(Hi - this is Joanie. Anne wrote this while we were paddling Quetico. I encouraged her to keep a journal of the trip but did not coach entries. You can see that fishing with kids will keep em happy about the trip, even after the worst of weather -- please excuse spelling errors -- it's not her strength. Sometimes she asked for spelling help, like "petroglyphs" -- right? -- but mostly it's as she penciled it. My comments are in brackets or parenthesis)

July 30 - (the drive from Philly to Atikokan)
Last night a mother rackunn and her two babby's came to our campsite and made holes in our trash bag. (Mom forgot to put it in the car). I got like 5 bug bites. I all most got bit buy a hoursefly. Uncel Glen siad that we will be in Quedecko in 3 more nights. We are in Canada right now. When we were driving to find a place for lunch I saw a Inden.

August 2, 2000 - first day out
Today we saw Petroglyphs. here is a pictre of one [drawing of hands on Quetico lake.] Last night I heard alot of louns. [arrow points to a drawing of a loon].

August 4, 2000 - (campsite on Quetico Lake, just a little beyond the portage from Quetico to Conk.)
Today we camped near a warter fall. I went swimming near the warter fall, and I also caught two fish but Amy [the big sister] casted the line for me because I don't now how to cast lines. We also saw a snaping tortle. I saw a snack in our campsite. (snake - honest, Mom didn't leave snacks on the campsite)

August 5, 2000 - (Jean Lake)
Today it has been thunring (as in Thunr Bay) and lightning all day today. Amy and I are very lucky that our tent diden't leak today. We all so saw a fisher, a snaping torttel with a pink hole on its neck. Today I coute 5 fish. (This is the day Anne learned to tie and cast her own lines. In the end she caught many s.m. bass and one walleye.)

August 6, 2000 - (Jean Lake)
Today its stil raining. Today it stopd raining for a while and then started up agaen. Amy read me my book that mommy got me (not the one mentioned later in this journal) and she read me the hole intier book. it is a great book. Nothing else relly happened. (gawd.. it poured, poured, poured. good reading and relaxation day).

August 7, 2000 - (Conk)
Today I saw a Bald-Eagle, a warter snack, and a loon. We had a fun portige to Conk lake. (rather than carry from Jean to Conk we paddled a very fast moving and twisty little stream just beyond the portage. Saved us 1/2 hour portage time.) I also coute a fish. (again at the water fall from Quetico to Conk - a good bass spot. One evening a fish was caught every time a line was cast. We ate some, threw back most)

August 8, 2000 - (Quetico)
To day we did not cech any fish. It has bin raining alot here. I have like almost 30 bug bites. I have been reading a book called Paddle-to-the-Sea. It is a realy good book. (I highly recommend this to all young backcountry paddlers. It is about an Indian Boy who carves a little wooden canoe and an Indian to sit in it. He ballasts it and puts it on a hill in the winter so that the spring melt will carry it away and send it on a journey to the sea. The little canoe travels very near to the area of Quetico, down through Nipigon, into little lakes and marshes, and into Superior etc. Many of the areas we drove through to get to Quetico are in this book.)

August 9, 2000 - (paddle out)
Today we are canoeing back to the bunckhouse. To night we are going to a motel to stay at. I licked (liked) my trip to Quetacko because a lot of anemals are there.

Posted by Joanie on August 16, 2000 at 08:24