Triplogs / Triplog#21 / Day 3
Kawawaymog Lake(IN) - Amable du Fond river - N. Tea L - Lorne L - Kakasamic L - Mattowacka L - Fassett L - Shad L - Shada L - Fassett Cr - Manitou L - N. Tea L - Amable du Fond river - Kawawaymog Lake(OUT)
Day 3
Approaching the 1535m portage to Kakasamic Lake
Mergansers with young on Lorne Lake
What a horrible sleep! If I thought I was in pain yesterday, the night was pure agony. I had been burnt before, but I realized that this was the first time in my life, that I had ever had blisters from a sunburn. This was really bad. I slept all night outside of my sleeping bag, begging for a breeze to soothe my aching skin...it didn't happen much, thus most of the night I tossed(quite painfully I might add), and turned. Dawn arrived and I made coffee and ate Oatmeal, broke camp and was on my way shortly after 7 a.m. As I paddled up Lorne Lake, I got my first real look at the lake. It certainly was a bushy lake. I spied one campsite on the east shore on a bit of a point. I thought to myself, THAT site would've been good. Close to the water, I would've had a better chance of getting a cool breeze. There was slight overcast, and by 7:35 am I arrived at the 1535m portage to Kakasamic Lake, just as the sun emerged from behind the clouds. I geared up, and hurried into the forest with my pack. The 1535m portage was rougher than the previous portage the day before. Not as worn, and crosses not one but two creeks. Crossing the second creek, there was a rapid descent and steep climb back up again, as well the land was swampy, with rocks along the path, and loaded with mosquitos. The skeeters were just terrible that morning, and slapping at them on my skin was made the more painful with the severe sunburn I was suffering from. The pack, oh the pack! was chronic agony on my shoulders, The rubbing or chaffing of the straps against the fabric of my shirt on my skin, introduced me to a new definition of the word torture. Despite the agony of the portage I arrived quickly at Kakasamic Lake. By 8:20 a.m. I was on my way back to pick up my canoe. Upon return, it was like an army of mosquitos lied in wait for me, picking up the canoe, a swarm emerged and attacked me outright. They were beginning to take on a characteristic 'bee-like' tactic. I had, had enough. I broke down and pulled out my can of Deep woods off. I almost never use the stuff, and hate applying it onto my skin, thus the sunburn and skeeter bites galore. I personally don't like putting 'crap' on my skin, but the little devils pushed me into it. I 'slathered', and I don't know who invented that word, but it is quite appropriate! As mentioned, I SLATHERED the mosquito repellant onto my skin....yuck! I picked up my canoe and was on my way. Well I couldn't believe it. The skitters weren't biting. The stuff actually worked. For about three quarters of the portage, I didn't get a single bite, and actually enjoyed the carry, except for my shoulders, they did not. With only a few minutes to the end of the portage, I guess the sweat from the canoe carry had melted enough of the repellant away to permit the skeeters to attack again. As I loaded the canoe, I stumbled in my haste and scraped my shin on the gunwale as I dove into my canoe, I was in haste to get back on the water and away from the skeeters. The landing here, is studded with old logs, and shallow sandy waters...so stumbling in the water was a cool, welcome affair for the most part.
Bull Moose on Kakasamic Lake
The Bull Moose kept close watch on my movements
Not much stood out in my mind about Kakasamic Lake, the last site before the 455m portage, sits on a point and looked to be a good site, I kept going and as I entered the last bay before the portage, I spied a bull moose feeding in the lake. I paddled more or less towards the moose, camera around my neck. The moose was quite tolerant of me and headed into shore when I was about 20m from him. I got the shots I wanted, backed off, and observed him for a while, what a pleasure it was! After 15 minutes or so I headed for the portage. The moose hung around shore, and seeing me at the portage eventually came back out to the water. I was surprised by this, usually when they are scared out of the water, they are gone for good, but this fellow must've been hungry, or (like me) just wanted to get away from the hungry mosquitos. I don't remember much about the 455m portage to 'The Pond', as it is called on the sign-age, except that it is a descent down to the pond. Crossing the pond, there is a huge old log in the water on the far shoreline, studded with Fly catching plants. The pond is small and merely a 5 min crossing(if that). The sign-age for the 200m portage was missing, but spotting the portage wasn't to difficult. Launching from the 455m portage, bear towards the left, heading for the opposite shore. Arriving at the 200m portage to Mattowacka Lake, I found the portage sign on the ground torn to shreds, and proceeded along the very damp and moss covered rocky trail. Arriving on Mattowacka Lake, was a real buggy affair. It was quite boggy, and the last few meters is like walking on a muskeg mat. Be careful where you step there. The logs laid down to permit travel were half rotten and sunken into the mat. More fly catcher plants ringed the area, pine and spruce everywhere. It was 12 p.m. when I launched and headed out of a small shallow swampy bay.
torn-up portage signage: did a bear or human do this?
Launching onto Mattowacka Lake:
This was the spongiest landing I had ever been on.
