Grub Menu for 2024

One Week (7 day) Grub Menu for 2024

For 2024 I am packing enough grub for four months.  All grocery supplies are off-the-shelf items.

I drink hot water alone with supper, and cold or hot water for other meals.  I have become intolerant of caffeine in drinks such as tea and coffee.  Water is sterilized by boiling for one minute or by a filtration system. The latter removes bacteria and parasites (but not viruses, so is technically not sterilized).

Last season I successfully used Daryl's Bars protein bars (Cinnamon Honey bar).  I was happy with their taste and performance, better than any previous bars in the 20g protein range.  Unlike most competitor products the bars contain no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners and have a healthy low sodium content.  A plus is that they are a Canadian product which also ships to USA.  Thanks again to John Murray of Daryl's Bars for his support in placing a large order.  https://darylsbars.com/

Changes in the menu for 2024:

Last year I used some low sodium foods but was not at all happy with the diminished taste so am reverting to those used previously; average daily sodium intake increases from 3.3g to 4.9.

- Dash™ Seasoning Blend no-sodium spices.  Reverting to Montreal steak spice and regular lemon pepper.

- Bulk Barn® Chicken Soup Mix No MSG Low Sodium.  Reverting to Bulk Barn® regular Chicken Soup Mix and to the spice packets included with oriental noodles.

- unsalted shelled roasted pumpkin seeds.  Reverting to salted which also has the benefit of helping preserve the quality of the seeds.

Average daily nutritional intake based on this 2024 menu:

4480 calories, 368g total carbohydrates, 61g fibre, 240g total fat, 211g protein, sodium 5.5g

Breakfast - 7 days:

1 protein bar Daryl's Bars Cinnamon Honey 58g (22g protein)

¼ bannock cold or hot if freshly baked (See contents below.)

Breakfast - 5 days:

seed mixture ¼c (hemp hearts, chia, buckwheat toasted, pumpkin seeds shelled roasted salted)

peanut butter smooth 1tbsp

Breakfast - 2 days:

grated Parmesan cheese ¼c

real bacon crumbled ¼c (stores well unrefrigerated if not aliquoted until first used, for two months at a time)

Lunch - 7 days:

1 protein bar Daryl's Bars Cinnamon Honey 58g (22g protein)

¼ bannock cold

vitamins

almonds roasted salted ¼c

Mini Babybel™ cheese 20g (stores well in its wax cover unrefrigerated if cloth-wrapped to protect from damage)

Excel® (Eclipse® in USA) sugar-free gum

Supper - daily:

grated Parmesan cheese ¼c (6 days excluding the macaroni & cheese meal)

1 protein bar Daryl's Bars Cinnamon Honey 58g (22g protein)

fresh salad 3c (most commonly: fireweed; or alder, birch or willow leaves/catkins)

fresh fruit if available ½c

    (lingonberries, bunchberries, blueberries, red currants, raspberries, highbush cranberries, cloudberries, rose hips, Saskatoon berries, pin cherries, crowberries, bilberries)

Supper - 1 day:

macaroni and real cheese 2c (Kraft™ Deluxe Original Cheddar or Four Cheese 400g)

Supper - 2 days:

oriental noodles 2x85g using the enclosed spice packets

or stuffing mix 120g

Brunswick® sardines 106g can in soy oil plain label (but if not available - in olive oil, lemon sauce or hot peppers)

Supper - 1 day:

orzo ¾c (plus nutritional yeast 1tbsp, chicken soup mix 1tbsp)

fish fried (coated with cornmeal 2tbsp, Montreal steak spice 1tbsp), fried in Crisco™ shortening (½lb saved and used over a period of two weeks)

Supper - 1 day:

fried fish sauteed in ghee with couscous (See recipe below.)

