7/10 We woke to rain. Ugh. I went to the restroom and experienced luxury, or at least what I’ll think back on as luxury. I could have taken a shower, but why? I was ready, at least mostly, for the long haul of being dirty. I went back to the tent and packed things in the outfitter-provided Duluth pack. I had previously had things in two duffel bags and now I had to separate things so they would be relatively convenient to access using the Duluth pack. Basically, it worked. I have too much junk in my mesh bag, the bag I have accessible in the canoe, when I have my fleece in there, but I put it in there anyway.
D has first morning coffee.
We had oatmeal and coffee and then packed. I took one last potty stop before we left.
We drove maybe 10 more miles and came to the Eagle River. We were still about 10 miles below the Arctic Circle, which we were to enter either this day or the next. We unloaded at the river. The mud was quite thick and slick. It took most of 2 hours to put the 17 foot Pakboat Pakcanoes together. We had some problems and were unhappy that it was hard, but mostly I think we were ok with the process and the boats.
This is three weeks worth of stuff for 8 people.
Next we loaded things, made sure boats were mostly level front to back and side to side. Finally, we got in and within minutes, we were out of sight of the bridge. I guess we’re committed now. The little voice in my head said, “Once you start there is no turning back.”
It seemed kind of loud.
H was my stern paddler. We left at about 1 pm, and kept paddling until about 7. We saw a moose, either a young antlerless bull, or a young calf-less cow. It was skittish, but curious. We paddled by many bluffs, lots of small trees and banks that were either muddy, rocky, or high and muddy. It was a bit repetitive. Mostly it was flat water with some current, but occasionally there were riffles.
We stopped at a muddy bank, paying close attention to how angled the bank was. I got out and fell in the water because getting one boot out of the mucky-mud meant committing the other boot and body weight to the slick muck. In all, I fell three times. H fell, and so did D. I don’t know how we got it all unloaded. Yes I do-Robb, M, C and S.
Oh yes, why do I name Robb, but not others? Well, Robb works for WI (Wilderness Inquiry, the outfitter) and you can see his picture on their web page, and even read a bio. The other folks, well, they came along, and didn't ask to be included in my trip report, so I didn't include any names. Hopefully, my "witness protection program" will work and they will remain at least sort of anonymous. If nothing else, I don't think any of them are lawyers.
I unfurled tents so they could dry some, from the previous night's rain. Then people worked to put tents up and on end so they could dry. Right now, they’re pretty dry.
This was camp, looking downstream.
Robb doesn’t think we’re in the Arctic Circle yet, but he seemed to think we had gone at least 20 miles. I shall sleep well. Tomorrow, the Arctic-maybe. Oh yes, we had rice and Indian entrees for supper. Mmm. The cherry bug juice may have been the best, though.
Day 3