Daily Trip Log Reports

July 17 - 18: day six and seven
The morning is cool and crisp, the sky is clear, the sun is shining and life is wonderful. We have a leisurely breakfast, cooking up the few eggs we brought along in the plane. 

After breakfast, we slowly reorganize our packs into a more manageable system. We had to put a lot of stuff into smaller packs in order to fit it inside the plane. Now we're consolidating the smaller pieces into a large pack that will be more manageable in the canoe. Once that's done, we head off down the lake and start our trip down the Carswell River. 

The river begins like a whisper. It's very shallow and the sand that makes up the lake extends to the river bottom. We can easily walk across most anywhere.

The river meanders pleasantly until a bit past the junction of Carswell Lake. After this, there are a number of unmarked rapids that will be a challenge for the rest of our journey down the Carswell. Even at peak flow in the spring, it's unlikely that there's much water flowing down the river. 

When we paddle it, the river is just barely deep enough for the passage of a loaded canoe most of the time. Whenever the river fans out a bit, it gets too shallow to paddle and we grind to a halt on rocks.

There are no portages here, the only option is to find the deepest water and drag our canoes, wading beside them. Occasionally, the river is too shallow for two paddlers, but will let a canoe with one occupant pass. The kids are a study in chivalry as they let mom sit in the canoe while they do the wading.

At the base of most rapids, the kids insist on doing a little fishing.

In most spots, it takes only a cast or two before they land something. In the faster running water, pickerel are more common than pike. Kyle lands a good sized fish and challenges his brother to do better, something he regrets by the end of the day. 

At one fishing hole, Brendan lands back to back pickerel as long as the blade on his paddle. The kids want to keep all three fish, insisting they're extra hungry.

We don't travel as far as I'd planned, but elect to settle for the night at the first good campsite we encounter. Just before pulling in, we surprise a large bull moose that was grazing in the shallows. In the same location, there's a greater yellow-legs that vocally complains of our presence and swoops down in a way that suggests there's a nest nearby.

We set up camp and the kids fillet the fish. The fish were a lot bigger than they thought and it was all we could do to finish the meal. Apparently, it will be catch and release for the next few days.

There is a very nice sunset and the long twilight casts beautiful shadows on the trees around us. 

All along the trip its been amazing to see how many ants inhabit the landscape. They crop up virtually everywhere and there are more varieties than I think I've ever seen before.

We've also been hearing an animal sound that I've never heard before. At first it sounded like a growl, but then I wasn't sure. At our campsite tonight, we solve the mystery. Overhead we see many night hawks flying to catch insects. Every now and then, one bird will dive at another and make a growling sound, probably with their wings. 

Glad that one is solved!