05:09 June 30 sunrise through wildfire smoke.
Paddling away from camp 5 up the lake, smoke obvious at horizon.
Breakfast stop up the steep 60° slope under some shade provided by a spruce tree. Beautiful butterfly settles on my gloves and sleevelets on shore. I have to scramble higher up to some levelish mossy ground for a bathroom break.
Crossing a large bay against a light headwind headed towards the channel into a smaller inlet. Without map to show the presence of the passage and compass to direct me it is not obvious from a distance that there is an opening.
Approaching the landing of the next portage. At first I head into shore in the wrong location before finding the correct spot.
The long 1200 metre trail heads uphill all the way to a steep slope down to the next lake. The path is mostly clear except for one place with fallen trees, completely impassable. First I have to cut out a big pile of brush and small trees, mostly spruce. Next I limb two large trees; it is necessary to remove their branches before cutting the logs out, the tallest in two sections. This single location takes one hour to clear. The path veers along the line of least resistance; it is a rare portage that remains straight and in the same place over the years as trees fall. I can step over the tall birch tree with all loads except the canoe which I drag underneath. It takes a few grunts from me and several pivots and swivels to get the 17 foot canoe around the turn.
Shortly after landing rain starts accompanied by thunder and I soon get soaked as I carry loads. I wear a rain jacket for awhile but am sweat soaked anyway so do not keep it on. As I approach the lower end of the portage for another load it pours heavily and pea-sized hail starts to fall. After scanning for a tree fork to hoist the canoe into for shelter, I lift it over two barrels and crawl underneath to sit out the worst part of the storm.
July 1, a sunny clear day after travelling yesterday. Late to reach camp at 19:30 on 'Michael's' island I erected the nylon tent in the rain, so set up a minimal camp. Note the barrels beside the tent were not tied (until today), the alarm bells just sitting on top. Hopefully this close to the tent I would hear anything that disturbed the barrels.
Some gear laid out to dry in the sun.
July 2 more rain so I set up the Tarp and better fireplace nearby in a more sheltered clearing. Cooking on the grill is pike for supper chowder; the flesh is cubed and boiled vigorously for five minutes before adding potato flakes, chicken soup base and ghee ... mmm good! A bannock is baking next to the fire. In the pan are protein bar segments and salad of fireweed flowers and seed pods. Hot boiled water sits in the pot behind the bannock.
Mosquitoes and blackflies bothersome, I sit in the Bug Tent to update maps and journal, do a puzzle and sew the separated seam of a canoe glove.
July 1, clothes worn on the portage were rain and sweat soaked; the photo shows some of them hanging to dry after rinsing in the lake. The canvas gun case got damp so it also is suspended on the line.
July 2, weather clears so I have a welcome bath. My clothes hang on the line while bathing, along with bedding.
Dead mayflies in the water. Various species of mayflies hatch for a very short lived existence all season long, not just in May.
Flies caught in a spiderweb suspended between branches. It is amazing to watch a spider spin her web crossing and recrossing open space trailing and attaching new strands.
17:40 July 1 smoke in the northerly distance belching into the sky, not a good sign. That is the area where I am heading and of which Jeanette's text warned me.
05:33 July 2 sunrise through wildfire smoke.
17:00 July 2 an ominous smoky cast to the sky. No question about the need to wear an N95 mask.
July 3 smoke continues to be bad.
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Summary:
Portage blocked with down trees takes one hour to clear on the 1200 metre trail. A long pull of the canoe up the slope rising most of the way. Thunderstorm brings heavy rain and hail over the course of four hours on the portage; take shelter underneath the canoe. Wear head net against blackflies and mosquitoes. More rain as I set up camp adding to my already soaked clothes and boots. Late to camp 6 at 19:30, eating supper in tent, not to bed till 20:30 after minimal camp setup. Wet clothes and gear dry over the course of one day. Wear N95 mask much of time. Smoke billows up high in sky in target area. Catch pike for two meals. Move to a better protected clearing for Tarp shelter and new fireplace. Rainfall continues while at camp. Reflect on how canoe travel has become more difficult partly perhaps due to age but largely to worsening conditions of low water, state of portages, forest fire, all influenced by climate change. Travel nine kilometres including the 1.2 kilometre portage.
