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********************** OVERVIEW OF CAMP 9 **********************
Having given up this year on ascending the target river I depart "good" camp 8.
There are two main reasons:
a) absence of suitable campsites since the ravages of the wildfire of 2010
b) inclement weather (wind and rain) affecting the desirability of staying at camp 7 on "vortex" island, the closest site to the target river
On the plus side I am thankful for the rain reducing risk of forest fire in my area while other locales are burning.
Finding a decent campsite I use it as a base to investigate a few small nearby lakes and ponds. Ultimately I stay at camp 9 for five weeks from July 1 to August 5. Of a total of 35 days, stove is on 10, rainfall 18, often windbound, wildfire smoke most days colouring the sun orange or ruby red, only 7 quite hot days (28-32°C). The entries for camp 9 are split into three parts.
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******** NOTES THAT APPLY TO MY ENTIRE STAY AT CAMP 9 *********
Fishing takes much longer in small water bodies but I do manage to catch enough pike for four meals per week.
A red squirrel dashes through camp regularly twice per day. Very territorial, I routinely see it chasing away any intruding squirrels.
A wee bunny (young snowshoe hare) periodically visits. All grey and fuzzy like a big cotton ball, it would fit in the palm of one hand. It consistently evades my attempts to take a photo.
When away from camp, I wear a headnet most days against bothersome blackflies. For meals outside I use a small smoky fire to shoo them away, also before entering Tent. Often I have to don the headnet even while canoeing especially on calm days.
I manage to do some hiking trying to find clearer areas to walk through; it is difficult in so much thick regrowth bush recovering from the wildfire of 2010. Undergrowth gets soaking wet with so much rain, as do my jeans and boots. There are few areas of mature trees that escaped the fire.
When I spot grouse they are the usual spruce grouse (male with red eye comb) but I do see one ruffed grouse (orange comb). The latter seem to be advancing farther north all the time.
Four gray jays float through camp at least once daily. They land on the ground nearby to forage food but like any vulnerable animal not remaining in one place very long. I learned long ago not to feed any animal. It encourages them to visit, getting habituated to humans and eventually becoming a pest.
Finding fireweed for salad is uncommon being so long after the forest fire. I collect the flowers and seed pods when discovered. For each plant that I am about to strip seed pods I break one in half to make sure it is not full of older fuzzy seeds which are not pleasant to eat. The plants are long past their tastiest young spring growth.
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********************** CAMP 9-Part 1 (July 1 - 14) **********************
July 1 beautiful smoke-tinged sunrise (03:06, 04:30).
July 7 portage to a small lake requires some clearing but mostly tromping through thick Labrador tea growing after the forest fire of 2010. I zigzag my way through the brush to find a path without having to cut many trees.
July 8 a gray jay my favourite northern bird. The photo displays one of the small patches of mature bush that survived fire.
July 11 thick fog coats spider cobwebs.
July 11 another portage to a small lake across muskeg covered in Labrador tea which likes to trip me up as I wind my way through regrowth pine trees.
While I am bushwhacking very bothersome blackflies force wearing headnet. The headnet is so important I carry three (a spare in my Waist Pack and another in the Rubber Pack).
July 11 thick altocumulus clouds accurately predicting tomorrow's thunderstorm.
July 14 ominous looking clouds.
Winter wolf scat, almost solid moose hair.
Squirrel midden with mounds of scale leavings of shelled spruce and pine cones surrounding underground tunnels. I think the skull is red squirrel.
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Daily summaries:
July 1: very hot 32°C, hot sweaty portaging
July 2: rains all night
Satellite text from Jeanette "No fires 4u. Some rain." From my journal: "Sure am getting more than 'SOME' rain."
July 3: 10°C stove on, rains all day, strong north wind
July 4: 6°C stove on, rising to 21°C, clear sky, strong north wind
July 5: 15°C all day, very cloudy, rains all evening
July 6: 10°C stove on, rising to 16°C, cloudy
July 7: clear, 9°C stove on, rising to 23°C, rains all night
From my journal: "On awaking have what I think at first is indigestion with abdominal pain. Thinking oh no is this a digestion problem resurfacing again from long-COVID! By next midday symptoms are gone. Now thinking it was a fish bone from yesterday's fish chowder supper. Vow to check more closely for bone remnants (clear bones in white chowder)."
July 8: 18°C, rising to 22°C, very dark grey clouds
July 9: 8°C stove on, rising to 18°C, mostly clear, strong north wind, windbound, fishing from shore unsuccessful, light intermittent rain
July 10: 8°C stove on, rising to 22°C, windbound again
Shower bag is punctured when hanging on a rough-barked tree. The bag develops two small leaks which after several attempts to find the location I successfully seal with Amazing GOOP® Marine. A reminder how important it is to trim any rough areas before hanging the bag.
July 11: 8°C with heavy fog, rising to 25°C, thick altocumulus clouds accurately predicting tomorrow's thunderstorm
July 12: 12°C, rising to 25°C, clear calm replaced by diffuse cirrus cloud then altocumulus, loud thunderstorms with heavy rain evening and all night
July 13: 13°C stove on, still raining after all night rain keeping up intermittently throughout the day, strong wind gusts make me windbound, more altocumulus clouds
July 14: 8°C stove on, rising to 16°C, early morning manage to take canoe out to catch a pike for supper before windbound again, completely overcast all day