George River Solo 2018

Day 33
Start Time: 8/16/2018 11:06 AM
Duration: 4:39
Distance / Total (km): 15.8 / 423.5

I first woke at 5:30am, I knew I should get moving but instead went for a short snooze instead. Two hours later, I actually got up and moved to the Pod for the usual morning routine. It was mostly clear and very calm; by the time I was ready to leave, it was 11:00am, so much for the super early start following a layover day! The odds of making it to the north end of Indian House were now very slim unless the southwesterly wind was REALLY helpful. This was not to be, it was ok for the first 10km but then became a slight impediment as the direction shifted more to a westerly side wind. Plan B was the obvious choice, the High Cliffs NORPAQ camp was about another 5km, it would split the distance to the end of the flat water in half. It would be a relative early arrival, I had hopes of a good cabin, a chance to get a fish, and be organized for an early getaway tomorrow. I had stopped briefly at this camp on one of my previous trips but did not have a clear recollection other than it was unoccupied at that time.

The cabins are up on the plateau well back from the water, there was no one here and no signs that anyone had visited this year (or longer). The main building was locked up tight as were some of the guest cabins. The best of the open ones was farthest from the water but it was quite nice, large, clean, several good windows. It was worth the “portage” from shore so I moved in. It was still very early by my standards, I had enough time to give my non-existent fishing skills another shot. There is a small creek which enters right beside the boat landing, I figured it should be easy in the fast moving shallow water, I did not account for the swarms of black flies! First cast, first fish but he got away (failure to set my barbless hook). Second cast, second fish, this time I was successful in landing a perfect size trout, perfect for two perhaps but I figured I could handle it myself (dinner and breakfast). After gutting the fish, I said goodbye to the bugs and ran back to the safety of the cabin. My filleting skills do not really exist; I know enough to bring the proper knife but not much more. In spite of this I ended up with two very nice fillets with not much in the way of wasted flesh, I was pretty happy with the results.

I decide this was a good time and place to do a complete inventory of my supplies and a thorough repacking of everything. While it may seem chaotic, I actually have a system that works, one where I am usually able to lay my hands on anything quickly. Inevitably, over time, a few things end up in the wrong place with various bits of “garbage” distributed here and there. I also had a longer-term goal to reduce the number of loads I would need to portage Helen Falls. I unpacked everything and spread it all out before moving on to dinner prep. The fish was excellent, very filling with most of the smaller fillet left for breakfast. After dinner I had a sudden urge to lie down, I passed out and did not awaken for many hours.