Another big day with Shootman. Today’s word: TURBULENT. But before we get to that… Don’t you love surprise endings? Leeches! Who saw that coming? Not me! As if on cue, Jamie had just asked in a comment what kind of critters I was expecting: I’ve expected snakes, mice, raccoons, maybe a bear… down south maybe a wild dog and hillbillies. The leech was unexpected, but it made me chuckle. Shootman of course initially said it wasn’t a leech, until it started wriggling as I plucked it.

I did forget a photo yesterday that made me smile; it was on a dock about 2 miles before our campground (you may need to zoom in to the sign at the end of the dock). Sometimes I wish I could travel this river at light speed and get to the French Quarter; I was thinking that at this point yesterday.

Last night we turned in pretty early in order to prepare for a pre-dawn start. I was already a little anxious about the itinerary for the next day, and of course the night was filled with noises so I was awake most of the night. It was hot last night so again I didn’t put on the rainfly, which is just sleeping in a very thin screen that lets in every sound. The typical loon calls went on after dark, then a few coyotes and what sounded like a cat fight. Then at 2am, it sounded like that same pair of nasty loons that came at me were picking a fight with someone. I guess it must’ve been just after the loon bars closed and someone was in the wrong place at the wrong time as they prepared to fly home.

Moving on – today we tackled what I expect will be the biggest obstacle of the trip: crossing Lake Winnibigoshish. It’s 10 miles of open water straight across which can see some waves if there’s the slightest wind. We got a 6am start (30 minutes behind schedule) after a 4:30 wake up. This was in order to beat the wind that was expected to increase through the day. The wind beat us to the water, and already 1 mile in it was becoming a choppy challenge. Each successive mile saw stronger wind and higher waves. Once I got comfortable and started to believe I’m nearly unsinkable, it was quite an exhilarating, albeit exhausting, journey. I began wondering if that leech bite had given me some sort of superhuman powers, cuz Leechman was feeling great. I tried to get Shootman to sing a round of row-row-row your boat, but he wasn’t much for vocalizing his exuberance with song. I sang a couple songs to myself, including what I knew of Six Months in a Leaky Boat by the Split Enz, the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot, today’s playlist addition (wait for it), and I “sang” a little Hawaii 5-0 theme (Nels – next time the real outrigger canoe). After we passed the halfway point the waves continued to grow (interestingly this was where I’ve had the best mobile coverage this trip, but it would’ve been tough to make any phone calls). It really was a lot of fun, though likely the most stressful part so far – I guess that’s typical when seeking some thrills. The one drawback: after halfway I kept hearing Styx singing The Point of No Return, I don’t really care for Styx or that song, but for whatever reason God gave me that ear worm as a comical relief to a stressful situation.

Once we rounded Tamarack Point, it was another 3 miles to the Winnie Dam. By this time the wind was a constant howl with frequent gusts that made our last 3 miles nearly 2 hours long. After 6+ hours of constant progression, we were in need of a break.

But first we were greeted by the Winnie dam portage – a very uninviting 10 foot pile of slightly unstable ankle twisting large rocks. It seemed an impossible task to get these big beast boats up the rocky slope. In fact, we got back in and paddling to the other side of the dam looking for an alternative, only to find worse options that brought us back to the impossible choice. But, with a little ingenuity, I found a 5 foot length of driftwood to use to channel the boats up the rocks; and with me on a rope pulling from atop the slope, and Dave hoisting from below, we got them up more easily than expected. (Sorry – no photos or video; we were getting pretty hangry having battled waves, wind and heavy lifting for 7 hours without a break or proper meal.).

We finished the day with a leisurely 5 mile float. We encountered a large squadron of white pelicans on Little Lake Winnibigoshish that was neat, but then our exhausted minds and bodies were further challenged by a steady rain. We arrived at Crazy James Point for some freeze dried fried rice and a campfire. It’s a beautiful spot, all to ourselves of course, with a steady wind in the trees. I believe tonight I will sleep well.

Before departing – thanks to those making comments. Sorry if it takes a while to get to them and if I don’t reply to you. These come through on email and I have limited connectivity and energy as it is.

Regarding a few questions I’ve gotten on the “playlist”… there’s not an actual list (at least not yet). And I’m not listening to these songs during the day (the only noise I hear are nature’s music and Dave’s frequent sighs and groans). These are just songs that I enjoy and I feel help capture the essence of the day, and I hope you may enjoy them. Today, Sea Legs by the Shins (thanks Lahey for tuning me in to this band years ago, and I provide it thinking of my Sarahbear and that 18 and over show I scuttled you into!) Tomorrow, no lakes, so I hope to get back my “river legs”. Leechman out!