Part 3

Chapter 12

The next morning while Hal and Kathy were cooking our flapjacks for breakfast Eddie and I took Alex aside.

I asked, "Alex, we need some advice."

Alex said, "Sure. What's up?"

I said, "Some of us were going to pull a prank on the other crew last night. We sneaked over to their site. I don't want my brother and his friends to get in trouble with Joe and Barb, but the guys and the girls were sharing tents last night. It sounded like they might have been having sex."

Alex laughed. "That's what you're worried about? Of course they were having sex."

I exclaimed, "You know?"

Alex answered, "Of course. I was in your brother's crew last trip. Spending the trip sleeping with Terri is my favorite memory of that trip. It was awesome."

I said, "But didn't Joe and Barb care?"

Alex said, "Yes, of course they cared. They insist that if you have sex, it must be consensual, you have to use birth control and you need to keep the information private to our group."

Eddie said, "You mean if we wanted to have sex, Joe and Barb wouldn't mind?"

"No they wouldn't."

I asked, "Alex, what the hell are you doing with us if you could be in Will's crew having sex every night?"

Alex answered, "If Terri could have come on the trip, I would be in Will's crew, but she couldn't come. So I'm stuck with you guys."

Eddie said, "You mean I could have sex on this trip if I wanted?"

I teased, "Only if you could find a girl dumb enough to want you! I think you're going to die a virgin, Eddie."

I ran off, avoiding Eddie's attempt to punch me in the shoulder. He chased me for a few seconds and then gave up. Alex doubled over laughing at us. Hal and Kathy called everyone for breakfast.

Our crew sat on the logs around our campfire and chowed down on our Dutch Apple Flapjacks. This was the best breakfast we had yet on the trip. After Hal and Kathy cleaned up we packed our things and paddled north to Will's campsite. We floated in the small bay in front of their campsite while we waited for them to finish packing and join us for our journey north. Catfish Lake was today's destination.

We paddled across the upper end of Hogan Lake to the first portage. It was a long one, 1945 meters. With Kathy carrying a light load, and everyone getting experienced at portages, we did it pretty easily. The portage took us to Manta Lake. It was a small lake. We only needed ten minutes to cross it. We had another 750 meter portage to Newt Lake. Newt Lake was so small, our first canoe was at the opposite end of the lake and at the next portage while the last canoe was shoving off from the previous portage.

We did an 1105 meter portage to Sunfish Lake. By the time we arrived on Sunfish, it was lunch time. Both crews gathered at the end of the portage to enjoy salami on pita bread with mustard. We topped it off with trail mix and Gummi fruit strips. We lounged around for a little while, enjoying the noon day sun. Finally we set off on the last leg of our day's journey to Catfish Lake.

The "river" between Sunfish Lake and Catfish Lake was worse than the Crow River. You could barely see the path through the swamp. The "river" was about 6-8 feet wide with tall rushes on either side. It took us an hour to push our way through the mile of swampy river. We followed it to the Petawawa River. Just when we paddled into the Petawawa River, we spotted a bull moose a 1/4 mile downstream of us toward Catfish Lake. We paddled quietly towards it, hoping we could get close enough to get some good pictures. The bull ignored us. We got within a 150 feet. We sat and stared at this massive moose. Our two crews must have taken a hundred pictures of the immense creature. We wanted to see one. This certainly fulfilled our hopes. After twenty minutes of observing, we finally paddled north into Catfish Lake. It was midafternoon and everyone wanted to set up camp and relax. Will shouted out to his crew when we spotted a campsite, "Crew 1, let's go. I want that campsite!"

Eddie, Alex and I dug our paddles in, trying to overtake Will's crew. Joe said, "Relax guys. I have been here before. I know about a better campsite in the middle of the lake. Let them have this one."

We slowed down and paddled past the island that Will's crew was going to camp on. Joe led the way to the middle of the lake and pulled in at a tall island. The landing was poor. The island sat about 25-30 feet above the lake. We pulled alongside a long sloping rock face. One canoe at a time, we unloaded our gear and scrambled up the hill to the campsite. Joe was right. This was an awesome place to camp. We could look out in every direction at Catfish Lake. Most of the island ended in bluffs, except for the sloping rock we used to get into the campsite.

