September 17

I WORE SUNGLASSES TODAY. I also did some other cool things….

We were up at dawn, and on the water by 7:30; 2 hours earlier than our average start time. A fine mist hovered over the lake, undulating and opening to afford varying peeks at Kaza Mountain and the distant shore of the lake, casting an ethereal mood over the camp. Our canoes slid soundlessly through the sea of fog and water, the silence broken only by the dip of paddles and our gasps of delight at the early morning vistas. We navigated narrow grassy channels from Rum Lake to Unna Lake, up the river, and to Babcock Creek, where we were greeted first by a noisy flock of geese taking flight, then by a cow moose chomping reeds just feet away as we glided by (WOW).

We had three relatively short portages and paddles in quick succession, which chipped away two hours of our morning, all with a glorious tail wind and sunshine. The rest of the morning was spent on Swan Lake, including the beaching of many of our boats on a mid-lake sand bar (which afforded to some the appearance of walking on water).

We moved into the Bowron River after lunch, enjoying a swift current that buoyed our progress through a veritable beaver habitat (we did have to travel through two dams under construction; sorry, little beaver friends). We soon broke out onto the open Bowron Lake, or last 8 km of the 30 km day. With a favorable wind at our backs, Ryan suggested we trial a sail down the lake. Lashing the canoes together using spare paddles, we raised a tent fly stretched between two dowels. I was one of the two pole anchors, bracing the butt of the dowel in the bow of the canoe and leaning precariously over the side of the canoe (every childhood canoe lesson was broken) to keep the makeshift sail taut. While it wasn’t a gale, we drifted along at a fair clip for 7 km! It was a real treat to float along together, chatting, singing, and smiling, while letting tired paddling muscles rest.

We reached the dock at the end of Bowron Lake and loaded up for one final portage up the hill to the parking lot. Legs churned, muscles burned, and we quickly got to work separating gear into piles by destination. After a group photo, we all bid farewell to each other, and to a grand, soggy adventure.

Until next time, Canada! 🇨🇦