Day Five- Wind has died down to a breeze but is still out of the east. Every way we went this trip the wind was coming right at us. We had our usual quick breakfast and left camp by 8:30. Going back upriver was not difficult at all. I forget now which rapids it was but there are two small ones close together that we paddled through on the way down. I think on the first one my partner and I decided we could paddle back up it also. We were the first to try and gave the others a pretty good laugh as we tried three times only to be foiled every time when we were just about through it. Through tears of laughter the others said we looked like cartoon characters with paddles flashing, water and spray flying , shouting at each other that were “just about there - keep going”, only to be perfectly motionless in one place. We were pretty pooped so did the short portage while the others lined their canoes up the right side. So much for the ego on that attempt.

We paddled and portaged from then on to the site just before the Island River comes in off to the right. It’s elevated on the left side. We were able to squeeze our tents in and set up rain tarps just before a deluge hit us. It rained hard and nonstop for over 4 hours and the temps dropped to make us hover over the fire the rest of the day. I had hoped to fish the narrow channel right along the campsite but gave up on it after a short try as the sky was opening up. It rained off and on that night and we woke up soggy through and through.