We set up our tents and dining fly and settled in to enjoy our stay at Catfish Lake. We planned to have a lay-over day at this lake, so we wouldn't have to move camp tomorrow. We finished the afternoon off by swimming in the lake. Eddie and Jeremy cooked a huge dinner for us. Joe baked a chocolate cake for desert. It was delicious. Our crew hung out around our campfire in the evening just swapping stories. Joe and Barb promised us we could sleep in the next morning and have a big breakfast.

We woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking. Joe and Barb lived up to their promise of a big breakfast. They made biscuits and gravy to go with the bacon and eggs. They also stewed up some dried apples in a cinnamon sugar sauce. It was the best breakfast of the entire trip!

Joe and Barb went fishing after breakfast was finished. The rest of us decided to go to the north end of the lake and check out the rapids and falls the map showed. We paddled to the north end and followed the Petawawa River to the falls. We spent most of the day playing in the water in the rapids and falls. We had a blast. Our group didn't return to camp until almost 4 pm.

Joe and Barb visited Will's crew during the day. We were to meet them at their campsite at 9 am the next morning. Alex, Joe and Barb made dinner that night. We enjoyed Alfredo Primavera. Our lay over day was excellent. We needed the break from paddling and trekking every day. We went to bed early, to be ready for a long day of paddling tomorrow.

Penny and I had cooking duty for the sixth day. We made pancakes for our crew. After breakfast, we loaded up our canoes and paddled down the lake to meet Will's crew. They were floating out a hundred yards for their campsite waiting for us.

This day became known as the "Moose Day." We saw eight moose on the eight mile paddle up the Petawawa River to Burnt Root Lake. Three of them were bulls, with immense racks. There were four females and a calf. This day was a long hard day. We ate lunch at the last portage, just after we got to the northern end of Burnt Root Lake. Alex and Will had agreed in the morning that we would head for campsite at the south end of the lake where they had stayed the previous trip two years ago.

My crew ended up camping on an island about a 1/4 mile from the peninsula where Will's crew camped. After camp was set up, Will invited our crew over to jump off the twenty foot high rock at their campsite. We spent half the afternoon jumping and playing together on the rocks and in the lake. We brought our dinner along. Both crews cooked together and spent part of the evening talking, laughing and just hanging out. We enjoyed our time together.

The next day Will's crew met us after breakfast for our day's paddle. We paddled about half mile before we got to the first portage.

Will called out, "Remember this spot Alex?"

Alex looked around. "Yeah, I remember this place. This is where I flipped Terri and me into the lake when I ran up on a rock in the rapids. That was a very bad day!"

Will and Alex told the story about all that had happened on that cold rainy day two years ago when they spilled half the crew in the lake. I really felt lucky that we had such good weather on our trip. Two years ago they had three straight days of rain. It must have sucked!

We did the short portage around the rapids and paddled up river to Longer Lake. At the south end of Longer Lake we did the portage into Big Trout Lake. We paddled half way down the lake before we made camp. My crew stayed on a small island. Will's crew was about 100 yards away on a peninsula across from our island. Joe and Barb went fishing in the afternoon. The rest our crew swam and played in the water.

We had a huge supper, including the three trout that Joe caught. I never tasted anything as good as fresh caught trout fried with some lemon pepper. We had a beautiful view of the sunset. It painted the sky shades of yellow, orange and pink. It was a fitting climax to a wonderful day in the wilderness.

Chapter 13

Our last full day in the wilderness began with delicious cheese omelets. They were freeze dried, of course. Our two crews paddled south and followed a "river" through the swamp at the south end of Big Trout Lake. Our loads were finally small enough that we could finish portages in a single trip. The first portage was 1 1/4 miles long. We did it easily. After a week of practice, we were really good at portages. This portage took us to Merchant Lake. This is a small lake, probably no more than a mile across. We paddled across it to the other end. We had a 1/2 mile portage to Happy Isle Lake. Happy Isle was our destination today.

The two crews chose adjoining campsites at the southern end of Happy Isle Lake. We were about ten minutes away from our final portage. Tomorrow morning all we needed to do was paddle to the portage, carry our canoes and gear to the other end and meet the water taxi that was scheduled to pick us up at 10 am. Tomorrow would be an easy day.

