June 8, camp 5, stove on to dry damp clothing and bedding in Canvas Tent. The Kitchen Barrel is outside but will be stored in the Tent to the side of the doorway. The boots are gradually drying on the stack of wood close to the stove (but not too close).
Kindling split from dry sticks of stovewood and stored inside a birchbark cylinder. As usual with no ready stump or log, I stand the wood on a stone and try not to dull the axe too much; I hate sharpening the axe, mostly because I am not good at it.
A stack of 12 inch stovewood sawed from dead dry spruce. Extra stovewood with kindling in birchbark cylinders will be stored for use when I come back on my return in September.
The pink lady's slipper orchids at camp 3/5 are more developed than just a few days ago, deeper coloured and even prettier.
June 9 at 04:34, an ominous looking sky.
The sky clears enough to allow temporarily erecting the nylon tent to dry the soaking wet fly from previous camp.
This year I use a sling to allow me to carry the gun while portaging loads instead of toting it in the gun case.
To store the gun in the canoe it is placed in a canvas gun case which is water resistant but breathes to help avoid dampness.
To help protect the gun sight, I wrap it in a long piece of canvas tent material before inserting into the case.
For storage in the tent, the gun is put in a silicone-treated sleeve which helps prevent moisture collecting on the gun.
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Summary:
Retreat 4.5 km to previous camp 3 to erect canvas Tent and dry out with stove. Splitting and storing kindling. Pink lady's slipper orchids are even prettier now. More new equipment.
June 8:
Up at 04:00 to a damp world after over nine hours in bed, much longer than my usual seven hours. From within the tent at camp 4 it seems quite grey out, confirmed when I step outside, sky completely overcast, looking like rain, a cool 10°C. Although my principle is not to retreat, in short order I decide to pack and go to the previous camp to set up the canvas Tent and stove. My SPOT contacts will probably wonder why I went back to the camp 3 site. It already has a cleared Tent area, Tent poles, soil to put in and under the stove, supply of kindling and stovewood and a more open spot to dry nylon tent and Tarp when the sun shows again. If I stay here it would take much longer to do all that, plus I have not seen a supply of soil. Soil, or ideally sand, is required underneath to insulate humus from the heat of the stove and inside the stove to prevent the fire from burning through the metal.
The stove is started for the first time in the new Tent ... yay! I am impressed with the screen window which lets a flow of air through the screen door while the stove is on, my old Tent having neither. Sitting with no clothes on, there is no problem warming up in the toasty Tent after a glorious cold bath. Sleep gear and clothes now dry, enough water boiled, lunch and supper done, it is too warm in the Tent so I remove two burning sticks from the stove to douse outside and will let the stove die. From my journal: "Tent is white and sure lets more light in than the old Tent which got smoke darkened after 35 years, though it was darker to start with anyway. See if the new one lasts that long; I'll be well over 100 years old." Just before going to bed, I hear repeated cracking noises of brush, but not sure of the location, wondering if it is on my small island. With no clothes on, I don socks, boots, bear spray and ammo (on a belt) and take gun outside to investigate. Walking close to shore 40 metres away, I think the sound is coming from across the lake 500 metres away on a large island. Not sure what the source is, I unconvincingly chalk it up to a possible beaver. At least whatever the source it is not on my island.
June 9:
Up by 04:00, 9°C, strong cool wind, very cloudy, there is good light already. Almost two weeks before the longest day, by 03:00 it is almost light. Breakfast includes hot bannock baked on the stove, 20 minutes with a pre-heated Dutch oven and a decent fire going (flipping the pastry at the half way mark). It is cool in the Tent even with the stove relit because I have the window and door screens wide open, but that means I am comfortable with clothes on. I lay out the Tarp shelter and set up the nylon tent to dry, but it takes all morning with very little sunshine, mostly accomplished by the wind, gradually warming for a short while to 16°C. Chores done, sitting in the Tent, I solve/not solve several puzzles, a relaxing day. One puzzle stumped me for several days (creating a six letter word from: 'T + LEMON'). It is interesting, even amazing, that if I leave a puzzle for at least overnight, solutions often come; apparently one reason is that the brain continues to work on the problem even while sleeping.