Triplogs / Triplog#8 / Day 3 / Days 4&5
Day 4
It was another fine morning, the coolest so far, but still comfortable. Marylyn was up before anybody, and I think she mentioned that she had seen a moose coming down the trail that morning. Sean was loving the outdoor living. He found it very relaxing and invigorating. I agreed with him, living and working in the city was ruinous to one's health, at least that was my perspective. The lack of noise and stress was what appealed to me most, I could feel it oozing out of my body. What might come as a surprise to most people, was that despite the fact of being camped on an access lake with motorboat traffic, we saw and heard very little of it. The main reason was the campsite itself. We were shielded from the main part of the lake and had only narrow views of portions of open water. We had an island to our left and ahead of us, and another one to our right. So our main view was looking across Cedar Lake, not up or down it. That and the fact that it wasn't summer, we had a pretty secluded spot. A bit of rain hit us, as I was walking in the bush with camera in hand looking for mushrooms to photograph and firewood to gather. Despite the rain, the temperature remained warm, and soon dissipated as we stood around the fire cooking and staying warm and dry as possible. The sun came out and I went for a walk along the beach.
Some of the beachfront at our campsite
I noticed an odd sight out on the water. What looked to me like two birds sitting on a log that was moving in the water. Hmmm...never ssiteeen a log move that fast, and what's with the occasional exhalation of mist? Trees or logs for that matter, don't breathe that much?! I walked back up towards the campsite..the change in elevation, changed my perspective, I could see much better now, and I realized that I was looking at a moose. It was swimming from one island to another..the one on our right to the one on our left. The 'birds' that I thought I saw, were it's ears twitching. The log...it's long muzzle, and the occasional burst of mist was the heavy breathing of the moose as it moved through the water. This was the very first time I had witnessed a moose swimming, and was astonished to see a rather large creature emerge from the water and climb up on shore and break it's way through thick forest foliage into the interior of the island. The transformation from two birds on a log to a large cow moose was quite the delight to see, and for me this was the highlight of my trip.
Marylyn & Sean relaxing around camp
Our last sunset on Cedar Lake
Day 5
It was a calm morning, warm and overcast. We all packed up, as it was time to leave. Sean and I wasted no time, as we had to paddle back to Brent. The girls were getting a ride back from Owen. The wind had picked up slightly, by the time Sean and I departed, The girls waiting for their ride, we planned to meet them back at Brent. The paddle back was un-eventful, and just as we paddled past the outfitter's dock in Brent, we saw Owen head out to pick up the girls. By the time we had un-loaded our gear, packed it all up, and secured the canoe to the car, the girls were un-loading their gear at the store. I had neglected to fill up my gas tank in Mattawa, and asked Owen if he had any gas for sale. He remarked that I really didn't want to buy any, as it was hard to come by in Brent, and was hard on the wallet too. Luckily, Marylyn had a jerry-can in her trunk and was able to spare a few extra litres for the drive out. We stopped in Mattawa for lunch on our way out, and again at Weber's on highway 11. From Toronto to Brent is a long drive, anywhere from 5 and three quarters of an hour to 6 and a half hours, depending of course on your speed, traffic and weather conditions. Remember too, to gas up before going in to Cedar Lake, it is a very long drive before you find a gas station, when you come out. Cedar Lake, even in summer, is pretty much quiet for an access lake, compared to other access lakes in The Park. Even Kiosk is much more busy than Cedar, even though it isn't that far away. Perhaps it is because of the road conditions going in that keep most people away. It is a well known fact, that Brent road can be rough and hard on a vehicle, that and I think location is why it is so quiet up on Cedar Lake. I would love to go there in the winter time one year and do a winter expedition trip. If it would seem quiet in the spring, I'm sure it would be deserted the winter.
Lunchon day 3...Steak and sauage
False Morel: one of the first fungi of the season,
one can usually spot growing in the month of May