Supper - 2 days:

fish chowder [diced fish boiled in double usual amount water before adding potato flakes 1c, nutritional yeast 1tbsp, chicken soup mix 1tbsp] plus Parmesan cheese ¼c, ghee 2tbsp

OR

small game instead of fish (roasted over coals, or meat sliced and sauteed in shortening 1tbsp)

Bannock ("All Butter" Bannock):

3¾c (~572g) premixed before the trip (whole-wheat flour 1⅜c, currants ½c, cornmeal ¼c, chickpea flour ¼c, skim milk powder ¼c, ground flax seed 2tbsp, baking powder 1tbsp, sugar 1tsp, salted butter 12tbsp).  Add ½c cold potable water to make soft dough, mixing with a spoon then kneading.  Sprinkle a thin layer of 1tsp cornmeal in mixing pan before flattening the dough; lift bannock and sprinkle another layer of 1tsp cornmeal in pan before flipping bannock so both sides are coated.  Bake ~350°F for ~30 minutes, or slanted in pan in front of fire.  I premix batches of eight bannocks at a time and package in doubled medium Ziploc® bags, stored 4 per large Ziploc® bags.

Canoe season 2024 the above premixed bannock was exposed to consistently hot conditions; the currants fermented and the butter melted.  For 2025 I am reverting to previous menus with shortening and butter plus added quick rolled oats and white wheat bran.  The labile ingredients will be stored individually and added in the field to each bannock (currants, bran, flax).

Sauteed fried pike or walleye recipe:

Sautee freshly fried fish in 2tbsp ghee, turning to coat both sides.  Break up the fish into small pieces.  Add a mixture of ¼c Parmesan cheese, 2tbsp sugar, 1 tsp lemon pepper, turning the fish to coat.  Next add to 1c boiling water ¾c whole-wheat couscous with added 1tbsp nutritional yeast and 1tbsp chicken soup mix; after couscous absorbs the water mix with the fish to soak up the ghee.

Central Saskatchewan 2024 Camp 1 (Jul 7 - 9)

 

Camp 1 sits atop a steep hill.  Rather than carry the two heavy barrels full of grub to the top I tie them to trees near shore with spruce branches placed over to shield from the sun.  I am always a bit nervous about leaving barrels close to water because if a bear did find them they could end up in the lake.

Two common loons greet me each day.

The fireplace sits on bare rock above a three metre high cliff.

The bandana worn as a hat scarf helps fend off bugs.

After trying to eat meals near the fireplace, I retreat to the Bug Tent under the Tarp shelter which shields against the weather.  This Tent provides the luxury of stripping off all clothes in the hot humid weather.  Need to be organized to place all the required gear (including pee can) inside to avoid having to exit to fetch something forgotten.  Note the pile of some of the dead flies and mosquitoes which enter while the door is open as I get inside; a flyswatter is a necessity.  (The photo of the Bug Tent is from a later camp.)

A short piece of mosquito coil clears the tent of mosquitoes; a two inch piece takes about half hour to burn before it is safe to enter.  Just before entering the tent I do a camper's dance, slapping all around me with my hat.  Any mosquitoes or flies that enter with me are dispatched with the flyswatter hopefully before dark.  Any that survive into the night make for miserable companions.  The coil sits in an empty sardine can well away from any material in the centre of the tent.

The "SPOT™ Satellite GPS Messenger" is used to send my location and an "OK" e-mail to my contacts.  I activate it daily, early morning when staying in camp or when I reach a new camp.  Note the bite marks when a black bear stole the device soon after I started using it in 2009.  Luckily I found it and since then I keep it in sight; it functions well in finding the relay satellites without being in a large open spot.

A salad of fresh alder leaf shoots, spruce buds and alum root seed pods.  Note in the photo of alum root the white reindeer lichen swollen with moisture, a sign of recent rain or heavy dew.

********************** REPLACEMENT OR NEW EQUIPMENT **********************

Bear spray holster with hook-and-loop flap closure ("Seattle Sports® Bear Spray Holster 225g").

Much better than the holster used last year that had no closure and was made of inferior material (different product).  Note that I have loosely tied the safety clip to the to the bear spray trigger guard with a piece of Kevlar® cord.  This is so that if I need to use some of the spray the safety clip can be put back in place.  I would only press the trigger in bursts rather than release the entire contents at once so as to have some backup.  The manufacturer of the bear spray by rights should have some such fastener in addition to the tight zip tie used to prevent discharge during shipping.

