Bow River Valley - Canoe Recovery - Part 3

Read Part 1 & 2 first
Once I had a chance to review my situation, I realized that I could use the tree at the end of the gravel bar to get to shore, over the fast river current. The tree however was half in the water and the branches made it difficult to climb onto. I dug out my hatchet and cut a number of branches off, and as I did so, I saw the tree lift a little out of the water. At that point I chopped off a large upper section of the tree and the removal of that weight allowed the tree to spring upwards, so that it no longer lay in the river.

Earlier I had tipped the canoe over and removed all of the water. I could now lift the canoe across the gravel bar and onto the side closest to the river bank. I carried extra rope, so I attached a long piece to the nose of the canoe. I carried one end of the rope as I crawled across the tree and onto the shore.
At that point I was able to walk upstream and pull the canoe across, without it hitting the last tree.

I decided that if I could find the paddles I could continue my trip, so I started walking downs stream, checking the banks. As I walked around the next curve I found a paddle jammed into some brush along the shore and was able to reach it. I continued further, looking for the second paddle, when I came to a shocking sight.

Blocking the entire river was a huge log jam built up with at least fifty big logs. The jumbled pile was eight to ten feet higher than the water, with some logs sticking up even higher. The entire river rushed under the logs and came out on the other side as a mass of foam. I stood there transfixed by the sight.

It did not take me long to realize that if I had not swamped my canoe, I would have had no chance to survive the encounter with the log jam. I would have been sucked under the logs and pinned there and drowned.

I suddenly felt much better about the dunking I had experienced.

As I walked back to the canoe, I decided that the river could hold similar surprises down stream and it was a good time as any to call it quits. Once back at the canoe, my change of plans meant that I had to move the canoe and equipment from the river, nearer to the side of the mountain.

I explored the area and found another creek. I had to drag the canoe some distance but was soon back in calm waters and moved closer to the mountain. I did not hesitate to leave the canoe and equipment, as I had not yet seen anyone since I passed the trout fisherman, some twenty five miles earlier.

The climb up the steep side of the mountain was difficult, but I managed without the need of any climbing equipment. After about an hour, I reached the Trans-Canada Highway and got a ride with a local trucker into Banff. The driver made it very clear he thought I was crazy to have run the river in a canoe and thought I was very lucky to get out with just a dunking.


After a warm shower and a good night’s rest, I was back the next day to recovery my canoe and equipment.
I had my dried out camera so I took photos of the river where the mishap occurred, and during the recovery of the canoe and equipment.
　

The steepness of the terrain made it impossible to carry the canoe, so I hauled it up the steep incline by using a long rope. I tied the rope to the nose of the canoe and then carried the rope up and around a stout tree, some distance uphill.

 I then went back to the canoe and with the rope end in one hand and the other hand on the canoe, I moved it up hill. The rope prevented the canoe from sliding back down the hill, until I reached the tree. I had to repeat this many times but eventually moved the canoe up the side of the mountain and to the highway and car.

Once the equipment was in the trunk and the canoe was on the car-top carriers, I was on my way down the highway, back to civilization.