June 18 at 5:50 a.m., ready to leave camp 6. I always say thank you for providing a good campsite and any provisions, in this case fireweed salad, water and firewood.
After paddling up the lake, reach the mouth of a river I must ascend (shown in the bottom photo above). The lowest rapids, 100 metres long, is a minor one, easy to paddle, with boulders covered, rapids flattened out in the high water levels.
Approaching the second rapids of the day which I must portage.
The lowest (first) portage, 220 metres long, requires one hour of clearing, especially around a fallen tree root over the trail. The trail has many large trees to step over, one to duck loads under.
Looking back downstream to the lowest rapids. Three gulls monitor the six carries of my portage.
At the head of the second rapids, I load the canoe for the short 400 metre paddle to the next portage.
The upper rapids, where, like the previous portage, I land on the left side at the 180 metre trail which does not require any clearing, a rare occurrence.
Camp 7, having travelled 11 km including paddling up the one minor rapids and portaging twice (220, 180 metres). Before deciding on this site I stop at three other spots. These photos are taken on June 19 in heavy rain yet again. Near the fireplace I have hauled lots of firewood to keep ahead of the downpours. Note in the top photo the inverted pan on top of the Dutch oven, with a cinnamon bannock baking inside, to shield the coals on the lid against the rain. This is one of the reasons I have switched to baking all bannocks in the oven, instead of in an open exposed pan tipped towards the heat. The Dutch oven method is also more controlled, faster and provides a tastier more wholesome product with more calories.
A very strong onshore wind makes me move the fireplace closer to the Tarp shelter on June 19. In the bush behind, I also fell and limb several green spruce trees to make a two metre long windbreak for the fireplace, which also helps direct smoke upwards and away from the shelter. I always minimize the felling and limbing of trees within a campsite area.
Because of the strong wind in the cool 8°C temperature, I wear a heavy fleece sweater.
Clothing and sleep gear airing and drying a bit. The fire raises the temperature under the shelter to 11°C.
Rain stopped?, enjoying the warmth of the fire at 7:50 p.m. on June 19 before bedtime.
June 20, the first day of summer, a much nicer day (no rain) but only 7°C rising to 10°C, cloudy with some sunshine at times. With spruce boughs from the felled trees beside the fireplace to sit on, I heat water to have a very welcome shower while my clothes and sleep gear hang to air. I have hauled and burned a lot of firewood. Awaiting their execution are poles leaning against the shower tree and large roots from a long ago forest fire.
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Summary:
Two portages around rapids to the next lake. Clearing a portage, and checking four sites before finding a campsite, add to a long day. Heavy rain and cold wind again make for burning lots of wood. Distance travelled 11 km, including paddling up a minor 100 metre rapids and two portages (220, 180 metres).
June 18:
From my journal (written next day): "Up well before Wilson, shortly after 2:30 a.m. at camp 6. In my PJ's, pull boots on to check weather outside, as I said I would. Sky clear and can plainly see very bright Jupiter and Mars; couldn't see Saturn which is the palest anyway. Back inside tent to pack. Get all gear packed, then start fire as temperature is a cool 6°C. No pre-packing done so have to dry pots, pack Kitchen Barrel, Personal Pack, Miscellaneous Duffle. Breakfast - cold water, two protein bars, peanut butter, seeds, mint, gum. [I floss and brush with toothpaste after most meals, except on travel days when I just floss and chew sugarless gum after breakfast and lunch.] Away by 7:30 a.m., soon facing moderate headwind, growing strong as day progresses, makes for heavy paddling. Fairly easy paddling up the lowest rapids, and with high water levels no sign of boulders. Unload at first portage. Take my usual first load (Personal Pack, Miscellaneous Duffle Bag on top, Laundry Pail in one hand). Soon put the load down to get bow saw and leather mitts from the Duffle Bag; I was optimistic, but just out of sight of the landing, a big tree lies over the trail. Have to clear an alternate route around the large root, cutting out about 10 small spruce, lifting stones out of the way [visible in the photo above]. Still have to step over two down trees next to the root. Walk the entire 220 metres, cutting out several fallen trees, before coming back for my first load. There are at least 10 large trees to step over, one to duck under to get loads through. Six portage carries. Thought would have to put canoe down for the one tree but surprise myself by squatting enough to sneak the canoe under, still managing to keep my balance with the canoe over my head. I suck at dancing but perform the "canoe shuffle" admirably well. Reload canoe without laying barrels down or using the tarp cover and paddle the short 400 metres to next portage. The second portage around the upper rapids is in good shape. Load canoe and cover with Tarp. Then back inland 10 metres to sit on a big boulder to eat lunch - LifeStraw® water, mint, 1/4 cinnamon bannock, cheese, almonds, protein bar. Feels much better; 1:30 p.m., a late lunch. Paddle hard against very strong headwind, making slow progress. Not like the Churchill rapids, I can see I am moving up the lake. Not happy with the two sites where I have camped on this lake before, the mainland site had fireplace and shelter too far apart, the small island site too exposed. Look at