Coppermine River Trip-August 8th, 1975

Coppermine River Trip-August 8th, 1975

Aug 8
Caribou/Ptarmigan Day

• On water at 8:30
• Stopped at relatively new cabin
• Indian camp+artifacts across river.
• B.H. killed ptarmigan stick at Indian camp
• Beautiful artifacts 1/2 mile upstream from Hook R.
• I found rock of artifacts below Hook R. (Glassy quartz-bright red)-continued all along river for miles
• 4 caribou around Hook R.
• Cleaver caught two char (5 1/4 5 3/4) at Hook R.
• Dinner + camp at first significant rapids in days!
• Rich moon/char/ptarmigan 
• Heavy smoke from forest fire-obsured river completely 1/2 mile on each side. Big fire-wind from west.

11 Miles

Coppermine River Trip-August 7th, 1975

Coppermine River Trip-August 7th, 1975

Aug 7
Putnam Port Cord Day (Cabin) 12.5 miles
Another beautiful day-practically windless. Midges terrible at breakfast and again at supper.

• Lunch uneventful
• Finally through sandy flat section
• Stopped at cabin in beautiful "pond in river"  Marmot very close.
• Dinner at narrow split L River. Fishing fabulous. I caught 4# Female "bright" char on #8 Hairy Mary + lots of Grayling. Also on N. Pike on spinner reel.  Many Togue (biggest 10#) and northern by others.
• I got grayling, taken by togue+hooked. Broke line 

Char attacked by big Walten 4" wand.

Coppermine River Trip-August 6th, 1975

Coppermine River Trip-August 6th, 1975

Aug 6 Wed.
4 peregrine falcons hovered over us as I made breakfast fire.

• Stopped to look at ducks
• Stopped for lunch on Point-"hunted" ptarmigan 
• Stopped at Hook's camp-found some chert chips. B.B. saw caribou
• Camped at point on right
• One mile below Hook's camp
• Went up stream. Cleaver saw cow moose. B.H. caught 7# togue in stream
• Wind at back all day. Cloudy, cool. No bugs till evening Midges terrible.
• 11 miles
• Trip half over in miles.

Coppermine River Trip-August 5th, 1975

Coppermine River Trip-August 5th, 1975

Aug 5
Ptarmigan Hunt Day
Foggy at 7:00. then clear
Strong wind at our backs all day
Ate lunch at top of mtn. Then climbed father to beatiful mtn. tarn
View magnificent-oxbows
Sailed 8 m after lunch, then paddled 4. For total of 20.
Camped at Franklin site-Under lofty mtnn.
Hunted Ptarmigan after dinner by throwing sticks.
2 flew clear across river.
No fish! What gives?
Wolf female and cub walked up beach to camp during night.

The Franklin he mentioned was John Franklin, the arctic explorer.  This was likely from his Coppermine exploration of 1819-1822.

Coppermine River Trip-August 4th, 1975

Coppermine River Trip-August 4th, 1975

Aug 4

Wolf Call-Arctic Circle Day

• Wolf calls at 9:15 in camp Weird + Wonderful
• Family canyons ("narrow spots")
• Lunch 1' north of arctic circle/lines
• Walked up to big alpine lake
• Lots of ptarmigan
• Saw DC to Coppermine at lunch
• Brad H caught  lots of Grayling in exit stream of lake
• Lovely weather-cool, clear no bugs!
• Golden Marmot at lunch
• lots of bear, wolf, moose, caribou tracks
• Robins!
• Togue in evening at camp - Sandy beach
• 12 miles 

Coppermine River Trip-August 3rd, 1975

Coppermine River Trip-August 3rd 1975

Aug 3

Gordon Lightfoot Day

• Deja Vu stay at campground (sandy beach, point, Roger + Grizzly bear)
• Wind in our face. Cold!
• Saw Golden Eagle + golden marmot
• G. Lightfoot + friends for lunch. He'd lost his main camera
• Explored stream on right draining next lakes to fairy lake system.
• Grayling + char in stream
• Camp on pt. 1 mile above "narrows"
• <46 degrees at 7:00 pm
• 1715 m.
• Climbed 1000 ft mt after dinner-Beautiful!

Yes, they ran into the singer Gordon Lightfoot in the middle of nowhere.  This is a bit of a family history that we all remember.  My understanding is that Lightfoot's group had lost some of their gear, including a camera and my father's group helped them out.  The story goes that Gordon dedicated a show to the group he met in the arctic.

Coppermine River Trip-August 2nd, 1975

Coppermine River Trip-August 2nd, 1975

Aug 2

Char + Moose Day

• Saw Moose on lake into which Big Sandy R. flows
• Lots of rapids-none tough
• Grayling at camp before breakfast
• Lunch at Fairy Lake R. Grayling immediately (5)
• Brad Hager caught 5# char
• Char + Grayling (#?) in Fairy Lake R. REP got 5# F. lost 7-8#. Cleaver anf B Hager got 2 x _lb and 1 x 12 lb. High wind on lake-paddled mile down "lake" at 5:00 pm. Camped in feldspar glacial flow.
• 10 Miles (9 before lunch)