Chapter Four

After a long, and I mean long drive down some backwater dirt roads we finally arrived at the trailhead. We gathered all the gear, parked the car, and headed down the 160-rod portage to the boat launch. A rod is 16.5 feet, I only know that because I kept asking every time my grandfather would tell me how long each portage was.
My Grandfather carried the canoe and had the food pack on his back, while I was strapped front to back with the other packs. They weighed something like 50 pounds or more and it felt like 500. I had to stop a couple of times for my arms burned from carrying one of the smaller packs. Grandma was right, it was definitely not easy and we haven't even gotten to the water yet. It was still morning but it was getting hot. I'm sure the trail was beautiful but I was so busy trying to keep upright from the weight burden. Up and down the trail went and I kept telling myself it's got to be the end, but it still went on. I couldn't see ahead through the dense forest and grandpa carrying a canoe over his head. It's just the beginning of the trip and I'm already thinking, do people enjoy this?
Finally, we reached the river and could set all of this down. I had to wait as Grandpa took the packs off of me and sat down on a log practically collapsing. "Need a break already?" Grandpa joked. "Don't worry it's mostly paddling the rest of the day. All the other portages will be easy for you now for we'll try to avoid long ones. The bad news is we'll have to do that one again on the way out."
Grandpa reached into a pack and grabbed two breakfast bars and some water bottles. He loaded the canoe by putting all the gear in the middle balanced by the two heavy packs. He let me rest a little more knowing he didn't want to press me as there was no real hurry to get to the campsite. We had a long river to paddle with only a couple of short portages to maneuver before we hit Nina Moose Lake and our first-night basecamp. As I looked around I could only see some swampy areas surrounding the river on both sides deep forest hills protruding here and there. Grandpa said it might be a good place for moose and deer but we were most likely here too late in the day.
I got into the front of the canoe sitting on a pad for comfort and my paddle at the ready. Grandpa pushed us off into the river and now the journey felt like it has begun. We started by paddling casually and finding our rhythm moving the canoe through the river. The sun was out in full but on the water, it didn't seem too bad right now. I put on a baseball cap earlier in prep, and the shorts and proper shoes for mud and water we also smart choices. It felt like we were paddling into the past as the only noise you heard were the sounds of nature. The river journey was peaceful at first but then we ran into shape turns and we kept lifting into shore. That's when Grandpa started in.
"Jordi, you have to be paying attention." He'd bellow.
"I am, it's just not easy. The canoe is heavy." I tried to defend.
"My job is to give push and momentum, but I can't if we keep getting stuck going around corners. Your job in the front is to steer. Anticipate the turns early. If we are turning left, get the paddle on the right side and do what you can. We are only going to work harder if we don't do this together. I'm sorry for yelling. We've got this, right?" He said as his demeanor calmed. I think he was truly trying to connect with me for once. "Yeah, Grandpa."
I still made some mistakes but he never yelled again as we made the winding journey to the opening of the Lake. It still was not easy but my confidence in what I was doing was growing. A beaver dam looked recently broken up and we saw one swim right past us like we didn't exist. First animal spotting for me which was a little exciting and I don't know why. You could hear all sorts of birds and wildlife going about their day but not so easily did they reveal themselves. Some reeds were poking their way through the water in patches that made it feel like the lake was welcoming us, but veiling its full beauty just yet. Grandpa had a map but I only had my imagination and as we cleared the reeds and the lake fully opened to us, it was beautiful to behold.
I felt like we were adventures back in time being the first to discover it, as we hadn't seen a single soul since we started. Grandpa said to just let us drift and rest a little while he looks at the map for campsites. For the first time as we drifted and I took in the peaceful beauty of the lake I felt like I was understanding. We stirred a Bald Eagle that I wasn't aware was sitting in the trees and I watched as it flew over the treelike and out of site. The lake was kind of shaped like a moose head with antlers, and grandpa settled on a campsite that was more isolated in what would be the right end back channel. We paddled into where the map said it should be and then scoured to see where it could be.
We spotted the landing which hadn't much room because of some rather large rocks that you had to climb to get to the main site. My arms were burning but I felt such a relief to be standing. I balanced the canoe so he could get out, as we took a moment to check the site before claiming it. It seemed a bit small but would meet our needs for the night. We had a nice view of a small island across from us and the true splendor of the lake was able to reveal itself as we could stand and gaze. The water was so calm and the colors reflected like a giant mirror. A giant painting on nature's canvas and a sense of calm overtook me. I helped unload the bags from the canoe and we made some sandwiches before getting started on setting up camp. Sitting there eating on a log and looking out on the lake with my Grandpa felt good actually.