Sunday, July 17, 2022 Up early again, on the water before 7. Headed up the shore of Loon, heading towards Little Loon and maybe Slim when I passed a site that practically hollered "Hey, check me out!"

Turned around and went back and holy wow, how gorgeous. Site 24 on Loon, right before the entrance to Little Loon.Open shady site surrounded my mature mixed forest of white red and jack pine. Breeze off the water so...no flies! No garbage, so many blueberries...it was like that secret blueberry patch your auntie had that no one knew how to find, and if you found it she would have to kill you. 1 nice tent pad, 2 decentish ones, but a very big widowmaker pointed right at one of those so...beware. Really nice spot for the tarp, lovely kitchen area/firepit.

Only paddled 2 hours, kinda feel like a slacker but I'm okay with that today. Made coffee and cream of wheat and sat observing my kingdom, then set up camp.

So far on this trip I have seen 3 solo canoeists and 6 tandem canoes. At least half the campsites have been empty (shhhh, don't tell the hordes). It's pretty quiet out here.

If the forecast hasn't changed, there should be rain and cooler temps moving in, so I set up the solar shower again and washed clothes. Don't know when I'll get another chance (it never ended up being warm enough again). Felt lovely to be cleanish.....and to have let go of the pressure to do the "right" trip. Journaling, staring out at the water, paddling around some, feeling comfortable in my own skin.....it's enough. And I really like this site, might not move again for a few days. Amelia likes it too, she hasn't gazed longingly at the tent all day. Enough little sunbeams in the breezy shade to make a pup happy.

Had a cool red squirrel encounter- One climbed a tree about 15 ft from me and gave me hell for about 10 minutes, then used the upper branches to climb over to my tree and started coming down towards me yelling all sorts of cuss words. Got up and looked- yup, a hole maybe 15 ft above me. Mama coming back to the nest....sorry girlfriend. I moved and all is quiet in squirrel land now.

Fell asleep to drumming grouse, veerys, loons.

~Loon Lake