7 p.m. July 12, very dark ominous clouds produce heavy heavy rain all afternoon.
One of my family of squirrels at the cabin, one of at least three, an adult, two young.
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Summary:
Prepare cabin and camp gear to start canoeing again. Very very strong winds, heavy heavy rain may not bode well for next week.
July 11 Saturday:
After raining all night, it finally stops at 7 a.m., still very dark clouds, 17°C. It is a rest day, but get up at 5:30 a.m., unable to sleep or lay in bed any longer, still, that is later than usual. The squirrels are active before I arise. With yesterday's laundry still quite damp, I start the stove, temperature in the cabin rising to 19°C (door open). As usual I hang the sleep gear on the indoor clothesline, the laundry taking up the rest, plus damp long shirt, hat, belt, jeans, boot insoles; I am wearing sweat pants and moccasins. My boots are quite wet, as they have been for the past 10 days from the portages, twice as heavy with soaked insulation and padding; I place them on the open oven door to dry. Even with the cabin door open there are only a few mosquitoes and no flies yet. Breakfast of hot cinnamon bannock is served at 8 a.m., cooked on stove top; raw water is boiled on the stove, which proves to be a very good kitchen range, albeit with a broken oven door. It is sure nice to sit on a full-sized chair at a real table, a nice luxury. Moving outside where it is cooler with a nice breeze, I finish breakfast and do a puzzle. Then it is time to do some chores: more mending, bail the large amount of water in the boat, saw stovewood for the cabin, aliquot next week's grub, clean cabin, change some worn Ziploc bags in my gear, start organizing gear for canoeing. Having used the Canoe Pack to carry gear back and forth to cut portages, I must place items back in their usual places. Using the broom, I sweep the cabin floor on the non-stove side, after first brushing the many cobwebs from the ceiling and cleaning the two window sills in the kitchen. Wearing only socks, leather boots, leather mitts I saw stovewood outside but still get quite sweaty so have a very welcome bath. After lunch, there are more chores to do: trim facial hair, manicure, pedicure, pack some dry laundry. I read a novel found in the cabin. By 2:30 p.m., all laundry is dry except for the heavy socks, so I let the stove die. Boots are getting quite dry. Temperature is 29°C in the cabin, 22°C outside, with lots of blue sky. By bedtime at 8 p.m. the cabin is cooling nicely, now at 23°C.
July 12 Sunday:
The day breaks very hazy, 18°C. From my journal: "6:55 a.m., await two more minutes for cinnamon bannock to finish baking. Up by 5 a.m.. Dress in all clean clothes, including new jeans, all clean today or yesterday; feels great! I had planned to change at the time of starting to cut the long portage but decided to wait till trail done. [In my calendar, I had scheduled a complete change of clothes at 1/3 of the planned 16 week trip. This includes a clean pair of jeans. I start the trip with three sets of clothes. Because jeans take so long to dry, I do not count on being able to launder them, especially now that I do not have the canvas Tent and stove. Provided I have a regular change of all other clothes I just pack the previous dirty jeans, dry, to launder when I get home.] Boots dry or nearly so. After fetching pots and pans from the firepit, put on moccasins to eat breakfast (in seven more minutes for bannock to rest). Laundry all dry, the last pair heavy socks dry by bedtime last night. [I have four pairs in use of nine total, typically changing to dry socks at least once per day.] Hear robin 'chip, chip, chipping' (not 'chirruping' as when mating and nesting). Family of four loons swam past close to shore when I was outside. At 8:40 a.m. check for SAT phone text message from Jeanette: 'OK. No fires. Showers all wk 4u. Warmer here, storms every day. JH.' Motored to lodge at 9:15 a.m.. Brian will take me and gear to eight metre portage tomorrow at 10 a.m.. Candy gave me treats to take back to camp. Brian mentions that this is the first time he's seen my boots dry. When I get back to camp, I hang on the outside clothesline my sleep gear and leather belt which is still quite damp. 11:50 a.m., lunch - Candy's cinnamon biscuit and one with cheese, egg, ham. Mmm good! A very strong onshore wind rises, blowing the clothes straight out from the line. Wouldn't want to be on the lake now even in a motorboat. I clean the stove side of the cabin, sweeping up the many mice droppings. Hantavirus does exist in mice in Canada, including in the north, so I do try to minimize the creation of aerosols. (Deer mice are the most common carrier, although other rodents like voles, common here, also can. Hantavirus infection is rare, but it would be ironic if I got hantavirus, not wearing a mask, in the midst of the current COVID-19 epidemic, after taking precautions including mask use before starting my trip.) After cleaning the cabin, I take a bath in the lake, as much psychological as real need. I write a thank you letter to the cabin owners Bowman and Brady, posting it on the nail suspending the mirror, where it will hopefully be safe from mice or squirrels. 1:30 p.m., whew ... just before a heavy rain shower I retrieve the bath towel and belt, now dry, from the clothesline, also taking down the clothespins and line to pack, and bring in my boots from the doorstep. Start collecting some fireweed tops for supper salad, but have to run to cabin, getting a bit wet. The back end of the boat is full of water from the strong wind. The sponge and gas tank are floating, so after the current storm passes put them towards the front, as far as the gas hose will reach. Finish picking fireweed, though do get a bit wet, appropriately, when taking a leak. 2:30 p.m., sitting outside in a chair facing the lake and strong wind which has lessened considerably, I fall asleep doing puzzles. The wind keeps the bugs from bothering me. 3:30 p.m., move into the cabin ... ooh ... very very strong gale and heavy rain, waves breaking into boat, going to be a big job to bail out. Thunder. 4 p.m., might be a cold supper! Can't sit too close to the open doorway as rain coming in about two feet. A tree crashes down with a loud noise nearby. Have to put on my eyeglasses to do puzzles as it is so cloudy and dark now. Heavy heavy rain, very strong onshore wind, continuous thunder and lightning. Temperature has fallen in cabin from 26°C to 21°C. Finish a 'hard' puzzle using no clues (because I don't bring the answer sheets), no errors, I'm impressed! 6 p.m., late supper, but manage to get outside to start a fire for cooking. Bring all pots into cabin as the rain stopping is only temporary. Thunder clouds keep rolling around me, dropping their rain. Getting a few mosquitoes, plus bites, in the cabin now. In another lull, I bail most of the water from the boat with a large pail from the cabin; only the front section of the boat is empty, a bit elevated on shore, where I stored the bailer and sponge earlier. The bailer had filled with water and could have stayed in the back of the boat, but the sponge would have floated away. The outside fire lasted long enough to burn all the garbage I gathered from the cabin. 7:30 p.m., More rain, loud claps of thunder! Mosquitoes a bit bothersome, have to keep rubbing my hair as that is the only place they can get at me after donning more clothes when the temperature dropped. Thunder keeps rolling around just overhead. Would stay up later if not for mosquitoes, buggers. Could erect bug tent in cabin, but POI, get ready for bed instead. Hope this isn't a 'light shower' Jeanette's forecast predicted for this week! Thank goodness for the cabin, it's been a blessing through several heavy rainstorms. But this may not bode well for canoeing. Blessed with decent weather while cutting the long portage, I hope for more when I start canoeing again, but fear I am overdue for rain. In bed by 8:30 p.m.."