Thursday, September 05, 2024: A Silent Day. 6.2 miles (5.0c, 1.2p). 6 portages (460, 420, 110, 110, 190, and 160m). Trant, five no names, and Silence Lakes.

The rain stopped sometime during the night, but we woke to a solid gray sky. We had coffee and breakfast before rain started; we quickly pitched the dining fly on the ridgeline I'd set up last night, and stood under it for about 30 minutes until the shower passed, then packed gear and loaded the canoe. As we set out in full rain gear, light rain started again and we seemed to chase (and catch up with) patchy showers several times today. The wind wasn't bad today, but when it did blow, it was a cold wind from the north.

Before the portage out of the third no name we stopped at a 'desperation' site for lunch. After looking around for the portage, we remembered being at this same portage and traveling in the same direction several years ago. As we ate lunch, memory retrieval units kicked in, and we recalled that the portage was on the other side of a rocky inlet behind the site. It was almost impossible to see, and required a bit of rock-hopping to get to solid ground. Sadly, the solid ground didn't last long, as we were quickly in muddy knee-deep water with a soft bottom. And in spots it got deeper!

We had planned to camp on Shade tonight, but our late start and soaking wet tent fly made our stop on Silence a wiser choice. We looped around 'shopping' for a site, and while the site was only average, the earlier stop gave our gear more time to dry during the cool, cloudy afternoon. It was 59 degrees when we made camp at 2:45. Haven't seen another person today.
Tonight's dinner was Fiesta Rice with Corn & Chicken, another of several new recipes for the trip. It's a keeper, with a good spice level and easy rehydration. And the evening's temperature made us eager to clean cooking/eating gear, hang the bear bag, and get into the tent for Farkle and McManus. The down sleeping bags that have been a bit on the warm side earlier in the trip feel great now.