9 Days Canoeing Wabakimi and the Kopka River | Northern Ontario Wilderness | Boreal Bound
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- Опубликовано: 6 апр 2020
- Wabakimi. A vast expanse of unspoiled boreal wilderness dotted by 10,000 lakes and pierced by numerous untamed rivers. Forming the second largest park in Ontario and one of the largest boreal preserves in the world, Her remote waterways see fewer than 700 paddlers per year.
While our route would take us through Wabakimi Provincial Park, our main goal was to paddle the Kopka River. The logistics of paddling the Kopka can get tricky; often involving a lengthy shuttle via vehicle, train or float plane.
Eyeing the topo, I roughed out a loop route that could see us depart and arrive at the same point with our personal vehicle. Simple! The only catch? Elevation.
From our river access point, the Kopka would descend over 165m. Being a loop trip, this meant we would have to travel upstream and over several sub-watershed divides to reach the river proper. The plan called for an ascent of the Collins, Boiling Sands and Lookout rivers as well as Aldridge Creek. Paddle, portage, line and wade. Simple, right....
Join Brad and Leah as they canoe over 200km through this vast boreal wilderness.
Trailer: • Wabakimi-Kopka: Boreal...
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I live in northern Indiana and I have a true story I would like to share with you. We have a cabin about 300 miles NNW of Thunder Bay Ontario. We drive till the road stops then take a float plane in to our cabin. My Dad built our cabin in 68 and we go up 3 times a year. The end of May, mid July and early Sept. One fall trip maybe 15 or 20 years ago now, we wanted to portage to a different lake. In the spring and fall if the weather was cool we would go after some Lake Trout. If I had to take a guess, I have been on that lake 30 to 40 times now. We are the only cabin on our lake and there is no cabins on the Lake Trout lake. We have 3 small boats we just leave on that lake because we go there so often. We had 6 men in 3 Boats that day. We all kinda went our own way and started fishing. It was maybe 4 hours later (around 2 or 3 pm) all 3 boats meet back up in the middle of the lake and we all killed our engines and started to eat our lunch. It was a beautiful sunny day with no clouds and the lake went completely flat, no wind at all. Ok now this is the part where you are going to think I'm nuts, so here I go. The first sound came from our north (the way back to our lake) The best way I can describe it was someone holding a note on a freaking pipe organ. The notes were perfect, not flat or anything like that. The notes would last maybe 5 to 8 seconds, that's a long time to hold a perfect note. When the one would die out, another would start from a different shore at a higher or lower note but all just perfect and sounded like a pipe organ. All the sounds were just single notes, we never heard 2 different notes at the same time. This lasted for maybe 15 or 20 min. We all 6 were hearing 20 + pipe organs play single notes around a lake with no cabins in the Canadian wilderness. The notes were extremely loud (like feel it in your chest loud) and with no wind and land no more the 400 yards away in any direction the notes would echo around a bit. My brother did not want to make the portage so he stayed in our lake with one of my uncles. Later back in our cabin we all were telling my uncle and brother what we heard. They both said they could also hear the notes from our direction. We never saw a thing and I don't know what we heard. We didn't see anything on the ground nothing in the trees, or water and boy we all were looking. About the only thing I do know there is no pipe organs around that lake. Over the years we have been back to that many times and nothing. Over the years we have asked State biologist, they look at me like I'm nuts. I even have asked a First Nation friend from that area. At least he gave me a kinda answer. Are you ready, I sure was. He said some things in nature are best left unknown. lol What that is your answer, I was so ready to find out and that's what I got. I'm the last one of the 8 people still alive who heard the pipe organ notes around a lake in the Canadian wilderness. I don't have a clue but something was making the sound and I'm just trying to find out what. Thank you. Greg
24
Modern Explorer
Wow! Incredible story.. that's a mystery I would love to be solved..ty for sharing!🙏💜
Thank you.@@kristennoelle9447
It’s so fun watching you two on an adventure together! You guys are great!
