Paddlefest - August long weekend. Its a pretty big event for Smith -- with close to 300 participants and drawing tourists from far away to little town.
The weekend began with a 40km (4-5 hr) floatilla / race from Hay Camp to Fort Fitzgerald. The race was between Parks, the kayak club and Smiths Landing First Nation, each in a voyageur canoe while about 40 others paddled canoes or kayaks at a more leisurely rate. There was an amazing community feast at the end - fish, potatoes, corn, bannock, watermelon. Kind of cool that there are at least 6 feasts in town each year.
The rest of the fest takes place at the rapids at the Mountain Portage where kayak enthusiasts play games and show off their stuff. We have some pretty amazing rapids here - class V. You can check out some awesome footage of the experts having fun in the water here. And it's really a beautiful spot for spectators, too -- outcrops of shield and sandy beaches.
The rapids are actually an important part of the history of the town -- it was a necessary portage on this important transportation corridor from the south to Great Slave Lake, the Mackenzie River and the Arctic Ocean. We probably wouldn't be here if the rapids didn't exist.
Good times -- if you do plan to come visit us in Smith sometime, I would highly recommend August long weekend!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
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