Date: Sunday, August 14, 2016
Weather: 23 degrees Celsius, partly cloudy
Distance: ~8 kms back to the lodge
I had to boot a mouse off my fly in the middle of the night. In the morning I was flicking slugs off of the bottom of my tent, out of my shoes, and yes, off my fly. The rain had driven them all out and they needed a dry place to spend the night.
We worked efficiently to pack up a very wet camp after an easy breakfast of hot cereal with loads of toppings, coffee and tea. With promises that tents and the tarp would be hung to dry as soon as we returned to Sudbury, women reluctantly rolled tents into soaked flies and groundsheets. We gingerly moved canoes down slick rocks and loaded them up. The food barrels were light but the tent pack felt like it was twice its normal weight. Fortunately there would be no portaging today.
As we shoved off shore the sun peeked through thick cloud cover. We mixed up paddle partners and I now provided direction from the bow to give someone else a chance to stern. Within an hour we left the peace of our crown land wilderness and returned to the cottage country portion of Kukagami Lake.
We wended our way the last of the small islands and paddled into the bay on which the Sportsmans Lodge sat. The dragon boaters raced over the open water for a few minutes before pulling up so that all six boats could finish together. We unloaded canoes and piled gear: a pile of PFDs and paddles for George, a pile of canoe packs and barrels for Kielyn and I to take back to Sudbury, a pile for women to bring up the hill to their cars.
We enjoyed one last lunch together, took a group photo, and hugged each other good-bye, wishing each woman safe travels on a Sunday afternoon.
For more of this trip report, click here.
Kate Monahan Outdoors 