Just before coming onto Mattowacka Lake proper, the water course narrows to just a few meters in width. Here the shoreline and the water, became very rocky and shallow. Coming out onto the expanse of the lake and turning right, there is more sharp rock, and shallow spots, paddle this area with care. I didn't survey much of Mattowacka lake, I made a right and followed the shoreline to the 1620m portage. A small island in the north end and total seclusion was all that I noticed. The two sites I passed, didn't impress me much, as seen from the canoe. By 12:30 p.m. I arrived at the 1620m portage to Fassett Lake. I don't remember much about this portage except for three things; 1. It was rough, all the portages had been getting progressively rougher the further I went into that area of The Park, It seemed to me to climb more as well. 2. There were several downed trees across the trail. 3. The last blow-down was a killer. Mosquitos weren't too bad on the last portage, I figure there were a number of reasons; it wasn't as hot, only 28°C, and less humid, I continued to 'slather' on the repellant, and maybe, just maybe I was getting used to the little devils. The last blow-down, was approximately 20m from the landing(if you want to call it a landing). A large pine blocked my path. It was waist high. I couldn't go around it, as it was a tall tree, and thick scrub bush was at one end, and small ridge at the other end. Someone before me had hacked some branches off, making a semi-suitable clearing over the tree. I couldn't go under it, so I went over it. Big mistake. I attempted this with my pack on my back. What happened next was quite a silly sight and was glad to know, no one was around to witness it. Picture in your mind, a 6 foot guy, with a heavy backpack on, climbing over a felled tree, approximately 1 metre above ground level. Climbing over wasn't really the problem, till I straddled the tree, for on the other side, the ground dropped off, and my right foot found nothing but air. I started to teeter, and fall, but then my crotch got hung up on a branch stump. Here I was, 'stranded' on a blow-down teetering between having my scrotum ripped from my body, or me falling and landing on my head. Glad that no one was around, but un-happy that no one was there to help me, I helped myself. Realizing my stupid mistake, I carefully released the backpack, and slowly let it fall to the ground below. I was then able to extricate myself from the potentially deadly situation. Lesson leaned...Haul your pack over manually first, then your body.
Next came the canoe. That was easy, slide it across the log halfway, crawl over the tree, and pull the rest of the canoe over. Still, it was a real workout, and I was glad to finally be passed it. The landing to Fassett was wet, rocky and weedy. There was a pitiful excuse for a boardwalk, which was more buried rock, concealed beneath tall grasses and mud, which made footing tricky. At 2:40 p.m. under a bright sunny sky, I launched onto Fassett Lake. I had brought a winter pullover with me on this trip, for even though it was June, I knew it can get stormy and wet and eventually one can become cold. However, I never did think I'd be wearing it in the heat of the day, just simply to shield me from sunlight, but this is exactly what I did. My shoulders started to complain, so I dunned the pullover, and put on my lycra spandex, to cover my legs as well. What a sight I was, dressed for fall on a hot summer day!
Approaching the narrows on Mattowacka Lake
The portage landing to Fassett Lake
With the exception of Kawawaymog & North Tea Lake, Fassett was the biggest lake so far on the trip. There's something about Fassett Lake, that catches my eye, I really liked that lake and would like to go back there someday. It was a very pretty lake, with few campsites, and no one around. There are a few small islands on the north shore of the lake, as well as hills to the west and south. I did not see the campsite next to the portage, as I came onto the lake, but I was able to spot the historical zone. It is easier to spot from a distance. Due to my situation with the bugs and the sunburn blisters, I didn't feel obligated to check it out. Nevertheless, a grown over area is visible from the lake, denoting where once there was a clearing. I paddled up the lake, and eventually came to a narrow bay, that was tricky to navigate as the water became studded with rock and shallow waters.
Looking back to the Fassett Lake Historical zone:
I believe this image shows the locale, to a paddler's right,
emerging from the portage from Mattowacka Lake
Launching onto Fassett Lake:
The landing is a wet affair
By 3:30 p.m. I landed on the south site on Shad Lake. The site had to be the most unique if not annoying site I had ever stayed on. There wasn't one drop of shade on the site, except perhaps at the landing. I'm not even sure one could have called it a campsite, it was more like a portage! I left my canoe on a slope rock landing. The entire site had sloped rock. There was a well worn narrow footpath, I followed it up, past the fire-pit, to basically...nowhere. That's all there was, a footpath. I setup my tent on a dry crunchy bed of lichen. The entire site consisted of dry lichen and slope rock. The path to the thunderbox was through scrub brush, having to remove one fallen tree and climb under another to get to it. Talk about seclusion! No one except me was going to camp there. I sat on a log, with my feet in the middle of the footpath, with the fire-pit across from me. I considered my options, I went down to were my canoe was, to seek shade, It was peaceful by the water's edge, and soon, I broke out some food and drink and began to relax. The site wasn't so bad, it was beginning to grow on me. There just wasn't much to do, there was the water and the footpath and the landing on which I was lounging on, that was it. With my binoculars I spied the campsite on the northern end of the lake. From what I could tell, it was heavily treed but looked swampy, and the campsite sign-age itself, appeared to have fallen into the water, that is, the tree that it was attached to, was half submerged. Obviously this part of The Park had been neglected. No regular maintenance, given the length of the portages and the fact of not seeing anyone for a few days, seemed to verify my hypothesis. I made dinner, just re-hydrated store bought mush, and watched the sun go down, and the stars come out. It was a beautiful evening. Finally I was able to take my pullover off, and let my crispy skin breathe a little. I considered having a fire, but dropped the idea immediately. I was still too burnt to withstand the heat of a fire, and the proximity of the fire-pit to a suitable sitting location didn't exist. I slathered more bug repellant on and stayed up for a bit to watch the stars, it was a clear and cool night, the temperature dropping to 15°C by 11 p.m. By midnight, I went to bed.
Looking southeast on Shad Lake, past the landing on my campsite
Sunset on Shad Lake:
Even during this time, my skin still burned from the sun's rays
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