Leaving Home

The rain stopped by morning; we woke to another sunny day. Learning from the previous day, I skipped the step of trying to make a fire — the stove, the chair, and I went directly to the shore. In addition to coffee, I also made hot chocolate to try to entice the others out of the tent. Those kids love that tent though, by the time they arrived it was for cold chocolate.

We don't have many photos from the morning so here is a preview of what was waiting for us at the end of the day. The scary sounding, but scenic looking, Bug Lake.

Preparing for the Day

Getting to Bug Lake would be as challenging as getting to Carl Wilson. There are two portages — a 410 and a 760 metre. It may actually be more difficult than before, because these portages are not maintained as frequently, and according to the internet, they go straight up. We would be carrying all of our gear about 75 metres — this is about the same as climbing a ladder with 300 rungs.

We did some planning based on things we learned on the first long portage. With a large part of our food gone, I was able to transfer some things from the kid's loads into the food barrel. We planned sufficient water supplies and I didn't worry about carrying extra water weight. We prepared to eat lunch before starting the portages. Most importantly, our post-portage treats were easily accessible — we really could have them at the end of the portage.

Breakfast and Away

Breakfast was the same as the previous day; pancakes and bacon. We picked that meal in order to save the simpler meal for the following day, which would have its own challenges. This time I tried to use the bacon as grease for pancakes by heating a few bacon slices, then making a few pancakes. This didn't work any better than using butter on the previous day. I think that oil will be the way to go next time.

Away We Go

We estimated that it would take one hour of canoeing to reach the start of our portage. We took our time packing up and left the site around 11am, so we could get to our pre-portage lunch at about noon.

With impeccable timing, the sun left and rain started just as we were about to depart. The day had started out promising, but didn't look that way anymore. We put on rain pants and jackets and headed out. Things were still on our side though; the air was warm, the rain was light, and I wound up removing the jacket before too long.

Loony Escort

Some loons came out to see us off as we canoed away which gave the kids another chance to practice loon calls. William joined in this time and was able to get answers as well. Two loony kids!

It wasn't too windy and it was tempting to cross straight to the southern cliffs to get a closer look. We decided against it though and followed the west shore up to the narrows, then crossed over in time to see the northern cliffs up close. This gave a mix of views, one set of cliffs from a distance, the other one up close.

Windy Rain

In addition to seeing cliffs, the other thing that happened when we got through the narrows is that the headwind was no longer blocked. The air temperature is really what saved us that morning. If it had been cold and wet, then the wind would not have helped our moods. As it was, the gentle rain in warm air was mainly refreshing. My jacket was still off and I didn't really get wet, the photo of the kids shows their jackets as mostly dry too.

This stretch of the trip was a chance to practice our canoe and wind management. There was a combination of things happening; wind was blowing from the port bow and also seemed to be coming down the cliffs to starboard. We were also close enough to shore to get waves reflected from there. Fifty feet out would probably have been simpler, but it was fun so we ploughed through it all. There was one five-minute stretch of "everyone paddle" to get across a small bay, but we otherwise had no trouble.

Hydration

We stopped for multiple water breaks on the way up the lake because we didn't want to repeat the problems from day two. There is a protected bay around the last cliff, which we used to top up water. This would be the last big lake until getting to Cedar the next day, I was hoping to get enough to last. Between drinking and topping up the kid's bottles, we managed to empty the 2L container. I refilled it and got tablets started so that it would be ready by the time that we got to camp.

Managing the four-hour purification delay was a challenge and I'll look into other options for the next trip. Either faster tablets or a mechanical filter. Another option might be a second 2L container, which would provide a way to stagger the waits.