so you would imagine that by the third morning we would be getting pretty good and efficient at breaking down our camp and packing up the sleds. wrong. once again it took longer to pack up than we had planned. before we left we spent considerable time melting snow to fill canteens so we wouldn't need to stop and do this time consuming chore while we were trekking. (in hindsight we should have just drilled out a hole and pulled water from the lakes but we will learn that later on).
the day began beautifully with the sun bright and few clouds in the sky. we had an early morning visit from a local fisherman heading out on a skidoo to fish one of the many wilderness lakes. we tried to press him for intel on how deep he was fishing and what color lures he was using but all the information we could get was on how the national curling team was doing.
we finished packing our sleds as our curling enthusiast friend left us to find the fish. our camp was at the beginning of the long portage over GREAT DEVIL'S RAPIDS and that was our first challenge for the day. crossing the portages was always a bit more difficult than trekking over the frozen lakes in that there were obstacles in your way. downed trees, sharp turns, hills, and snowdrifts slowed our overland progress. as we pulled our sleds over the portage, the sound of the open water water rushing thru the narrow chute that forms the devilish rapids was near in our ears. although catching sight of the rapids thru the thick forest was impossible. even with snowshoes, bushwhacking thru the thick undergrowth and waist deep snow would have been an unnecessary and time consuming endeavor.
the sun was still shining bright and warm on our faces as we broke out of the woods onto HAYMAN LAKE. the pulling became easier as we set our bearing for the next portage and marched quickly ahead. soon we heard the sound of snowmobiles to the rear and were passed by two conservation officers. they stopped, shut off their machines and expressed just how curious they were as to who or what had been making the odd tracks in the snow. their surprise and interest peaked as we explained to them our plans and what we were doing. we were nervous about talking about the rifle that we had brought with us but were relieved and opened up to them when they told us that we should have a firearm with us. and just like everyone else, thought that we should have a bigger gun...the gun conversations in CANADA was beginning to surprise us. they alerted us to the recent wolf sightings in the area and we confirmed that the hand size tracks we had seen the previous day were in fact belonging to the wolves. we ensured them that we had left word back with THOMPSON CAMPS in MISSINIPE and would be phoning in with our satellite phone regularly.
the officers said that they might head towards FORBES as they checked in on any locals fishing so we would have a trail to follow, at least for a ways. we thanked them and they started their machines and were off. leaving us again in still silence.
as we crossed over the short peninsula towards our turn north at FOGG ISLAND the trail deteriorated. we put on our snowshoes and trudged forward. forward progress was slow, massive snow drifts would tip and dump our sleds every few feet it seemed. as hopes of reaching the cabin faded for the third day and our moral began to dip, the sound of snowmobiles once again greeted us from where we came.
three snowmobiles pulled up alongside us. GL, TYLER, and an unnamed friend had ridden out from MISSINIPE for a day ride. they shut the machines off and GL pulled out a beer for each of us from the saddlebags! we talked for a bit about the trek out thus far and they told us that they would ride ahead and lay down some tracks for us.
they took off to the north and ELI and i stood in silence for a moment, then let out a whoop and hollar with a high five at our new found rejuvenation. we checked our map and set a new goal for our camp that night on a small stepping stone lake before the long KRUGER LAKE portage. freshly motivated and following fresh tracks we hit our goal in seemingly record time. the trail dumped us out onto the tiny lake and we stood looking across the untouched snowy blanket unlike the larger windswept lakes we had been crossing. we dug out a camp next to a stand of black spruce under a short cliff and rock outcropping, while the still lake stretching towards the portage on the opposite side lay ever still.
as the light began to fade and i cut downed spruce limbs for the stove, the stillness was broken by the snomobiles once again. it was the conservation officers on their return trip. they stopped briefly and told us that they had ridden up to the cabin and that everything looked all well and in order. they rode off and as soon as they had exited the lake the trio out of MISSINIPE rode up to our camp. they reported the same about the cabin and that they would try to ride out in a few days with an extra propane tank for the gas lights and stove in the cabin and maybe a few fresh groceries. we couldn't thank them enough for riding out and looked forward to seeing them soon. as they left the lake, TYLER pulled up and tossed me a zip lock bag filled with grilled chicken and pork ribs. i looked at him bewildered, and he laughed and said that they had planned on heating them up for lunch but ran out of time, so he wanted us to have them.
eli and i finished setting up our camp and lit a fire on the ice that we had cleared. we 'cooked' up our chicken and ribs and sat around our fire and laughed at our good fortune. after the hardest day yet, our spirits had been lifted and we had a fresh trail to follow in the morning, straight to the cabin...