The next morning we turned our faces westward. 

 Canoes, packs and human freight were assembled at 

 1li<' east end of West Bearskin and we embarked. We 

 had an extra canoe to carry some duffle to the cabin on 

 North Lake where we intended to leave it, so little 

 thought was needed for the packing. Everything went 

 easily into the three canoes and we were off. 



There is not anything very remarkable about W T est 

 Bearskin, as the northern lakes go. It is only to the 

 stranger accustomed to the reed bordered, cut-over 

 Jakes of the south that the clear rock shores and the 

 wooded hills offer a new fascination. There was little 

 wind and scarcely a wave broke the surface. We 

 passed the jump over into Hungry Jack and saw his old 

 cliffs peeking at us over the trees. In due course we 

 (Mine to the poria<iv which led out of the little bay into 

 the west end. 



The portage sign said a quarter of a mile, but it was 

 a long, long quarter and the packs seemed much lighter 

 after we had put them down on the shore of Duncan 

 lake. Surrounded by crag heads here and there Duncan 

 is more picturesque than West Bearskin. One great 

 crag in particular stands out as a landmark. 



Between Duncan and Rose is the famous "stairway 

 portage." Starting away from the lake out of a nar- 

 row fringe of cedar swamp and mounting a slight pine 

 slope the trail looks innocent enough and .gives no 

 hint of the grief to come. Having reached the top of 

 1lie ridge it starts to go down and then it is that it 

 seems to lose all control of itself utterly. Writhing 

 and twisting like a wounded snake it wriggles down a 

 gorge so steep that one can hardly keep his footing. 



15 



