This morning we not only left uber-early to avoid that crazy wind we saw yesterday, but we weren't quiet about taking down camp! You see, the aforementioned individuals at the neighbouring shelter were up rather late, and they were definitely hooting & hollering. So, we figured it was kind of payback. So there, you hooligans! Take that! :)
And we were off. Today I paddled with Peter in the stern. There was very little wind and we were glad to have left early. We paddled through some very marshy areas with a sharp eye, looking for the elusive wildlife. At one point, Peter, who is in a men's choir, and Laureen, who is also a singer, started singing the most beautiful melody. It was amazing and lovely, and somehow totally suited for our surroundings. That is, until the rest of the group (who were ahead of us) started yelling at our boats to shut up. They were more keen on not scaring away any possible moose or bears - everyone wanted to try out their new photography tips! ;)
Once we were all together, Adam organized our boats into a star-shape and we did a reflection activity. It was nice to just sit, relax, and think about all we had accomplished so far. Much of this trip was go-go-go, and this was a nice change. At least it was nice until the mosquitoes found us. Once we were targeted, our quiet reverie was consistently interrupted by somebody slapping away a bug. Then it was more like a drum circle. :P
We paddled on. Through the lakes and rivers, and over to a lovely group site (#42) at the edge of Rum Lake. Rum Lake was extremely beautiful, and people were angling for a swim by this point, given that none of us had showered in many days. So we set-up camp, ate some lunch, and then had a quick dip in very cold water. It felt great! Later on we discovered that it had leeches. Yup, leeches. Good thing that it was a very quick swim!
After a little relaxing, we took a side-trip to Cariboo Falls, another waterfall area which we would be avoiding with a portage tomorrow. We paddled across Rum Lake and Unna Lake, and hiked a trail down to Cariboo Falls. They were huge! They made the previous falls we saw look rather puny. It was a monster waterfall. It rained a little bit, but not much, and it stopped after not too long. And really, rain wasn't daunting me much anymore after making it through Day 1 and 2.
Once we got back to camp, we soon had guests! The local rangers (who looked to be just out of highschool) came by on their jet boat and chatted with us for a bit. They mainly wanted to know about the rowdy hooligans who'd stayed next to us yesterday. Apparently other campers had made complaints about them as well. It was nice to chat with those guys and see some fresh faces.
Once we finished eating dinner, Quina gave her presentation to the group: How to Make Bannock. She explained how bannock came about, and then made it for everyone in our group. The treat was that she had brought some bona fide maple butter with her, all the way from Quebec! It was good before, but it was even more delicious with that maple butter. YUM.
Soon after we had our treat, Jeff gave his presentation on Giardia aka "Beaver Fever." It was just wonderful to hear about how this little organism gets in your system and reproduces, all the while causing havoc and pain. It was ICK - not that Jeff minded - he's a science guy. It was rather informative and interesting, but it had all of us questioning our water purification techniques. I think after that presentation, Quina & I filtered, boiled AND treated our water. Too bad we got that presentation on Day 6.
Once we gathered around the fire, Peter did his workshop. He taught us traditional songs from Barkerville and the area. I wish I could remember the names of them! He had us singing in 3-part harmony around the fire; it was really neat. It really added to the feeling and the ambiance of the area. Plus, we just had fun together singing and laughing. Another great day ended with hot chocolate, and wonderful people.
(Day 6 photos are here.)
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