four possible spots. The first two are small isles about two km above the exit rapids but have no suitable campsites, especially for fireplace and are too steep to water. [If possible I camp on a small island to less likely have bear problems.] Third mainland location farther up the lake is better, but not good areas for fireplace and Tarp shelter; probably better protected from wind though. Finally, canoeing back the way I came (which I hate doing, just in principal), the fourth spot becomes camp 7. [At each location, I walk the site checking for four main factors (spots for tent, Tarp shelter, fireplace, access to water). The islands took at least 30 minutes each as I walked them in their entirety trying to make it work.] Weary from paddling all day against the wind. A long day, it is 4 p.m., 13 hours so far, but I'm not done yet. Get tent up and gear inside, but sleep gear not laid out, will do at bedtime; didn't want to enter the tent because I'm covered in blackflies which would enter with me. Need smoky fire to drive blackflies away. Collect stones scattered over the open area on the moss covered rockface, about 20x80 metres. Start fire and blackflies soon gone. Erect Tarp shelter, a tight fit between two large trees, one spruce, one pine. Limb both trees to the height of my outstretched arm for the Tarp. Tarp is 15 cm longer than the space so stretch ridge rope past the front of the offending pine to a tree farther on. When I install the bottom rope, the extra piece of Tarp folds around the pine tree okay. The bed below the Tarp is mostly deep moss. No time for journal. Get pots out to boil water before I erect the Tarp. Supper - oriental noodles with Parmesan cheese, hot water, two mints, protein bar, fireweed tops salad (collected yesterday at previous camp). Douse fire and to bed. In bed by 10 p.m., a long day. To top it off the bed is not level, tilts down a lot. Place the encased Bug Tent and medium tarp underneath the lower part of bed. Move orientation slightly later, but never good. Aie!"
June 19:
Camp 7 is 11 km from the previous camp, including paddling up a minor 100 metre rapids and two portages (220, 180 metres). Up at 6:10 a.m. to heavy rain, a cool 6°C and moderate wind. Get the fire going and keep it big to combat the rain which fluctuates between heavy, moderate and light all day. I am hungry for breakfast after doing some chores (fetching more firewood, starting and maintaining the fire, making cinnamon bannock). Cooling down after working, I don my fleece sweater and rain jacket, as I am mostly sitting (in between feeding the fire). The rain jacket is an excellent wind breaker. Thankfully there is lots of firewood here. After activating the SPOT™ device, I put it in one jeans front pocket to finish drying after wiping most of its rain moisture on my bottom pantlegs. The other pocket has my camera in it to keep warm and ready for use. Midday the temperature is 5°C and I move the fireplace closer to the Tarp shelter to within one metre. Then I build a reflector behind the fireplace of six green spruce poles sawed to two metres length. After the fire ignites the too close poles, I move the fire away more and douse them with water. The poles not only reflect heat towards the Tarp shelter and block wind but help direct smoke up away from the shelter. Other chores I do throughout the day include catching up on my journal, updating the map, collecting a salad of birch leaves for supper, fetching firewood many times, stringing a clothesline under the Tarp, moving the tent to a leveller spot, standing up the felled spruce boughs in the shelter of trees. To my surprise I manage to dry clothes and sleep gear hanging on the clothesline in the heat of the fire, meanwhile avoiding burn holes. Dragging the tent back about one metre in a lull in the rainfall, it starts to rain before done. First I have to remove all the gear from the tent vestibules to the Tarp shelter and the gun from inside the tent, leaving the lighter sleep gear inside. Hopefully the bed is more level, not worse. With all the rain, I am definitely not planning to move on tomorrow. After supper there has been no rain the past two hours so I sit near the fire before bed to write journal and do some puzzles.
June 20:
A cool breakfast at 7°C, cloudy, burning lots of wood, fetching and sawing much more, all standing dead dry spruce that have to be felled and limbed. I also use some dead diamond willow which really smells nice on the fire. After breakfast of hot cinnamon bannock, I cut off all the spruce boughs from my stash of branches and pile beside the fireplace, a nice place to sit by the fire for lunch, update my journal, do puzzles and don my clothes after a shower. Using the pruner, I cut the thick sweet gale brush from shore at my landing place, to make it easier to fetch water, load the canoe and have a bath if I so choose. Hanging all my clothes and sleep gear, I have a gorgeous shower, but get chilled even though it was hot water. Then some kind of bug bit my face beside one ear that really bled. Aie! If it rains, there will be a mad dash to take down sleep gear. The onshore wind is cold, so I wear my neck bandana and fleece sweater much of the time. I scout the whole area looking for a more sheltered (out of the wind) fireplace and shelter spot. The best site seems to be near where the tent is now, which would have to be moved elsewhere. The plan is to pre-pack today to move on tomorrow. But if the weather worsens, keeping me here, I definitely will move the fireplace and Tarp shelter to hopefully be more protected. By supper time the temperature rises to 13°C, the increase further confirmed by mosquitoes getting bothersome, so go to tent by 7:30 p.m.