Tuesday, October 10, 2017 When we woke the sky was clear, the sun was slanting directly into our site, and there was a faint coating of frost on our tent fly and tarp. I was cold during the night, waking at some point to put on my down jacket, but Tammy reported a comfortable evening. Our sleeping bag is a Big Agnes double, which we generally find plenty warm. We had slept until nearly 7:30 a.m., probably the longest rest for either of us during the busy past year.

We rekindled the fire, and took our time making coffee and oatmeal, enjoying the sun and slowly peeling off layers of down and fleece as the day warmed. Tammy read by the fire, and I enjoyed packing up camp at a leisurely pace. We were on the water at 10:30, paddled the channel from Thomas into Fraser. We paused for water and trail mix on a small island that offered a nice view, shelter from the northwest breeze, and plenty of sun.

As we snacked, we reached a near-simultaneous conclusion that this -- enjoying the view, sitting comfortably in the sun -- was our new plan for the day. We paddled about 5 minutes back to a campsite (No. 1395), unloaded the canoe and began gathering firewood. It was not yet noon. This is not our typical trip pattern; usually, we are up early and travel most of the day. As we discussed this change, Tammy and I realized just how tired we had been for the past few months, and gave ourselves permission to simply relax. Because I enjoy making camp, I worked slowly at that during the afternoon while Tammy finished her book sitting in the sun. We enjoyed our usual freezer-bag supper, took an evening paddle around a nearby bay, and sat by the fire for a couple hours in the evening listening to a ruffed grouse drum in the woods behind camp.