Demi-charge

Demicharge Rapids on Google Earth.

 

I picked up a new term from my readings the other day---demi-charge. A portage is to carry all the supplies, gear, and the boat between two navigable waterways, or around a rapids or falls. In a demi-charge, the freight or gear are carried over land so the light or empty canoe can then be lined, tracked, poled, or paddled over the rapids. There are a couple rapids that so lend themselves to this techniquie that they have been named Demicharge Rapids. The one pictures from Google Earth, above, is from Alberta, near Fort Chipewyan, and the other is in Saskatchewan.

Also, while I’ve often heard the term “boreal forest,” after reading “Paddling the Boreal Forest,” I finally took the time to look for what it actually means. Also called taiga, the boreal forest is a band that circles the earth roughly between 50-deg. and 70-deg. North latitude. A similar South-latitude band does not occur. It is basically characterized by coniferous forests mostly of pine, spruce, and larch, and thin soil low in nutrients. In some areas, a few birch, poplar, and alder may also be seen.