I’m sitting in the shade on the campsite closest to the 40 rod portage on Upper Pauness Lake. It took me 3 hours to reach Upper Pauness, not the 4 hours I thought it would take to get to Lower Pauness. I guess I was very conservative with my estimate. I’m still glad I left early because the wind is already picking up, though it looks like it is going to be a hot, sunny day.

Just saw my first gull up here. And now I see an eagle, herring gull, and turkey vulture all sharing the same air space at the same time. Weird. I don’t think I have ever seen that before. I did see a turkey vulture earlier perched in a tree I was paddling under. He just stared down at me, which made me a little nervous (“Ummm, do you know something I don’t?”).

It started raining again last night about 6:30pm and stopped sometime before midnight. I went to bed about 8:15pm to read and listen to the rain. I did wake up at 4:30am but just couldn’t drag myself out of bed until 5:00am. I had a granola bar for breakfast but it still took me until 6:00am to get onto the water.

Everything went smoothly paddling and portaging, though I was tired – weary tired. I wasn’t sleepy or exerting myself too much. It was no energy or my energy was easily zapped. On my last doctor visit he said I should have my thyroid tested. I think I will.

……………………………………………………………………………………………. 4:00pm

The weather keeps changing quickly. I hope it doesn’t rain because I am not setting up the tarp. The wind will pick up, and then, die, and then change directions. It’s been doing that since I got to this site. It was hot and sunny. Now it’s breezy and overcast.

I had oatmeal for lunch.

The FS plane has been flying over. I’ve seen a little canoe traffic but not too much. I thought it would be busier on Memorial Day Weekend.

I’ve named the trail to the latrine The Rose Path. It is lined with wild roses that are just beginning to bloom. Nice.

This site is the poorest of the sites I’ve stayed on in this trip. It is very overused and the tent pads are dusty, hard-packed dirt. The fire grate is very exposed and half-way down a granite slope to the water (I’m using my stove/kitchen on top of the hill). There are lots of ants – maybe because of the roses?

All the sites I have stayed at on this trip have been pretty clean. All I have found is a purple twist tie (who knew they made purple ones?), a small piece of foil, and a steel fishing leader.

I have not been lonely at all on this trip, nor bored, nor freaked out in anyway. However, I haven’t been doing much either. Sure I have traveled every day, and packed and set up camp, but once in camp mostly I have been reading, thinking, and nodding off in my chair. Not a very adventurous trip.

My chair is nice. I found one with arms and a cup holder as light as one without arms. It has lightweight construction so I don’t expect it to last many trips, but it will last this one. The cup holder is very handy for my Diet Coke (with Lime) bottle, which now contains orange drink and rum.

I’m planning on another cold breakfast tomorrow so I can leave early and get back home before dark. I want to go back to Ely so that I can buy a shower at VNO rather than go through Buyck, which I believe is the faster way home. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 7:15pm

I’m watching a guy fishing. I said hi to him as he went by paddling a P16 solo. He looks like he knows what he’s doing both paddling and fishing. Oh! He just caught something. I can’t tell what, but it’s pretty big with a white belly so it’s probably a northern.

I just finished a rum lemonade. I’m thinking about having another. I have just enough rum left and one lemonade.

Supper tonight was a chicken noodle side dish with a Spam Single cut up into it. Surprisingly, it was OK.