Justin, Sherry, Will, Abby, Joe and Barb went out for an afternoon of fishing. The rest of the group stayed at camp and relaxed. Eddie, Jeremy, Hal, Penny, Kathy and I went for an afternoon swim. It was nice to get out of the hot sun and enjoy the cool lake water. We feasted on more fresh fish for dinner. Joe caught four. We ate so well on this trip, I expected to gain weight instead of losing it from all the hard work we did. After dinner, our crew got together with Will's crew for a big campfire at our site. We told stories, did skits, and sang some summer camp songs. It was a great end to our week. After dark, Alex asked Penny and me to take care of putting out the fire. Today was our turn for fire duty.

Penny and I had a seat on a log by the fire. I asked, "Did you enjoy the trip, Penny?"

"I loved this. The animals we saw, the beautiful stars in the night sky, all the moose we saw two days ago. This trip is great."

"I know. I listened to Will rave about Algonquin for four years. I understand now. This place is beautiful. I hope I can come back the way my brother did."

"You know what I liked most about the trip, Kyle? It was working with you. Cooking together, canoeing together, doing our chores together. You made this trip special for me."

I answered, "I feel the same way, Penny. You remember the night before we left? When we talked about if we could stay friends, but start to date? I think I want to try it. What do you think, Penny?"

Penny smiled. "I think I'd like to try, Kyle." She leaned in closer to me.

I asked, "May I kiss you, Penny?"

"I'd like that," she answered.

I leaned in to meet Penny. Our lips met, lightly at first. They were so warm and moist. I pressed a little harder. Penny put her hands on my shoulders. I wrapped my arms around her. Finally we needed to pause to catch our breath.

We pulled apart slightly. I asked, "Did you like that, Penny?"

"I did, Kyle. Let's do it some more." Penny pulled me towards her. I hugged her tight to my body. Our lips met again. I felt Penny's tits mashed against my chest, her hard nipples pressing into my skin. Our lips pressed together harder, expressing the urgency and need we felt.

Then I felt it. Penny's tongue! She was pressing it against my lips. I happily opened my mouth and let her slide her tongue into my mouth. I pressed my tongue against hers. It felt like electricity was flowing through us. Our tongues dueled with each other.

"Hey, you two. Knock it off! Put the fire out and go to bed!" We broke apart and turned to look. Alex's head was sticking out of his tent. He yelled, "Make sure the fire is dead and get to bed. Now, Kyle and Penny!"

"OK, Alex," I answered.

"Sorry, Alex. We'll get it done," Penny added.

We quickly doused the fire, stirred the water in and doused it again. I felt it for heat. It was dead. I said, "I really liked that Penny. I'll talk to you when we get home and set up a date. Does that sound good?"

"I can't wait, Kyle. I want to try some more kissing. That was spectacular."

"Good night, Penny."

"Good night, Kyle."

We went to our tents. When I got in mine, Jeremy was already asleep. Eddie asked, "What took so long, Kyle?"

"You won't believe it. Penny and I were kissing. It was spectacular!" I pulled my pants off. My dick agreed. It was hard as steel. "Eddie, do you mind if I jerk off before I go to sleep. I'm horny as hell!"

"No I don't mind, Kyle." I started rubbing my dick. It only took a couple minutes until my dick shot arcs of sperm all over my chest. I wiped it up with toilet paper.

"Good night, Eddie."

"I really have got to get a girlfriend! Good night, Kyle."

Alex and Joe woke us up earlier than usual. We ate a quick breakfast of oatmeal and pop tarts. We packed our camp up for the final time and loaded our canoes. Will's crew met us in front of our site. We paddled the ten minutes to the portage. Our last portage was a long one. It was 1 1/2 miles. We reached the opposite end around 9:30 in the morning. Plenty of time to catch our water taxi ride back to civilization.

Two water taxis picked our crews up and delivered us to Opeongo Store and civilization. A shower and clean clothes made me feel almost human again. I filled up on snack food when I was cleaned up. Our group spent an hour at Opeongo Store before we headed back to the outfitters. We spent our afternoon cleaning and returning our gear. We had a little free time to shop for souvenirs at the outfitter's store. We spent the night in the same cabins we had at the beginning of the trip.

