Day 4. Thursday, August 17

Rained in on Sturgeon-1 mile/0 portages

SLUG CAMP 1. “And then it rained some more and did I say there was wind?” It poured down rain for twenty hours, all through the previous night until 200pm in the afternoon. Not a drizzle, not a light rain, but a frog strangling rain that made it hard to hear yourself think under the tarp. Though we were snug and dry in the tent, Tony thought he heard the tarp blow down in the night so we got up to check. But no, it was fine and keeping all dry. We had coffee and oatmeal for breakfast at about 630am and secured the lines on the tent and tarp. Today was the day of the slug.

We collected dozens off our gear and ourselves. One even slimed Tony’s sock? They went for our water bottles and tried to get in our tent. They are surprisingly fast little slimers. Really, they move at lightning speed. When you look away, BANG, they are suddenly back from whence you had recently flicked them. From 800am to 1200pm we had a rousing game of gin rummy, zipped snuggly into our puffy jackets, flicking slugs away. At noon, we cheered ourselves up with some chicken noodle soup packets and sausage quesadillas. I tried to talk Tony into fried slugs with garlic but he wasn’t interested. By 200pm the rain had slowed to a drizzle but the wind was pushing wind swell down the lake directly toward us. Yes, from the east. Tony hit the tent for a nap while I circled the island casting about for small bass. The windward side was a full-on ocean and the leeward side was thick with mosquitoes, I guess they were blown in there too. Tony got up and we played cards between 400-530pm and by now I was really losing badly (per usual). We had a scrumptious smoked salmon pasta with garlic and shallots for dinner and then with the wind lessening slightly I talked Tony into a couple of hours of fishing around the islands, but we only scared up a walleye and a pike. We went to bed under thick, low clouds listening to the wind howling and hoping for a day that’s paddle-able tomorrow. Also, I blew out my Chaco. Ironic too because Tony was very worried about his and I, of course, was being very nonchalant (meaning I completely ignored the possibility). Now, I am being very careful in hopes of not blowing it out totally. Day 4, hmmm, what are the chances. . .

Day 5. Friday, August 18

Sturgeon to Poohbah-14.79 miles/6 portages (43R, 51R, 59R, 81R, 35R, 45R) and 1 stream walk

The wind died sometime in the night and we awoke at 600am to the low cloud cover. We had a breakfast of coffee-like beverages and oatmeal, this time with the rediscovered walnuts and raisins (really makes a difference). We launched at 815am and paddled down to the first portage and moved easily around.

We spent about an hour fishing below the first fall catching a couple of large bass and one pike, as well as many smaller bass. We moved through the next two portages catching bass and wishing we had all day to linger and fish, but we are a day behind schedule due to the storm and moving on to Poohbah. The Maligne River is exceptionally beautiful with many little islands and swirling currents. I really fell in love with the area and tried to soak in all the images (when I wasn’t fishing). We had lunch at a small scenic campsite at the bottom of the third portage and caught about a half a dozen small bass from shore. We moved on down into Poohbah Creek and turned into the land of reeds and grasslands and ponds. We paddled through the grasslands, negotiating the first two portages and then had trouble finding the third. Eventually, we walked the boat up the creek among a jumble of rocks be before locating it and after a short paddle, the fourth. It was not quite a b*ll-buster, but we both agreed we prefer one long portage over several short. Moving all the bags in and out of the boats is a killer on our aging backs. Once the weight is up it’s fine, it’s the lifting and twisting that wears on ya. . .The portages along the Maligne were wide and easy. On Poohbah Creek, they are narrow and rocky, with a little mud thrown in for good measure. We made the final paddle up the creek to the lake and turned down toward the southern part of the lake to look for a camp. We decided on a well-used island camp not far from the Death March Portages. It’s a scenic little spot that has been badly abused, but it was 530pm so we decided to call it home. We set up the damp tent and tarp to dry, and with an eagle circling overhead went for a quick swim. It felt so great to wash off the sweat and grime. We even rinsed our clothes and hung them to dry on a line. We made a quick dinner of Asian Rice and Chicken, followed by Double Chocolate Cheesecake for dessert. Tony built a campfire (our first of the trip) and used it as an excuse to clean up all the little bits of trash and yes, toilet paper around camp. We went to bed around 900pm as the mosquitoes arrived in force.

Time-out for a short rant: Why are some people so inconsiderate of the wilderness? Do they have no consideration for those who come behind them? Do they not care enough for the opportunity to experience the wilderness that they care enough to take care of it? For example, when we landed at this camp there were tomatoes and spaghetti floating in the shallows and a large sliced onion thrown in the bushes. The camp smelled of a combination of urine and fish, and there was a dug-up latrine halfway between the fireplace and the water complete with TP and wet wipes scattered through the woods. Someone had cleaned fish on a large rock right near the shore and left fish scales and bones scattered about. The fireplace was full of hard plastic remnants…micro trash everywhere and yes, we cleaned it up. We built a fire to burn the TP, someone(s) had left on the ground near camp. Yes, it was disgusting. I’m done now. . .rant over.

Day 6. Saturday, August 19 Stinky Camp, Poohbah Lake

I woke up greeted by a pink glowing sun. It’s a still, bluebird day on Poohbah!

I got up at 600am and snuck over to the point to catch two LARGE bass on my tube bait (green pumpkin) and then a couple of smaller takers. I notified Tony (still in the tent) with a soft yell that is was time to fish. We had a quick hot drink and energy bar before loading up the boat for a three-hour expedition around the islands for walleye but only bass and pike were found. I’m pretty sure I have no idea how to fish for walleye. . .We headed back to camp for a cornmeal pancake brunch and laundry before Tony headed into the tent for a nap. Clouds started building around 115pm with wind from the west. We had a light lunch around 230pm and then rigged up to go fishing. First, we paddled over to a rocky point south of camp on the opposite shore. I caught a walleye but couldn’t boat it. We also caught several medium-sized bass, but the wind made it impossible to stay on the spot. We traveled southwest on the lake hiding from the wind behind islands and catching so many small bass they became kinda a nuisance by biting the tails off our plastics. Finally, around 600pm the wind started to die and we hit a nice rocky point with many nice-sized bass, but again the walleye eluded our capture. We fished this until about 700pm and scooted back to camp for a swim and a quick dinner of Mexican Beans and Rice followed by a quiet and still night on Poohbah.

Thought of the day, “I need to relax more. I’ll practice tomorrow.”