As we neared our destination for the night, we were tired physically
more than we had been at any other point, for this was Devil's Elbow.
It was appropriately named, as the wind whipped through so forcefully,
stinging our eyes and burning our ears, that we could barely maneuver
our canoes through one narrow pass. Time and time again we were
blown toward the rocks. We poured all the strength we had left into
paddling, lowered our heads against the onslaught, and forged ahead.
Inch by inch we painfully worked our way out into the lake, freed
from the devil's grasp at last!
By this time the sky had clouded over and promised rain, so we
hastily made our way to shore and set up camp. This time there was
no need for a wind screen, as this area was calm and shut off by
the hills around us. It was a great place to camp for two nights.
Awakened during the night by some grunt or growl, my body froze.
I was stiff and tingly all over. My husband whispered to me but
no one spoke out loud. He bravely took the flashlight in hand and
prepared to open the tent flap. As sleep left his mind, he reconsidered
his decision and withdrew to lay quietly by me as we awaited some
terrible ending to our lives. We listened as heavy footsteps moved
through the campsite and the sound of crackling twigs told us the
visitor was not interested and was moving away into the woods. Shortly
afterwards, my brother-in-law built a small fire to intimidate whatever
monster might be lurking in the dark. It took some time, though,
as everything was wet from an earlier rain. Thanks goodness for
fire sticks!
Next morning, feeling a little silly, we all relayed our versions
of the story over the inevitable hot mocha. We ate what some might
call pancakes. I'm not sure what I would call them. Some people
need their cooking skills polished a little.
The rain eased up and we spent a leisurely day of fishing and playing
rook. In the afternoon we wandered up the hill behind the camp area
and came across a bluff where we got a breath-taking view overlooking
the whole lake. the ground was carpeted with about six inches of
moss, and we found what we identified as moose droppings. Maybe
our visitor in the night had been the elusive moose after all, and
not some ferocious bear or beast!
As the day drew on some of us braved the icy waters to take some
semblance of a bath. My father-in-law slipped and took a little
more of one than he planned. With very little daylight left, we
repacked all our bags and arranged things for our early morning
departure. We were determined to get away a little earlier than
ten o'clock for a change. Finally, fighting the urge to stay up,
we all climbed into our tents and drifted into a mindless slumber.
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