Training Log Archive: OutdoorsMamaIn the 1 days ending Aug 8, 2019:
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Thursday Aug 8, 2019 #
Canoeing 4:30:00 [3]
The rain started at 2:30 am. And continued until about 10:30 am. Of course this was the night I didn't put a dry bag over the bear barrel......so it took on some water. Luckily most things inside were in plastic bags. The ziplock bag with the matches hadn't gotten sealed after supper last night (nor had it been put away in a dry spot), but I had more tucked away in dry spots in my gear bags. That aside, breakfast under the tarp was leisurely.......no more rationing coffee nor dehydrated raspberries!
I walked a few feet off shore to purify some water, and a bunch of little fish came up to nibble (yes, nip and nibble) at my feet and calves. I think they were bluegills, of many different sizes. That was hilarious!
We finally packed everything up (including a lot of garbage left by previous campers), and started paddling back to the lodge. It was obvious the water level had dropped by a couple feet recently, so I was very watchful for snags/random rocks etc. There was a short (200-some metre) portage, and Lynda wanted to carry the canoe. It was very level compared to our other portages (and short), but she declared that was enough of a canoe carry for her. Unfortunately, in the process of off-loading our packs etc, my bifocals snapped at the arms, and must have fallen into the water. Good thing I had a magnifying glass for reading the map!
This was a twisty section of river, and Lynda did a great job of steering us through the curves. We knew there was a beaver dam to lift over (well, unload everything, carry the canoe around, then reload everything), so I was watchful on every twist and turn. There were a few snags along the way to dodge as well. We saw a huge snapping turtle swimming beside us, and likely the same 3 sandhill cranes that had walked through our camp while we were taking the tent down this morning. It was obvious where large animals came down to the bank to drink/cross the river.
Then there was a lake with only a narrow channel through the middle that was free of lily pads. Then more river. Then WHOMP, we were in open water with a headwind and choppy water. I was hoping the wind would be NW or SW rather than due W, so we could hide along a shoreline. But nope, it was pretty well coming straight at us. I switched to the kayak paddle, in order to gain some forward speed. We came around a point, and gee whiz, there was a huge thunderstorm cloud and rolls of thunder just ahead of us. The shoreline was sheer rock, but ahead was a cottage on a point. So we laboured away, and made it to the shelter of the point as the thunder intensified (about 3:45 pm). No one appeared to be home so we carefully pulled ashore to wait out the storm. I had no cell signal, so couldn't see how big the storm was. And couldn't call/text the lodge to let them know we might be out here for an extra day (in the event it was an all-nighter). But within an hour, the storm passed, the sun came out, the white caps on the lake subsided, and I felt a huge sense of relief. We set off about an hour later, and were back at the lodge by 6 pm. The wind picked up a bit on our way back, and was quite intense whenever we went through narrower parts of the lake. But no more thunderstorms.
What a marvelous 4 days. I would do it again (and more.....well, without the last minute thunderstorm) in a heartbeat. Lynda says she hopes our next trip involves less portaging.......
I walked a few feet off shore to purify some water, and a bunch of little fish came up to nibble (yes, nip and nibble) at my feet and calves. I think they were bluegills, of many different sizes. That was hilarious!
We finally packed everything up (including a lot of garbage left by previous campers), and started paddling back to the lodge. It was obvious the water level had dropped by a couple feet recently, so I was very watchful for snags/random rocks etc. There was a short (200-some metre) portage, and Lynda wanted to carry the canoe. It was very level compared to our other portages (and short), but she declared that was enough of a canoe carry for her. Unfortunately, in the process of off-loading our packs etc, my bifocals snapped at the arms, and must have fallen into the water. Good thing I had a magnifying glass for reading the map!
This was a twisty section of river, and Lynda did a great job of steering us through the curves. We knew there was a beaver dam to lift over (well, unload everything, carry the canoe around, then reload everything), so I was watchful on every twist and turn. There were a few snags along the way to dodge as well. We saw a huge snapping turtle swimming beside us, and likely the same 3 sandhill cranes that had walked through our camp while we were taking the tent down this morning. It was obvious where large animals came down to the bank to drink/cross the river.
Then there was a lake with only a narrow channel through the middle that was free of lily pads. Then more river. Then WHOMP, we were in open water with a headwind and choppy water. I was hoping the wind would be NW or SW rather than due W, so we could hide along a shoreline. But nope, it was pretty well coming straight at us. I switched to the kayak paddle, in order to gain some forward speed. We came around a point, and gee whiz, there was a huge thunderstorm cloud and rolls of thunder just ahead of us. The shoreline was sheer rock, but ahead was a cottage on a point. So we laboured away, and made it to the shelter of the point as the thunder intensified (about 3:45 pm). No one appeared to be home so we carefully pulled ashore to wait out the storm. I had no cell signal, so couldn't see how big the storm was. And couldn't call/text the lodge to let them know we might be out here for an extra day (in the event it was an all-nighter). But within an hour, the storm passed, the sun came out, the white caps on the lake subsided, and I felt a huge sense of relief. We set off about an hour later, and were back at the lodge by 6 pm. The wind picked up a bit on our way back, and was quite intense whenever we went through narrower parts of the lake. But no more thunderstorms.
What a marvelous 4 days. I would do it again (and more.....well, without the last minute thunderstorm) in a heartbeat. Lynda says she hopes our next trip involves less portaging.......