Friday, June 3, 2022, Day 9
The night was cold. At 6:30 a.m. I left my warm sleeping bag. The sky was overcast, everything was damp, and wisps of fog drifted across the lake. The hot coffee warmed more than just my hands. For breakfast, I ate one of Peter's power bars.
The tent and tarp had to be packed wet. Shortly before 10 a.m., I set off paddling into the fog. After 45 minutes, I thought the railway tracks should be visible by now. Instead, I heard rushing water ahead. Strange. When I reached the source of the noise, a rapid, I realized I'd already been there the day before. Somehow, I'd paddled south instead of north. If only I'd listened to my gut feeling this morning and used a compass to determine the direction!
An hour later, I reached Flindt Landing in the rain. On the south side of the tracks motorboats were lined up at the shore. The buildings on this side appeared unoccupied.
Approaching Flindt Landing from the south
On the other side of the railway line, however, a lodge employee was surprised by my presence. After a brief conversation, he allowed me to use the lodge grounds as a portage. I just had to be careful not to damage the power cable with the canoe.
Watch out for the train
Flindt Landing Lodge
As I left Flindt Landing, a tailwind helped me cover a considerable distance. I ate lunch in the canoe. At the point where Heathcote Lake flows into Heafur Lake, a section was missing from the printed maps. Inadvertently, I thought, "Just follow the left bank until you get your bearings." The result of my mistake was a time-consuming detour of about three kilometers, as I had paddled into a remote side channel of the lake. When I reached the next portage, it was tempting to set up camp there, especially since it was getting late. But I didn't really like the camp so I moved on.
Shortly after the next portage, I reached a beautiful campsite right next to a rapid. I quickly set up the tarp and pitched the tent so both could dry before the next downpour. It was already quite late, after 8:30 p.m., when everything was ready.
I would have had to go a bit further into the woods for firewood. I was tired and wanted to use the gas stove to quickly prepare something warm to eat. That didn't work out. The stove lit, but it wouldn't produce a proper flame. The necessary pressure couldn't be built up because the pump wasn't properly sealed. The moisture had probably washed away the special pump oil over the past few days. My attempts to repair the pump failed miserably. So I ate wraps with cheese.
Around 10 p.m. the last rain clouds disappeared. After a beautiful sunset, I went to sleep. As I drifted off, I thought I heard wolves howling. But perhaps that was just my imagination and my tiredness.
Saturday, June 4, 2022, Day 10
After a cold night, I was greeted by a bright blue sky in the morning. When I got up, I felt tired and exhausted. Although I was far behind schedule, I decided to take a rest day. After gathering enough firewood, I treated myself to several pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast.
After breakfast, I did laundry and took a refreshing bath. Anything damp or wet was hung up or laid out in the sun. The stove was taken apart, all the parts laid out to dry, and then reassembled. But it still didn't work.
I tried my luck fishing several times. A few walleye fillets would have been very welcome. The only fish I caught was a pike, which was released.
In the afternoon, the black flies became more numerous and aggressive. The beautiful weather had apparently allowed a new generation to hatch. A squirrel chattered loudly, clearly displeased by my presence. A bald eagle perched several times on one of the large pines. Once, it dropped a feather. I placed it prominently among the rocks by the fireplace. I thought it suited the name "Eagle Camp," which Bruce had noted on the map.
For dinner there was a stew of noodles, dried vegetables, and cheese. Full and content, I enjoyed the evening. It had truly been a relaxing day.
