Just returned from a solo.

For anyone heading to the Atikokan area, The "TOLL" in International Falls is now nine bucks. If anyone can tell me which trolls get this money and what they spend it on I'd appreciate it. I also got to talk to immigration on a random check. (Random... unless it was because I complained so loudly about coughing up 9 bucks for some ambigiously changeing reason.) HWY 11 between Shebaqua(sp?) and Atikokan is being repaved. It needed it. They do it right and fast up there. Chew it up, grade it off, pave it. Relatively painless.

The trip was on the cool, soggy side. Believe it or not that's just how I like it. The bugs weren't bad yet, although the blackflies were not just shopping anymore but actually feeding. Water levels were high so the falls were awesome. Lots of moose (7), I even saw a deer which is pretty rare in N. Quetico. What little fishing I did was quite productive. Except the 5 minutes I spent wetting a line at Chatterton falls with 5, count 'em 5 other canoes. None of us caught a thing while I was there. Pollen fell, smells like baby vomit, reminded me of home. That white cottony stuff was just starting to blow around too.

Broke my favorite graphite rod. (earlier that day I was contemplating taking only one rod next time - HA) My new frying pan's Teflon coating bubbled up and came off every time I used it. Thanks REI. It's going back for sure.

I'll pass along my last two days as they were the most interesting.

I'll begin when I stopped to photo the pictos on Dore'. I especially like these when I'm alone 'cause there is one of a fellow solo canoeist. It was a nice day and the wind was nonexistent. I thought perhaps I'd stay on Dore' that night so I paddled away thinking I'd be back to offer a little tobacco to the "spirits" later.

I got about two strokes away before the strongest breeze of my entire trip hit my face. I paddled over to the island to check out the campsite as it got even stronger. It blew for the 5 minutes it took me to decide I'd better struggle part way up Pickerel if I want to have a fighting chance at getting out the next day.

In the front of my mind I'm still thinking I need to make the tobacco offering before I go so I paddled over to share a cigarette at the picto site before leaving. Less than a minute after my offering hit the water the wind subsided. I'm not kidding or embellishing. It was still again. Quite an eerie feeling, it made me think. I normally appreciate, respect and even enjoy the idea of a spiritual side to things but this was way to coincidental even for my taste.

I paddled on to the portage to Pickerel with a gentle breeze at my back. That's the opposite direction from which it blew so strongly minutes before. The last portage trip was reserved for my camera since there were swallowtails I wanted to get a shot of. As I crouched quietly, waiting for them to settle, I heard the familiar ka-plooch, ka-plooch, ka-plooching of a nearby moose. I peeked around the Cedars to discover she had a calf in tow.

My first thought was she'd probably exit at the portage trail. "Cool. Great shot." Then I thought about the calf and begrudgingly made my presents known to her. I still should have gotten a good shot or two off between heartbeats. Coffee + portage + moose = major shakes/shutter speed.

On a whim, Pine Portage Bay produced a decent sized Laker that released itself. When I got to Wetasi Island I began thinking about which campsite I wanted to try for the night. I mused that one with an unobstructed northern view and a supply of split firewood would be nice.

As I pulled up to my first choice I raised a mighty swarm of blackflies and thought "well, I sure don't want to stay here." I got out to check out the site and stretch my legs anyway. Lo and behold there was a huge pile of split wood. More than I probably used the entire week before. (THANKS GUYS) It crossed my mind to borrow some but I noticed the blackflies didn't follow me into the woods. When I unloaded the canoe they were gone, not to return. Is this what a little tobacco can do I wondered???

That night I finally enjoyed the perfect one-to-one reflections paddling the shoreline that I don't remember seeing in many trips. Tobacco?

The next day I paddled the long open stretch down the middle of Pickerel, a gentle breeze at my back, every now and then releasing a Laker to break the monotony. I stopped to put out someone's still smoldering breakfast fire. They were nowhere to be seen and you can see an hour in all directions from there. The only wood they left was the big tree trunk that was smoldering between chunks of foil and aluminum cans. Pickerel gets visitors of all extremes.

Anyway.

When I reached the weedy delta of French. I was lucky enough to finish a roll on a moose. When it disappeared, I didn't even load another, I was done, until I noticed a vary loud, persistant and very familar ka-plooch, ka-plooch, ka-plooching traveling in my same direction - and keeping up with me. I turned to see two moose. It seemed like: "Wait... let me get my sister. She'd like her picture taken too."

They soon both disappeared, but still the plooch-plooch-plooching kept up with me. I came to a channel that lead towards the sound, I followed it and got some nice shots of the two of them together. It was a nice way to end my trip, and I can't help but wonder because this little string of good luck started after my modest offering at the picto site.

Draw your own conclusions, with an always ready supply of tobacco, I have my own.
db

Posted by db on June 04, 2001 at 15:48