Based on yesterday’s adventure, we got up fairly early in anticipation of what the day might bring. We had gathered two cups of blueberries yesterday and decided to make some fresh blueberry pancakes. These were possibly the best pancakes ever! We got on the water at 8:20 am and paddled across Scrag Lake in search of our first portage of the day. The character of the water had changed from occasional “oatmeal” to random rocks and boulders just below the surface. During the first portage Ellen nearly stepped on several grouse and one flew up to a perch at eye level next to the trail. So docile, we almost could have grabbed him for lunch!
As of this morning, the weather had made a significant change. The wind was colder out of the northeast and we faced a strong headwind. We were still traveling through the forest regrowth area and headed upstream on the generally narrow Palisade River. We paddled through some small swifts, lined the canoe through some rockier water, and were feeling more confident with our lining skills even as the water was moving faster than previously.
We stopped for lunch, seeking shelter from the wind behind a granite outcropping. Then later, as we continued, the river turned west. When we entered a wide spot in the river (a lake really) we paddled hard into the wind and mistook a tributary on the far side for the main channel. This was only a short detour because as soon as the geography didn’t match the map, we stopped and turned around.
Once we were going in the correct direction we made quick time to our next portage. The river now headed southbound and that meant no more headwind! Smooth sailing, or at least we thought, for we found ourselves on a wide and shallow body of water with reeds. There was no choice but to go straight through. The “oatmeal” was also back! We pushed and paddled hard for 15 minutes and we talked about what would happen if we couldn’t move anymore. There are no good options. One could not stand or swim in this stuff and so we just tried to keep our momentum going. We finally found some deeper water and made our way to a campsite with a waterfall nearby. This campsite was also graced by the skeletal remains of a moose. There were vertebrae, ribs, and a skull!
After the camp chores we needed to find some firewood and maybe some fish for dinner. Ellen threw out a line from our campsite shore and immediately caught a small pike. We also paddled around the area and Ellen caught another small pike. Jeff found no good firewood along the shores so we made do with what we found at the small peninsula. We made a Thai curry dinner using the gas stove.
We had a little rain as the sun was setting. For a while we could view the sunset to the west and a full rainbow to the east! It was pretty special to see a sunset and a rainbow at the same time. Jeff made a fire and we had s’mores and sat by the fire watching the light fade. The weather forecasted on our Garmin predicted a chilly 38 degrees the next morning … BRRR! But for now we went to sleep listening to the nearby waterfall.
Journeys with Jeff and Ellen 