Summary

This trip went well. We found an island site on our intended lake. The rains held off until we had camp set up and could take shelter under a tarp. The first timers were treated to a variety of weather including glass calm paddling, rain storms and majestic sunsets. They also got to experience portages with nice landings, rocky portages, short portages and a long portage. We caught enough fish to have two meals.

We have come a long way since our first trip where I had to help carry MLG’s canoe. He continues to grow and has shown he can portage his own canoe for a mile.

Meeds lake is a beautiful lake with many islands. Even though it is an entry point lake we didn’t see many people, perhaps because of the one mile portage. We saw about one group per day. Some of those groups were two people in one canoe. We camped at the site nearest to the entry point portage. As far as I could tell, we saw one group enter with camping gear and spend the night on the other island site. We also passed a group on their way in as we exited. The other groups were out for the day fishing.

As I think back, the two amazing sunsets were the highlight of the trip. It is not every day where the conditions are right for a sunset. Sitting quietly on an island with an unobstructed view of a wild shoreline brings peace and serenity. This time is special because it passes. There is about a magic hour before the sun goes down and the night takes over. These moments are what make it worth it to paddle and portage after all the careful planning and preparation that precede the trip.