Hunting knife stainless steel with overlap belt sheath ("Grohmann Knives® R1SA1, DHRussell design", Canadian design, Canadian made).

Inflatable pillow ("MEC Deluxe Pillow 5046-842" inflatable, Large 300x485x120mm 168g, compresses to 7”x4” diameter).

An excellent addition to my sleep gear.  It can be inflated to any degree preferred.

Boots ("Vasque® St Elias" Full-Grain Leather Gore-Tex Hiking Boot with Velcro sole).

Possibly the best boots I have ever used, not too heavy yet sturdy.

Canteen ("Bambaw 500mL Stainless Steel Water Bottle" with screw-on cap).

An excellent canteen, compact and leakproof.

Gun case canvas ("Airdrie Canvas" custom-made canvas gun case).

Thanks to Airdrie Canvas for this custom made case which replaces my old worn out one.  The canvas is sturdy protective material, water-resistant but breathes so there is no condensation.

https://airdriecanvas.ca/

**********************

Summary:

Preamble discusses planned trip.  Weary after the long drive I rest up before moving on.  Thank goodness for the Bug Tent, flyswatter and mosquito coils to escape from very bothersome mosquitoes and flies.  Hot and humid weather makes me sweat-soaked.  Fresh salad ingredients readily available.  A list of new and replacement equipment.  Distance paddled three km.  

Preamble:

Because of the late start in the canoe season my canoe trip is one I have done before in the east central region of Saskatchewan and western Manitoba bordering the Churchill River.  In my experience it is rarely travelled by canoeists and I look forward to the solitude and the good walleye fishing it provides.

July 7:

After travelling the last leg of the 1160 km drive I paddle three km to my first campsite by 15:00.  When I leave Saskatoon at 05:00 the sun is a ruby red ball in the sky with smoke carried from wildfires in the western provinces.  The fire season has again started in early spring.  Thanks to Lucie for putting me up in Saskatoon, and to Harvey and Elaine for providing a secure place to park my vehicle while canoeing.  The horseflies are thick around the heat of my vehicle anytime I stop, a portent of conditions when I start camping.  Passing by five pelicans feeding near some islands it is an easy paddle against a light headwind.  I feel good about wielding a paddle again the first time since last season.  Hot temperature and exercise makes me sweat and I start drinking LifeStraw® water right away and frequently.  Harvey says they had "floods" of rainfall in June and water levels are high, a good thing.  Setting up camp I am a bit achy from carrying gear up the steep hill; the long drive has not helped either.  Mosquitoes are bad.  I set up the Bug Tent to eat and spend the duration of supper in the Tent swatting mosquitoes that entered with me.  Not that hungry I eat a cold supper.  When I look in the compass mirror there are several dried bloody spots on my face from blackfly bites; I should have at least wore the hat scarf.  Not bothering to put up the Tarp shelter I head to the nylon tent by 18:30.  I had lit a mosquito coil after setting up the tent and tossing in my sleep gear, but one mosquito enters with me and meets the flyswatter.  Putting out sleep gear and loading the gun I don sleep socks and undershorts but too hot and sweaty I take them off and lay unclothed on a bedsheet waking later to pull them on again plus the long underwear "pajamas".  This year I am using polyester PJs and socks which will not get damp as cotton does.  I am also using a new inflatable pillow (placed in a flannel pillowcase) which proves quite comfortable (along with my usual down sweater stuffed in a flannel pillowcase, both kept in place backed by my spare clothes bag also in a flannel pillowcase).  The bedsheet is placed on a fleece shell over down sleeping bag on inflatable 3/4 length Therm-a-Rest® Mattress on a full length 1/8" closed-cell foam pad).  For some reason I typically am more comfortable on this camp bed than my bed at home, although I am sure the open air helps. 

