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As
I set off on Wallace Lake for a 30-day canoe trip into Woodland Caribou
Provincial Park (WCPP) the mercury is near 100 degrees Fahrenheit. A southwest
breeze pushes me across the lake to the Wanipigow River entrance point. The
water levels are high and there are no beaver dams to get over. In two and a
half hours camp is being set up on Siderock Lake. The Obukowin Portage marker is
easily seen from my site. It is not my route this year but it is nice to see it
so well marked.
It
is so hot that a bug net is hung from the tarp to allow better air movement than
a tent. The sleeping bag is left in the stuff sack. As darkness falls the breeze
dies and the mosquitoes congregate on the outside of the netting. After a hot
and humid night with little sleep it was time to dress and make a dash for the
Deet and a head net. That allowed enough protection to get the gear out onto an
open rock with enough breeze to get some relief.
The high water made for easy travel up the Wanipigow River and into WCPP. It
took me four and a half hours to reach the campsite across the water from the
Crystal Lake entrance sign. My little thermometer read 95 degrees F during camp
setup but soon read 100 degrees F again. Cold air was predicted to arrive this
evening so the tent and tarp were set up in a combo that offered a tight defense
to the impending clash of the air masses. Fishing was good but distant thunder
told me to get the fish filleted and retreat to the fortress to fry it. As I
cooked supper in my fortified annex the storm arrived in all its fury. My walls
showed the stress of the wind but only a little spray spattered in the hot oil
as dinner preparation went on. |
