On route up the lake towards the next campsite.
When I land at camp 20 destination, the canvas Tent is quite wet from heavy rainfall during the last night at camp 19, so I lay it out over the canoe to dry while there is some sunshine.
I choose to camp on a small island one km down the lake from the waterfall. It should be safer from bears rather than where I camped last time at the falls (camp 8). However the new site is more exposed so the Tarp shelter is facing inland with the bottom rope weighed down with some logs.
On arrival I put up the nylon tent in a small clearing beside the Tarp shelter. Steady rainfall leads to erecting the canvas Tent farther inland the following day.
I dig out some soil from the first fireplace location to use in and under the stove in the canvas Tent. When I built the fireplace I did not realize it was on an ant colony burrowed into the soil with no obvious evidence on top of the ground such as a mound of excavation by the ants. I became aware of the colony when smoke started coming up through the ground nearby so I extinguished the fire and dug out around the periphery liberally dousing with many pails of water. Ants leave detritus that will slowly burn and track through the soil along their tunnels.
The stove lid bolt hinge now with a lock washer and lock nut to prevent it from falling into the stove like happened at the previous camp. The bolt is also turned upside down so it will be more obvious if the nut loosens.
Ant larvae and pupae. The former are the long ovoid objects compared to the smaller rounder pupae. Both provide edible protein and fat for animals such as bears and humans. If I pick up firewood away from camp containing ants I usually apologize and replace the stick in the same place. But those in the photos were removed to clear a site for the nylon tent. The ants in a few minutes completely clear the area, carrying the future progeny to a safe place.
My hair and beard definitely getting longer.
The following photos taken from camp in the direction of the waterfall. The shoal is a location where loons and pelicans like to shelter and to fish.
July 27 at 15:52. Dark-bottomed clouds all day, but no rain.
July 28 05:34. A beautiful morning, clear, calm, mist overhanging lake.
July 29 16:13. A slow moving thunderstorm takes several hours to move through, postponing leaving camp for another day.
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Summary:
Travel nine km to camp on a small island one km from the lake inlet waterfall. Unknowingly build fireplace on a hidden ant colony under the ground so have to dig around and under to extinguish using copious amounts of water. Rain brings cool weather so again I erect the canvas Tent and stove. Mosquitoes are particularly bothersome. Jeanette says the fire blocking my route grows larger and has spread into Manitoba. After packing gear to leave on the fifth day it rains again, a thunderstorm taking several hours to move through causing me to unpack to stay another day.
July 25:
Rainfall continued all night so I shut off the alarm set for 03:00. Up by 05:00 I get dressed and peak outside to see a clear sky so decide to leave after eating breakfast in the Tent. I will drop the canvas Tent last to let some drying occur. The roof tarp is quite wet but the Tent is only damp so I leave the tarp outside of the pack when loading the canoe. Blackflies are so bad that I wear the headnet while breaking camp. Just before getting in the canoe I start a small fire of mossy branches at the point to shoo the bugs away before doffing the headnet. Darn blackflies are still bothersome following me till I turn south. The wind is still from the west which helps me until I reach the end of the channel and hit the lake proper where I have a sidewind which at least gets rid of the blackflies. Out of curiosity I stop at a small island before having to cross a large open stretch but find it would not be a good campsite. Fortunately the wind lessens to light and I make good headway by quartering into the wind to cross to the nearest lee shore two km away. After the long paddle I stop on the mainland for a bathroom break. The clear sky has been replaced with dark clouds but I am glad to have left camp 19 after last evening's black bear visit. Keeping my eye out for an island that might prove suitable for a future campsite I stop again at another small island which would be unsuitable.
