Sunrise at camp 12, July 10 (03:55, 04:19, 04:24). Forest fire smoke haze at the horizon.
Heading to the next island campsite.
Supper preparation at camp 13 on July 10.
Supper overlooking the small bay beside camp. The bay proves to be a good spot to fish for pike first thing in the morning. Note the two ant hills either side of the chair.
On July 11 a strong wind forces me to make a new fireplace around the corner beside the bay.
The wind blows the Tarp shelter up high, not a good look if it rains. The tall trees overhanging the tent are not ideal either. Initially I had the Tarp facing the opposite direction but changed it to shield against the afternoon sun.
After moving the Tarp elsewhere I transfer the tent to the vacated spot.
Fireplace and Tarp shelter moved to a much more protected area about 100 metres away. The spruce tree, huge for this country, is 24" in diameter, much older I think than I.
Multiple thunderstorms move through on July 11 from different directions. There is smoke haze at the horizons.
Dark clouds on July 12 bring welcome cooler temperatures. By midafternoon the sky clears when it is obvious there is smoke on the horizons, I think all from the east.
**********************
Summary:
My old markings confuse me when trying to find the next camp because my arrow on the map points to the wrong place. Silly merganser tries to land on tent. Ants invade one pack and store hundreds of larvae and pupae underneath. Multiple thunderstorms from different directions. Strong winds force me to move fireplace twice and Tarp shelter once. Get good confirmation of forest fire smoke. At the stage now where "I could eat a jackass stuffed with firecrackers". Have travelled six km plus one extra km when I stop for breakfast.
July 10:
Up to the alarm at 03:00, several mosquitoes get into the tent when I open the back vestibule to retrieve packs to finish packing. They continue to be bothersome outside but disappear when I start paddling. Taking a one km detour, I stop two km away at a cabin/house with two outbuildings and a dock on which I eat breakfast. I think this is an outpost for commercial fishing when I see the associated gear. It does not appear anyone has been here this year as several trees have fallen onto the roof. There is a large spruce toppled across the porch effectively locking the door. It is a gorgeous day and I move on six km more to reach a small island where my map indicates I camped in 2017. However I confuse myself because the arrow I drew on the map at that time proves to point to the wrong side of the island. Landing there I disembark and tromp along shore and in the bush but cannot see how I had possibly camped here. Paddling on farther along the shore I stop again to no avail, although I think I could possibly set up but it would not be ideal. Finally moving on around the island to the other side it is vaguely looking familiar, confirmed when I move 40 metres up to the top of the hill which rises at least 10 metres above the lake. Here I recognize where I placed the tent and Tarp shelter. Where I had landed in 2017 is now under water. It is interesting that I did not recognize this island, not that I remember details of every campsite. In fairness, the last time I approached from the opposite direction. (Later I revise my markings on the map to clarify the location of the campsite.) After clearing a trail up the slope from my new landing, I unload, store the canoe and some gear and carry the remainder up the steep trail. First thing is to erect the tent and Tarp shelter which were quite wet from yesterday's rain when packed this morning. I lay out the Tarp underside up on the rock shore to sponge off debris picked up when it was folded. The hot sun and 26°C temperature dry everything quickly but make me sweat soaked. After creating a fireplace and getting water on to boil I have a much needed bath before lunch in the shade. The current bannock contains all butter, no shortening, and is much tastier and less crumbly; unfortunately there is only one batch of eight but I will definitely revise the recipe for next season. Flies of all sizes are bothersome so I move my chair to the corner of the island which catches more breeze and shade, much more comfortable. Being Sunday I check for a satellite phone message from home: "OK here. Hotter 4u. No fires 4u. COVID rising. JH." I agree with the heat prediction but I am not convinced about the forest fire situation. (It can take a few days for the fire map to post new fires identified by satellite imagery, depending on size and cloud cover.) Before bedtime and tying the two barrels to trees I aliquot grub for week eight, then move some from the third barrel to the second to equalize the weight (which is still heavy).
