Monday, May 26, 2014

Some light rain fell very early this morning for about an hour or so, but thankfully it finished up before sunrise. Things were wet once we got up, but it appeared the clouds were slowly beginning to break up. So much so, that as we finished breakfast & checked the weather radio, we were confident enough to head out for another paddle today.

Since we planned on heading out tomorrow, we decided to take it a bit easier today and just explore Jack Lake.

First we stopped in to check out the other campsite on the lake. All of the maps we had along show it to be at the NE point just as the lake narrows. This was wrong. The correct location was in the middle of the small bay just south of those narrows on the eastern shore. The landing was somewhat rocky with a fire grate that was close to the lake but, didn’t really provide much of a view. There was a large flat area that would accommodate 2-3 tents and the nearby woods were open enough to allow for exploration. Being so close to the water in a low lying boggy area like this, were obvious indicators that this site clearly possessed all the necessary criteria for serious bug problems once things warmed up a bit.

That said, there were still some interesting things to be seen, including a curious pumpkin like fungus that caught Vickie’s eye.

Next we paddled further north towards the Weird lake portage. As we entered the section where the lake opened up just before the portage, Vickie caught a glimpse of something large in the distance. This time Aurora kept her cool, as we stealthily closed the gap between us and the Bull Moose browsing on swamp weeds. Its velvet antlers hadn’t fully formed yet, and, fortuitously, he didn’t rush off as we approached. Aurora sat quietly fascinated, while her Daddy couldn’t believe our good fortune & was very thankful for this rare second chance.

Ultimately the bull ambled off and we proceeded on to the portage.

Once again this portage was home to a plethora of little blue winged moths (not sure???) that Aurora found alluring. When she tired of chasing these, she joined Vickie in her search for neat rocks. Eventually Aurora took the rock searching up a notch & began pitching them into to the river, watching them flutter in the current until they finally came to rest on the bottom. Meanwhile, I kept an eye on Aurora while absorbing the wonderful wilderness atmosphere this portage affords.

Shortly after loading up and heading back south, Aurora began to sway a bit. She was “so tired” and needed to take a nap. So, we pulled off and set her on my seat cushion on the floor of the canoe while propping her up against our day pack. Vickie threw a coat over her & she was down for the count almost instantly.

I don’t consider myself a great fisherman. Still, I usually like to drag the poles along as I do derive some pleasure in the sport. With Aurora napping, this would be the first opportunity we’d had to wet a line. There was no set course - I just let the canoe drift (occasionally ruddering) as we floated southward towards the Kelly lake portage. We didn’t catch a thing! Yet, I still look back at these short moments with extreme fondness. There wasn’t really any conversation we just reveled in our surroundings. The trees, the rocks, the clouds, the breeze & various other sounds. Nothing of particular note occurred or was spoken, yet it was magical. It reminded me of another quote from Thoreau, “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing it is not fish they are after.” At this moment, I think we knew.

At the Kelly Lake portage landing Aurora was still napping. Vickie said she stay back until Aurora woke up. So I tied off the canoe & went back to check out the Jack Lake Mine again. Upon my return Aurora was up, so I shared a snack then took her while Vickie headed off to do some exploring of her own along the rapids of the river. Sometime later, we eventually converged back at the canoe and headed back to camp.

While exploring earlier today, Aurora had found some nice pieces of birch bark. So, as an after supper activity, Vickie thought it would be a creative - fun idea for her to color on them.
We stayed up a bit later this evening, as if trying to absorb as much of this magical wonderland as our senses would allow before we had to leave tomorrow. There was a disturbing congregation of mosquitos forming in the vestibule of our tent. Our permethrin clothing kept them at bay, but clearly they were massing for a full out attack in the next couple of days. Thankfully we’d be gone. Once in the tent, Aurora spent some more time coloring a Hello Kitty birthday card for her cousin Karly, (She would be attending her birthday party the following weekend) before finally succumbing to her heavy eyelids.

Jack Lake, Weird Lake, Kelly Lake