June 30:
After raining several times last evening and again through the night, I arise at 04:00. Hauling gear the 100 metres to shore I leave by 07:00. Other than that distance the site provided an excellent camp; there are no 'perfect' locations. Reaching the end of the last inlet to the next portage I first land at the wrong place before backing out to try again. Skies look threatening. The trail is a long 1.2 kilometres rising uphill most of the way before dropping down a steep slope to the next lake. I do not look forward to the carry or pulling the canoe that distance. Fortunately the path is mostly grassy, good for sliding the canoe. Carrying my first load, well before the top I encounter the trail completely blocked by three large down trees, two spruce and a birch. This is in the same place where even larger trees in previous years have been cut out with a chainsaw, probably by the local fly-in outfitter. It takes one hour to clear, using mostly the saw but some axe work. Before I can saw the trunks it is necessary to remove and throw off all the branches. Thinking at first to only cut one spruce and duck under the birch and the other criss-crossed spruce I realize it would not be practical as I would have to lower the packs to get through. Now hot and sweaty, the skies are even more threatening with thunder. Finishing the first carry I head back for another load. Returning to the upper end I cover the packs with the large Tarp as it starts to rain. From my journal: "For a bit wear raincoat but makes no sense as I am wet from sweating anyway. When I walk back to the lower end to carry the first barrel it starts pouring rain hard along with pea-sized hail. No suitable forked tree to hoist one end of the canoe into for shelter. No big spruce to sit under. As rain and hail pelter down on me I rest canoe over two of the barrels. Place the two paddles underneath. Crawl beneath to sit on the paddle blades to the drum of rain and hail on my 'roof' of the overturned canoe. I'm soaking wet. Wait for about 15 minutes for hail to stop and rain to ease before crawling out to finish carrying the loads. While walking I eat lunch over the course of three carries. After each load I drink a full 400 mL cup of LifeStraw® water. Finally I drag the canoe, the hard part most of the way uphill switching between left and right arms depending on which way canoe headed on the jigs and jogs of the trail. The last 200 metres provides downhill relief, sometimes having to slow the canoe down to not run over me. Rains on and off for four hours."
From my journal: "As I canoe on the rain stops but sky still looks ominously dark and threatening. Paddle against brisk headwind, finally reaching 'Michael's island'. The isle is in good shape except for three big trees down over my former Tarp shelter area. Chilled and shivering a bit from being wet and hit by the wind. Land at 19:30 and activate SPOT™. Start fire which feels good as I pass by while working. Boil water and make mac & cheese. Unload canoe storing usual gear under plus some wet gear to dry tomorrow. Start erecting tent as I eat; have already pruned alders out of the way. All of sudden big thunder clap and long brilliant lightning flash with some rain. Have delayed tent too long! Up and pegged, inner tent only slightly damp. While gentle rain get gear inside tent. In a reverse of spaces, put Clothes Pack to open in front vestibule, remainder of gear in rear. Also in front three separate pans, mac & cheese pot in one, hot water pot in another and in last pan cup, spoon, knife, dental floss, gum (already prepped to eat outside before rain). Douse fire. Leave two heavy barrels beside the tent untethered, bells just laying on top. All gear a bit damp but luckily not too bad. Manage to get inside tent without mosquitoes I hope. In tent remove all my wet clothes, including soaked boots. Wrap wet clothes in jeans and place on wet hat at front door. Add wet gun case to the pile. Lay out sleep gear propped up on low side with folded small dry tarp and two clothes bags. Assemble chair and place dry clothes in it at back of tent. Light candle. Gun (dry) and as usual now loaded goes into silicone sleeve. Do ablutions and don sleep socks and undershorts. Retrieve the two pans with mac & cheese and utensils but leave water pot (safer instead to use canteen; don't want spilled water in tent). Headlamp on I dread what I see in vestibule - dozens of mosquitoes! Only opening the bottom zipper somehow manage to get the two pans inside with only one mosquito to be swatted later. Rely mainly on candle using headlamp as required. Leave supper dishes inside tent at doorway; no way risking opening door again! In bed by 20:30. A long hard day delayed by portage clearing, rain and hail. Surprisingly level bed ... yay! Sleep well, right leg cramping occasionally; thank goodness for LifeStraw® to keep hydrated. Blowing out LifeStraw® after almost every cupful has solved the plugging issues of last year. Amazing what you discover when read directions! Gentle rain continues through all this for about two hours, and as I fall asleep." Have travelled nine kilometres including 1200 metre portage after one hour of clearing.
July 1 Canada Day:
Slept well last night in pajamas and fleece shell, the levelest bed so far ... yay! Up at 06:30 after my usual seven hours of sleep I am dressed in all clean dry clothes; these are the spare clothes to be permanently changed into at the halfway trip point but for now what I wear until in-use clothes dry. Hundreds of mosquitoes await in both vestibules and between tent roofs, buzzing noisily. I get out the mosquito coils to light later after returning bedding hanging on clothesline. Hang wet packs from tent and gear from under canoe in trees to dry in the sun and breeze. Breakfast is finished by 09:45. Thankfully I get up to a beautiful clear day which remains such all day. Before hanging up all the wet clothes I rinse them in the lake. The Waist Pack gear, only slightly damp, I lay out to dry on the Tarp. By midday, a sunny 26°C with clear sky and nice breeze, much of the gear is dry. Blackflies and mosquitoes drive me away from the fireplace area. I erect the Tarp shelter in a better protected clearing about 20 metres from tent, Bug Tent underneath where I eat lunch and update journal and map.
