Liquid Addict

 The silence is broken, as helicopter size mosquitoes swarm my tired body. It is 3:30 am and Paul Hardy and I are about to embark on an epic journey through the Bowron Lakes. 108 km of pristine lakes, rivers and channels that are broken by 8 km of portage trails. This famous chain is a favorite for canoe enthusiasts, and places you in an untouched environment where wildlife spontaneously appears as quickly as it vanishes.

With a fully loaded Canoe, this arduous trip can take 5 to 10 days. However, we were just stepping through. Paul’s Black Marlin surf ski and my K-1 kayak held just the bare essentials. After fueling up on the previous night’s leftover pizza, we hit the trail. At 4:30 am we crept past the ranger station and onto the 2.4-km portage trail to Kibee Lake. Adrenaline pumped through my body as we approach the water. It was calm, crystal clear and an eerie layer of fog rested above its surface. SO COOL! The first two lakes are short at 2.4km and 6.4km respectively so it seems the first hours are spent hiking more than paddling. It is at the end of the second lake where we are greeted by a couple just waking up. They had seen the Bowron Lakes on the Internet and had traveled from Switzerland to holiday in this beautiful part of the world. After a quick chat, we continued with a big portage to Isaac Lake. Isaac Lake is the longest in the chain at 38 km and provides paddlers with many sandy shores to camp. We took full advantage of these areas to stop, snack and enjoy some spectacular mountainous backdrops. As we rounded the west arm of Isaac Lake to the main arm, we surprised a bald eagle enjoying a salmon breakfast. The shear size of it was amazing, and with one swoop, it lifted its meal to higher ground. Trying to keep my butt from falling asleep was difficult on this long lake and I was elated to reach the end where we enjoyed a hard-earned lunch. The picnic area was busy with a party of scouts that quizzed us on our high tech equipment and let out a big WOW, at are one day attempt. Their jaws dropped as we pulled out fresh cheese, meat, and baguettes that we quickly engulfed like vultures, along with cans of coke.

The July sun warmed our shirtless backs as we pressed on down the rapids of the Isaac River. It was here that two mandatory portages led us around some awesome waterfalls. Upon reaching the first take out, we approached a couple getting ready to portage their huge canoe, 2-70 liter packs, and extra gear. I will never forget the look on her face as I stepped from my boat, lifted it up on my shoulder and cruised up the bank. Her open jaw was followed by, “boy you guys are sure going light”! Paul and I retorted with a smirk, “yep”. Well what else can you say!

We then hooked up to Mc Leary Lake and on to the Cariboo River where the once teal colored water turned a silty tan. The bonus though was 10 km of flowing water that carried us out to Lanezi Lake. It felt like we had a long way to go, and we did, but the sunny weather kept our spirits high. Unfortunately, everything was about to change! As we hit Lanezi Lake, we were greeted with 2 1/2-foot chop and a 20 km head wind. The clouds quickly rolled in and thunder echoed throughout the valley. Thank god, there was no lightning, however to be on the safe side we paddled close to shore. Our spirits were crushed as the rain fell hard, and then harder. We passed five groups that had retreated and taken shelter along the shore. They lent us a friendly wave as we pressed on in these unforgiving conditions. The only break came after two hours as the rain subsided and we decided to take a rest. Approaching the shore, we surprised a moose standing partially in the water.

It tried to camouflage itself by remaining still which allowed us a perfect view of this odd but beautiful creature. AMAZING! We would see four more moose by the end of the trip and each one was spectacular. Upon shore, Paul started a fire and we dried out our things while we gorged on huge chunks of Purdy’s white chocolate. Continuing on we made the last portage from Skoi Lake to Spectacle Lake. We had 25 km to go and we were pumped on finishing, however we were both tiered, weary and had to dig deep inside to push on. The last section before finishing on Bowron Lake is a marshy area that zigs and zags for what seems like an eternity before spitting you out with 8 km to go. It was this marshy area where we saw a baby moose, and for a moment it seemed as curious about us as we were about it. As it bounded off out of sight, we continued across Bowron Lake to its shore. As we crawled out of our boats, we made the realization that we actually had to walk 2 km up the road to retrieve the car. With the encouragement of cold beer that was in the trunk, I agreed to retrieve the car. A pinkish hue lay over Bowron Lake as we made one last effort to raise our bottles in toast.YES!

Dave Norona has been a professional athlete for 20 years racing in some of the world’s toughest events. He now runs NoronaLife.com which is a team building and motivational speaking company that provides amazing events and public speaking to companies throughout North America.

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