Thursday
Mike: We had another early start Thursday morning. We
portaged to MacLean Lake, then to Cratty Lake. We turned to head west on
Cratty Lake and were met by the wind. Kevin and I paddled to the north
shore and paddled along it to stay out of the wind. We paddle in south-west
direction on McLennan Lake and arrived back at the launch site shortly after
noon.
On
the drive back, about 5 km north of Otter Rapids, a rock bounced off the trailer
and broke the back window of Wayne's van. My specially designed rock deflector
had deteriorated to the point that it wasn't catching all the rocks. This
is the third back window lost to rocks bouncing off the trailer. We stopped at
the Devil Lake camp site and collected up the broken glass into a garbage bag.
When we got to Missinippi we duck taped two orange garbage bags to cover up the
whole in the back of Wayne's van. We stopped at Peter's cabin at Emma Lake to
eat. Joyce had prepared a wonderful meal for us, using some of the food we had
forgotten plus delicious cabbage roles and fried potatoe casserole. We relaxed a
bit, got caught up on the news (another terrorist attack in London) and then I
drove the van back to Saskatoon.
Megan:
On our way home after the trip, we stopped there again and Mrs. Long cooked us a scrumptious dinner of breaded chicken, homemade bread, potatoes and vegetables, with a bought key lime pie for dessert that I suspect might actually have been made with whale blubber.
Although I don’t enjoy canoeing, I actually had something of a good time this year on the canoe trip with kind Mr. Baribeau, Kevin, who knew almost as much about music as I do (there were a few terms I got him with, although he seems to have more expertise in jazz music…), wise and well-traveled Mr. Long, my daddy and the most experienced canoeist of us all, the Paddle Nazi. The bug-infested northern Saskatchewan is absolutely beautiful and serene compared to the home I’m used to. By using endurance and optimism, canoe trips can definitely be appreciated.
Wayne: The last day continued where the second left off. It was fun finding the narrow channels through the lakes. Some vehicle trouble could not overshadow a great trip, especially when later Peter and Joyce hosted another great feast at their cabin/visitor centre. I greatly enjoyed the trip myself but was most thankful to share the experience with my daughter Megan. Except for the hard half day of paddling, she enjoyed the experience-and who would not when everyone else on the trip treated her like a princess.
In the future, I hope to need less help in charting my course and staying on that course. I will continue to enjoy the journeys.