Friday, September 01, 2017 - Birds and wind I had a cold breakfast, packed up, and got away by 7. Paddling wasn’t too bad and I made it to the long portage out of Insula. This portage goes through a burn area and, for the most part, the trees are small. At the end of the portage on the Hudson side, the birds were very active. I stopped and birded for a bit and got some decent pictures. Continuing on was uneventful until I hit Lake Four, where the real wind was waiting. It was waiting more on Three and even more on Two! The wind made it difficult to stop and pay close attention to my map. In addition, I used lees to help handle the wind, so my track was a bit off from the one I took coming in. With a lot of work I made the Lake One portages and then had an easier time on in to the EP. I called Paddle Inn and got a room, cleaned up, and went to Ely Steakhouse. I had briefly thought about stopping for the night on Lake Two, but the weather report called for rain and cold. The report was correct and I was glad I had come on in.

What I learned. 1. Folks told me that my second solo would be smoother than my first, they were correct. I especially did much better on food. 2. I brought my big birding binoculars; I need to get a small pair for canoeing. I will bring a good camera. 3. I have found that I don’t enjoy fishing so much when I solo. I like fishing by myself when fly fishing. I think it’s the hassle of controlling a canoe and fishing at the same time. I will continue to bring a rod, but exploring and birding will likely be my main activities. 4. I found single serving size Mountain Home meals at Wal-Mart. The beef stew, chicken and rice, and beef lasagna were pretty good. 5. Having some sort of mirror is important. (see face story) 6.  Birding in burned areas is easier. 7. I need to learn to identify trees. I tried, but I have a lot of work to do in this area. 8. While on my trip, I started reading Allan Eckert’s second book Wilderness Empire, Eckert’s books are good reads. Living in Cincinnati puts me nearly in the center of the history he narrates. 9. I need to dedicate a knife to my fishing tackle. 10. Using an important new piece of equipment, like a sleep system, for the first time in the wilderness may not be the smartest move! 11. Bring some back up paper and pen (I did) if you cannot find your primary journal materials. Turns out I did have them but they were between the pack liner and the pack. My primary journal is a “Rite in the Rain” notebook; I highly recommend “Rite in the Rain” materials. 12. On my first solo, I moved nearly every night. On this one I spent 2 nights at one camp and 3 at another. I think spending 2-3 nights in a place before moving works well for me. 13. New equipment: 1. (re)zip leak proof storage bags are nice. I used the 1 cup size and the lunch size. 2. My Garmin in-reach was flawless. 3. I have a small pocketknife style made for carving knife, by Queen Cutlery. Great for carving on-the-go. 4. Sea to Summit medium pack liners worked well. My only complaint is that they are not wide enough to fold back over the mouth of my pack (CCS Pioneer and CCS solo food pack). 5. The Big Agnes Insulated Q-Core was great except for the slow leak. 

     ~Three, Lake, Four, Lake, Hudson Lake, Fire Lake, Insula, Lake, Fishdance Lake

Lakes Traveled:   Three, Lake, Four, Lake, Hudson Lake, Fire Lake, Insula, Lake, Fishdance Lake,