Today's POD, that of MP & DD finishing breakfast next to the lake, is one of my favorites from that trip. When I look at the serenity of the water behind them, it brings to mind the severity of wind only a few hours earlier, around midnight.
I had strung up my Lean 3 shelter near the water's edge, facing due east, with rocks and logs anchoring its edges. It had been stormy & breezy during the preceding afternoon but I was well protected by the trees behind. Alas, the winds swung around in a BIG way right around midnight. A major blast came in right at midnight from the East. It blew up my Lean 3 like a balloon!
It happened so suddenly and without warning that when I woke, I looked around only to discover I was no longer inside of my shelter. Rather, it was high up in the trees behind, headed towards Manitoba. Fortunately, one of the small logs I had tied to it was still reachable. Rocks & other pieces of wood I had used for anchors were scattered all over.
I don't know if it was the commotion I was making OR light from my headlamp that roused Magic & DD. It would have hard to hear me or anything I was doing over the howl of the wind. Whatever the cause, thankfully the cavalry showed up just in time. Together, we managed to retrieve my shelter from the high branches. It was dark, late and there was no prospect of trying to set it up again in that windstorm. So, instead, I set up my mini-bivouac shelter, got into it, and then let the guys simply "drop" the Lean 3 over the top of me!
When I "dug out" the next morning, the world had calmed down, significantly (as evidenced by the lake in the background). After breakfast, we cleared out a spot back up in the woods (we had "created" that "campsite" in the first place) and I set up shop back there. I remember catching a great nap that afternoon, confident that I had found a more secure location.
Since that day, I have done my level-best to avoid setting up a shelter (especially an open-sided one like a Lean 3) anywhere near the shoreline. Anyway, the guys certainly earned their peaceful breakfast that next morning.
Jimbo