Malberg all day baby!

Day three finds me up and about at 10:00, well rested and refreshed after my first full night in my improvised hammock. I had slept in this at home to test it out, but not for a full night yet, and was not disappointed at all. It was kind of weird being confined like that, but I definitely slept well. The wind is blowing pretty hard from the west, so I take a lazy pace right from the start, not having any planned traveling for the day anyhow. While getting the food pack down I notice that the water level in the lake is rising significantly; at least a few inches overnight. I eat a cold breakfast of trail mix and fruit and nut bars because I can on this trip. That is to say that I am enjoying the luxury of not having any pressure to feed the masses this trip; usually I am the camp cook and meals rest firmly on my shoulders.

I decide to test the Prism in the wind while close to home and with a camp setup. I throw the food pack in the bow and take off into the wind. It didn’t trim very well with the light pack, but it was doable. I paddle the entirety of Malberg and explore every bay and channel while doing minimal fishing. I enjoy the freedom of the basecamp routine for today and make my way back to camp by about 16:00. As I am preparing for dinner I realize, painfully, that I neglected to put on sunscreen today and that my knees are painfully sun burnt to a crisp. (Third act of foolishness this trip.)

I heat up 4 oz precooked chicken breast that came in a foil pouch made by Bumble Bee, southwest flavor. It and 4oz of pepper jack cheese get crammed between two tortillas to make a gourmet melted dinner: good eats. After one cup of coffee I find myself lying in bed enjoying the breeze by 19:00. Tomorrow I plan to explore part of the Kawishiwi river, Trapline lake, Beaver lake, Smite lake, and Adams lake before returning home for dinner here again. I think I will definitely where pants to protect my sun burnt legs and my boots to protect my battered shins and feet from yesterday.

I am lying in bed pondering that the main reason for this solo trip is for me to reconnect spiritually and get my head straight. I notice a recurring theme popping up in my day to day routine: of all the things that went wrong so far, I knew better, but for lack of discipline, didn’t do better. Maybe part of the reason that things are coming unglued back home has to do with knowing better but not doing better. Sometimes we learn in odd ways. After playing around with my camera while the sun is setting I drift off to sleep just as it is getting dark.