This is probably one of the longer videos I’ve watched end to end. Not only is it great to imagine being there but it’s wonderful to see you discover it yourself and really feel the enjoyment. It comes through in the video well.
What I really enjoy about your videos is that many of your routes are loops. It seems that northern Ontario's geography allows for this more than other places in the world, which takes a load off your logistics.
The other thing I like about your videos is your maps! When watching any kind of tripping video, I try to follow along on google maps, so I love it that you provide nice detail of where you're going at the beginning of your videos. Very cool! Thanks for sharing these.
Fantastic video, trip, and couple. Much enjoyed guys!!! Keep zesting Leah. You've got us inspired to make cocktails
i will zest, until i can't zest no more!
Haha, Leah loves the zester! Cocktails just enhance the trip. Thanks for watching as always man. Glad you enjoyed it!
two of my favs youtuber wow
Backcountry Angling Ontario reminds me of your great videos!
@@markwjackchannel8844 thanks man! Brad inspired me a lot over the years. He's done a lot for paddling here 🙂
I’m exhausted just watching this! lol. Great job guys! Nothing like this in Texas...especially in summer. Just dry creek beds and snakes! Beautiful country!
I logged up near Manitouwadge for years and did many trips by canoe or just drive the logging roads or fly in.I have just bought a home in Manitouwadge and will retire there next year my health is still quite good at 59 so here's hoping I can make many more trips. Your trip was awesome and very well filmed and documented...GRATZ..If you want to do a trip that I did with 3 others in 1988, I think you would enjoy the Churchill River...We flew into Sandfly Lake close to the Alberta border and did 10 days with an extra 4 days north on Mountaney Lake for awesome Pickerel and Lake trout fishing. It was 14 days of heaven only one day of rain. We came all the way back from sandfly to Lac La Ronge. Bear Island Lake can be challenging so many islands.All Boreal forest with well marked Portages and beautiful campsites. The Churchill river is like one big lake after the next joined by rapids. You can even paddle this river going upstream in July and August,its that calm. In our trip we had about 16 portages and only shot 6 sets of rapids (only did class 2 ) so we portaged 10 to 12 times which is decent in 200 plus miles.We hit Blueberry season too. Our outfitter flew us from Lac La Ronge into sandfly and we saw every part of the river by air that we were going to do...it was incredible!CHEERS TO YOU AND GOOD TRIPPING!
A very nice part of your videos is when, in a rapid, the communication from the back to the front of the canoe. It is polite, respectful and complimentary. When paddling rapids I used to follow the 'no fault rule' with my partner which if something went wrong, we missed a move or swam, I would not blame them and asked they not blame me but get on with what needed to be done.
what an awesome trip you guys!! You're such a sweet couple!! Very engaging edit, great music addition to keep it upbeat throughout!
What a trip Brad & Leah! You guys killed it out there! So many different landscapes, the sheer rock cliffs and the Seven Sisters...wow! The filming of this is the best of seen, thanks so much for all the extra effort you guys put into filming to make us feel like we were right there! 🇨🇦 Doug
Thanks as always Doug! Glad you enjoyed it! Little different scenery than the NE eh? Love how diverse the landscape in our province is. Always blows me away that we're still in Ontario. Hope all is well. Take care!
I've lived in Alaska all my adult life but i still miss Ontario. Thanks for taking us along.
Stunningly beautiful. Wow. So pretty. Love it. Picturess. THANK YOU. And as one of you other viewers said a really good 💑 couple too. You two are really good together.
Brad and Leah you guys always nail your videos 🇨🇦👍
What an incredible trip! So stunning! Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
Moose: "Cool. Two humans paddling across a lake. It's not every day you see that."
Great adventure! Thank you for sharing.
Your vids are awesome and your wife is a trooper thanks for the trip
Well that was epic. Very creative route choice with big payoffs on those amazing waterfalls and cliffs. Definitely on my bucket list.