July 8:

After 10 hours in bed I arise by 06:30, way past my usual seven hours and late for me but I was really weary.  The drive was long and tiring; I like arriving but not the driving.  It is hot and humid with no breeze, 21°C already at 08:00, mosquitoes bothersome.  By 09:15 horseflies are very bad.  By noon it is hotter at 26°C and flies large and small are very bothersome.  I wear a hat scarf, resisting putting on a head net.  After a bath in the lake I feel much better and retreat to the Bug Tent where I remove my clothes.  One small fly persists in divebombing my ear; it falls to the flyswatter along with mosquitoes and other flies until I am finally alone.  It is impossible to enter the Bug Tent without bugs getting in when they are so thick outside.  Still weary from my drive I nap while doing some puzzles.  By 17:40 it is still hot with light intermittent rain.  A loon calls in the distance from a different lake.  Dressing I boil water to reconstitute potato flakes with added chicken soup base, nutritional yeast, Parmesan cheese and ghee.  Back in the Bug Tent and undressed again I eat supper of the potatoes, protein bar, cheddar cheese, salad (new alder leaves, spruce tips) and LifeStraw® water.  I bring hard cheese for the first week to avoid having to fish right away.  The Daryl's Bars protein bars are excellent but I eat them first so other food has a chance to remove the sticky bar from my teeth before flossing and brushing.  Heading to the tent by 19:00 I am hot and sweat-soaked just from doing a few chores.  The humidity seems to be high with no cooling wind.  Planning to do another puzzle instead I lay on the bedsheet to cool off waking later to don PJs.  I sleep well; the new inflatable pillow with down sweater pillow above and spare clothes bag behind is comfortable.

July 9:

Uncomfortable conditions again with high humidity and very bothersome mosquitoes and small and large flies.  My two loons are near the shore when I have a bath.  Red squirrels are chattering and scolding me for invading their woods.  A pileated woodpecker interrupts pecking at a tree to voice its loud wuk, wuk, wuk call, yakking for a long time, perhaps near a nest.  A small woodpecker is drilling a tree nearby but I cannot get a glimpse of it. Two pelicans paddle past near shore but fly away before I can photograph them.  Horseflies are buzzing around me, occasionally banging into the Tarp or Bug Tent.  Dozens of mosquitoes loiter on the shady side of the Bug Tent, only temporarily scared off when I bang on the screen from the inside.  By lunchtime the humidity has cleared with a light breeze which feels so much better.  But by suppertime the air feels very humid again and I am sweating.  Planning to move on tomorrow I prepack as much gear as possible (chair, Bug Tent, tools, clothesline, clothespins, Crocs™ sandals, most pots).  I used to pack all the pots but now leave boiled water in the large pot until morning in case I need it.  Before leaving I will fill the canteen, rinse my eyes and drink as much water as possible.  Just prior to bedtime I have another bath good to do when so hot and humid.

Central Saskatchewan 2024 Camp 2 (Jul 10 - 13)

Sunrise July 10 at 05:35.  At the previous camp I suspected there was smoke in the sky.  I am now sure there is wildfire smoke at the horizons and for the first time I can smell it.  Later I see smoke has reached me up close.

July 10 at 05:54.  Head net on against mosquitoes and blackflies soon after arising at 03:30.  Looks like I must have forgotten about the net and spit while it is in place.

Canoe loaded ready to go.  No tarp over the gear as there are two portages in short order.

Stopping for breakfast at 07:30 on a bare rock point swept with a bit of breeze where I can finally doff the head net.  I do not usually eat early before moving on from camp especially when the bugs are so bad.

Approaching the first portage at a cabin (house) that used to primarily be a trapper's cabin.

The river downstream from the cabin flows through thick cattails.

Looking back at the canoe's track leaving the 100 metre portage.  The landing is wet 10 metres up onto shore and my feet get damp loading the canoe.

Venturing into the cattails the route I take hits a right angle turn too sharp for the five metre (17') canoe.

Backing out I successfully try another direction.

I still have to push my way through thick cattails and other reeds.

Stopping for lunch at noon I find a bit of shade beneath a small jack pine.  Boots and socks drying in the hot sun.  My feet got damp loading the canoe at the portage but wet now when I slip on the slick rock shore into the water over boot tops.

The second 80 metre portage.  Because of high water levels I can take the shorter trail rather than the 100 metre one which I will surely have to use on my return in the autumn.

