First day "on trail!" What a busy morning getting ready to get out on the water! I know some of the things we did this morning were supposed to be done last night. So it was our fault for being late that we didn't get them done. /= One of the things we were supposed to do this morning was a swimming test! lol Lorrie said a few times that she didn't think we needed to do that.... since we're grownups! lol Eventually, Amy said we didn't have to do it. I think it was partly because of time that she finally let it go. She may also have asked a supervisor if that would be okay. I don't know why it was such a big deal to us. Both of us can tread water and swim just fine. Oh well. It didn't happen so that was good. (=
This morning the bell rang at 7am. I guess it's the, "Getcher ass out of bed" bell. That seemed the only purpose. S
o we did. We had an appointment in the food prep cabin at 7:15am. That was interesting! We took each ingredient for each meal and double bagged it. Then we had 3 stuff sacks, one for each meal. There were a ton of ingredients but I'll go into that more later. In the middle of working on the food, the bell rang again. Time for "first word." One of the staff members read a motivational story and then dismissed everyone to get ready for breakfast. The camp is technically a Christian camp. But I liked that they didn't focus on that aspect. My guess is that first word and grace at dinner have evolved over time into positive motivational messages rather than God-centered messages. Don't get me wrong! I'm all for God-centered messages. I just think a lot of the kids that attend now might not be there if there was an in-your-face Christian focus. Just my thoughts. After first word, we headed back to finish our food preparation before breakfast at 8am. Can you believe I was functioning so completely at this hour!?? lol I'm actually quite the morning person when it comes to camping, cycling, and (now) canoeing! Sometimes it's a little strange for people who know me to experience. Lorrie already knew because of TRAM so it wasn't a big shock to her system! ANYWAY... breakfast was at 8am. Coffee cake! lol It was tasty but everything was carbs. They also had canned pears and then canned peaches. I guess that's what you do when feeding 50 kids, eh?
Between 9am and 2pm we made final preparations for the trip. Like I wrote before, so much more detail than I had expected. We also had to laugh because we were doing most of the work and that's generally why adults hire guides. Right? So they don't have to do all the labor!? It was actually very good for us so that we could learn how to do it all and not need a guide in the future. We got all our gear into the dry bags and then into the Duluth Packs. Amy packed the Duluth Packs so that we'd be able to portage them. Basically they just had to be stuffed evenly. These bags are like old-time backpacks. Very wide, sortof short (for an adult), and no waist or sternum strap. They way they hang is very odd and pretty uncomfortable. But they are only meant to be carried for a short period of time on portages and up to campsites. Anyway, that done we had our canoe lesson. She taught us the stroke, drawing (away from the canoe), pulling (toward the canoe), C-stroke (putting an ear on the canoe), and J-stroke (a line down the side of the canoe and then out). We would remember none of this! LOL We also had to go see the camp nurse. She took our temperatures, checked our feet, and asked about our medical histories. They seemed unsure of how to handle us as adults since they hadn't gotten our forms earlier and we'd had no physicals. But they do women's trips every summer so I was confused by their confusion! (= No biggie, we all just adapted. We picked out our life jackets and paddles (NOT oars!!), and got Lorrie some high top hiking boots to wear. We stuck the stuff we'd be leaving behind in Amy's huge locker. I couldn't believe how much stuff fit in there!
While we were waiting to take off, there were a bunch of other groups also waiting. Some were going to canoe and others were hiking and rock climbing. A bunch of boys were playing rooftop ball on the dock. They were hit the ball onto the roof and the next person in line would have to jump and get it back on the roof when it came down. The only reason that was significant was that no one seemed to care that they were nearly pummeling the people trying to get ready to leave. They played right in the middle of all the preparations! lol No one got hit and the ball stayed out of the water. It was just that easy-going. I wanted to join in the game but figured there was some weird code about it only being teenage boys! lol Anyway, w
e finally got on the water around 2pm, along with several other groups. We canoed across the Bearskin Lake, Lorrie in front and Amy steering, to the launch we'd gone to yesterday. A shuttle bus with a canoe trailer was there waiting for us. There were 2 groups on the bus. The other were 6-8 boys. Interestingly I felt a little car sick on that ride. I had to close my eyes for a little while. This had happened when I first got on the bus for TRAM as well. Hmm could be some of the Boba/medications I've been taking.
