Trip to Lake Two October 3-6, 2007

9am Wednesday October 3rd found us at the Lake One landing. I showed Rich's group the basics of canoeing and they took off. Next my group got a review of the paddle strokes and safety items. As we headed for the first portage the kids were learning how the strokes i showed them actually made the canoe go where you wanted it to. For some it was a struggle and a slow process to figure this out. Kincaid took the lady boot campsite so we took the same camp we had last year on the NW corner of the lake. We got camp made with out a problem, but had lunch first. Cheese, sausage, crackers, gorp and crystalite. The Canadian jays visited our camp while we were eating. They would land on the kids hands to eat peanuts and raisins from the gorp mixture. It was a wilderness wonder. We felt as if the woods had sent their welcoming committee to greet us. Now it was time for journaling and meditation. I drank coffee and relaxed for a while.
For supper we started with gathering fire wood for the fire. Caleb and Sam were the cooks helpers... but they did 90% of the work. First they made a salad buffet, which was perfect. Next they grilled the steaks over the open fire. Baked potatoes were placed in the coals of the fire. Needless to say supper was fantastic, delicious and totally satisfying. The boys then did the dishes and were done about 8pm. For the evening treat we made smores with Keebler chocolate covered grams and marshmallows. We finished off the keeblers but had a 1/2 bag of marshmallows left. We watched the fire and visited for a while and then everyone went to bed by 10pm. I read the ely newspaper in my tent until i finally conked out.
October 4th. Woke up before dawn but waited till first light before i crawled out of the tent. I drank coffee, journalled and visited with Michele. I got the kids up at 8:30. They were very efficient getting breakfast and preparing for the days adventures. We had a camera session with my Pentax. We took pictures of each other. Our day trip was to a southwest bay of Lake Two. We walked a portage to Rock Island Lake. It was a nice walk although there were no "rods" marked on the map I'd say it was about a 1/2 mile. We hung out for about 15 minutes and then went back to the canoes. We all changed canoeing buddies. On our way to our next destination we had to go through a shallow area, it was tough but we all made it. We also had some navigation problems but those were solved by me leading the way. When we got to the Lake Two dam area we had lunch on a rock overlooking the current. They all explored this area looking for images for their story boards. Several of them took turns taking pictures with my Pentax.
We headed back to camp with a "no talking " rule. On the way we met a solo canoeist in a cedar stripper. He asked if he could make it through the dam area. I told him there was a trail but it was rough and brushy. He continued onward but it occurred to me later that he could have run it. We were back in camp at 3pm. I took a bucket bath and the kids went for a paddle and a swim. They tipped a canoe over, swam, jumped from a rock and had a great time. They returned to hot chocolate and lots of stories for me about their adventures. We had spaghetti for supper but they didn't eat it all up. I suspect this is because I used an economy brand sauce. Tori and Nikki washed dishes and did a good job. For campfire treats we had oreos with peanut butter on them. We were all in our tents by 9:30. tomorrows forecast is for a slight chance of severe thunderstorms. Talked to Kincaid on the phone and he re-injured his heel while hiking the Pow Wow trail. My group is going to stay in his camp for the presentation and I will take his group on the same photo tour i took my group on.
October 5. Slept till 7:30, felt very rested. I got everyone up at 8:15. Breakfast and prep for trading groups went fast. Kincaid's kids waited out in the middle of the lake while i dropped off Michele in Kincaid's camp. I took Kincaid's group on the same route as i did the day before. It took about 5 hours and they did very well. Some used my camera a lot. While Kincaid had my group he tipped Kirsten into the water and they had to rush back to my camp to change clothes. They waited there for me. We sent the groups back around the corner to talk and the adults stayed in camp to have coffee. We started supper as soon as they left. tonight it was Griffy's chicken delight. It was well liked. Here's the recipe. 4 packs of chicken, 4 packages of Pioneer gravy mix and 2 huge bags of noodles. Kirsten and Leah washed dishes. Evening treats were mini cini buns. Take soft tortilla shells, squeeze margarine, sugar and cinnamon. Roll them and slice them up. Then fry them sideways. They were a hit. We finished off the evening cleaning camp and getting ready for departure in the morning. I listened to Wely in my tent , it was great.
October 6th. Overslept, didn't get up till 5:45 but it was thundering so i knew we wouldn't be in a rush. Just as i was going to drop my tent the sprinkles turned into a down pour. So i went to the tarp and started coffee and hot water. I got everyone up at 6:15 , it was first light. We had a leisurely breakfast. WE packed and loaded and were on the water at 8:30. At the first portage we met some moose hunters, they offered us some moose meat if we would help them get their moose across the portages. I couldn't take the time with 9 kids, Kincaids group way ahead of me and the bus waiting for us. The whole trip out was misty, cool and rainy. It was beautiful shades of green, blue and gray. The kids didn't hurry and we all enjoyed the paddle out immensely. We arrived at the take out at 11am.