Far North Friday #57: Water Is Power
Water is life, but water is also power. If you have been on a river, you have seen that river water can be quiet, persistent, and capable of moving silt, sand, and huge boulders over great distances. River water can eat through rock, if given enough time, or instantly, if given enough flow. Water is power. I felt that power on the Winisk River, just south of Hudson Bay.
After a business meeting in Peawanuck, with members of Weenusk First Nation, we were treated by Ivan Iserhoff and Victor Wabano with a freighter canoe trip north along the Winisk River to fish for Brook Trout (Photo 1). My interest was to photograph the river, the shore, its geology and plants, and Suzanne, Ivan and Victor in action. It was fall. We were close to Hudson Bay. It was cloudy. There was more than a chill in the air (Photo 2).
Photo 1: Victor Wabano (drinking the mandatory tea in the freighter canoe), Suzanne (nee Halet; green jacket), and Ivan Iserhoff fishing along the shore of the Winisk River, north of Peawanuck, Ontario, Sept 21/12. Photo by Andy Fyon, Sept 21/21.
Photo 2: Ivan Iserhoff (left) and Suzanne (right) preparing to fish along the Winisk River, north of Peawanuck, Ontario. It was a chill day. Photo by Andy Fyon, Sept 21/12.
I have always been amazed by the skills of the helmsman and oarsman on all our river trips across the far north of Ontario. Their ability to read the water and the shifting sand bars always reminded me that we, from the south, would last about “5 minutes” on the river before getting into trouble. Ivan and Victor are experts.
Ivan and Victor had a place in mind. They cautioned us that it was tricky to get into shore at that place. There were large submerged boulders, the water was low, so the river trip would be exciting and the last leg to shore could be challenging.
Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the challenging leg. Victor carefully navigated towards the shore. Ivan was positioned in the bow to spot rocks. The Winisk River is dark coloured, to my eye, due to silt and tannin collected along its journey. I thought Ivan must have X-Ray eyes to see submerged boulders.
Suddenly, there was a thump on the side of the canoe. Immediately the freighter canoe swung sideways against the flow of the river. We were not moving forward or down stream. We were lodged broadside against a hidden boulder. Both Ivan and Victor leaped into action with oars and paddles pushing on the river bottom to free us. Meantime, the quiet Winisk River had other plans. It was then that I felt the power of the river. It effortlessly lifted up the free side of the canoe, which faced the full determined force of the river, while pinning us against the hidden boulder. We all moved to the rising side to avoid flipping over. Ivan and Victor fought to free the 800 pound canoe against the thousands of pounds of river water determined to flip us over like a leaf. It took less that 30 seconds for Ivan and Victor to free us, but during that brief time, I acquired humble respect for the power of the Winisk River.
We got to shore. Fish were caught (Photo 3) and I photographed happy fisher people and a part of the far north landscape I had not seen before.
Water is life, but water is also quietly powerful.
Photo 3: A lovely Brook Trout caught by Victor Wabano (Weenusk First Nation) along the Winisk River, north of Peawanuck, Ontario. Photo by Andy Fyon, Sept 21/12.
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