We toured Niagara Falls the next day and camped out at the same state park as we had eleven days earlier. Our last day of the trip was boring, a long eight hour drive home to Lancaster County and our homes.

Chapter 14

We got home late on Wednesday afternoon, the 22nd. Will and Abby offered to take Eddie, Penny, Jeremy and I along with them for dinner at the Red Lobster. Man, did that meal taste great!

When we got home, there was a note on the refrigerator. It said, "We went shopping. Help yourself in the frig for dinner. We'll be back around 9 pm. Love, Mom."

I asked, "Will, do you and Abby want to use my bedroom? I don't mind."

Abby smiled. Will said, "That's very generous of you, Kyle. I think we'll take you up on that offer."

I said, "I have a couple phone calls to make and then I'm going over to Eddie's. Have fun."

Abby said, "Thanks so much, Kyle."

Will and Abby disappeared upstairs. I picked up the phone. I needed to check in with Coach Caffrey.

"Hello"

"Hello, Coach Caffrey, this is Kyle Martin. I wanted to let you know that Eddie Fritz, Jeremy North and I are home from Canada. I wanted to know what time try-outs are tomorrow."

"Try-outs are over, but we have three spots saved for you guys, assuming that you're in good shape."

"Absolutely, sir. We're in great shape. After carrying 50 pound canoes and 60 pound packs over 1/2 to 2 1/2 mile portage trails, we're ready. Eddie and I have also been doing weights and running all summer. We won't disappoint you."

"You three aren't the first football players to go on that trip. There are one, two or sometimes three guys every trip that come back in absolutely superb shape. Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't take the whole football team up there to get in shape."

"It would certainly get them in shape, but there isn't much space up there to line up and play football," I indicated.

"No, I guess not. Did you say you had to carry 50 pound canoes on 2 1/2 mile portages? How many kids carried each canoe?"

"Just one, sir."

"No wonder you guys come back so strong. Can you come for practice at 8:30 tomorrow morning? You need to get equipment and do some physical fitness tests."

"Martin, can you let Fritz and North know about tomorrow's arrangements?"

"Sure thing, Coach. I was about to head over to Eddie's house now. Thanks for everything, Coach. Bye."

When I got to Eddie's house, Jeremy was already there. They were busy downloading the photos from the trip and reliving those awesome memories. I finally understood why Will loved Algonquin so much! I told the guys about football practice tomorrow.

Chapter 15

The next morning, Mrs. North dropped Eddie, Jeremy and me off at the high school. We found Coach Caffrey in the boy's locker room. He sent us to Coach Wyndham, the defensive coach for our team, to pick up equipment. We went back and got dressed for practice. Coach Caffrey sent us to Coach Graham for conditioning tests. The first was for vertical leap. Coach Graham was surprised when I cleared 37 inches. Eddie managed 31 inches. Jeremy, who is built like a fireplug, had to be satisfied with 22 inches. Coach Graham weighed and measured us next. He confidently placed the heavy weight on 150 for me.

"Uh, Coach, I don't weight that much." I said.

He moved the heavy weight back to 125.

"Lower coach. I was 122 when I left home two weeks ago."

Coach Wyndham finally got the scale to balance. "117 pounds. Stand up straight son." I stretched to my full height. "Hmmm, 6'-2. Thank you, Martin."

Next was the 40 yard run. I beat Eddie and Jeremy easily. My time was 4.53 seconds. Then we did sit-ups and pull-ups. Coach Graham seemed very pleased with our numbers.

The last test was a 1/4 mile run. Eddie and I had no problems with this one. We crossed the finish line almost at the same time. Jeremy struggled a little to keep up with us. Coach Graham had a huge grin on his face when we finished. Jeremy looked dejected. "North. Your time is 1:35, third best on the team. Good job. Fritz and Martin, I don't know what to tell you. The two of you crossed the finish line at 1:24. That's the best time by anyone on the team. I guess you guys are ready for some football."

The three of us followed Coach Graham over to Coach Caffrey. Coach Caffrey looked our numbers over. "Very impressive, gentleman. Go over and join the rest of the team."