July 11:
Before I arise a pair of mergansers fly back and forth overhead quacking loudly. One duck tries to land on the tent, silly creature; it makes me duck and yell! Of course one of the first things I think of when something strikes the tent is a bear. I have had this happen before at other campsites over the years so it is no longer the surprise of the first time. It could be the hen is building a nest nearby; as with other ducks the male abandons his mate when incubating so it is unlikely she has laid eggs yet. Concerned about the wind chasing fish away, after morning ablutions I catch a 21" pike in the small bay which is still reasonably protected along my shore. Strong wind forces me to use a fireplace in a more sheltered location up high on a steep rock face along the small bay next to camp. The fireplace is in a nook in the rock requiring nothing else to contain the flames. Planning to move on tomorrow, after hot bannock breakfast, I put the tools away. When I open the pack stored in the rear tent vestibule there are dozens of ants inside. Ants have been carrying hundreds of larvae and pupae to store underneath the bottom of the pack; those inside entered through the small gap at the closed zipper end. After emptying the pack to shake out all the ants and scraping away their handiwork I check the other packs stored in the vestibule. I apologize to the hard workers but know they will recover the future progeny to move it elsewhere. This has happened before at other sites. It is an efficient way of harvesting ant larvae and pupae as edibles, though better to use a tarp than a pack. For a while the strong wind blows dark clouds away and I can see definite smoke haze at the horizons. At lunchtime I can hear the rumbling of distant thunder. Undressed and clothes hung on clothesline, there are a few drops of rain as the storm slowly moves my way. Just wearing Crocs™ sandals I bundle everything in the chair and place it under the Tarp shelter while I go back to shore to have a bath. Returning to the shelter I realize my feet are too dirty to get dressed. Aie! With only a few drops of rain falling, I take the chair to the lake to towel dry and get dressed after rinsing my feet. Just as I get under the shelter the rain really starts to come down. The air feels and smells fresh. Fortunately there have been very few mosquitoes or blackflies; bothersome flies have retreated from the rain. As the storm passes the darn flies return; they are of all sizes including biting horseflies. By suppertime a different storm approaches, but most of the rain misses. The sky is very cloudy and dark. Temperature has been moderate all day, between 19°C first thing rising to a high of 25°C before falling to 22°C at bedtime. However another storm moves in from the opposite direction dropping very heavy rainfall. There have been multiple thunderstorms coming from different directions. Luckily before the rain douses the fire I finish eating a delicious meal of sauteed fried pike in couscous accompanied by fresh salad of fireweed tops and green red-currants, a protein bar and hot water to drink. Washing dishes under the Tarp shelter, I manage to dry them on the banked fire which is not going to last much longer as the rain continues. I definitely will not prepack any more than the tools already done. By 18:55 I am in the tent for the night; steady rain and thunder continues for another hour. To bed early I hope no mosquitoes entered the tent with me. The tent floor is not very level but I manage to sleep well.
July 12:
Sometime during the night I shut off the alarm. The tent fly is soaked and there is a strong wind. On arising I can see turning off the alarm was justified; the sky looks like more rain and the wind is from my direction of travel so I am windbound. It is foggy, completely overcast with very dark clouds. Because the wind is roiling waves into my bay I think it may be impossible to catch a fish, but I get a 20" pike on the second cast. Fishing right after I get up pays off again. Both fireplaces are now being hit by the wind so I decide to build a third fireplace in a more sheltered indentation 100 metres away. It has a low gravelly shore in a narrow vee notch that rises gradually 10 metres through a steep mossy area thick with bunchberry plants. Using all three tools I clear a trail from the tent to the new location through brush, small trees and over deadfall, overlooked by tall spruce. There is also much brush and a few trees to remove to get down the slope to shore. By 08:00 I am finishing breakfast, sitting in the chair on spruce boughs from trees cut to make the trail. Pleased with the new spot it is nice to relax beside the fire. Cooled by the wind and the 15°C temperature I wear my long shirt over the light one until the fire is burning well. The inner shirt is still soaked from yesterday's sweat and rain; it is gradually drying but mostly from my body heat. Thinking about what to do, I first consider turning the Tarp shelter to face away from the wind; ironically I raised it that way first but changed it later to shield from the afternoon sun. I would like to level the tent but also move it from the tall overhanging spruce trees which make me nervous in the strong wind. Twenty metres inland from the new fireplace there is a clearing beneath a huge spruce tree where I decide to transfer the Tarp. This area is more protected from wind and sun; it only requires removing some small brush and limbing the big spruce and another smaller one to make room. I consider shifting the tent here but would require much work to level a spot. I do explore the area farther inland but it is covered with raspberry briars and not at all level; there may be a good crop of raspberries later.
By midafternoon the wind has dropped to light, the sky is clear blue with only small white clouds at the horizons where it is obvious there is smoke which I think has probably all come from the east. I decide to move the tent to the place vacated by the Tarp shelter. It is a lot of work with saw, pruners and axe to level the area, avoiding an ant nest at the periphery. A tree stump has to be sawed close to the ground. The tent in full sun is dry. Laying all the gear from the tent nearby, I then remove all the tent pegs and coil up the support ropes. Gently moving the self-supporting tent to the new location I make sure not to snag it on anything, then repeg the tent and ropes. Hot and sweaty, a bath before supper sure feels great. The meal is pike chowder, fireweed tops, protein bar and hot water. From my journal: "Mmm ... good. Even better because I accidentally added three instead of two tablespoons of ghee. Could have eaten twice the fish. At two months perhaps I'm at the stage 'I could eat a jackass stuffed with firecrackers'. Sitting near the new fireplace on the corner of the isle in the shade, I comment out loud how beautiful the evening is. Life is good!"