I wake from another 11 hour night of sleep. Geez...am I sick? I don't feel sick. I feel fantastic.

I wake up and wash my face in the lake water. I look down at my hand and see a big red mark on my hand with a white ring around it. Shit. My mind goes into a spin: Brown Recluse bite? Seriously Nicole? We don't have those here. But your sister's friend knows two people in Minneapolis that have been bitten by them. Their flesh melted. Yeah but they came in on fruit trucks from the south. Plus we're almost in Canada. Well I don't know. It think it still could be. What about MRSA? What if it's staph? Oh my god I think my chest feels tight and my muscles are sore. Wait....do my muscles always feel like this? ...And on it went for a little while. I talked myself back down from the edge...and I think it ended up being a bad blister :) My mind is my worst enemy.

I did a day trip to Gaskin. I got to see more of Horseshoe and the portage to Gaskin was lovely. Gaskin was windy. I stopped at the island to have lunch and bask in the sun/go for a swim. Paddled around to check out other campsites. Wanted to see the fire. Took my time.

These yokes they rent at outfitters are not made for a woman's shoulders. Ouch.

In my interest of packing light...I neglected to pack sunscreen. I'm a little burnt today. Luckily I packed a small bottle of saint john's wort oil - a great sunburn remedy. I slather it on.

I had a fire this night. I did a fire ceremony and as I made offerings, a bald eagle flew overhead. The first one I had seen yet.

The mosquitos are unbearable by 9pm even by the fire. I'm in the tent reading by 9pm.

I have some wild dreams. Not going to post them here as they're probably not of interest to anyone. But CRAZY dreams with an albino boa that was changing shapes among other things. Weird. Looooong sleep again tonight. 10 hours.