We joined the crowd of seventh to twelfth grade kids. The JV and varsity teams were still working together. Eventually we would split up when the coaches figured out who made each team. Coach Caffrey called for everyone's attention. "We're going to start with a two mile run. Let's go boys." He was met with almost universal groans. Eddie and I looked at each other, and shrugged our shoulders. Eddie said, "Bring it on!"

The team set out on the run. Eddie and I soon ended up in front, as other players slowed down and fell back in the group. Twenty minutes later, when we finished, Eddie and I were alone at the front of the group.

After some stretching and flexibility exercises, we split up in groups by position. I ended up with the quarterback/receiver group. We ran drills. I learned a lot that day.

When practice was finally over, Coach Caffrey called me over to talk. He said, "I'm impressed, Martin. You did very well for someone who hasn't played football for five years."

I answered, "Zack Hayes, Mike Wagner and Eddie Fritz really deserve the praise. They have been working with me all summer to help me get ready."

Coach said, "It shows. Keep working. You'll do OK here."

"Thanks, Coach."

The next day of practice went like the first. Drills, conditioning, running routes, learning the play book. I worked hard to keep up.

Saturday was finally a day to rest. I goofed off while Will frantically ran around the house finishing his packing. He and Abby left tomorrow for college. I was designated baby sitter for Andy and Lizzie while Mom and Dad drove Will to Penn. They didn't get home until late.

The team went through four days of practice before the coaches decided who made the varsity and JV teams. Just before the decisions were to be announced, Coach Caffrey called Eddie and me to meet with him.

Coach started, "Fritz, I'm real impressed with you. I have to rate you the second best quarterback on our team. I wanted to talk to you before the lists come out. I want you to lead the JV team this year."

Eddie's face sunk. He said, "Why? You just said I beat out everyone except Zack. Why do you want to send me to JV?"

Coach Caffrey smiled, "I expected that you would react this way. Let me explain. You're a better quarterback than Steve, but he is a junior. I can't send him to JV. He'll do well as our varsity backup QB. You on the other hand aren't going to improve a lot sitting on the varsity bench. I want you to lead the JV offense. I want them to have the best chance to win at their level. I want them expecting to win in a year or two when you and they are our varsity squad. Do you understand your job, Fritz?"

Eddie answered, "Yes, sir." His face showed he was dubious about the whole arrangement.

Coach turned to look at me. "Martin, I'm going to do something I don't usually do. I'm going to take a freshman on the varsity squad. You're going to be our number three receiver. You have a lot to learn. If you don't work your tail off, I'll send you down to JV so fast your head spins. Are you up to the challenge?"

I broke into a big grin. "Yes, SIR!"

Eddie and I walked away. Zack caught us. He said, "What do you think of the news, Eddie?"

Eddie said, "Not too much. I really thought I could make varsity. Even the coach told me I performed better than Steve. Why am I stuck in JV?"

Zack laughed. "You don't know how coach works. Steve is going to pick up splinters all season sitting on the bench. He's going nowhere. When coach named you starting QB for the JV team, he just about anointed you to be my replacement next year. This is reason to celebrate."

Eddie said, "Really?"

Zack continued, "Our school has had a lot of success in football. After I leave, it's your job to keep our school on top." He clapped Eddie on the back. Then Zack looked back at me. "And you. Mr. Freshman Varsity Football Player. Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Zack," I said. "I owe you a lot for your help."

Zack went on, "You keep practicing and studying the way you have been, you'll be taking Don's starting spot in a few weeks."

I said, "I'll try my best, Zack. I'll do whatever I can to help the team."

Zack smiled and said, "That's exactly the right attitude for a freshman. Humble and willing to help. Keep repeating that to everyone. You'll do well on the team."

Eddie and I sat in the back while the final rosters were announced. We watched the elation of the guys who made varsity and the dejection of the guys who didn't make either team. Jeremy made starting middle linebacker for Eddie's JV team. A lot of my freshman friends were starting on JV. I hoped Eddie would do well. I wondered if I was up to the challenge I had. Would the upper classmen accept me as a part of the team? Time would tell.

We had two more days of practice before school started. I worked exclusively with the varsity now. Some of the guys, like Mike and Zack, where really helpful to me. Some of the guys resented me being on their team. I was lucky Zack was on my side. He was elected team captain.