July 17, breaking camp 17 at 4:30 a.m. Rising at 3 a.m., not wanting a repeat of my last portage where the mosquitoes forced me to forgo breakfast, I eat in the nylon tent. In the tent, I drink a litre of water from one canteen, which I refill from the aluminum pot stored under the tarp shelter. When I exit the tent it is 5℃, I could have eaten outside bug free. Now I start a fire to warm up.
Before breakfast, spreading antibiotic ointment on my sore toe, I perform minor surgery, opening up the swollen skin next to the side of the toenail with a heated safety pin. The skin is dry, no sign of infection. If I had a sterile scalpel I would have excised some of the dry skin. I am at a loss to understand why my toe is sore.
Sunrise at 5 a.m. with a clear sky, fog over lake.
After leaving camp 17, I have portaged four loads on the 1500 metre trail from 'unnamed lake 13' to 'unnamed lake 11', then all seven loads on the 900 metre trail to 'unnamed lake 10'. The fire is directly on the trail at the latter lake to shoo blackflies and to boil a pot of water for a very welcome lunch. From my journal: "And ... be damned if I didn't trip and land on my sore knee ... Barry, slow down! I was getting wood for the lunch fire and tripped on a looped branch. Aie!"
Now I canoe across the small 'unnamed lake 10' to the next 400 metre portage to 'unnamed lake 9'. Leaving four loads (two barrels, canvas Tent/stove, canoe) here to carry as a post-portage tomorrow, I carry three loads to previous camp 6 to set up camp 18. I have travelled four km, including the three portages (1500, 900, 400 metres). At each small lake where I was welcomed by adult ducks on my way in, now I am seeing they have young, one with three ducklings, one with four and another two adults with 14 young between them. The seasons march on quickly. Whereas on the trip in, I was picking fireweed shoots, now I am collecting tops and some leaves and flowers.
Starting a fire first to shoo darn blackflies, after camp is up I have a bath, a quick one because I am getting bitten by horseflies. Supper is quick too and I escape the flies by going early to bed in the nylon tent, weary and tired.
July 18, 5℃, up by 4:30 a.m. to bake a cinnamon bannock, half for breakfast with a mint, Parmesan cheese, bacon crumbles, hot water. Starting while it is still cool, I do the post-portage from camp 17, four loads on the 400 metre trail. Finished by 10:30 a.m., it is 26℃, my sweat-soaked clothes hanging to dry while I eat early lunch with the very bothersome horseflies and change to dry socks after dressing my sore toe. I have already placed the gear for pre-portage in the canoe.
Now I canoe across the small 'unnamed lake 10' to the next 400 metre portage to 'unnamed lake 9'. Leaving four loads (two barrels, canvas Tent/stove, canoe) here to carry as a post-portage tomorrow, I carry three loads to previous camp 6 to set up camp 18. I have travelled four km, including the three portages (1500, 900, 400 metres). At each small lake where I was welcomed by adult ducks on my way in, now I am seeing they have young, one with three ducklings, one with four and another two adults with 14 young between them. The seasons march on quickly. Whereas on the trip in, I was picking fireweed shoots, now I am collecting tops and some leaves and flowers.
Starting a fire first to shoo darn blackflies, after camp is up I have a bath, a quick one because I am getting bitten by horseflies. Supper is quick too and I escape the flies by going early to bed in the nylon tent, weary and tired.
July 18, 5℃, up by 4:30 a.m. to bake a cinnamon bannock, half for breakfast with a mint, Parmesan cheese, bacon crumbles, hot water. Starting while it is still cool, I do the post-portage from camp 17, four loads on the 400 metre trail. Finished by 10:30 a.m., it is 26℃, my sweat-soaked clothes hanging to dry while I eat early lunch with the very bothersome horseflies and change to dry socks after dressing my sore toe. I have already placed the gear for pre-portage in the canoe.
When I canoe to the narrow tree-choked channel in 'unnamed lake 9', I manage to get through by felling three small birch trees, then poling, finally pulling with the painter ropes. The water grasses have grown a lot in number and height since I came through the first time.
The landing at the end of 'unnamed lake 9', the start of the 380 metre trail to small 'unnamed lake 8'. After portaging the three loads, I decide to continue pre-portaging them to the next lake, so I also have to carry the canoe to get across 'unnamed lake 8'. Canoeing across 'unnamed lake 8', I portage the three loads to 'unnamed lake 6' across the very, very rocky 1200 metre trail.
Arriving back at camp 18 by 3:45 p.m., I am impressed that I made such good time, also impressed that I did four 400 metre post-portages, and three pre-portages on two trails (380, 1200 metres). I dress my toe again and change to dry socks for the third time today. Going to the nylon tent by 6 p.m. after supper, I leave the tarp shelter to the many horseflies and am in bed by 7:30 p.m.