Reaching the target small island one km down the lake from the portage at the falls of old camp 8 I investigate to make sure it is suitable for a camp. It is close to shore and more exposed than ideal but I will face the nylon tent and Tarp shelter away from shore. There are signs that this spot was probably an old fish camp. It is only 11:40 so I have lots of time after travelling nine km today. One of the first things is to spread out the canvas Tent roof tarp to dry on an open area of bearberry plants. I haul up the canoe to lay the Tent over, turning once to dry both sides. With dark clouds appearing more threatening chasing the sun away I get the nylon tent and Tarp shelter in place and the canvas Tent packed. Then I erect the clothesline to hang my clothes while I bathe. After getting in the water, rain starts and I have to take down my clothes and place under the shelter while I finish bathing. Feeling refreshed with rain falling intermittently I make a fireplace in front of a rock knoll to cook supper of macaroni and cheese. As the fire burns smoke starts arising from the soil nearby. There is no obvious sign of ants but their colony is under the surface without the usual mound of debris on top. The smoke tracks through tunnels to arise away from the fireplace. After eating I douse the fireplace and surrounding area with many bailers full of water. I shovel the now wet humus away until reaching ant-free soil under and beside the fireplace and pour even more water. Aie! I apologize to the ants that I did not realize were there. Rainfall keeps up on and off pouring from a very dark sky. After retiring to bed it rains heavily during the night. From my journal: "The tent floor slopes down to the front too much but at least it's not tilted sideways. Spend the first half of the night like that. Then I think ... this is advertised as a '4 man' tent meaning the only way to fit that many people would be crossways. So I move the bed to the bottom of the slope at the front door where it is actually level both width- and length-wise, the only such spot. It works! I fit with a bit to spare. I'm 5'9" (or used to be anyways), but taller people might have a problem. Sleep well in PJs in fleece shell on top of sleeping bag."
July 26 Tuesday:
Up by 05:45 it is still raining, very dark clouds, 18°C. Soon after arising I go fishing from shore, trying all the way from one side of camp to the west most corner. At certain spots I can fish but have to walk through wet undergrowth and bush to move from one location to another. The wind has increased and fishing around the jutting corner is impossible in the now moderate wind. Eventually I land three pike (18", 12", 15"). I must wear a headnet all the time because of pesky blackflies. Rainfall stops long enough to allow cleaning the fish and burying under moss near camp. Hungry for breakfast I need to make a new fireplace to replace yesterday's failed spot. There is a suitable location near the front of the Tarp shelter on an area that is fairly bare rocky ground overlaid with some soil and grass that appears to be free of an ant colony. I have to cut out alder and birch brush to make room then carry stones from the original fireplace. Trees I removed yesterday to make room for the Tarp have to be thrown farther out of the way. The ground under the shelter is mostly bare of cover so I fell two small spruce from the thick bush nearby for boughs to lay a clean floor on which to work and sit. With water on to boil, I mix and bake a bannock which I am eating for late breakfast by 10:35. Soon after by 11:40 it is time for lunch. Fetching wood to feed the fire is an ongoing process. Sitting out of the rain under the shelter the warmth of the fire only one metre away feels good, but unfortunately because of the gusty wind there are three new burn holes in the Tarp. By 12:30, after eating while I update my journal and do some puzzles I am falling asleep in the chair. It is Tuesday when Jeanette asked me to check for messages which I do at 06:30; we did not set a time when I should connect. I assume she would send late Monday similar to how sending Sunday's message late Saturday. Receiving no message I do not know if I should check again later but decide to wait until tomorrow. The in-use satellite phone battery is now showing some discharge. Based on past experience one battery will last up to four months when checking once per week and minimizing voice calls. I carry two fully charged batteries but do not want to use the phone any more than necessary.
