The Paddler Autumn/Fall issue 2017

ThePADDLER 88
This amazing landscape,
under the shadow of the hills, is basically a glacial moraine,
a mix of small scraped-out lakes separated by hills
portage took us down into a beautiful, sheltered
lake, where once more we took to the clear
waters. The day progressed, short portage
followed by short paddle, followed by more
lugging. We now finally felt we had left behind
the trappings of the modern world, enjoying a
simpler life where all we had to worry about
was the route ahead. We entered a stunning,
reed-lined lake, where an old, uninhabited beaver
lodge hinted at the wildlife around us. Exiting this
into a larger stream, we were glad to see that all
we needed to do was dodge a few rocks in the
gently flowing water, and our way onwards
towards Rogen was clear.
After the enclosed feel of the river and its small
lakes, where views were short, it was a bit of a
shock to come out onto Rogen itself. This is a big
lake, 18km long, sat high on the plateau at over
750 metres, and today it was looking rather grey
and bleak. Around the lake, the bare hills were
tinged with a strange pale green colour, the moss
which is one of the few things that can live there.
This shallow lake has a bit of a reputation, and
waves can rise quickly, but we were favoured
with only a modest breeze. Our plan was to
head for Rödviken, an arm of the lake on its
northern shore, where we would hopefully find
a sheltered camp, before heading north into a
maze of lakes where we would spend the next
couple of days exploring.
This was our first paddle of the trip on open
water, and it was a useful exercise to get the
hang of our boats in the slight chop. Dris and
Paul were tandem in a long Swift Temagami, and
quickly pulled ahead, following Rob and Fred
who’d set off earlier, thanks to their more