221 We find terra incognita! 



impatiently at the Hotel Mackenzie and the whooping-crane 

 hatching date drew nearer and nearer. 



Eventually it was arranged for the helicopter to rendezvous 

 with our float plane at a lake to be selected as near as possible to 

 the crane area. With Pat, we flew a supply of helicopter gas, a 

 sixteen-foot canoe, and other essentials out to the Sass River. 

 Taking a bearing on the limestone escarpment close to our birds, 

 we ran due south and located a shallow lake some ten miles from 

 the point on the river where we planned to camp. Pat brought 

 the plane down, his floats dragging in the mud of the bottom, 

 and we unloaded. This was on Saturday, June 4. The next morning 

 we ferried in the rest of our party and the remainder of our gear 

 and supplies. 



We had radioed the helicopter pilot the approximate longitude 

 and latitude of our pick-up lake, and when we got there on our 

 second haul he was waiting for us. He turned out to be a Pole 

 newly arrived in that part of Canada. Nevertheless, he seemed to 

 understand our plans well enough, although he had little to say. 

 We showed him our chart, the position of the lake we were on, 

 and the rough location of the escarpment. It lay between ten and 

 twelve miles due north of us, as we indicated, and can be seen for 

 quite a distance. An excellent landmark, which is why we had 

 chosen it. There was so much gear that our friend estimated it 

 would require four round trips to get us in. Since Ray knew the 

 country better than either Bob Stewart or myself, he was elected 

 to go along on the first run and pick a camp site. So we loaded 

 them up and off they went. 



There was a brisk wind out of the west, and the pilot flew very 

 low to keep out of it, which made it difficult to get a good look 

 at the country. After what seemed twice the expected distance, 

 Ray saw a stream that looked like the Sass, and a prominent out- 

 cropping of limestone. There was no clear space near the escarp- 

 ment for a landing so they flew downriver, but here everything 

 seemed to be under water. Turning upstream again the pilot saw 

 an open marsh close to the river and separated from it by a narrow 

 ridge of spruce. Down he went and they started unloading. 



Four hours and some minutes later I arrived with the last load. 



