Tripped Up
Jim Jelak
This trip was going to be more than fishing adventure on Crooked Lake; more than paddling and portaging an aggressive route. It was a trip designed to embrace and immerse ourselves in the history and magic of Canoe Country.
A good friend had pinpointed a place on my map that is the very location of the rock where Sig Olsen often sat and contemplated the waters of Crooked Lake. Our list of things to do also included visiting the area pictographs, including the famous 'eccentric Moose?. A fresh copy of Listening Point was packed to be read in private in my tent but also so I could share around the campfire my favorite excerpts from this old friend of a book.
These thoughts visit me during my busy workday. My focus should be on the task at hand yet I find myself feeling sorry for myself. I find myself traveling North in my mind, imaging what Rick and Matt are up to.
It is Tuesday and I torture myself by reviewing the trip itinerary on my laptop. I click on the word document to open it but this is a redundant exercise. I know its contents by heart.
Today is the scheduled day trip from Sunday Bay on Crooked Lake to little-visited Jackfish Lake. I've been told the lake teems with fish and that the paddle down the river is breathtakingly beautiful.
In my mind's eye I see Rick and Matt paddling silently down the river. The morning is brisk, the birch leaves turning golden, nodding in the gentle breeze. Around a bend the men slide by on silent water, their breath momentarily taken by the sight of a bull moose standing tall on the boggy shore.
Onward they glide towards Jackfish Lake. They stop only briefly for a quick rest and snack. This is my daydream so they are snacking on leftover walleye fillets wrapped in tortillas.
