JIMBOREE (Part One)

At the close-out of the other thread it was mentioned that it would be interesting to hear "what got left out" of the tales from Jamboree AND "what tall tales got added" to it.  I'll take a shot at documenting my perspective on some pre-Jamboree activities.  I'll leave the rest to others.  I'll be as anxious as you are to see how the tale ends.

My small "sidebar" to the whole Jamboree Adventure was something called "Jimboree".

The 2005 edition of Jimboree was held - impromptu - on an island in south central Cairn Lake.  Ben, my son, & I were the first to arrive... mid-way through 36 hours of soaking, cold nasty rain.  We had grinded our way through the beautiful (but rough) Cutty Creek area to get there.  All the portages had been wet or submerged or interesting mudslide variations.  Tripper & QP, getting in & out of Baird was all you guys said it could be!!

Anyway, I digress.

Ben & I arrived first.  We quickly erected a lean-to tarp on the head rock at the bottom of the island & somehow nursed a small fire out of soaked kindling.  We had put a couple of my "calling cards" on high ground where other hapless, misguided souls could not possibly miss them.  

Anyone want to guess what these pink items were???

The calling cards worked like a charm!  In they came!  QP & Woods Walker arrived in about a half-hour from the south, battling wind-driven rain right in their faces. Our site was plenty big & had numerous tent pads.  We welcomed the company.  About a half hour after that, the first of two kayaks was flagged in.  It was Kawishiway followed by my new friend, Intrepid Camper.  They scrambled up our rock & each found suitable spots to stake out their tents.  IC is one of the most impressive Voyageur/campers I've ever met.  She is a minimalist who exists off what Nature gives her.  After she got set up, she got back into her kayak & managed to pick her way along the shoreline to find wood that would actually burn in our struggling fire.

Just as we were all getting settled in around the tarp, we heard voices from behind the lean-to.  It was MagicPaddler & his 72 year-old brother, cold & wet after some tough travelling out the Mack Lake area.  Our "calling card" had fetched them in, too.  There was plenty of soggy space available... no, make that SATURATED space.


[To be continued]