An amazing geographical feature exists in British Columbia that also provides a world-class canoe destination. Several years ago, our friend Craig Miller told us about a great canoe route that consists of a natural 70-mile rectangle of lakes connected by rivers or short portages at Bowron Lakes.

In early September, we decided to go north and take a short 5-week van excursion with the canoe circuit being our final destination. When our friends and family up north heard this, the smart ones hung out the 'gone fishing' notice on their doors. We pulled up on the driveways of the other friends who forgot to do so for short visits.

Along the way, we squeezed in a bit of culture with an outdoor Shakespearean play at Ashland, Oregon, attended the annual Sea Kayak symposium at Port Townsend, WA, and hiked at Crater Lake. When we came out from camping at Crater Lake, we were horrified, together with everyone else, to learn about the terrorist attacks on a little black and white TV in an antique shop where we actually thought we were viewing an old movie! After checking in on family and friends, we decided to proceed with the trip.

We drove 300 miles north of Vancouver, stopping along the way to pick up a native British Columbian woman who we learned was running away from home. The cultural interchange was enlightening, but we were relieved to deliver her safely into the hands of her nephew at his house on a reservation north of a town called 150 Mile House.

Finally we arrived at our canoe circuit starting point, a small family run lodge called Bear River Mercantile. Instead of dragging along all our gear on this trip, we had decided to leave our sea kayaks at home since canoes, paddles, lifejackets, food barrels, and other necessary gear were available for rent for about $100. British Columbia also collected a fee of about $70. We loaded our 10 days worth of food that we had brought from home plus some great breads and cakes we purchased in the amazing German bakery in Quesnel and started out. The family at Bear River Mercantile was extremely helpful and friendly, and the gear they provided was the best of the several lodges located at Bowron Lakes. They get our vote as the place to stop.

Bowron Lakes Provincial Park is very organized. Each of the 50 campsites has a signpost with a big red number to greet you as you are paddling down the lake. They also all have pit toilets, some in beautiful serene settings, plus bear boxes to keep your food at night. Yes, there are both black and grizzly bears in the park, but they are not much of a problem since they don't associate people with food, or maybe it was because the salmon had already stopped running for the season and the bears were cozily tucked away in their beds for winter. We had viewed the requisite ranger station bear film prior to embarking. Rena liked the part best where the grizzly bear approaches the pitched tent, and then proceeds to tear it apart with his big teeth, camper inside, and all. Well, Rena for one was on the lookout the whole time for that bear!!

Firewood is furnished either at the campsites or in wood lots along the way where you can load wood into your canoe. The portage trails are wide and it is easy to push your canoe and gear on wheels, which are part of the rental package.

Going in mid-September had all kinds of advantages:

1. During the summer 27 canoes launch per day and reservations are essential. There were only 2-4 canoes per day while we were there.
2. We experienced beautiful fall colors.
3. We didn't experience ANY mosquitoes.
4. There are several cabins on the circuit in addition to many designated campsites. With so few people on the circuit, we had several of the cabins to ourselves (no extra charge) for 4 nights. We built fires in wood burning stoves and the picture windows looked out at views of moose outside. And, of course, there were mice.

We took 10 days to do the circuit; the average time is 7 days. So we had lots of time to photograph, read and relax in our camps. Several spectacular waterfalls were short hikes away. The views from the canoe provide a continuing panorama of deep, old growth red cedar forests with thick mossy carpets, marshes certain to contain hiding moose, and serene lakes with reflective mountain vistas. We saw 5 moose and no bears. Other canoeists had spotted river otters, beaver and a black bear from their canoe. Bald Eagles and beautiful loons were tops on the bird list. I can still hear the eerie call of the loon echoing on the reflective lake at dusk.

The disadvantage of September is that it is colder in the fall. Our nighttime temperatures were usually about 40 degrees although it got down to almost freezing one night when a cold rainstorm blew in. We were lucky enough to be at camp by the time the torrential downpour began, and even ended up partying with other canoeists in one of the cabins. We could see snow on the mountains at about 500 feet above us. In general, the weather was very good and we experienced only a little rain.

The trip was not physically demanding. Canoeing 70 miles in 10 days is easy and the portages were not very difficult. For a change, we did a trip that was not an epic. However, a small rapid and a section of river requiring dead head and strainer avoidance assure that you do stay awake. The main challenge is to be prepared for wet weather camping since it can rain for days on end in this part of the world. Practice your fire starting skills with wet wood.

On the way home, we visited Wells Gray Provincial Park, a huge wild place with magnificent waterfalls. We also spent 3 nights at a B&B in Vancouver, which is a very beautiful and fun city. (Our first time sleeping in a bed for a long time). Vancouver is an eating city, which is filled to the brim with ethnic restaurants of all types. And with the current conversion rate ($1 U.S. = $1.50 Canadian) everything is cheap. Where else can you get 18 pieces of yummy sushi plus a bowl of miso soup for $4.00?

Canoeing in a rectangle in a fantastic setting sure beats 'going in circles'!

For more information contact Bear River Mercantile.