Paddling

I want to go back.

I am also pleased to report our 'divert and evade' plot involving tree chopping and island sinking was not required due to the last-minute procurement of a one-evening overnight permit on Saganaga. The reason for our change in plans relates to the fact that the extra permit cost $60, and the explosives required to sink the island were considerably more expensive. As it happened, the lives of at least two rangers were spared because of the low price of the permits, which we presented to them instead of what would have been a grizzly alternative. They were very pleasant and delightful, and it would have been a shame to have to send them to a cold and watery grave.

Thank you, Michaela, for your encouragement and endorsement of our sinister plan. We danced under the moonlight as outlaws anyway, in fact, as our Monday permit was for Saganaga Lake only and yet we forged ahead to the forbidden Ashdick Lake. Our hideout on Ashdick (we nicknamed it "Dirty Cock Lake"), was a formidable portage from civilization; a necessary measure to evade the authorities and ensure we were not occupying any sites likely pursued by legal permit holders. As it happens we shared this secluded gem with no one except some loons and a mysterious beaver (we mistook it for an otter at first) that totally convinced me Sean was hurling rocks into the lake from a few yards down shore to mess with me. Moments later I accused him of this as we both witnessed its formidable paddle of a tail crash against the quiet water in front of us as it dove for whatever it was looking for, not bothered by us a bit. The loons hardly noticed us either. It was a surreal union with nature, surrounded constantly by little sounds of woodland creatures, enormous footprints of hoofed beasts, and crazy-looking insects. All in all, we were nothing more than a few additional mammals traipsing through the wilderness with all the others, fleeing dangerous predators and pursuing much-desired prey. We did achieve our reward as Sean's photographs so beautifully depict, but nothing compares to participating in what became a spectacular adventure. I want to go back.