From my journal: "Rain keeps on, stopping or slowing a bit at a time. Enough! Time to erect canvas Tent and stove." The island narrows to about 100 metres at this end tapering to a peninsula where I caught one of the fish. Camp is protected by thick bush on both sides east and west but not from the other two directions. Behind camp close to the opposite shore is a somewhat level area that needs significant clearing. I have to fell four larger trees and cut out some fallen logs and pull or prune below the surface a lot of brush then use the axehead to level. Nearby there are spruce trees for poles. With all the trees and brush there will be more than enough spruce boughs for the Tent doorway and to supplement those under the Tarp shelter. I keep the fireplace going all day to fry fish for supper and for coals to start the stove. After the Tent is up I fetch two armloads of moss to level the floor and to plug one hole under the sod cloth. Then I transfer gear from the nylon tent vestibules, waiting for a break in the rain to fetch that in the inner tent. After splitting kindling and sawing enough stovewood to start the stove I light a mosquito coil in the Tent. Waiting for at least 30 minutes for the mosquito coil smoke to clear, I saw more stovewood. Hungry again, I fry the fish fillets at the fireplace to be eaten for supper in the Tent. Before eating though, sweaty and clothes wet from sweat on the inside and rain on the outside, I hang clothing to dry in the Tent. Walking to the lake in just my sandals a bath feels so good. After drying in the Tent, hoping no mosquitoes entered with me, I eat an excellent meal of sauteed pike in couscous kept warm in the lid-covered Dutch oven. After a long busy day I am in bed by 21:30, first on bed sheet on top of sleeping bag, waking up an hour later to don pyjamas, by morning crawling into fleece shell. Accompanied by rain falling on the Tent roof, I sleep well, so happy to have the canvas Tent and stove.
July 27, my brother's birthday:
Up by 05:00 to a cool 10°C I start the stove again while in my pyjamas. There is still a strong west wind shifting through north and settling in from the east where it remains all day, the sky remaining overcast with dark-bottomed clouds, temperature rising to 23°C by noon. After sawing more stovewood, I head out to catch fish for supper. Thinking I am out of luck after persisting in multiple spots I finally catch three pike (14", 15", 18") in the lee of some indentations along shore. My boots and pants up to my thighs get soaked from walking through wet grass and underbrush. There are no messages when I check at 08:30 so I phone Jeanette; the fire blocking my route grows larger and has spread into Manitoba. I will check for messages on Sunday as usual. By 09:10 I eat breakfast in the Tent with stove still on. After eating I fetch more stovewood poles and birch bark tinder, saw stovewood, split kindling. By suppertime the stove is dead; too hot in the Tent for cooking I light a mosquito coil while eating supper outside. I do a number of chores: patch the three burn holes in the Tarp, fetch more firewood, saw more stovewood, pack the nylon tent, take down the clothesline. There are no good salad ingredients to accompany supper of fish chowder, only old leaves of alder, birch and willow. By 17:55 I move into the Tent for the night, updating journal and doing several puzzles. A few crows are conversing with each other in nearby tree tops, probably asking what this stranger is doing in their territory; I swear some of their talk must be words in crow language. Throughout the day there have been up to four pelicans at their roosting spot on the nearby shoal as well as some loons. I continue doing more puzzles until going to bed at 20:20, sleeping well as it cools down until by morning I am in fleece shell partially covered by sleeping bag.
July 28:
Before going fishing I light the stove. It is a beautiful morning, calm, clear with mist overhanging the lake, 10°C. Jeans and boots dried yesterday but again get soaked as I walk through wet undergrowth to go fishing. With no wind I can fish from the point at the west end of the island. Soon I catch an 18" pike, then a surprise 18" walleye which is double the girth and amount of flesh of the former. I was not planning on fishing but have plenty of time and it will save me doing so tomorrow Friday when I plan to move on as I now have my quota of four meals this week. Back in the toasty Tent by 07:25 eating breakfast with all my clothes hanging to dry. The warmth and food soon have me napping in the chair. By 09:30 after doing several puzzles the stove is almost out. The task of fetching firewood, tinder, kindling and stovewood is never ending, after which I have a bath. By lunchtime temperature rises to 21°C, 25°C by midafternoon hot in the sun; the sky remains clear with very few clouds, very light breeze. To get some shade I cut a short 20 metre trail between the Tent and the shore behind. As I sit to write my journal and do more puzzles, fish surface nearby several times; it would be impossible to cast from here because of the proximity of trees, plus would get snagged on reeds in the lake. Small annoying flies are now in season. Once a beaver checks me out, disappearing with a loud splash of his tail; another time a loon rises from its fishing expedition to sink again in mid call. At supper of fish chowder and salad of fireweed that I found in a different direction from where I had looked before, a motorboat stops. The three Cree fellows from the closest settlement ask if I need anything (a nice way of asking if I am okay). We chat for awhile. They are returning to their cabin in a bay a few kilometres away after fishing for walleye at the falls. I ask about the board portage and they say that the water level is down now so that the planks are not under water. Unlike when I arrived there in the spring I will now be able to do the short 10 metre portage. When I mention that I left the previous camp because of a bear visit, they tell me a bear has been visiting their camp too. I prepack in preparation of leaving tomorrow. When I open my Rubber Pack in the Tent to unfold a shirt a mosquito pops out, another demonstration of how a mosquito coil will not necessarily be as effective as one would like.
