Day 5 BWCA Paddling Trip

Wednesday September 21, 2022

Rain was in our lives for most of the day. At 5:00 AM the skies were cloud covered and the wind howling. We only had a couple of squalls during the night, and now the wind blew high above us, trees and branches only moving in spurts. It was enough to make me roll over and sleep until 7:00 when Terry woke. It was raining lightly, but even those few drops let me linger longer with Terry.

At 7:30 I exited. Coffee and cereal were essential. I poured my cereal from its one portion plastic sandwich bag to my collapsible cup. No need for milk just water to dissolve the powdered milk. When you’re camping, powdered milk is great. And at home, it froths really well for cappuccino.

I felt like time was unlimited. But the storm came and back we were in the tent. I played some crypto games until there was a break in the weather. And we headed for the canoe. I, again, paddled while Terry trolled. In every direction the lake had heavy chop and whitecaps. We were in the lee of the storm protected by our little cove, but every now and then wind and waves would find us, making maneuvering the boat hard. And just as I was struggling not to run into a rock, Terry caught a 4 lb northern which gave quite a fight to remove the lure. You’d be surprised how your strength can increase to help your husband who has been deprived of his passion for fishing because he married a vegetarian, me. I guess watching Alone has hardened me to the sight of guts and animal torture. It’s fun to watch Terry’s boyish glee.

The precarious weather continued, so we hunkered down. We hadn’t seen anyone else, not even a motorboat. Back at camp for the rest of the day, we gathered firewood, and picked up fire starters: birchbark and pitch. By the time Terry came up from casting, the fire was going. He searched for some logs and headed back for more fishing. He came up to tell me he had caught a smallie and he was going to cook on a stick over the fire. With no salt and pepper, no pan, no aluminum paper, he doubted the delectability of this meal. But he found it tasty. We also had Mac and Cheese and a little Fireball to warm us for a cool night.

Tomorrow we would need to move regardless of the weather. Buck up Buttercup!