Journey along Grey Owl Trail | 40 km hike at Waskesiu, Saskatchewan

Hello everyone! 

A few weekends ago, my sister Adelle, my mom, and myself completed Saskatchewan's own "pilgrimage" of sorts at Prince Albert National Park in Waskesiu. Grey Owl Trail is a 19.9 km hike each way and takes you along both Kingsmere and Ajawaan Lake. It also takes you on a physical and mental journey against mosquitos (and a moose?!) Let me tell you the story of our adventure! 

First and foremost I'd like to acknowledge what a wonderful gift it was to enjoy Treaty 6 territory on this amazing hike. We are so lucky to be able to enjoy this land and all it offers. 

Photo: Parks Canada

Completing this hike has been a goal of mine for a few years, I first heard about it from some of my coworkers at TreeOSix in Waskesiu that had completed it. Adelle and my mom have known about it a bit longer than that. The length of the hike always intimidated us, but with careful preparation we got it done. Let's go back to the beginning...

The Preparation 

After my mom initiated the plans to do the hike this summer, I started researching. Admittedly, I didn't really research a lot about the hike itself. I was more interested in the history of the hike and how it came to be. Who was Grey Owl? Why is his cabin special? 

I did some reading and watched the biopic staring Pierce Brosnan (pretty good!). I gathered that Grey Owl was born in England and is actually named Archibald. He grew up with a love for nature and long dreamed of coming to Canada. When he did, he began to act as if he was Indigenous and became a steward of nature and wildlife. 

He married a Mohawk and Algonquin woman named Anahareo, whom he brought to Saskatchewan to live with him. Grey Owl was interested in trapping and hunting, but Anahareo convinced him to stop because she cared deeply for the wildlife he was trapping, particularly the beavers. They brought baby beavers without mothers into their home and raised them, and became advocates for all animals. My favourite part is that they named one beaver Jelly Roll. 

Photo: RCI Radio Canada International

Grey Owl has invoked a lot of controversy for being someone who pretends to be Indigenous. I think he could have done everything he did without appropriating culture, but he still did a lot to preserve animal welfare and make SK a bit more well-known. It's one of those situations where it's good to be aware of an individual's flaws, but being able to appreciate their actions at the same time. 

Day 1: Hey Bear

Mom and Adelle got to my apartment in the early afternoon and we started rearranging our backpacks to incorporate all our gear. Thanks to everyone who lent us equipment by the way! We were off in no time to Prince Albert National Park. 

All packed up! 

A few hours later we arrived, got our park pass, and headed to the visitor centre. We had to buy a back-country pass and a fire permit. We had been warned that back country passes may be sold out, but we were relieved to be able to secure our original plan. 

We drove to Kingsmere Lake, one of my favourite drives from my time working in Waskesiu! We stepped out of the car and were immediately swarmed with mosquitos and black flies. What else would you expect when you're near a body of water in the middle of summer in Saskatchewan! 

Mom (5'2" for reference) nearly toppled over putting on her backpack but we started our trek to the trailhead. After reading the map and bear safety information for the 17th time, we were ready to begin.

                                                                       Start of the trail
                                                 

We started on our way and things were great, but buggy of course. We were pretty scared of bears so we practiced how we would scare one away. Apparently you say "hey bear" in a really low voice. We talked and walked and before we knew it, we had reached our campsite for the night, Westwind. 

Bear safety

Adelle at the first campsite

We got our campsite set up and talked to our camping neighbours. They were also hiking the trail, but had been canoeing (another option to reach Grey Owl's cabin is to canoe Kingsmere
Lake into Lake Ajawaan, and you can pull up right on the shore at the cabin). Unfortunately, the water was too rough and they had to make a last minute stop for the night. 

                                                                               Twins!

We were right on the water, and it was an extremely beautiful sunset. 

                                                                     Still feeling good! 

Day 2: I'll Just Wear My Sandals 

After waking up relatively bright and early, we had some oatmeal and coffee, and began to take down our camp. We made sure to leave no trace, and got all our scented gear from the bear cache before continuing. 

We started on our trek and were pleased to be relatively close to the water for the first 3km. That first stretch of hiking flew by, and we made it to Chipeweyan Portage in no time. Spirits were high, and after a quick snack, we were on our way again. 

