Cache Lake & the Falls Chain
- Canoe trip
- eight days
- June, 2023
Route
French Lake → (1) the creek into Baptism, and Trouser Lake; (2) the 4 km portage into Cache Lake, and the 3.3 km portage into Mackenzie Lake; (3) Mackenzie Lake; (4) Kawnipi Lake and the Falls Chain; (5) Kawnipi, Montgomery, and Russell Lakes; (6) Russell Lake; (7) Sturgeon Lake, the Deux Rivières, and Doré Lake; (8) Pickerel Lake and the Pickerel River → French Lake
Notes
Two years after our first trip through Cache Lake, fate and a sense of adventure brought my friend “The River” and me there again. This time his dad had talked us out of bug spray in favor of citronella patches clipped to carabiners. The cloud of mosquitoes that blanketed every bare patch of skin on my hands and face settled that debate for good — it's always better to bring the bug spray.
As well, on this trip, low water had made the Cache River impossible, so we made our way by the 4 km portage into Cache Lake and the 3.3 km portage out. We felt good enough after the first portage that we did the second portage on the same day. This was a terrible mistake, as we were unprepared for two sections where the trail completely disappeared in favor of hip-deep marsh which we waded through with our gear. It was sheer grit on our parts that got us through that section without injuries and before sunset.
The rest of the trip was beautiful and easygoing, including a visit to the Falls Chain. This was the trip where The River and I realised we were the best of friends and, beyond sharing hardship, we shared bits of our souls in conversation that we had never shared with anyone before. Despite the mosquitoes and the peaty stench of the marshes, this trip lives forever in my memory as one of my most cherished outdoor experiences.
Read the first crossing, June 2021 →
See the Quetico photo collection from this and other trips →