The next day was much like the previous - sunny skies, light winds, warm temps. We found it really difficult to motivate this day, spending the first part of the day prepping breakfast, relaxing in the cabana, then heading back out of the sun for naps. Looking at maps and GPS, Gary noticed a small lake back around the corner which he was just able to fit his canoe through without the need to portage. When he returned, Chuck got the idea that he would head back there for some fishing, while the rest of us acknowledged his enthusiasm by raising our heads from the ground and grunting a farewell.
Just over an hour later Mr. Bass Ass returned with a boat load of fish! He caught many more in that time, but only brought back 20 or so of the best. Once Chuck beached the canoe, he hauled out his stringer for us to ogle. It was so laden with bass that he could hardly lift it! We got to work setting up a workstation for him to clean, and another location for us to fry them up. In the end we only cleaned about half of them and let the rest go.
Once the fish were fried, Gary realized that we were all together and it would be a great time to set up for some group photos in the shade of our camp. We had pretty much eaten our fill except Chuck, who kept on nibbling at the remaining fillets while Gary set up the shot. When the photo shoot was complete, Gary went to finally enjoy his first tastes of our latest catch, but it was all gone. "Where's the fish?" he cried in vain! Chuck, licking his fingers from the last pieces of oily delicacy, looked up from his spot near the plate and replied, "Huh, I was wondering why there was so much left." We had a good laugh at that, while Gary dug through our dwindling rations looking for something to sate his appetite.
The day was getting on, and Joe was getting impatient - we still had Curtain Falls portage to get through, and another campsite to locate. It was hard to leave, but we finally packed up and headed less than a mile to the flat rock outcropping above Curtain Falls to unload and begin the portage. It was shaded and cool, and mostly downhill, which was quite sweet. Also, we chose a different put-in spot that was shorter, but much closer to the falls than when we were through here before. As such, we'd have to be extra careful launching to ensure we didn't capsize in the strong current.
We were closer to the weekend, and so we encountered several people at the falls as well as fishing in boats in the strong current below. These guys were serious fishermen, but as I noticed their general girth, I realized they would only have gotten this far with some serious help, maybe from the U.S. side. Certainly not the portaging, adventuring kind! Being around these types made me miss the solitude of Argo Lake. I mean, the planning and effort it took for us to get "out there" was directly proportional to the remoteness that we experienced.
Once we cleared the falls, it was time to find a camp for our last night in Quetico. Gary paddled strong ahead to determine if our old Rebecca Falls campsite was available, and if not he'd paddle back and we'd have to look into alternatives. As we approached with no sign of Gary on the water, we knew he was already ashore on the island. Great! With tonight's site secured, we could unload, set up camp, then swim and fish in leisure.
For this round I had a pleasure of fishing with Chuck. As we circled the island, I started grabbing the paddle to maneuver, then my pole, then the paddle. After about 2 minutes of that, Chuck said "Put that damn thing away" - my paddle, not my rod & reel. Fishing with Chuck is quite a unique experience. He adeptly handles the canoe while casting about, whispering instructions to me, "There, drop a line there." "Now over there." We circled the island, fished the far shoreline, even a small bay with lots of "structure". We didn't catch much, and decided to just let go what we caught. As we headed out of the bay back to the island, we heard a blood curdling scream from Gary, "Let it go, let it GO, LET OUT THE BALE!!!" Now, what was THAT about? Turns out Jeff was casting from shore and must have snagged Gary as he paddled and fished about the island. Neither wanted to talk about it much when we all arrived back in camp...
Once again we opted for Mountain House backpack dinners instead of fish, and for the 2nd night in a row yet another Bandit was stumped by the basic directions to make the infamous Mountain House Raspberry Crumble. This would be the one essential skill that the crew might need to acquire before our next outing. For the 2nd night we enjoyed a raspberry chocolate mud pie that, while lacking the desired consistency, was still devoured with gusto.
All week long we had been having a conversation about our gear, specifically looking to vote on a "New Gear Award" for the new item that we found useful or novel, and by now all our gear had been trail tested. The nominees included:
Nite Ize Gear ties - REI had been selling these babies for a couple years, and they really came in handy to attach gear to the canoe in case we capsized. On prior trips we were stringing lightweight ropes through the packs and tying them off on the canoe gunnels. We found many great uses for these handy-dandy ties, which combined the staying power of the old Gumby and Pokey toys of my youth with the ability to readily twist and hold.
Neoprene socks - these sounded like a good idea, but I think those that had them found issues with boot fit and foot rot.
Froggtogg Hip waders - Chuck and Gary swore by these.
Lightweight collapsible table - seemed superfluous at first, but was used often to stabilize our fish fry stove, pan, and any other cooking appliance that required a level surface.
Bug shelter - not new per se, but new to the Bandits, and doubled as a spacious rain tent and cabana if the winds were reasonable.
Compact weather radio - as I said before, this little piece of electronics was extremely helpful in planning our days. We would turn it on, hone in on a signal, and get a 3 minute forecast for the coming hours and days.
Toilet Paper Tablets - One of our party, who is partial to TP to begin with, brought these along. I never did determine how much they were used, but it sure was a novel idea. I'll stick with my stones and 'cones, thank you very much.
Mini-cot - Gary's lightweight but sturdy sleeping apparatus that raised him only a few inches off the tent floor. This could serve two purposes, 1) to keep him dry should our tent take on water (huh, imagine that), and 2) limit the injuries incurred when falling out of bed in a drunken stupor. That probably happened too.
And last but not least, a compact, shiny, silver umbrella. No explanation is required for this essential piece of survivalist gear.
You may be wondering what we selected, but the debate floor never closed for a final vote.
This would be our last night in the wilderness, so it was important to finish off our stores of hooch, smokes, crude humor and nasty insults. Leave it all on the trail is my moto! After a beautiful day we experienced a glorious sunset, the orange and red sky lingering well into the evening as the stars appeared in abundance. Even the fireflies danced playfully in our midst as we toasted our last evening in Quetico.
