoe travel being the
hallowness of the water and the occurrence of gravel bars
t each bend. The flora of this section includes many limeoving
species absent from the Precambrian formations to the
est. This is particularly so along the gravel beaches and
ars, where, in the absence of competing forest species,
sses of tansy, arnica, hedysarQffi,arctie vetch, painted-cup,
iver-beauty, and other northern species produce a breathaking
blaze of colour. The arctic influence is evident
ound York Factory, where such northern cireQ~polar species
.s a grass (Dupomia Fisheri forma p.§~.lQ..santha), a willow
Salix reticulataJ, and arctic daisy \ ~rysanthemum arcticum)
e found.
Following a week of collecting around York Factory,
he party rounded the shallow and treachercus tidal waters .
ff Marsh Point and entered the estuary of the Nelson. The
ift water and many rapids of the eighty-mile stretch to
imestone Rapids, at which point contact was made with the
udson Bay Railway, made it necessRry to line the heavily
oaded canoes for conside:"able dis~D.J::.:;9S, psrticularly around
e numerous limestor-e headlands. ~he r8main~ng part of the
eason was spent in the area of Wekasko and Tramping Lakes,