Finally, a decent article about the woefully named ‘beaver fever’ which naturally takes us back to the voyageurs.
What it’s like … to get beaver fever
I have a huge interest in Canadian history and in wilderness travel. I wanted to experience what it would be like to travel across the country on the original historic water highway used by the North West Company 200 years ago. In 2013, six of us took a 26-foot (eight-metre) voyageur canoe and paddled the original transport route from the Rocky Mountains to Montreal.
Around the 80th day, past Thunder Bay, I started feeling bloated and unsatisfied after eating, and slowly, I started losing energy. We were basically exhausted and tired the entire time, so it took a while to register that I didn’t have as much energy and strength as the rest of the crew.
Beaver fever or giardiasis, is caused by an intestinal parasite that prevents you from absorbing nutrients. That means every time you eat, you’re essentially feeding the parasite and you end up passing a lot of unused nutrients or water waste through your system, either front or back, I guess.
Beaver fever is a hilarious name, but any animal that has the giardia parasite has it in its feces. So I might not have drunk beaver poop. I might have drunk anything.
When we got to Sault Ste Marie, I went to a walk-in clinic right beside the lake. I imagine giardia used to kill voyageurs before modern medicine. But once you get diagnosed, the treatment is really easy. When you get the drugs – they’re pretty strong antibiotics, you start feeling better.
First of all, what an awesome trip to recreate! I mean the voyageur part of course. And second of all, thank you SO much for clarifying that just because it happens to rhyme, doesn’t mean that beavers are the sole source of beaver fever. I’m glad he was able to get to treatment in time! I can’t imagine that long of a trip or that big of a canoe.
Alouette is a trapping song we still teach our children today. Years ago I suggested these appropriate lyrics for the trappers.
and so on….you do the next verse…
Yesterday we updated our beaver tour sign for the festival with some information about last year’s kits. It tells about the unexplained deaths and how we didn’t have beavers for 8 months. Then says how if you want to find out what happened next you need to take the tour. I really like how this looks, but every time Jon sees it he quips “No pressure or anything!” (referring to his job as the tour guide.)
Speaking of ‘tours’ we just saw mom once briefly this morning, and are learning NOT to go on the weekend when Moses is snooping around and filming them! It makes them even more cautious.
One final ‘attaboy’ this morning for Jane and Bob Kobres of Georgia who are doing god’s work by teaching children about beavers at Sunday School. This time they made a dam and filled it with water to see if it worked! Just wonderful you two. I’m thinking anyone can save beavers in wacky California but it takes special kind of people to do it in Georgia! Keep up the good work.
Oh and one last treat for my apparently ‘incurable dose’ of beaver fever…Just the right hat for the festival.