July 29:
Waking at 03:00 there is a strong south headwind but I pack up sleep gear anyway. All other gear had been packed last night. It is easy to tell the direction of the wind because the waterfall is loud and clear. Another clue of bad weather is that a candle is still needed well past awakening. Going outside to check the weather I see that the sky is very dark looking like rain, black sky to the north, almost calm. It is 18°C in the Tent before the stove is on. From my journal: "So ... back into the Tent to lay on the bare floor tarp. There are at least six mosquitoes buzzing around my head, very annoying. Must have been on my clothes when I entered. Buggers! They are hard to get; takes some time to catch or swat them as I lie 'resting'. A non-restful rest. Rain starts just as I enter Tent. It rains again ... so decide to stay in camp. Aie!" Now I have to unpack everything again. I get the stove going to boil three pots of water. Sweaty, while the first two pots are on the stove I go for a bath. After eating breakfast I am sweaty again so I take another bath, just not getting my head wet. Out of bannock I am going to bake more at lunchtime. Because I have no more mix in the Kitchen Barrel I have to open the tied barrels. I intended to do so when I got to the next camp today. At 12:40 I eat lunch in the Tent, unclothed. It is 23°C inside. As a thunderstorm moves slowly through from the east it steadily pours rain from very dark clouds. I give thanks for letting me finish baking bannock at the fireplace first. Afterwards I clear a trail to the west point to make it easier to go fishing. I walk the much longer distance to the opposite end of the island to check it out; there would be a few spots from which to fish. Cutting a trail there would be a lot more work; I remark out loud "and for another time". I find more fireweed and some unripe blueberries for a supper salad. The usual other chores have to get done: birchbark tinder, kindling, stovewood, firewood. I also aliquot grub for next week and even the weight between the two before retying the barrels. Sweaty and hot again, I have a third bath. The thunder gets louder in the west and I wonder if there is another storm coming back; it would not be the first time that has happened. I notice there is a layer of smoke over the lake surface. The storm takes a few hours to move through to the west, thunder continuously rumbling, probably more lightning strikes. Throughout the day as I go in and out of the Tent I kill more mosquitoes and will definitely close up the Tent and light a mosquito coil when I make supper on the fireplace. Rain falls intermittently all afternoon. There is the definite sound of a helicopter in the southeast and I wonder if it is related to the fire blocking my route which will be in the vicinity of the power line from the dam on the Churchill river. I take a fourth and final bath after supper before going to the Tent, not a record compared to two years ago in the presence of four week-long heat domes. Before going to the Tent for the night I attempt to minimize the number of mosquitoes carried inside with me. From my journal: "Before getting near the door of the Tent I walk away and then back, swinging my hat to hit all parts of my clothes. Often it seems to no avail as mosquitoes get in anyway. Well ... not to no avail because otherwise could be worse. A video might be amusing, a supposedly sane man walking around in circles, swinging hat to hit back, legs, chest." I sleep okay but there is a mosquito around my face in the early morning; I hit my face when she lands to no avail but finally I manage to get her. Hopefully the next campsite has fewer bothersome bugs.