At the start of the trip two of the barrels containing grub each weigh 38 kg (83 lb).  It is difficult to hoist them onto my shoulders so the lighter Kitchen Barrel (27 kg, 60 lb) serves as a handy platform.  Still I have to take a wide stance with bent knees, snug up the chest belt and lean forward pushing off with hands from the bottom barrel.  The joy of portaging ...  "Anyone who says they like portaging is either a liar or crazy, or both.”  “… portaging is like hitting yourself on the head with a hammer: it feels so good when you stop.”  Bill Mason (1929 - 1988).

Both portages require placing the canoe in the water and loading from the stern.

Looking back at the second portage exit.

Moving on down the river thick with water lilies.

A mother with her ducklings keeps paddling ahead.  Feeling bad for the wee ones, I apologize and ask why they don't just move off to the side to let me past.

Finally at the last lake I start down five km of its length to the third and final 100 metre portage of the day.

The cascading waterfall at the outlet of this lake is testament to the amount of rainfall Harvey said they had in June.  I wonder how much waterflow will there be when I return.

Erecting the Tarp shelter is different every location.  At this camp to anchor the one corner of the bottom rope I string it around three logs held in place with stones.

The small wagon I use on the third portage trail called "Lee Avenue" in honour of the man who built a cabin on the lake at the upper end.

A salad of dandelion leaves and not quite fully ripe red currants.

A salad of mature fireweed leaves, a few raspberry leaves and a single dewberry.

Cotton handkerchiefs.  I alternately use the red and blue handkerchiefs rinsing one at a time.  They dry quickly and are indispensable for mopping my face, neck and head when sweaty on portages or in camp.  These are much appreciated gifts from daughter Andrea years ago.

**********************

Summary:

Mosquitoes continue to be terrible so use head net or Bug Tent much of the time.  Weather is hot and humid rising to an oppressive 36°C while portaging; sweat-soaked I feel faint forcing me to lay down on the trail to recover.  Get cooling rain which freshens the air nicely.  Meet the owners of the little wagon used on the third portage.  Distance to camp 2 is 15 km with three portages (100, 80, 100 metres).  

July 10:

Up before the 03:30 alarm mosquitoes are bad so wear the head net which I keep on for the next four hours until stopping for breakfast on a breeze swept bare rocky point.  Moving on to the first 100 metre portage it goes past a cabin (house) which used to primarily be a trapper's cabin.  Carrying the heavy loads I am sweating in the hot sun made worse because I have to wear the head net again.  My new boots get soaked as I carry gear 10 metres through the wet landing to the canoe but my feet are just a bit damp; the Gore-Tex waterproofing is doing its job.  I have not carried the canoe since last year but I manage the portage fine.  When I push off downstream I am temporarily stymied by the river course through dense tall cattails.  After backing out of one dead end I try a second spot and have a heck of a time reversing from a too sharp turn for the long canoe.  Returning to the first location which appears to be the main current I realize I just have to force the canoe through thick cattails and horsetails touching bottom at one point.  Moving on I stop for lunch where I can sit under a bit of shade from a jack pine.  I planned to take off my footwear to dry anyway but now I must in order to dump water from them when I slip into the lake over the boot tops.  

At the next portage there are two options but because of high water levels I can take the shorter 80 metre trail instead of the 100 metre one I will probably need to use in the fall.  There is a steep grade where I unload gear and another steep hill at the other end.  Sweat-soaked part way through carrying loads I feel faint with rapid pulse.  From my journal: "Have to lay down in shade on bare rock resting my head on a pack napping a bit until recovered.  Definitely feeling the heat and humidity ... and age?  Wonder how long this heat and humidity will last?  Probably at least 30°C.  Check weather for today's date at home.  Hard work makes it worse.  Frequently using LifeStraw® drinking lots.  My pee is light yellow so good sign that I'm hydrating enough."  (At home when I check the temperature for today's date near this location it was 36°C so no wonder I felt washed out.)

