Packing day for leaving Kawnipi was perfect. Dave_B and I were up early since I was determined to do pancakes again.

After boiling water for everyone, and then boiling some more water, Dave_B and I quickly put together our pancake breakfast. When you’re only cooking for two, the pancake breakfasts go pretty fast. We were done with breakfast, coffee and had started packing our cook equipment within an hour or so.

Everyone contributed adequately to breaking camp, and once all the community gear was accounted for, it was distributed to those who brought it. GadgetMan and Kristen_E wanted to try to find the Kawa Bay pictographs so they went ahead and left. It would be another hour before we left the campsite.

After making a final walk around the campsite, Chms, SmallieSaver, Dave_B and I finally left the campsite…….I was sad. This was one of the best sites I have ever been on, and I really wanted to stay a couple more days. I commented to Chms that it felt like we just got here yesterday. He said that when you feel that way, you KNOW the trip has been a great trip. He was right. By this time in a trip I’m usually missing home, and ready for the trip to wind down. This was not the case this time.

For some reason, I really wanted to stay another day.

We made great time to the first couple of portages. Dave B and I had broke down our rods and were packing the same way we came in. Chms and SmallieSaver were fishing on the way out, which was fine. Since Dave_B and I were quite a bit slower over most portages, this afforded them the opportunity to fish above and below most falls.

After the second set of portages, Chms, SmallieSaver, Dave_B and I figured that we should discuss the idea of trying to make it to Cache Bay instead of below Dead Mans or Silver Falls as originally discussed the night before.

We were lighter, and we had a great tailwind pushing us the entire way. Once we caught up with Kristen_E and GadgetMan, we discussed with them and it was decided that we would call it by ear, but would definitely try a GREAT PUSH to get to Cache Bay. If we managed to make Cache Bay tonight, we’d have all day Thursday and all morning Friday to fish. That would add a good amount of fishing time to this particular trip.

It was decided…….

On a previous trip, Dan_S and I had been wind bound on Cache Bay and ended up having to create a camp on Cache Bay. I distinctly remembered passing at least two campsites along the east bank of Cache Bay, as soon as you left the chute and entered the bowl of Cache. I discussed this with the group, but there were serious issues with this plan. First, that was a long way. Second, there was not very much time for campsite searching if those didn’t pan out. Third was the fact that neither of the campsites I remembered were on any map. I guaranteed the group that these in fact existed.

We all decided that if there was time, and if there was light, and if the weather cooperated, we would try for a push to Cache Bay.

Time management was pretty critical. Chms and SmallieSaver still planned on fishing out. Since they were faster than Dave_B and I, they took up the rear and would be the last canoe over the portages. By the time Dave and I had cleared our first trip over, Chms and SmallieSaver were at the landing unloading. This gave them 10 or 15 minutes below every fall. They would not fish above any fall the rest of the trip.

We were making fantastic time, and the pack management that Dave_B and I did to rebalance the loads made for even lighter packs. We still had 3 packs, but now they weighed much less. Dave_B’s Kondos pack was still a little heavier than we wanted, but it needed to be so that it would “fill out”. If it was not full, it was not as comfortable to carry.

At the top of Canyon Falls, GadgetMan and Kristen_E were taking a breather when we came over with our final load. GadgetMan had be wet footing the entire trip but for some reason, he decided that he no longer wanted to wet foot. I don’t know the reasoning for this, and may never know. What I do know is that is not a good thing to do mid trip. He was using 5/10 SAR boots, and simply fell in love with them. What he didn’t like was the sealskin waterproof socks that had a failure and was leaking water in the sock. This lead to some seriously STINKY feet. I believe he started dry footing to either save his last pair of dry socks or something of the fact.

No matter….when he attempted to enter the canoe from a dry foot position at the top of Canyon Falls, the canoe decided at an inopportune time to “drift” just a little away from him. Even though Dave_B was holding the back of the canoe, there was no way to control what was about to happen. In an instant Kristen_E was swimming. We helped them gather their gear, but you could tell Kristen_E was a little hot. Maybe the boiling water around her was the hint. Maybe the red face matching her red hair was the hint. No words were said, and I think everyone handled the situation pretty dang good. CRAP HAPPENS. Kristen had a pretty decent scrape and cut on her hand, which we were able to patch up a little. Her hand ended up hurting the rest of the trip, but none of us heard about it……except for maybe GadgetMan.

At Bald Rock Falls, we all took a 30 minute break, ate lunch and calculated our exit plan. We still wanted to make it to Cache Bay, but weren’t too sure about that prospect. Maps were taken out, and we again looked at possible exit points. There were two marked campsites past Silver Falls but before Cache Bay. I knew about these two campsites. I also knew that neither of them was very good, and I didn’t’ think they could support two tent pads, let alone three.

“ARE YOU SURE about campsites on Cache Bay”. My answer……..yea, they are there.

We pushed hard, making it to Saganagons and over Dead Mans portage by 6:30. We were all tired, and beginning to get at each other. This had been a long push, and it was only going to continue. We started to talk and discuss about the nice campsites we were passing up. Yea, there were some nice campsites. Yea we were passing them up. Now though, it was personal. I really wanted to make Cache Bay….mostly because I was the biggest doubter of even trying this push. I wanted to push myself and I wanted to see the results.

After some grumbling and as the sun moved closer towards the horizon, we pushed over the Silver Falls portage.

We quickly passed on the two campsites just past Silver Falls. They were very inadequate, and would have required us splitting up the group. These were not possible solutions. Now it was very clear that my magic, unmarked sites had better be exactly where I expected them.

After passing on the two sights and reaching the Indian burial grounds, we turned the corner and nothing looked like a campsite. DAMN. I knew they were here, but where. We looked for 30 minutes or so. It was now dusk, and getting darker.

Finally we found the first of the two campsites that I new about. This was not much of a campsite but it looked like it had 3 tent pads. Problem solved, and Geo was not burned at the stake. I had second guessed myself multiple times but I knew they had to be here. Dan_S and I had these sites forever burned into our memory. The year we came out of Cache Bay was eerily similar to this trip. It was dark, it was getting late, and in our case, nothing was available. All the campsites on cache were occupied due to the wind that had been blowing 30 mph all day.

Fortunately for me, the campsite ended up being adequate and met our needs for two nights.

We were all dead tired, and we were setting up camp in the dark, but we were here, which was a good thing. Everyone pitched in and setup a quick camp. Water filters were hung, and the table was setup, as well as tents and pads, etc, etc. We did not hang the tarp, but everything else was done to make this a useable space for the next 2 days.

SmallieSaver and I quickly worked out a dinner plan. We would be eating read beans and rice again, making 2 packages and adding stable chicken and summer sausage. I also broke out my oven and baked some more corn bread.

After dinner, everyone went to bed. This was the longest travel day I have ever done. I believe it was the longest travel day any of us had ever done.