So after another nice meal and cold brews at Memaquay's house I set off for 4 days solo at Marshall Lake, about 70 plus miles northwest of Geraldton, Ontario.
Again I used my cart to move my canoe and packs the mile down the dirt road to the lake. (no motorized vehicles allowed)
When I reached the lake, I paddled away from the put in and hide my cart in the bush along a beach. I walked the beach but no tracks at all, although a heavy rain might have cleared everything the night before.
I paddled further down this massive beach and walked again. No trash at all, no lures to find, no tracks to see, just a pristine beach on a beautiful lake.
(sorry about the zip lock bag in the picture
)
I headed east on the lake to see what the rest of it looked like. The normal canoe route goes west from the put in and since I had the time, the wind was down I would explore a little. There is a small stream the leads to a smaller remote lake that Memaquay had told me about, but I put that off till later, unfortunately the wind had other plans for me.
So after pretty much circling the whole lake I ended up at the first campsite our group trip had stayed at a week before. I set up my tarp and made a small fire to cook some Klick and homefries in the Coldhandle. Some coffee to top it off and I was content.
My little solo North Face Pebble tent set up on a bed of moss,
The next day was calm and a great day to do some paddling, but I needed some rest so I just hung out at camp, fished a little (only pike) met a first nations couple who own one of the two cabins on the lake.
They where fishing in the evening and smelled my fire so they motored over.
"Hi, I'm George, this is Alice" he said as he pointed to a women in the bow, she smiled, then looked away and never made eye contact again.
He pointed to my fire and said "Me and my Grandfather used to have tea at that fireplace"
I said it was a beautiful campsite and very peaceful.
He pointed to my canoe rolled over on it's side and said "nice canoe"
I explained it was a Chestnut and made in Canada. He nodded and smiled. I told him I had just completed a trip down the Grip River to the Kap with Rob Haslam (Memaquay)and friends, he said he went to Geraldton HS but there was someone else in charge of the Outers program at that time. He knew of Rob, but had never met him.
I mentioned the small trappers cabin at the first port out of Marshall, he said it was his Grandfathers trappers cabin and it was built by his Grandmother and Mother.
Before he left, he mentioned that I should stop in for coffee on my way out, I said Thanks but the next days wind and time prevented that visit.
Late in the afternoon of my second day the wind began to pick up, and by evening it was blowing too hard to paddle or fish. It was a south wind and the temps rose into the mid 90's. The wind blew all night and all the next day. Had I moved to the south side of the lake I would be out of the wind and fishing, but "what if's" are a good part of paddling in this country.
So I spent the third day waiting out the wind, swimming and straightening out my tent for tenth time. I did manage to do some paddling in a small area of the lake out of the wind but it was a long wind bound day. No fish except some small pike.
My last day the wind stopped, early morning the lake was like glass.
I didn't rush it, made a nice breakfast and packed up.
I trolled the shoreline and managed to catch a mess of Pickerel on my way out, but all where released on barb less hooks.
Again I used my cart to move my canoe and packs the mile down the dirt road to the lake. (no motorized vehicles allowed)
When I reached the lake, I paddled away from the put in and hide my cart in the bush along a beach. I walked the beach but no tracks at all, although a heavy rain might have cleared everything the night before.
I paddled further down this massive beach and walked again. No trash at all, no lures to find, no tracks to see, just a pristine beach on a beautiful lake.
(sorry about the zip lock bag in the picture
)
I headed east on the lake to see what the rest of it looked like. The normal canoe route goes west from the put in and since I had the time, the wind was down I would explore a little. There is a small stream the leads to a smaller remote lake that Memaquay had told me about, but I put that off till later, unfortunately the wind had other plans for me.
So after pretty much circling the whole lake I ended up at the first campsite our group trip had stayed at a week before. I set up my tarp and made a small fire to cook some Klick and homefries in the Coldhandle. Some coffee to top it off and I was content.
My little solo North Face Pebble tent set up on a bed of moss,
The next day was calm and a great day to do some paddling, but I needed some rest so I just hung out at camp, fished a little (only pike) met a first nations couple who own one of the two cabins on the lake.
They where fishing in the evening and smelled my fire so they motored over.
"Hi, I'm George, this is Alice" he said as he pointed to a women in the bow, she smiled, then looked away and never made eye contact again.
He pointed to my fire and said "Me and my Grandfather used to have tea at that fireplace"
I said it was a beautiful campsite and very peaceful.
He pointed to my canoe rolled over on it's side and said "nice canoe"
I explained it was a Chestnut and made in Canada. He nodded and smiled. I told him I had just completed a trip down the Grip River to the Kap with Rob Haslam (Memaquay)and friends, he said he went to Geraldton HS but there was someone else in charge of the Outers program at that time. He knew of Rob, but had never met him.
I mentioned the small trappers cabin at the first port out of Marshall, he said it was his Grandfathers trappers cabin and it was built by his Grandmother and Mother.
Before he left, he mentioned that I should stop in for coffee on my way out, I said Thanks but the next days wind and time prevented that visit.
Late in the afternoon of my second day the wind began to pick up, and by evening it was blowing too hard to paddle or fish. It was a south wind and the temps rose into the mid 90's. The wind blew all night and all the next day. Had I moved to the south side of the lake I would be out of the wind and fishing, but "what if's" are a good part of paddling in this country.
So I spent the third day waiting out the wind, swimming and straightening out my tent for tenth time. I did manage to do some paddling in a small area of the lake out of the wind but it was a long wind bound day. No fish except some small pike.
My last day the wind stopped, early morning the lake was like glass.
I didn't rush it, made a nice breakfast and packed up.
I trolled the shoreline and managed to catch a mess of Pickerel on my way out, but all where released on barb less hooks.