Thanks for watching! You can't go wrong with any of those rivers and creeks draining into Nipigon on the western side! Hope you get out and enjoy it for yourself one day. Happy adventuring! 😀
This has got to be my new dream trip! Thank you both once again for taking us along!
You'd love it. The scenery is even better in person too! Hope you get to experience it for yourself one day! Thanks for watching.
Love watching your team work going through the rapids! You guys are definitely in sync! And the scenery was spectacular
You guys are making so many great memories for each other
I’m glad to see you guys doing more fishing. And just enjoy the trip without rushing all the time. Taking time to smell the flowers. 🇨🇦👍
What a great trip! Really enjoyed your enthusiasm and sharing of this gorgeous place! Like the food too.
Ontario has some truly amazing places to visit. Endless gorgeous spots.
Brad and Leah, great to see you guys doing another trip and sharing it, love it so thanks heaps👍👍
Thanks Paul!! 😁
That was your best video yet. You guys get better every time you put out a new video. Thumbs Up
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!! 😁
Nice to see that spray deck and a rescue knife equipped to your PFD! ;-) Cheers folks! Great vid!
I've been to the Boundry Waters several times. I have to say I can't remember seeing it in more splendor. You two times it perfectly. PERFECTLY!!!
Wow, thank you! Stunning!
Awesome scenery thank you for posting
Excited to see this journey!!
Hope you enjoy!
Lovely couple!!!!! And, they keep everything so clean. The young lady is an excellent canoe-ist!!! OK, him too! Enjoyable way to spned a covid afternoon.
You guys really know your stuff. It’s nice to see you enjoy your trips. I sure enjoy watching your videos. Thanks.🇨🇦👍
Well done you two! Amazingly documented trip! Beautiful sights and awesome food. Thank you for sharing!
The moose were thinking the same thing! You two really struggled on some of those portages, but it was pretty easy for me! I can so relate to the end of a trip on the final day. Heaven is a trip like this, that never ends. Thanks so much for bringing us along!
Magnificent adventure. I had to just stay on the edge of my seat. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much!
We need this right now. Thanks guys. 👍
yess i cant wait to go up there one day soon! thanks brad and leah you guys always inspire me to go deeper into the bush
Oh yeah, you'd love it! Absolutely amazing region! Hope you get to experience it for yourself one day! Happy adventuring!
Fantastic journey, fantastic film. Thanks for taking the trip and making the movie for the rest of us to come along with you. One more trip to add to my list.
Just love watching your videos guys, and love those opening drone shots.
Amazing and thank you both for such a great trip. Cheers. Keep up the great work. Really enjoyed it.
Completely Brilliant! An amazing trip! Thank you for sharing, your filming skills are getting so good.
What a wonderful video! I’m so glad I found it. Such a beautiful place.
It will end up being a trip of a lifetime never to be forgotten
I've been to the Boundry Waters several times. I have to say I can't remember seeing it in more splendor. You two timed it perfectly. PERFECTLY!!! You guys are a heck of a team. You really compliment each others knowledge well.
What a great trip and what great videography. So many times, only one person's personality shines through on these, but I felt I got a sense of both of you as partners. Well done!
I'm kayakist from France , so unfortunately I will never be able to get there, but I was enjoying this video trip a lot ! Thank you for sharing 😀
Glad you enjoyed it! There is so much to explore in tis region.... we've only just scratched the surface. If you can ever swing an overseas visit, you won't be disappointed in the paddling!
Great video! Thank you for sharing especially the way things are looking for the coming season!
Thanks Rick! Yeah, hard for us to plan our summer out right now too.... we'll see how it goes. At least there's RUclips for videos to fill part of the void of 😀
SpecTACular! We may have the beautiful images but you two have the lifelong memories, what a blessing! Thanks for taking us along.
Thanks! 😀 Now we relive the trip though this video. So many great memories from that trip.
Awesome scenery, great filming! Thanks for taking us along!
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it!
Every video is better than the last. Especially great to sit back and watch this while we are stuck at home. That was some serious portaging!
Thanks Randy! Couldn't agree more.
