Day 6

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=185 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="04ab9c00dduajq.jpg"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="70" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 76 WIDTH="66"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="76" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="66" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> <A HREF="id153.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Day 4"><U><B><<<BACK</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFBF0" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>TROOP 433</B></FONT>    |     <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="TROOP 433"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id152.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="More Crew B"><U>More Crew B</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id153.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Day 4"><U>Day 4</U></A>   |   <B>Day 6</B>   |   <A HREF="id155.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Day 7"><U>Day 7</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id156.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Day 8"><U>Day 8</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id157.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Day 9"><U>Day 9</U></A></div> <div> <B>Day 6</B></div> <div> We had another overnight rain which started at 1 a.m. Unfortunately, it makes a pretty loud pounding on the tents making sleeping a real challenge. When we awoke at 4:30 a.m., it was just cloudy. After breakfast and cleaning the campsite, we set off on a very calm Alice Lake at 6:30 a.m. We navigated around several small islands into a channel which led to a 10 rod portage into Cacabic Lake. For this portage, Kelsey suggested a "6 man carry"  on a trail that had a large rock on one side and scrub trees on the other making it a tight squeeze. The waterway itself was just too rocky to push the canoes through.</div> <div> On the other side of Cacabic Lake was the dreaded 240 rod portage into Thomas Lake. This portage had everything - uphills, downhills, walking through streams, and walking on a plank walkway 3 boards wide elevated over a marsh. It took the crew about 30 minutes to get through this 3/4 mile portage. When we reached Thomas Lake, there were "high-fives" all around. We drank a lot of water and enjoyed the euphoria of meeting the challenge of that portage.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="cd090070.jpg" border=0 width="400" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="cd290070.jpg" border=0 width="400" height="263" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> We had some light wind on Thomas Lake, as we crossed the lake in a north-western direction. After about an hour, we were in a connecting area named Thomas Pond which led us to a series of short 10-15 rod portages, most of which we could push the canoes through. The water was becoming more swampy as we navigated through. The water was barely moving here. A narrow channel full of tall grass skirted by Hatchet Lake and brought us to a 50 rod portage and then into Ima Lake. Ima was a good sized lake but, because the winds were still light, it presented no problems. We carefully navigated around a peninsula to another "pull-through" 5 rod portage into Jordan Lake. The water at the beginning of this lake was quite low; we kept getting caught on the bottom or blocked by trees submerged just below the surface.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="cd6f4480.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="328" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="cd8f4480.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="328" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> After crossing the Jordan Lake, we did a 55 rod portage to Cattyman Lake. It was listed as 55 on the map, but we all agreed that it felt much longer than that!. After the small Cattyman Lake was a 25 rod portage into the equally small Gibson Lake. Our stay on Gibson was quite short because we had to do a 105 rod portage into Ashigan Lake. This portage was fairly level and everyone was able to make it all the way through without stopping. John and Adam were in a routine of doubling back slightly to make sure the members carrying the canoes were doing okay. Ashigan was a pretty lake and we saw a family of loons. We headed north to a 55 rod portage into Ensign Lake and found a campsite almost immediately on the south shore where we ate lunch. It was about 1:30 p.m. at this point and, although we had been on the water a long time, we were fine with our breakfast bars and water bottles. Your body gets used to doing without food for longer periods of time. Today's lunch was another dose of peanut butter and jelly on crackers, dried fruit, gorp and drink mix. Those small Kool-Aid packets were quite concentrated!</div> <div> Kelsey made the point that we should go a little further and camp on Ensign Lake because we approaching the portages that would take us back onto lakes where motor boats were allowed. The campsites on these lake are not as pristine as the ones that are reachable only by canoe. So we started westbound and discovered we actually had the wind to our backs! We passed a campsite on the north side that Kelsey was hoping was available. However, it was already taken. We took a elevated campsite on the south side of Ensign Lake. It was on the shady side which made it a little chilly in the late afternoon and evening. It was the first evening that we wore jackets or fleece.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="cdaf44d0.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="cdcf44d0.jpg" border=0 width="500" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Space was tight for the 4 tents. Tonight, the boys made the dinner and Kelsey attempted another cake with some leftover apples. We liked it but she didn't. She had brought a trail oven that she used as a double-boiler in order to make her cakes. She also used it on some evenings to make popcorn. Mr. Bailey made plans to buy one upon his return to the base.</div> <div> We had a very nice evening talking, playing cards and watching a spectacular sunset. It was barely dark at 9:45 p.m. when we finally headed into our tents. It was nice and cool; great sleeping weather! In total, we had covered 12 portages and 13 miles that day and were well on our way to getting over 100 miles on the trek.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="cde0ba70.jpg" border=0 width="1035" height="679" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Onto <A HREF="id155.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Day 7"><U><B>Day 7</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>