The trip is over, and life has returned to normal. Sort of.
The last day of the trip, I was awake and had my gear packed and ready to go by 4:30 AM. We loaded the canoes and shoved off by 6:30, and by 7:30 had crossed the only portage of the trip. That's when things turned ugly. The next mile or so of the paddle, we were able to stay behind islands for shelter from the wind, but we then had to make an open-water crossing. Didn't start off bad, but while we were exposed, the wind kicked up. Was throwing 3-4' waves at us, and completely removed any ability we had to steer. Oh, we could turn, but it took the collective effort of all three of us in the canoe, and as soon as we tried to go forward again, the wind turned us broadside to the waves. We took on water several times, and decided to go with 'any port in a storm' and seek shelter from the wind & waves on the back side of a small island a short distance ahead of us. We were about 50 feet away from the sheltered water when the biggest wave I had seen all day hit us broadside and capsized the canoe. At this point, we learned that John can't swim, so I threw all the gear I could catch into the canoe and swam that to shore while Mike grabbed John and swam him in. Luckily, all souls survived, but gear losses between Mike and myself easily eclipsed $1,000. I'm filing my insurance claim tomorrow.
The drive home was relatively uneventful; stopped in Grand Marais at Sven & Ole's Pizza - have never seen 3 large pizzas dissapear that quickly. It was good, but it certainly wasn't worth what we paid for it--almost $20 for a large! Stopped again in Duluth, where John and I switched places and I drove 6 hours non-stop to Clear Lake, IA. Ended up rolling into my driveway at 1:30 AM.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Day 4
Afternoon
For the first time this trip, I wasn't the first person up. I think last night was much tamer than we expected - no rain and not that cold. Some clouds building off to the west though. I think if the kids go off on their own today, I'm going to suggest to John we be ready to leave tomorrow, even if it is a day early. I think the boys are ready to get back to the real world, and I'm concerned about the weather.
Had a good breakfast this morning, but took so long to cook everything (54 pancakes, 2 @ a time) it stretched into lunch. Which is good, because they're out of snack food and they complain about being hungry often. John's right - they're spoiled. Had a glimmer of hope they would change a bit on this trip.
Oddly enough, the ones I thought would be the best out here - the boy scouts/eagle scouts are the selfish & lazy ones, and the worst stewards of the land. The ones I thought would be bad, seem to get it the most. Maybe it's an appreciation for something they've never had a chance to experience before. There's a large rock protruding from the water about 20-30 ft from our island campsite, and 3 of us sat out on the back side of that for an hour or so last night just enjoying the evening.
Later Afternoon
The boys got up this morning, sat around until breakfast/lunch was ready, and have pretty much been asleep since then. I just talked a bit with one when he woke up, and confirmed what I suspected. He's ready to go. I know if I mention to John the idea of packing out a day early he'll say something to the effect of "The boys are still having fun". I believe it's more important to get back to the van while they're still enjoying the trip. If we endure storms tonight (which I think is highly possible) or if it's raining when we get up tomorrow, I am going to openly encourage the concept of Get Home. The trip has been good so far, and I would rather not see it turn downhill at the end because we pushed too hard and stayed too long. Maybe it's a sign that all of our entry permits had us coming back on the 2nd instead of the 3rd?
Later Afternoon
The decision has been made. We were visited by the Forest Service this afternoon. Turns out this campsite is still closed. The only signs here said closed for 2006 season. We wrongly assumed that meant it was open this year, and were never told otherwise by the Voyageurs staff. They reviewed our permit (which said leaving tomorrow) and let us go on with the day. Given they mentioned coming back tomorrow to do some work on the site, we decided to head out early. I think most, if not all, of the guys are glad for the decision. They have had fun, but more than one have privately told me they're ready to be home.
Doug is dissapointed that we're leaving, but at the same time, he's upset that the scenery isn't what he remembers. Forest fires will do that - that's also why it's not a good idea to return to a wild place you remember fondly and expect it to be the same. Time to take some pictures and start packing up.
Bedtime
This will be my final entry for this trip. We'll be getting up at 5:30 tomorrow and loading up gear for the trip back to Voyageurs. Talk of Sven & Ole's Pizza is becoming laden with excitement, as is thoughts of a hot shower. Rain is falling on the tent as I write th is. I don't know if I am ready to sleep yet, but I'm sure I will soon. I think everyone is ready to go. This has been a good trip, a much needed break. I know I have people to talk to when I get home, my time here has allowed me to see that. As for what's next, the future is uncertain. The coming weeks will shape that. My only certainty now is I am coming back here.
Life is good.
For the first time this trip, I wasn't the first person up. I think last night was much tamer than we expected - no rain and not that cold. Some clouds building off to the west though. I think if the kids go off on their own today, I'm going to suggest to John we be ready to leave tomorrow, even if it is a day early. I think the boys are ready to get back to the real world, and I'm concerned about the weather.
Had a good breakfast this morning, but took so long to cook everything (54 pancakes, 2 @ a time) it stretched into lunch. Which is good, because they're out of snack food and they complain about being hungry often. John's right - they're spoiled. Had a glimmer of hope they would change a bit on this trip.
Oddly enough, the ones I thought would be the best out here - the boy scouts/eagle scouts are the selfish & lazy ones, and the worst stewards of the land. The ones I thought would be bad, seem to get it the most. Maybe it's an appreciation for something they've never had a chance to experience before. There's a large rock protruding from the water about 20-30 ft from our island campsite, and 3 of us sat out on the back side of that for an hour or so last night just enjoying the evening.
Later Afternoon
The boys got up this morning, sat around until breakfast/lunch was ready, and have pretty much been asleep since then. I just talked a bit with one when he woke up, and confirmed what I suspected. He's ready to go. I know if I mention to John the idea of packing out a day early he'll say something to the effect of "The boys are still having fun". I believe it's more important to get back to the van while they're still enjoying the trip. If we endure storms tonight (which I think is highly possible) or if it's raining when we get up tomorrow, I am going to openly encourage the concept of Get Home. The trip has been good so far, and I would rather not see it turn downhill at the end because we pushed too hard and stayed too long. Maybe it's a sign that all of our entry permits had us coming back on the 2nd instead of the 3rd?
Later Afternoon
The decision has been made. We were visited by the Forest Service this afternoon. Turns out this campsite is still closed. The only signs here said closed for 2006 season. We wrongly assumed that meant it was open this year, and were never told otherwise by the Voyageurs staff. They reviewed our permit (which said leaving tomorrow) and let us go on with the day. Given they mentioned coming back tomorrow to do some work on the site, we decided to head out early. I think most, if not all, of the guys are glad for the decision. They have had fun, but more than one have privately told me they're ready to be home.
Doug is dissapointed that we're leaving, but at the same time, he's upset that the scenery isn't what he remembers. Forest fires will do that - that's also why it's not a good idea to return to a wild place you remember fondly and expect it to be the same. Time to take some pictures and start packing up.
Bedtime
This will be my final entry for this trip. We'll be getting up at 5:30 tomorrow and loading up gear for the trip back to Voyageurs. Talk of Sven & Ole's Pizza is becoming laden with excitement, as is thoughts of a hot shower. Rain is falling on the tent as I write th is. I don't know if I am ready to sleep yet, but I'm sure I will soon. I think everyone is ready to go. This has been a good trip, a much needed break. I know I have people to talk to when I get home, my time here has allowed me to see that. As for what's next, the future is uncertain. The coming weeks will shape that. My only certainty now is I am coming back here.
Life is good.
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