We changed our travel plans on our second day. Originally we were going to visit some of the northern lakes before heading south to Fish Lake, but we were advised water levels had made travel through Goose Lake difficult so we decided to head south sooner and then east along Howry Lake. Our ultimate destination for the day was Great Mountain Lake, and we could have proceeded directly east from Murray Lake to Howry the day before, but the east end of Murray can become impassable in low water. Since I booked the trip in the spring before water levels in late summer were known I had decided to play it safe and book our first night on Hanwood Lake.
In the future I’d be tempted to plan the trip without booking any sites on the lakes to the north. Not only does it save a few portages, the northern lakes aren’t nearly as scenic as those closer to the LaCloche Mountains. By booking the first night on Murray Lake it would be possible to decide which route to take once the water levels are known. Another option would be to book the first night on Howry Lake and use a water taxi the first day to ensure that there was enough time to detour north around the end of Murray Lake if necessary.
The portage from Hanwood to Van Winkle Lake is very short but also very steep. Van Winkle is a pretty lake, but like all of the northern lakes there are motorboats stashed at the ends of the portages for anglers from nearby lodges. The lodge owners rent motors to their guests and they carry them from one lake to another, changing boats as they go. While the boats are quiet and we only saw a few in operation their presence does shatter the illusion of being in the backcountry. Despite the fact that Killarney is classified a wilderness park, only a handful of the lakes that we visited were completely free from motorboats.
We met some of these sportsmen on Cat Lake after completing the portage. They were draining their plastic fishing boats before stashing them in the bushes and returning to their lodge. They were quite friendly but couldn’t understand why anyone would want to paddle when they could use a motor, and didn’t see the point of being on the water without a fishing rod. Cat Lake isn’t the prettiest of the northern lakes but it does have a rather spectacular view of the LaCloche Hills to the south.
We decided to explore a small cabin on the shore of Cat Lake before continuing. The cabin was built by Hugh Teck Gold Mines and later become the property of the Cat Lake Sportsman Club. It’s a rather functional, unattractive building. We hunted around for a while in case there were ruins from an older structure or signs of prospecting but we didn’t find anything. The cabin has now been donated to the park and serves as a ranger station.
The portage from Cat to Howry Lake is a bit longer, but not bad overall. Howry Lake is more scenic than the lakes further north,and is less marshy than Murray Lake to the west. We paddled to the west end of Howry to see if we could spot the outcrop of puddingstone that was marked on Jeff’s Map before heading east. We didn’t find the outcrop, but then again we didn’t leave the canoe. Later in the day we did spot a puddingstone outcrop between Gem and Fish Lakes, so perhaps there’s an error in the map.
Howry is a nice lake and while there is a cottage on it we didn’t see any activity. It’s long enough that it takes a while to paddle before reaching the pretty portage at the east end where Gem Lake spills out through a series of scenic cascades. This is a very easy portage, and the smooth rocks and scenery make it a nice spot to stop for a swim or a snack.
Gem Lake is aptly named. The small lake is surrounded by low hills except where a gap reveals the much more impressive LaCloche mountains to the south. The route continues to the north through a valley where a meandering creek winds it’s way back and forth between tall grass on the way to Fish Lake. Paddling the valley is quite slow since the creek twists and turns so much, but it’s a nice place to do so. We saw the large puddingstone outcrop on the north wall of this valley, and the granite slopes on either side frame the creek nicely.
Travel was slow, but easy, until we reached the west end of the creek and the water got more shallow. Eventually we had to get out of the canoe and wade as we lined the boat across the sandbars for the last few meters before the portage.
The portage to Fish Lake opens into a pretty bay, but I found the rest of the lake a bit dull. There was an incident that made this section more memorable however. As we rounded a rocky point Alex pointed and exclaimed “A Bear!”. Sure enough, about 50 meters away a large black figure was studiously disassembling a beaver lodge on shore. He was pretty ropy looking, and so intent upon his task that he didn’t notice us at first. He must have heard me put my paddle down as I pulled out my camera because he looked up suddenly with a guilty expression on his face before turning and bounding up the hill. The lodge was at the bottom of a steep rock face, but the bear ran up that hill much faster than I would have imagined possible. I was astounded by his speed on such rough terrain. He was definitely a “good bear” with the correct reaction to humans, but I’m sure glad I didn’t have to try to outrun him.
There’s an old trapper cabin on Fish Lake at the start of the portage to Great Mountain Lake. It’s older and more rustic looking than the rather ugly cabin we had explored earlier in the day and it seems more at home in wilderness. This was another uneventful portage over easy terrain before we found ourselves in a small marshy bay of Great Mountain Lake. The bay is choked with old stumps and vegetation and provides a rather unimpressive introduction to this remote lake.
It was late in the day and there was a bit of wind so we paddled almost directly to our campsite on an island in the eastern bay of the lake.