Day 6: (July 11)

Finally a good sleep after almost a week out – combination of level ground, ibuprofen, darkness and stretching seems to work its magic. Last night, I killed over 100 black flies in the tent plus a few mosquitoes, this morning shake their little black carcasses out of the tent. First stop is barely 3 km from the campsite, a curious arrangement of poles catches my attention – teepee frame? Could well imagine setting up camp in this treed area of small rolling hills – good hunting and hiding opportunities.

Two sharp bends in the river later, we have a forced lunch stop. I’m not sorry being rather hungry – expedition appetite is starting to kick in. Peckish by 11am, ravenous by noon, murderous by 1pm…Alfred and I can barely manage to keep the canoe pointed into the wind, Ron  paddling solo has no chance. The wind is funneling down a sharp notch in some steep cliffs, white caps are formed going upstream, against the current. After about an hour, the wind lessens somewhat. We ferry to the north shore and alternate between lining, poling and paddling. Odd how Ron is faster paddling than Alfred and I are lining! Occasionally we are almost jogging as the canoe tracks parallel to the shore. Several hours and only 7 km downstream from lunch, the wind picks up again and we camp for the night. During the day, I notice my Mohawk paddle is flexing – will it last for another 25 days?