Wednesday, May 10th: Visit To Dickson Lake
I fumbled around inside the tent, trying to put my clothes on. I had to find the zipper to the tent entrance and stick my head out. My head was not 100%. But, after looking out and seeing another bright, cool morning I was brought back to life! I got some water on for coffee. Bo was up. Around about 7:00 am, it was 15°c already. This was to be the last day we'd see the sun on this trip. We were all heading over to Dickson Lake to explore and fish. I wanted to see the 340 year old Red Pines along the east shore.
By 8:00 am we were all on the portage to Cisco Bay on Dickson Lake. The portage was simple enough, but it had some tricky areas. There's an area by a creek where you have to swing around a tree and navigate some rocks. You end up grabbing a tree to help you pivot about. It's tricky if the water level is high. Markus took the honours of carrying my canoe this time. Thanks!
Markus carrying our ride!
Dogbyte and Preacher.
By 8:30 am we were on Cisco Bay. Bo and Sheila were going to hang around the bay and the island to fish. We paddled along the shoreline, making our way to the north end of the lake. We stopped several times to check out campsites for future reference. I have to say that I made a stupid mistake at this point. I forgot my life jacket back at camp. I was kicking myself. Falling in the water this far from shore, with cold water temperatures could be a problem as hyperthermia kicks in. At least we were in pairs, if Markus and I dumped. I still can’t believe I left camp without it. I must have been distracted. Who knows. But from that day on, I take care to make sure I have it with me!
Dickson Lake scenery.
Markus taking some pictures.
I'm amazed at how trees grow around rocks.
340 year old Red Pine? Could be.
We came across an island campsite, which I call the “Irish Spring” site. As we approached it, a large old log lay half in the water on the beach landing. On this log was a bar of soap. Irish Spring soap. Smoke was coming from the campfire area. We all inspected the site. This is such a beautiful site that Markus said he'll try to snag it when he makes his 2006 September trip with Joan. We passed a few canoes on our way to this site. They must have stayed there that night. Preacher found a container to put out the embers with water. This is a fishing site for sure. A frying pan was hanging in a tree. There were tables set-up around the firepit and even a homemade rake! Dogbyte and I set out to explore the site further, when we heard this awful yell. We looked at each other and went back to check out what was going on. Well, Markus was in the water wearing his birthday suit taking a bath. He hates cold water. It was funny indeed.
Views from the “Irish Spring” campsite.
We continued to another island, just past the Red Pine area that's marked on the map. We paddled by the trees, looking way up. I was somewhat disappointed, thinking the tress would be larger in diameter. They are just tall. Don’t get me wrong. They are large. But, reading that they are over 340 years old, I had gotten the idea that you can drive a car through one, like in BC. We landed on the long island with a site on the north end around noon. It was very sunny and 23°C. Also, the wind was only slight. Black flies were out in areas that had no wind .. like deep down in the forest. The pesky guys weren't biting, just buzzing around. We'd all brought some food. I filtered some water. I'd brought some Crystal light to add to the water to wash down peanut butter and pita bread. We all took a rest for over an hour enjoying the peace and quiet.
Markus taking a load off.
I fell asleep for fifteen minutes or so. I woke up to see a canoe approaching the island. It was two older French dudes loaded up in a flat-back canoe. I think they were coming in from Lake Lavieille. We made some small talk and told them that we were leaving. They wanted to stay on the island.
The older guys waiting for us to leave.
We loaded up and started to head back, to see what Bo and Sheila were doing. We trolled on the way back. Preacher hooked into a small Speck, but it flipped-off at his canoe. We stopped once more on an island, before the lake narrowed down into Cisco Bay. We rested for a half hour. It was here that we decided to take a group picture.
Markus and Preacher.
Our group picture. We turned out dark. I tried to lighten it up.
We caught up with Bo and Sheila at the narrows, and we all trolled back to the portage. While we never caught anything here, Bo got himself a few Specs. We hauled back across the 890 meter portage to Little Dickson and were back at camp by 4:00 pm. Of the Specs that Bo and Sheila kept, one had a "radio" tag on it. I think he got that one on Little Dickson, not Dickson Lake.
Bo and Sheila’s catch. Notice the tag on the lower fish on the paddle in the upper picture.
Sheila cleaned the fish in no time and cooked them up.
This was our last night on Little Dickson, leaving in the morning for White Partridge. Clouds were covering the sky and the temperature was 15°c at 8:00 pm. A rain system was coming in. This was a very relaxing and enjoyable day. Later, I made some Tom Thomson bannock to share. I cooked one at a time on my little cook stove. I added more brown sugar to sweeten it up and topped with maple syrup. The day was completed with campfire discussions.
Got to have a fire picture!
We all went to bed fairly early, to rest up for travel day and that “Pain & Trickery” portage!