We've been watching a bunch of RUclips, bidding our time.
Tent, tarp and bags performed admirably on this trip, as always.
Cheers!
You are with somebody very special God bless you both
Big thanks for all the effort you guys put in sharing this amazing trip!
Thanks!! So glad you enjoyed it! 😁
Awesome vid Brad! Thanks for sharing.
Brilliant! Thanks, guys!
Great video !! Thank you both for sharing your adventures !!
Awesome! Thanks Paul! 😁
Lovely couple in beautiful places. Thanks for your video 👍👍
I have been looking forward to this video! I have a coming trip planned to Wabakimi for the first time so it's nice to see more of it.
Awesome!! Where are you going in the park??
Fantastic scenery
Beautiful trip. You did a great job of documenting it. Leah is a trooper.
Thanks a bunch! Haha, got that right, she's something else!!
Leah's response when she gets hit with the lure... OMG that is everything. Awesome trip guys! Makes me want to head north when all this quarantine mess is over and find myself some wilderness!
Haha, silly moments. Too priceless not to include 🤪 what are the odds of that happening?! Thanks for watching. Hopefully you find the slice of wilderness paradise 😁
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Stunning........well made video........thank you!
Excellent video, thank you!
Impressed with how mint the canoe looks after all that beating!
Spectacular spot, wow! Wonderful scenery, great food and even cocktails, doesn't get much better than that. Thanks for sharing! :) :)
Well done Brad, well done Leah, a FIVE STAR FILM ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🇨🇦
Incredibly enjoyable video, and breathtaking scenery. Thank you both for bringing it into our homes.
Thanks Derek! 😁
BREATHTAKING BEAUTY COLORS SCENERY VIEWS VIDEO ! GODS PAINT BRUSH IS MIND BLOWING BEAUTY ! BE SAFE ! HAVE FUN ! THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME TAG ALONG WITH YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY ! ENJOYED !
Brad and Leah, incredible trip. I was looking up the Kopka river as I might travel Up river to get into Wabakimi at the end of May this year. Your footage and the incredible scenery convinced me to take this route up and into the park unless the current will be too strong to paddle up on my own by then. Thanks for this video guys! 👌
Great video, you guys rock. that's lots of dragging !!
I had no idea we had so many beautiful falls on just one river in Ontario! Another great trip guys! 🙌
best video yet! What an amazing trip.
Thanks Dennis! 😁
I love your videos. What a great trip!
Thanks so much! Was indeed a great trip. We instantly fell in love with the Wabakimi region!
Great video! I paddled the Kopka ten years ago, one of my all-time favorite trips. Your video really has me wanting to go back and do it again!
Awesome! One of our all time fav trips too! Glad it brought back some memories. We wanted to go back as soon as we left!
Truly amazing , you both are had a adventure of a lifetime ... And cheers ....
Thanks Jim! One for the memory bank that's for sure! Loved NW Ontario. We'll be back again for sure!!
The extra time you had in the editing room is shining through.
Yeahhhh!!!! A lonnggg edit process on this one too!
@@ExploreTheBackcountry Agreed, very well done.
@@ExploreTheBackcountry For me it's like you are pro's :) Adventurers + TV-station in one package. I think you could relax more on the editing, and get away with it easy. For me it is how, or who you are, the trip, canoe, and wilderness. I would watch it completely unedited :) I am sure you have a certain standard so I can understand that. And it is for sure good! I like you two people! Keep on pretty please! :)
TOOZE CRUISE w
Brad, I hope you know how lucky you are to have a woman that loves to do what you guys do! Love the videos, keep them coming!
Ha, thanks. Sure do. Leah's 1 in a million! Thanks for watching!
Awesome trip! And a very professional put together video! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks!! Glad you enjoyed it 😁😁
I just know it's going to be an epic video.
Well, if you've enjoyed the others, then I think you're reallllly going to love this one!
Nice to watch you guys paddle in time.