But that was weird! Anyway, they dropped us off first, at Gunflint Lake. It took about 45 minutes to get there. I started having that feeling again... excitement that this trip was actually about to start... and nervousness that this trip was actually about to start! WOW! We, my in front and Amy steering, paddled about 6 miles, which took about 3 hours. That's completely an estimate because neither Lorrie nor I wear a watch! lol I paddled that segment. It was a strange feeling. As you know, my sports are mainly leg sports! I run, hike, and cycle. Arms are used but not intensively. So my arms were revolting a little. Once I got into a groove, they were okay. But I could tell I would be sore the next morning... if not that night! There were 3 islands with potential campsites that we wanted to check out. Amy said she preferred the second but that we would look at all 3 in case that one was being used. The first was occupied so we needed to check out the second anyway. That one was empty... and it was really nice. I've ne
ver camped on an island so that was a new experience. I liked it. I liked knowing that we were the only people on that piece of land and especially that we wouldn't have to worry about neighbors. As we set up camp, a bald eagle flew very close overhead. I've never seen one that close before! The "whoooph whooooph" of it's wings was an incredible sound! I can't do justice to any explanation so just know that it was incredible to see, hear and even feel it. There were tons of loons around and they were all chattering. That was nice background noise!
The route we had planned followed the US/Canada Border almost the entire way. On the island where we camped, there was a marker that marked said border. I think you can read it in the photo, but it reads, "Intl Bdry," which means "International Boundary." Of course we had to take sides since Lorrie is
one of *those* Canucks and I am American! No, I did not take this opportunity to push her into the water. (= I guess I should have. But I didn't want to jeopardize my chances for migrating! lol
After Lorrie and I set up the tent and Amy did her "booty hunt" around the island, Amy started making dinner. We decided on quesadillas. Torillas, cheese, summer sau
sage and some Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP). I liked the TVP! (= For dessert, we had vanilla pudding, with raspberries that I had picked on the island. The mosquitos and black flies were pretty bad here. I'm sure I've said this a million times this summer but for some reason I am being bit and stung like I have never been bit or stung before! I am constantly applying benedryl and spraying myself with repellant. The benedryl works for the itching but nothing seems to keep them off me. I still wanted to explore. So we went walking around everywhere. This was also my first experience with the "biff." I took a photo of it but it turned out too dark with my disposable camera. Suffice to say it is a brown plastic toilet shell placed over a hole in the ground. It also has a stepping stool type thing in front of it so that you can have your feet off the ground. Think "throne!" lol Not bad for being in the middle of the wilderness! We're all just sitting around quietly now, listening to the background noises of loons, crickets, and the occasional bug in the ear. lol Last night we slept in bunk beds. Tonight we sleep in a tent with Amy! heheh She seems relatively oblivious to how we act toward each other and we're not flaunting ourselves. Lorrie almost said something about bringing a second tent. Then neither of us wanted to carry more weight so we're doing as the Romans, so to speak. It's actually kindof fun to be clandestine. I would venture to guess Lorrie disagrees! lol Makes me wonder how things would have been different had Candace and Lori been with us. I do know that we ALL would have been in one tent. Amy said that groups up to 8 will be in the same tent, even if they have squish in together! lol Maybe next year! HA!!
This morning the bell rang at 7am. I guess it's the, "Getcher ass out of bed" bell. That seemed the only purpose. S
o we did. We had an appointment in the food prep cabin at 7:15am. That was interesting! We took each ingredient for each meal and double bagged it. Then we had 3 stuff sacks, one for each meal. There were a ton of ingredients but I'll go into that more later. In the middle of working on the food, the bell rang again. Time for "first word." One of the staff members read a motivational story and then dismissed everyone to get ready for breakfast. The camp is technically a Christian camp. But I liked that they didn't focus on that aspect. My guess is that first word and grace at dinner have evolved over time into positive motivational messages rather than God-centered messages. Don't get me wrong! I'm all for God-centered messages. I just think a lot of the kids that attend now might not be there if there was an in-your-face Christian focus. Just my thoughts. After first word, we headed back to finish our food preparation before breakfast at 8am. Can you believe I was functioning so completely at this hour!?? lol I'm actually quite the morning person when it comes to camping, cycling, and (now) canoeing! Sometimes it's a little strange for people who know me to experience. Lorrie already knew because of TRAM so it wasn't a big shock to her system! ANYWAY... breakfast was at 8am. Coffee cake! lol It was tasty but everything was carbs. They also had canned pears and then canned peaches. I guess that's what you do when feeding 50 kids, eh?Between 9am and 2pm we made final preparations for the trip. Like I wrote before, so much more detail than I had expected. We also had to laugh because we were doing most of the work and that's generally why adults hire guides. Right? So they don't have to do all the labor!? It was actually very good for us so that we could learn how to do it all and not need a guide in the future. We got all our gear into the dry bags and then into the Duluth Packs. Amy packed the Duluth Packs so that we'd be able to portage them. Basically they just had to be stuffed evenly. These bags are like old-time backpacks. Very wide, sortof short (for an adult), and no waist or sternum strap. They way they hang is very odd and pretty uncomfortable. But they are only meant to be carried for a short period of time on portages and up to campsites. Anyway, that done we had our canoe lesson. She taught us the stroke, drawing (away from the canoe), pulling (toward the canoe), C-stroke (putting an ear on the canoe), and J-stroke (a line down the side of the canoe and then out). We would remember none of this! LOL We also had to go see the camp nurse. She took our temperatures, checked our feet, and asked about our medical histories. They seemed unsure of how to handle us as adults since they hadn't gotten our forms earlier and we'd had no physicals. But they do women's trips every summer so I was confused by their confusion! (= No biggie, we all just adapted. We picked out our life jackets and paddles (NOT oars!!), and got Lorrie some high top hiking boots to wear. We stuck the stuff we'd be leaving behind in Amy's huge locker. I couldn't believe how much stuff fit in there!
