Rendezvous in the Bush
by Jim Carrier
Woods Walker said, "We knew that had to be you, Jimbo!"
I winced. My "lawn ornament fancier" status was apparently more legendary than I had feared. While they set up their tarp, Ben tried to coax a measly smoky fire to life.
Forty-five minutes later, a pair of kayakers emerged from the mists, Intrepid Camper and Kawishiway. We waved them in. Again, we all introduced ourselves, shook hands, and huddled together under the protection of the tarps.
"Anything that pink and preposterous out in the woods simply had to get checked out!" said Kawishiway. "It's not exactly an everyday sort of wildlife encounter."
Kawishiway's fire paste nourished our erratic blaze into fuller life. Quetico Passage, who preferred to be called QP, heated up more warm beverages for all. Shortly after warming up, Intrepid Camper jumped back into her kayak and scoured the island's shoreline, retrieving plenty of burnable wood and resin-rich cedar brush, highly combustible even in these conditions. Upon her return, we all crowded together under our shelter and started swapping "tripping" tales. "Where have you been, so far?" "How was it?" "How did you come to be at this particular spot?" We also discussed options and approaches for bushwhacking the next morning. This discussion had not gone on very long when a pleading thin voice was barely heard above the howling wind, rain, and flapping tarps. It came from the water, well below us.
"Hello up there! Hey! Can you make room for a couple cold, wet paddlers?" We jumped up instantly and hustled over to see who the pink flamingos had fetched. Through chattering teeth, Magic Paddler introduced himself. He was about my age, in his fifties. He traveled with his older brother, age 73! We gladly welcomed this waterlogged, weary, nearly hypothermic, but clearly indomitable pair. They had begun their trek a few days earlier in the rugged Mack Lake region, heading this way intent upon bushwhacking and meeting Stumpy. Warm drink was issued, their tent erected quickly, and their bags rolled out. They were dangerously cold and wet.