Thursday, September 20, 2012

I'm not a coffee drinker. So the morning routine we settled into was that Vickie would get up and boil water for her coffee, as well as Auroras bottle. While I stayed in the tent waiting for Aurora to wake up & giving her a warm bottle and getting her ready for the day once she did.

The rain had quit at some point during the overnight but, the wind had picked up. Making for a very cool reception once exiting the tent. A cup of hot chocolate kept the internal furnace burning while I prepared pancakes & fresh bacon for breakfast.

The sustained intensity of the wind meant we weren't going to stray too far from camp until it relented. So I set about processing firewood. Eager to help, Aurora chipped in where she could. Fortunately the air temperature warmed up quickly. [paragraph break]

Perhaps our greatest realistic fear going in was how Aurora was going to handle getting around camp. As anyone who has seen a typical canoe country campsite knows, most are littered with annoying protruding roots & rocks. Potentially making walking through camp a hazardous affair even for adults, much less for someone who literally only learned to walk a few months prior to this trip. To our absolute astonishment, our little girl stubbornly refused any guidance or assistance. (I'm told she gets that from her dad???) To watch her carefully weave her way around each obstacle was both incredibly cute & inspiring at the same time. I don't think we could've been prouder?

We were always close at hand but, she was so sure footed that we even mostly let her go it alone in the woods. Watching her marvel at the various treasures that lay at her feet, then proudly offering them to us as a gift for her new found freedom.

The day was spent in & near camp. Everything in camp was as we wanted it. Firewood was chopped, plenty of water had been filtered, Auroras play area had been arranged. Really there wasn't much more to do but wait out the wind. Conceding that we weren't gonna be able to get out anymore today, I retreated to the tent to lay Aurora down for a nap & maybe catch one myself.

Vickie took this opportunity to do some exploration on her own.

As per usual, seeking out unique rocks dominated her discoveries.

Upon Vickies return to camp, Aurora had woken up. She also informed me that the wind had pretty much died down and the lake looked very placid. Perhaps we could still get out for a short while yet today?!

There was only a couple hours of daylight remaining. What with being cooped up in camp all day, it took us no time at all to get out on the water. Initially we paddled south to check out the southern lobe. I thought the area just under the majestic cliffs looked to be a promising spot to start fishing. So I threw out my rapala and let out some line. I guess my reaction was a fitting testament to how things had went that day? No sooner had I closed the bail, when my rod doubled over. I exclaimed out loud, "You gotta be kidding me! Snagged already!?" I grabbed my pole and gave it a frustrated tug trying to extract my lure. Thing was, this snag tugged back. Fish on! How 'bout that?! Had a nice battle with a 20+ inch lake trout. We didn't have a net, so finally getting him in the canoe was something of a comical effort. Our supper menu for the evening was suddenly substantially upgraded.

Afterwards, we continued our exploration. As we came back around to the narrows & our campsite, I figured to put our rock live well to a most meritorious, and intended, use as we then continued paddling around the northern lobe. [paragraph break]

There were also some neat cliffs in the western bay near where the other campsite was supposed to be. Never did see exactly where that campsite was located. It wasn't plainly visible from out on the lake so we surmised it must not get a lot of use. With daylight running out, we worked our way clockwise around the lake back to camp. Enjoying a lovely, if all too brief, serene evening paddle.

Back in camp I set about preparing the trout & getting the fire going to cook it. Once the sun went down it cooled off quickly. So the fire served the dual purpose of providing some welcome warmth as well.

Thoroughly enjoyed the bounty that canoe country had provided us today, with the tasty trout supper. We were both thankful for the opportunity to get out on the lake today. Retired to our tent with satisfyingly full bellies, hoping tomorrow would provide us with a greater offering of safe exploration.

Gun Lake