September 16
Sunshine report: It’s 6:15 am. I have poked enough of my torso out of my sleeping bag to track my head out the tent door, my gaze met with low lying clouds and mist.
I delayed my departure from the tent, and heard raindrops pattering on the tarp minutes later. Sigh. And Dad just noticed a hole the size of a softball in the wall of the tent, no explanation for its cause. It seems to be yet another mishap on this tale of misadventures; but misery makes memories!

We’ve taken to sharing anecdotes of, “At least it’s not….”, filling in the blank with pouring, storming, snowing, freezing, etc. This mostly works, but holes in tents have superceded the effectiveness of this tactic. I need some sunshine to burn away the musty odor of this morning.
After taking a few moments alone in the tent to wallow in self-pity (the foot of my sleeping bag got dampened last night, too), I did a rough patch of the tent wall, shuddered back into damp clothes, and emerged into camp. (Deep breath)
The drizzle intensified as we loaded up the canoes; nothing new. We paddled west through Lanezi Lake, with snow-capped rugged peaks beginning to loom through the mist. The drizzle continued intermittently for about an hour, then tapered off, allowing the SUN to burn small holes through the cloud cover. Spirits soared! Songs were sung! Joys abounded! … Then a stiff breeze picked up and chilled us once again. But no matter! Our taste for sun was whetted.

The sun became more and more prevalent, and the water calmer. What a joy to paddle without fighting the water! Bonus: My “quick dry” paddling gloves were dry for the first time in 4 days, and I pulled out my sunglasses!
After three hours, cold and numb feet, stiff legs, cramping piriformis, and grumbling stomach forced a pit stop at noon. Activities included snacking, sun soaking, gear drying, and felling trees with a splitting maul (we are very eager for firewood after a wet night without).
An easy paddle down the river and a meandering paddle through a couple small lakes led us to a group campsite on a private lake with a mountain backdrop. Setting up camp was like being in Santa’s workshop: everyone bustling about, setting their gear up, wide grin on their faces. Sunshine makes A HUGE difference in morale. Tent flies, jackets, tarps, and bags were hung from various and trees and ropes, the light breeze and afternoon sun drying all our sopping stuff beautifully; a balm to the camper’s soul. We all breathed easier, and enjoyed strolling the woods to gather a boon crop of wild blueberries.

During supper, the cry, “Moose!!” arose, and everyone stopped and dropped and cameras rolled as a cow and her calf splashed through the lake, the mountain behind tinged pink by the setting sun. What a beautiful capstone to our final campsite! Tomorrow, 30 km paddling and back to cars and dry things.