Chapter 4

“Chase, roll over.”

I slowly awoke from my deep slumber and attempted to figure out where I was. I was in a sleeping bag ... in a tent. Someone was yelling at me to ‘roll over’. I finally realized it was Ron. I had told him previously to yell at me if my snoring became too loud. Evidently that had been the case. I rolled over and attempted to return to the peaceful sleep that had been so rudely interrupted.

Ron was already up when I finally crawled out of my tent. He had a nice fire going and a pot of coffee on the grate. I proceeded down to the shore and splashed some water on my face, then looked around. The fog was still heavy on the water. I could just barely make out the little island that lay only a few hundred feet away. What a beautiful sight, as the sun penetrated the fog in sliver-like rays, and created a scene much different from the one we had seen the previous evening.

I tapped the pot on a rock to settle the grounds, and then took a swig of the coffee. It was very good. It was a beautiful morning and a sense of freshness permeated the air. We had decided previously, that this day would be one of relaxation. There would be no strenuous efforts or long portages to make. We were just going to read, or whittle, or fish, or just walk the shoreline and explore.

But first things first, I had to get breakfast ready. Soon the eggs were sizzling in the pan, while the bread toasted on the wire rack. Several pieces of ham were positioned around the sides of the fry pan. It wasn’t long before we were putting strawberry jam on the toast and getting ready to enjoy a wilderness breakfast.

It would have been a special treat if there had been some wild strawberries available, or some blueberries, but the season for that was long past. Though the wild strawberries were very tiny, they packed a powerfully sweet taste. The blueberries were smaller also, but they too had a special sweetness. Either berry was much better than the ones you could buy from the grocer.

I had planned on being able to catch a few fish to supplement our food supply, but just in case, I brought along enough food for all our meals. Believe me; I had learned that lesson on previous trip. While netting a nice Northern, my cousin had knocked the hook out of its mouth. As a result, our meal that night consisted of bread and butter, and an apple.

After breakfast, Ron washed our dishes and placed them on a rock to dry. He said he wanted to do a little reading, so I grabbed my rod and decided to do a little fishing. I walked along the shoreline, where I could find good footing, and scrambled up and over large boulders when it became necessary. I eventually came to a small bay. There the possibility of going any further came to an abrupt halt. The forest came right down to the water’s edge, and the brush was too tangled to maneuver through. I sat down on a rock and casted my lure out as far as I could.

Interspersed among my casts were periods of studying the landscape around me. The large rocks were a mottled gray, with patches of dark lichens clinging to them. The trees were just beginning to turn color. Here and there the leaves of small shrubs were already beginning to turn a bright red. The water was crystal clear. Occasionally, a minnow could be seen darting back and forth. The sky was a magnificent shade of blue. The clouds had vanished. How anything could be more beautiful, was a question I asked myself more than once.

To my disappointment, I didn’t get any tugs on my line. Maybe the water was too shallow. Maybe the bottom was just large rocks, with no structure present. I didn’t have the luxury of a boat or a fish locator, to help determine where the fish might be lurking. The one thing I didn’t want to do was to lose too many lures. The boulders strewn along the bottom of the lakes were well known for trapping lures and cutting lines. I eventually stopped casting and just sat back and relaxed.

When I returned to camp, I found that Ron was still engrossed in his book. I walked back into the woods and gathered a bunch of small branches, which I carried down to the water’s edge. I found a suitable area where I could conduct my little experiment. I then proceeded to push the branches into the sand, forming a gate that would funnel visitors into a pool rimmed by rocks. I then placed a few scraps of food inside the enclosure and waited to see if any fish or crawfish would enter. It was my goal to be able to catch some live bait and use it for fishing.

Ron came over and looked at my set-up.

“Interesting! Want to go out and explore the lake?”

“Sure,” I answered. “Let’s go.”

“Help me get the canoe down to the water.”

I strapped my fishing pole to the side of the canoe and grabbed a few lures. I wanted to be ready, just in case we came across an area that looked promising for fish. Ron wasn’t much of a fisherman, so he left his rod at camp.

We paddled along the shoreline, past the area where I had stopped to fish. I could see that the bottom was strewn with many boulders and actually rather shallow. It didn’t look like it would be good fish habitat. We continued up the shore and around and bend. The canoe was noticeably lighter without our gear and seemed to glide more smoothly through the water. Along the shoreline we spotted numerous downed trees extending into the water. I found a few that showed potential for providing hiding spots for some hungry bass.

Continuing on, we came upon a cluster of reeds, through which a small creek was flowing. I asked Ron to pause, while I grabbed a small lure and tied it onto my line. After a few casts, I felt my line go tight. At that point, I reared back on my rod. As I was reeling it in, I could see that the line was going in circles. It wasn’t long before I was holding a very nice sunfish by its lip.

“I didn’t even know there were sunfish in these lakes,” Ron commented.

“I have never caught one up here before. A bunch of these would definitely make a nice meal,” I said.

“They would indeed. A slice of bread and butter, and we would be mighty happy campers.”

I released the squirming fish back into the water and made a mental note of the spot. It definitely had the potential of supplying us with a meal or two in the future. We continued to follow the shoreline, impressed by the beauty of the moss, rocks, ferns and other vegetation. Occasionally, we had to steer out and around a fallen tree or rock that was impeding our passage.

We eventually came upon what looked like a portage. It was not on our map. Ron suggested that it might be a good idea to check it out, so we landed the canoe and pulled it onto shore. We left the canoe and headed back into the woods. It definitely was a trail, but it had not seen much use in recent years. We soon encountered downed trees and muddy pools that had to be maneuvered around. It was nice to being able to walk through the woods without the burden of a pack and a canoe.

We came upon an interesting passage between two giant boulders. They had to be at least twenty feet high. It reminded me of a scene out of an Indiana Jones movie. The boulders were covered with moss and tiny little ferns. It had all the qualities needed for a good composition. I stopped and took a photo. It definitely had the potential to make a great canvas print for my wall.

We walked past a massive old pine tree. Its roots had struggled to make their way across the hard rock, looking for some opening where they could descend into the soil. Clumps of lichens and moss were growing on the bark, hoping to gain some nourishment from the aging tree. Partially submerged rocks were entrapped in the tangle of roots. That tree had not had an easy life. From what I could see, it had fought its way for every little bit of soil and nourishment it could find.

We eventually came upon a small pond covered with lily pads. Ron was the first to see it.

“Look, over there. It’s a moose,” he said in a hushed tone.

I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a female moose standing shoulder deep in the water. In her mouth was a bunch of lily pads. I don’t think she had spotted us, since we were still hidden back in the trees. She continued to munch on the water plants, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. What a magnificent creature it was. I was so glad to be able to see one again. The population has been dwindling in the past few years, so I had not been hopeful of being able to come upon one of the giant beasts.