Day 4: Against the Wind

Last night was miserable.

Not only were Mike, AJ, and I completely soaked from our dunking into the lake, but it rained buckets all night long. The wind howled through the trees and rattled our tents. Everything we left out hanging to dry was even wetter by morning. What's worse than putting on wet wool socks in the morning? How about putting on wet everything.

We hung around camp longer this morning to see if the wind would die down or the rain subside. Needless to say, several of us weren't in a hurry to launch into the wind-driven waves. My real concern was keeping the boys warm enough with the combination of strong chilly winds and wet clothes. Everyone layered their clothes as much as possible, and we finally headed out onto the water about ten.

With yesterday's experience fresh in our minds, paddling across a large open lake with driving winds wasn't exactly the most welcome way to start. As it turned out, most of the day tested our nerves. We were much more aware of our boat position against the waves, and despite some white knuckles grasped firmly to our paddles, we managed pretty well.

We pulled into camp earlier than other days, just as the weather was finally breaking. Drew knew we all needed to take advantage of the improving sky to get our gear and ourselves dried out. It was a great decision. The weather continued to clear, with the sun shining and a strong wind roaring through the pines. Everyone's mood improved as we gradually dried off.

Our campsite tonight was another amazing location. It didn't look like many crews had used it in a while. After our hard day with the wind in our faces, it was a welcoming place to rest. As we unpacked our gear and setup camp, we were treated with a definite bald eagle flyover. They are majestic birds. It was an awesome sight.

My other animal encounters today were less impressive. While wandering about the woods I came upon a pile of moose droppings. Sadly, this might be as close to a moose as I get this trip. So much for my goal of "100 miles and a Moose". Not giving up hope just yet, though. Later, when passing time sacrificing fishing tackle to the granite filled lake, I managed to snag a small bass. Only about eight inches so I let it go. Well, actually I dropped it and it bounced back to the lake. Oops. Somehow despite my obvious love and respect for nature the boys felt obliged to harass me on my fish releasing technique. We're all a little surprised that the fishing isn't better, but we're catching just enough to keep everyone's interest alive.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, we hope to be at Sturgeon Lake to have a layover day. We're making plenty of progress so that getting to Atikokan would be manageable in six or seven days, rather than the nine day trek we have planned. Despite the challenging paddle today, we were surprised to have covered another 13 miles, pushing our total to about 53. Everyone seemed to be looking forward to a layover, and there's no reason to push so hard that the trip is remembered only as a death-march. If tomorrow works as planned, we will visit three waterfalls along the way to Sturgeon. We're all looking forward to tomorrow's trip.

Today's memorable moment? It is happening now. I'm sitting on a granite ledge at the water's edge, scribbling these notes in my journal. AJ just wandered down to sit with me, take in the view, chat a bit, and write his own memories. We're sitting side by side, quietly recording our thoughts while we share a piece of rock. I can't imagine anything better than the privilege of having this time together with my sons willing to include me in their adventure. I am truly blessed.