Of Wind, Water, & Wilderness
Bill Kuntze
A blue sky makes an appearance through the remaining precipitation. The trees continue to sprinkle as we transfer the gear up the incline to the "kitchen" area of the site. A dark turbulent squall line appears on the western horizon. Knowing it would blow in shortly, we turn our attention to securing the tarp, lean to fashion, over the fire pit. The next order of business was the need to change into some dry clothing and get a pot of coffee boiling. Be it a tired mind, the chill of the day or the changing weather, I had become distracted from a fundamental law of wilderness travel. John first notices the canoe is no longer perched atop the rock landing at the waters edge. It is not hard to figure out where it went. Looking straight east, we can make out the blue hue of its hull a half mile away. The wind had guided it precisely through a gap between an island and a point of land, protruding off the southern shoreline. Well, at least we knew where it was. If the wind did not change direction, it should hold fast against the shoreline. Sizing up the situation, there was no immediate need for the canoe. It was highly unlikely another canoe would pass by anytime soon. I still felt a sense of helplessness not having it in camp.
We return to the more immediate need of keeping ourselves dry in the approaching shower, getting fed and warmed up. The shower passes by as we fill up on some tasty Jean Lake pike fillets and side dish of pasta. We are especially thankful for the tarp this evening. The sky once again clears but only to expose another frontal line. This one would advance slowly and develop into light precipitation after dark. Nightfall is yet an hour away, so we use the time to look around. A few artifacts from the historic logging era prove this campsite has been used for many years. There is a stand of old pines, a few of them broken off or blown over. One large dead stub has a lean in the direction of our chosen tent pad. We gamble as to whether it would hit the tent should it topple during the night.
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