We passed the time by telling stories and singing songs, some of which were vocal warmups Adelle teaches her students. The scenery kept changing as we walked. As we got deeper into the forest, we saw lots of ferns and more light-green plants which was cool. We could feel that we were making our way back closer to the shore, and we got to the picture-worthy Canada Parks red chairs. We decided to make a stop there for lunch, and basically just ate snacks which was kind of a mistake. 

Fueled up by peanut butter wraps and jerky, we set off toward Sandy Beach. We were pretty tired by the time we got there, but we still had 3km to go until we got to our campsite for the night. It was tough, but we made it! We were happy to arrive and set up our camp as we had pretty tired feet. We all went for a quick dip in the lake, which felt amazing! 

We met some fellow hikers who had just made the trek in to see Grey Owl's cabin, and told us we should leave quickly so we could see it before sun down. This is where things got interesting! 

Our feet were so sore we had already taken off our hiking boots and were wearing our sandals. My mom and I decided to stay in our sandals for the 6km round-trip to see Grey Owl's cabin. Since it was the end of the day, we weren't thinking about the fact that we were super tired and would need all the support we had to complete the last 6km of the day. 

We set off and found the worst bugs we'd seen yet. There were cool signs all along the trail that made us feel special for making it that far, and telling us that Grey Owl's message would continue with us. About 20 minutes from the cabin, I turned a corner and saw the biggest moose I've ever seen in the lake! I immediately stopped walking and turned to tell Mom and Adelle. We watched it dip its antlers in the water to cool off. It was pretty close, so we just stayed still until it swam away enough that we could pass it without it noticing. That was a very neat portion of our adventure.

Made it!

We rounded the final corner and came to the cabin! Mom nearly tripped over her flip flop and we almost had an emergency on our hands due to excitement. It was so cool to feel like we had done what we had set out to do. We explored Grey Owl's cabin, which had a stove, a kitchen area, and a bed made of wooden logs. If you can believe it, there was a gap between the wall and the floor, and next to it was a pile of sticks. His pet beavers used to swim under the wall and make a dam there! Very neat. There was a children's book and a book of photos of Grey Owl and Anahareo's life. 

Outside the main cabin

Next, we climbed a small hill and found the second cabin on the property. Upon doing some reading on our way home, I found out that Grey Owl had built that cabin for Anahareo and their daughter. Anahareo didn't want to live among beavers and the two often had company come and stay at their main cabin as well. Lastly we saw the gravesites of Grey Owl, Anahareo, and their daughter, Shirley Dawn. Coincidentally, Shirley and Dawn are mine and Adelle's grandma's names! 

We started our trek back and were feeling pretty fatigued. Mom yelled at a bird. We made it back and had some delicious dehydrated  meals that you add water to. 

We crashed pretty hard not long after and were sort of dreading the hike back in the next day! 

Day 3: Burger and a Beer and Fries 

Day 3 started out normal. We took down our camp and got ready for the long trek back to the car. We followed a very similar method to the day before where we hiked 3km, then rested and had a snack. Adelle was battling a blister and our feet were pretty sore but other than that morale was quite high. Around 6km from the parking lot, we started to chant "burger and a beer and fries" to keep ourselves motivated for our meal in Waskesiu after the journey. 3km from the exit and Adelle started running? The mosquitoes were so bad I don't blame her. Once Mom was making grand proclamations that she was done with this, we thankfully reached the parking lot and got into the car. Thank goodness, we made it! 

The end! Spot the bugs

We drove into town and after a quick stop at the outdoor showers, got to Pete's Terrace for our post-hike reward. We were so happy to be done and felt so accomplished. We took turns driving home and were already talking about what we should tackle next! 

The Aftermath 

There's no one I'd rather hike 40 km with than my Mom and sister. We had so many laughs and stories on the trail, and I'm so thankful I got to have this adventure with them. The hike has made me that much more appreciative of what Saskatchewan has to offer, and of nature in general. It was a great experience, and I would recommend the hike to anyone that is interested in history and the outdoors. My tips are to pack more bug spray than just one can, get a half size up on your hiking shoes, and pack more food than you think you'll need! 

Thanks for reading!