Paddling downstream again I cross an old beaver dam which can block the river in low water levels.  Passing the exit from another lake I herd a family of ducks madly paddling in front of me eventually disappearing into thick reeds just at the entrance to a bigger lake.  I count 12 ducklings, a big brood.  I am sweating heavily as I paddle, another sign the temperature is high.  Finally I reach the third and final 100 metre portage for today.  Carrying my usual first load I reach the lower end of the portage and the campsite.  From my journal: "Yay ... campsite is empty!  Have never been here when someone else already camped."  To reach camp 2 I have travelled 15 km including three portages (l00, 80, 100 metres).  Leaving the canoe parked for the night with stove and canvas Tent packs underneath I carry the rest of the gear to camp.  The heavy items I take in the little wagon that is left here by the owner of a cabin on the lake where I landed.  I am weary as I finally activate the SPOT™ device at 19:30.  The next chore is to set up the nylon tent and store gear.  Again I am wearing the head net against the very bothersome mosquitoes.  From my journal: "Even though I shoo bugs away from inner tent door after closing outer vestibule I know some mosquitoes will get in as I toss sleep gear inside ... buggers!  Light a mosquito coil while I leave to do some more chores.  After tying the two heavy barrels to nearby trees I wash my sweaty face and neck with cold water.  Too anxious to get in the tent I check to see the coil is still smoldering so take a walk to escape mosquitoes and flies that mob me if staying in one place.  Place extra water in the bailer and LifeStraw® container in the front vestibule in case I want to eat supper which I am not feeling to do now.  Sweaty, hot and weary!  All gear tossed into tent with me as I undress completely to start cooling; otherwise clothes will get even damper.  Sweat soaked shirt, undershorts and socks I hang on clothesline in peak of tent.  Laying on bedsheet by 21:30, no supper, no clothes on.  Waking in one hour cooled down I powder feet, bum and crotch and don PJ socks and undershorts.  (The body powder is a necessity when wearing the same clothes for up to two months, along with almost daily bath and occasional rinsing of shirt, socks and undershorts.  I rotate three pairs of thick 'Mark's WindRiver T-MAX HEAT™' socks changing to dry ones daily.  There is a complete change of clothes at the halfway point of the trip; these also serve as backup if required.)  Sleeping for another hour I am cool and dress in long underwear PJs laying on top of the bed.  Leg cramps every time I rouse to pee but have to empty 1L pee can twice before morn so know I hydrated well today.  Sleep well."

July 11:

Up at 06:00 cannot sleep anymore.  This is the first time I can smell wildfire smoke; I can see smoke up close, not just at horizons.  Previous days have been a red sun and just a hint of smoke at horizons.  There are fewer bugs making an appearance compared to camp 1.  Breakfast and supper are eaten in the company of mosquitoes but I retreat to the Bug Tent for lunch after a nice cold bath.  I wear the heavy shirt until my light shirt is dry after rinsing in the lake.  I alternately use the red and blue handkerchiefs rinsing one at a time.  They dry quickly and are indispensable for mopping my face, neck and head when sweaty on portages or in camp.  These are much appreciated gifts from daughter Andrea years ago; when my supply runs out I may have a hard time finding replacements.  Breakfast is a double one to make up for no supper last night.  With another sweltering day I am hot and sweaty at bedtime laying on bedsheet unclothed until 23:00 not doing ablutions until morning.

July 12:

