Nicole and Ingrid are in Bowron Lakes in Canada. They took the chance of trying out another way of transportation : the canoe.

Cycling blessed us with muscled legs but using a canoe requires trained arm muscles which is something we don't have. In the Bowron Lakes Park we found lots of small lakes. Trips by canoe can be made, the so-called 'wilderness-trips' on lakes and rivers, 116 kilometers. It suited us perfectly because last week Ingrid sprained her ankle when she fell off her bike. Taking the canoe gives her the chance to have some rest.
The departing place where the trips by canoe start, is 130 kilometers away from the main road. You only get there by using a paving road. The landscape simply is very impressive. Woods, snow-covered mountain-tops, eagles, elks and bears.

A trip by canoe is not a soft job. Every now and then we had to climb out of the canoe to carry it over the water, for 2 kilometers. The canoe is as heavy as lead plus our luggage.... We were upto our ankles in the mud. Mosquitos harassed us frequently.
We spent the night on very lonely camping spots. All we had was a primitive lavatory and a place to make a fire. But first we had to gather the wood. We have an axe. But how does one uses that object ? We threw the axe into a tree-trunk, using both our hands. We never managed to pull it out again - it's still stuck in there !

Oh yes, we were scared at times. The nocturnal sounds give you the creeps ! We both had our period and we knew that bears get wild when they smell indisposed women. We did have our bear-spray and bell and we were very grateful that we didn't have to use it after all.
On the Isaac lake we were true stunt-performers to get ourselves safe from a terrible thunder-storm.. But it wasn't our fault, we couldn't help it ! The sweepers did it. Sweepers are gliding tree-trunks. They made the canoe turn over in the ice-cold glacial water. No harm, we're excellent swimmers, but we were wet to the skin !