From my journal: "Reflecting on travel by canoe. I assume part of difficulty as I get older is age itself. But conditions are playing a bigger negative aspect - low water, worsening state of portages, forest fire, all influenced by climate change. Maybe it's time to stick to lake canoeing. When fellow canoeist John suggested Reindeer Lake this year it was as an alternative to my planned route under fire. I replied that I was saving lakes like that for when I'm older 😀." (As it turned out though the road to that lake and others farther north was closed due to fire.)
At 17:40 supper, towards the north I spot a large billow of smoke puffing up into the sky, directly in the area to which I am heading. As I eat in the breeze at shore sitting directly above the water, mosquitoes are biting the backs of my hands, buggers. I wear the hat scarf to keep them away from my face. From my journal: "On portage wearing head net, gloves, wristlets I was immune. Would see a dozen or more mosquitoes perched on my pant leg. If stop could kill six or more with one blow, kind of like Jack the Giant Killer (who killed seven flies)." [I always thought it was Jack, but on checking at home it was the Brave Little Tailor who killed the flies. Jack just killed giants.] Having already burned a mosquito coil inside the tent, half hour before bedtime I light a second in the front vestibule. It helps minimize bringing mosquitoes into the tent, not too long before retiring so it is effective but 30 minutes for the two inch strip to finish burning. Later inside the tent I see at least a dozen mosquitoes in the vestibule. I fall asleep to the repeated calling of a loon nearby on the lake.
July 2:
Cool last night at 12°C for a good night's sleep. I wear the original clothes again, now cleaner and dry. Crow alarms accompany my awakening at 05:00, continuing the raucous calls repeatedly for a long time, even later as they move to other islands. I catch a 21 inch pike from shore, a second fish bunting the hook but not biting even after I try four different lures. Blackflies are bothersome enough to wear the head net. With a storm approaching I return to camp. A thunderstorm progresses from west to east over a two hour period but bypasses me to the north. Hopefully it drops some rain on the forest fire. I decide to build a new fireplace close to the Tarp shelter in the better protected clearing. There is no place by the existing fireplace to hoist the Tarp and very exposed it would be miserable in rain and wind. From my journal: "New fireplace an engineering genius. To hold grill two flattish stones balanced on top of two others on each side. Two rocks extending on either side backed by three more. Easy digging soil close by to bank all round fireplace, especially up sides of grill stones to hold in place. Good fireproofing around the fire. Can smell mild smoke so will try a mask after breakfast to see if I notice a difference, my crude test for required masking." Now the mosquitoes are bothersome, darn things are sneaky, silently landing on hands, only to be noticed when they bite. Definitely smoky now, visible against the landscape close by, I have worn mask since breakfast for a noted improvement in breathing. Before lunch I have a bath then move into the Bug Tent under the Tarp shelter to escape the bugs, update journal, sew a canoe glove, do some puzzles. Midafternoon thunder rolls through again so I get dressed to go outside to put some gear away. Rain would be good! A merganser paddles past near shore with her brood of at least six ducklings. At supper of pike chowder thunder again passes close by. Still having to mask I go early to tent so as not to have to continue wearing it. There are not lurking mobs of mosquitoes in the tent vestibule so do not use the extra mosquito coil, just the one earlier in the day inside the tent.
July 3:
Rain falls on and off all night, thunderstorms rolling through several times from west to east. Yay! I give thanks for the rain, but hope lightning does not start more wildfire. Early morning crows continue their raucous calls. Up by 05:45 I don rain jacket to carry gear from tent to Tarp shelter in two trips. A fire for baking bannock and boiling water provides welcome warmth. I string a rope beneath the Tarp to hang some clothes to dry. Smoke haze all round I wear mask again all morning. The fireplace is positioned too close to the Tarp and it now has spark holes that I will have to duct tape (nine when I patch later). Rain postpones my plan for early fishing. After lunch with no luck casting from shore I decide to take the canoe out. Paddling along the mainland shore I quickly catch two pike (20", 22"), success faster than expected so am pleased. Flies on shore are terrible on and around me when cleaning the fish until fillets bagged and guts discarded in water. I receive several painful deer fly bites on the backs of my hands today; they will itch for a few days. 26°C, sunny but smoke cleared, I do all the sweaty chores including prepacking and making supper then have a glorious bath before bedtime.