While we were waiting to take off, there were a bunch of other groups also waiting. Some were going to canoe and others were hiking and rock climbing. A bunch of boys were playing rooftop ball on the dock. They were hit the ball onto the roof and the next person in line would have to jump and get it back on the roof when it came down. The only reason that was significant was that no one seemed to care that they were nearly pummeling the people trying to get ready to leave. They played right in the middle of all the preparations! lol No one got hit and the ball stayed out of the water. It was just that easy-going. I wanted to join in the game but figured there was some weird code about it only being teenage boys! lol Anyway, w
e finally got on the water around 2pm, along with several other groups. We canoed across the Bearskin Lake, Lorrie in front and Amy steering, to the launch we'd gone to yesterday. A shuttle bus with a canoe trailer was there waiting for us. There were 2 groups on the bus. The other were 6-8 boys. Interestingly I felt a little car sick on that ride. I had to close my eyes for a little while. This had happened when I first got on the bus for TRAM as well. Hmm could be some of the Boba/medications I've been taking.But that was weird! Anyway, they dropped us off first, at Gunflint Lake. It took about 45 minutes to get there. I started having that feeling again... excitement that this trip was actually about to start... and nervousness that this trip was actually about to start! WOW! We, my in front and Amy steering, paddled about 6 miles, which took about 3 hours. That's completely an estimate because neither Lorrie nor I wear a watch! lol I paddled that segment. It was a strange feeling. As you know, my sports are mainly leg sports! I run, hike, and cycle. Arms are used but not intensively. So my arms were revolting a little. Once I got into a groove, they were okay. But I could tell I would be sore the next morning... if not that night! There were 3 islands with potential campsites that we wanted to check out. Amy said she preferred the second but that we would look at all 3 in case that one was being used. The first was occupied so we needed to check out the second anyway. That one was empty... and it was really nice. I've ne
ver camped on an island so that was a new experience. I liked it. I liked knowing that we were the only people on that piece of land and especially that we wouldn't have to worry about neighbors. As we set up camp, a bald eagle flew very close overhead. I've never seen one that close before! The "whoooph whooooph" of it's wings was an incredible sound! I can't do justice to any explanation so just know that it was incredible to see, hear and even feel it. There were tons of loons around and they were all chattering. That was nice background noise!The route we had planned followed the US/Canada Border almost the entire way. On the island where we camped, there was a marker that marked said border. I think you can read it in the photo, but it reads, "Intl Bdry," which means "International Boundary." Of course we had to take sides since Lorrie is
one of *those* Canucks and I am American! No, I did not take this opportunity to push her into the water. (= I guess I should have. But I didn't want to jeopardize my chances for migrating! lolAfter Lorrie and I set up the tent and Amy did her "booty hunt" around the island, Amy started making dinner. We decided on quesadillas. Torillas, cheese, summer sau
sage and some Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP). I liked the TVP! (= For dessert, we had vanilla pudding, with raspberries that I had picked on the island. The mosquitos and black flies were pretty bad here. I'm sure I've said this a million times this summer but for some reason I am being bit and stung like I have never been bit or stung before! I am constantly applying benedryl and spraying myself with repellant. The benedryl works for the itching but nothing seems to keep them off me. I still wanted to explore. So we went walking around everywhere. This was also my first experience with the "biff." I took a photo of it but it turned out too dark with my disposable camera. Suffice to say it is a brown plastic toilet shell placed over a hole in the ground. It also has a stepping stool type thing in front of it so that you can have your feet off the ground. Think "throne!" lol Not bad for being in the middle of the wilderness! We're all just sitting around quietly now, listening to the background noises of loons, crickets, and the occasional bug in the ear. lol Last night we slept in bunk beds. Tonight we sleep in a tent with Amy! heheh She seems relatively oblivious to how we act toward each other and we're not flaunting ourselves. Lorrie almost said something about bringing a second tent. Then neither of us wanted to carry more weight so we're doing as the Romans, so to speak. It's actually kindof fun to be clandestine. I would venture to guess Lorrie disagrees! lol Makes me wonder how things would have been different had Candace and Lori been with us. I do know that we ALL would have been in one tent. Amy said that groups up to 8 will be in the same tent, even if they have squish in together! lol Maybe next year! HA!!
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