Light rainfall starts at 05:00 followed by thunder and visible lightning with one close large boom.  It pours rain for at least one hour while I lay in bed sleeping on and off until 08:00.  After finally doing last night's ablutions I get up at 08:30 when it stops raining.  Clean undershorts and rinsed light shirt feel good.  Donning rain jacket I adjust the rope on one corner of the Tarp shelter to raise higher so that the Tarp sheds rain better.  Mosquitoes are out with a vengeance and I wear the hat scarf.  Thankfully the ground under the Tarp is dry as rain fell with very little wind.  I decide not to erect the Bug Tent because the wind is now very strong blowing from the south into the front of the shelter forcing me to tie a rope to stabilize the front ridge rope to a tree.  If it rains again it will blow under the Tarp and would soak the Bug Tent.  Cloudy and humid with very bothersome mosquitoes I decide to go back to the tent having to carry gear back again.  Despite my best efforts to keep them out I have to kill at least 10 mosquitoes inside the tent ... buggers!  From my journal: "Kill one mosquito with the swatter on the side of inner tent smearing my blood contained in her along the wall.  Matches the smear on opposite side from the fly swatted yesterday.  Takes several minutes to brush with my hand all the debris on the floor tarp brought into the tent from the damp ground on boots and pack.  At 10:15 in tent it is 19°C as I sit on a towel with no clothes after eating breakfast of quarter bannock, protein bar, Parmesan cheese, bacon crumbles, canteen water.  Canteen holds 500 mL so have to be judicious in its use.  LifeStraw® and bailer with water in front vestibule but would have to brave the dozens of mosquitoes calling it home.  I arrange the Rubber Pack behind me to rest against as I update journal and do a puzzle.  Rain starts again.  Rain good, mosquitoes bad!"  At 11:30 for some reason there are hardly any mosquitoes left on the screen door.  At 11:50 it is 22°C and I get dressed to go outside for lunch in the Bug Tent and to activate the SPOT™ device which I forgot to do when out the first time.  Very cloudy and calm mosquitoes are as bad as ever.  Going for a walk on a nearby winter trail I pick a salad of mature fireweed leaves.  There are lots of red currants but they are not ripe yet.  Back at camp after lighting a mosquito coil in the tent I set up the Bug Tent under the Tarp shelter and place all the gear needed inside.  When I first went to the Tarp shelter this morning I spooked a common merganser near the shore and it flew with a startled quack at the intrusion.  While bathing there yesterday I noticed many minnows which could attract the merganser.  I saw two pelicans which appear to have good fishing in the bay below the falls.  On entering the Bug Tent I kill a dozen mosquitoes and a few flies, then remove all clothes and eat lunch.  Cooled off I get dressed and aliquot next week's grub inside the Bug Tent.  There are dozens of mosquitoes on the outside of the Bug Tent screen eager to feast on me.  Supper in the Bug Tent will be couscous with nutritional yeast and chicken soup base, the last of the cheddar cheese, protein bar, fireweed salad, cold water.  I exit to prepare the meal wearing the head net.  The fireweed salad is tastier than the dandelions which are stringier; of course both would be better with salad dressing.  The darn mosquitoes bite through the shirt tightened against my skin when I bend over, the disadvantage of a lighter shirt.  A storm has been slowly thundering its way here and I am lucky to have got supper ready.  From my journal: "Mosquitoes definitely making up for any good years for me, perhaps bad ones for them.  C'est la vie.  Most people would probably not be happy with them.  I'm not happy but not unhappy either just tolerant."  In bed by 20:00 the storm bypasses me.  I am hot and sweaty waking at 20:30 for ablutions and to don PJs.  Chilled by early morning I climb in the sleeping bag to cover my lower body in the fleece shell.  The bed uncomfortably slopes to the side too much; what looks like a level spot often proves me wrong.

July 13:

I only have to use the head net first thing in the morning and then the mosquitoes thin out, a welcome change.  The large lake that the waterfall empties into is connected to a road.  A motorboat arrives and I meet Duane and Spencer the owners of a cabin on the small lake above the falls.  The wagon I used to help portage is theirs.  They give me a ride to see the cabin in a smaller motorboat stationed at the upper lake and offer the cabin's use if ever required which is much appreciated.  It was built by Duane's father and the portage trail is named "Lee Avenue" in his honour.  Before the big lake was accessible by a road Lee and family went to their cabin by the same route of portages I have taken.  I move the tent to a leveller spot which tonight proves to be better ... but still not level enough!  Lunch and supper eaten outside would be better in the Bug Tent but I put up with the mosquitoes.  Temperature 19°C the air still feels fresh from yesterday's rainfall; today is so much nicer than all this week.  A pileated woodpecker is hammering nearby as it was when I was moving the tent but in both cases I cannot spot the bird.  Planning to move on tomorrow I prepack.