7+ years of paddling together will do that 😁
Excellent trip and video guys as usual. Thanks for sharing
Oh those pina coladas looks awesome
Haha, yeah and after 9 days of tripping they were extra tasty too!
Awesome trip video! The landscapes in Northwestern Ontario look amazing!
Oh yeah. The NW is amazing. Love the lands and waters out there. Also, the fishing is unreal too! 😀
So loved this video you guys, awesome trip. Thanks for sharing, made my day.
Thanks Paul!!!! An incredible area to paddle!
Not even done watching this yet, but it already makes me want to go on my first canoeing trip!
This past summer I went up those series of falls. It's a truly breathtaking place! Can't wait for the video so I can relive the experience!
Really is! We wanted to return as soon as we left! Could probably spend a week there and just move camp every few days. Every site around those falls are incredible!
@@ExploreTheBackcountry Take a look at Cliff Lake - to the north of Nipigon. It's a schlep to get into, but well worth it. Truly magical.
@@davidtowlun2118 We had looked at getting there before settling on this loop. If we went to Cliff we would continue to Nipigon (yet another big lake I want to paddle - there's too many!) We visited a few interesting formations on this trip, call them the siblings of Cliff Lake. I'll think you'll find a few surprises in this video ;)
Very nice landscape, the video is great straight to the end.
Thanks! Really is such a breathtaking environment.
New friend to your channel - found this video from a suggested video and thank god for RUclipss mysterious algorithm. This video was epic, loved the narration, the 7 sisters was breathtaking, especially, 59:25 . Left you a big thumbs up and can't wait to see the rest of your videos... now time to binge watch.
Good Morning, I am quickly becoming a fan of your Canoe trips and videos , i hope to be able to get to this place 1 day . Thanks for sharing your experiences !
Watched this with great satisfaction. A teaser for the upcoming canoe season! Great filming as always and what you do gives me a lot of inspiration.
So glad you enjoyed it!! Watching the snow and ice melt very slowly here...
Excellent trip guys! Awesome!
Thanks!! 😁 One of our favs. 👍
Great film making and you’re a natural at narration. Enjoyed it.
Thanks so much!!
So I hooked in to your guys channel about 6 weeks ago. I’ve really enjoyed all your travels, this is the best I’ve seen. Canada you are beautiful, I’m from New Zealand so I should know, what we have, you simply have much more . Brad, Leah you guys are awesome, eat well, drink well, work well. Onto it, experienced, prepared, tough as old boots and yet you are still the people from next door, love it. Great to see a little more of the portage lowdown, not something we do much here, thankfully. We’re more sea/whitewater kayaking here, the canoe doesn’t really suit our rivers. This has been my lockdown sanity, and I’m passing this on to all my Kiwi kayaking buddies. Good health and good luck. Thank you!
Awesome! So glad you have enjoyed them!!! Heck, we realllly want to visit NZ one day. I've been combing the map looking for places to paddle. Never been to the southern hemisphere, but New Zealand is one of my top bucket destinations. Thanks for watching! More on the way. Hope your Kiwi pals dig it. Cheers! - Brad
Explore The Backcountry thank you for your reply. If you come here I will supply you with all the info, places to go, contacts, accom, etc that I can. There are 3820 lakes over one hectare in New Zealand. In the north island most are volcanic and in the South Island most are glacial. I can’t possibly explain here, ydna.nz@gmail if you would like to pm me
You guys are Wilderness Rock Stars. Great chemistry and video footage. Pc.
Haha, thanks Mark!
That was a fantastic video! WOW!
Thanks!!! 😁
Very fun watch
Very nice trip. Thanks
fantastic, thank you for sharing
Thanks Rod! Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow, Leah! You RULE those rapids hon! Good job!!😃 ( I was right there with ya!)
Fantastic and inspiring.
Thanks for all the effiort making this film.
Thanks so much! 😁
Glad you enjoyed it. Hope you get out there to experience it for yourself one day!
A most excellent adventure, bravo.
Thanks 😁🤙