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After 8 years since our last go we've decided to finish of the two remaining legs of Meanest Link. Of course they're the 2 longest legs LOL! For logistical reasons we have decided to Leave Opeongo Thursday June 24 and give ourselves Until July 3rd to get to Brent and eventually Huntsville. We do have to June 4 and 5 factored in as a buffer for weather etc. We've opted for 3 in a 18 ft 3 seater Souris River figuring 3 will ease the burden on portages and an a added safety factor should one get hurt. This will actually be the longest trip for any of us. No more than 5 days backcountry to this point. Crow river and Big East highlight our concerns but the Nip upstream for pretty much it's entirety is lingering in the background as well . Aside from it's length is current a concern ? I'm aware of alders and dams . I just want to be prepared. It's going to be a long haul regardless. Any other advice on any part would be appreciated. The training begins Jan 1. Both Mental and Physical .
Cheers!
Last edited by Shayne74 (12/15/2025 8:40 am)
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How are you training for this?
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Y'all are crazy for doing it that time of year IMO. Would be way more pleasant later in September. I used to do trips every Canada day weekend and stopped because the bugs were always horrible.
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iainwf wrote:
How are you training for this?
Gym. Diet. Cycling and hiking. We're all over 50 so will need all the help we can get
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The current on the Nip isn't horrible. Long Marsh will be a drag and upstream in alders isn't fun. Never done the Big East but I'm guessing up the Nip and Down Big East is better than the other way around.
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Y'all are crazy for doing it that time of year IMO. Would be way more pleasant later in September. I used to do trips every Canada day weekend and stopped because the bugs were always horrible.
I agree. Not the best time for tripping but were hoping water levels are still decent. Also banking on longer days, consistent weather and a full moon for night paddling.
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The current on the Nip isn't horrible. Long Marsh will be a drag and upstream in alders isn't fun. Never done the Big East but I'm guessing up the Nip and Down Big East is better than the other way around.
Noted. Thank you!
Last edited by Shayne74 (12/17/2025 11:01 am)
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We did the link in June of 2023 and the flow of the Nippising wouldn’t have been bad to paddle up then (we opted to travel the opposite direction). This past year they had an unprecedented amount of rain and the Nippising was unsafe to travel upstream or downstream. It will really depend on how much rainfall you get. Just keep an eye on the weather leading up to your trip. You can also keep tabs on flow rate on the app called “river app” which has a free version. The Nippising isn’t on it but the oxtongue is which will give you a ballpark if water is low or high for the area.
If you’re not already part of the meanest link facebook group, definitely join it. There are so many helpful people in there. Advice from link alumni, not to mention Gord Baker too.
As for training: myself and my tripping partner Mary both did a lot of weighted pack hikes leading up to “our link”. There is no way I would have been able to do it without training that way. I would carry 50-65lb for 5-7km over hilly terrain about 3 times per week. Weight training and cycling were also helpful. Obviously work your way up with your weight to prevent injuries.
Good luck with training! It’s really hard but totally worth it 😊
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We did the link in June of 2023 and the flow of the Nippising wouldn’t have been bad to paddle up then (we opted to travel the opposite direction). This past year they had an unprecedented amount of rain and the Nippising was unsafe to travel upstream or downstream. It will really depend on how much rainfall you get. Just keep an eye on the weather leading up to your trip. You can also keep tabs on flow rate on the app called “river app” which has a free version. The Nippising isn’t on it but the oxtongue is which will give you a ballpark if water is low or high for the area.
If you’re not already part of the meanest link facebook group, definitely join it. There are so many helpful people in there. Advice from link alumni, not to mention Gord Baker too.
Thank you!
As for training: myself and my tripping partner Mary both did a lot of weighted pack hikes leading up to “our link”. There is no way I would have been able to do it without training that way. I would carry 50-65lb for 5-7km over hilly terrain about 3 times per week. Weight training and cycling were also helpful. Obviously work your way up with your weight to prevent injuries.
Good luck with training! It’s really hard but totally worth it 😊
Thank you! We are members of ML on FB and Gord has been on speed dial for years LOL! Thanks for info on RIVERAPP.
Cheers and thanks again!
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