Teresa & Doug invited Marcel and I, and my sister Jennie to go to the hunting cabin for the Thanksgiving weekend. Our 3 granddaughters also went along. We had a lot more adventure than any of us were ready for.
The cabin is a 2 1/2 hrs. drive North of
Napanee. North of
Plevna. We left early Sat. morning at 6:30. On route we stopped at Tim Horton's and breakfast in
Plevna.
This was our destination. The hunting cabin.
The cabin is on Reid Lake on the right of this map. I drew a line of our route. We had to cross 3 Lakes and do two portages.
A big breakfast in
Plevna. We needed the nourishment for the unexpected long trip ahead of us.
Marcel and Doug were ahead of us in the truck with the ATV on the trailer. The trip from
Plevna to
Mackie Lake was gorgeous. Snaky, hilly, and bumpy.
The first Lake we had to cross.
Mackie Lake. Kelly-Lynn pointing where we have to go.
Doug driving the ATV on the boat. The ATV is supposed to go all the way with us to the cabin!!!
Doug, Teresa and Marcel took the ATV across
Mackie Lake first.
Doug & Teresa coming back for us and the supplies. They left Marcel on the other side.
Approaching the other side of the Lake. Marcel in the distance taking a video.
Lots of help getting out of the boat. Takes about 10 min. to cross
Mackie Lake. Here the boat is left behind for our trip home. There is another boat at the next Lake.
A small a trailer was here to hook on to the ATV to carry the supplies/bags.
Downhill and in the distance you can see the Lake and Doug coming with a load. All the supplies go on the trailer. Nothing has to be carried. About a 20 minutes walk to the next Lake. This portage is the most difficult. Very hilly & rocky, but awesome.
Spectacular scenery.
Kelly-Lynn carrying her back pack and waiting for her grandma.
Arrival at Camp Lake for our big surprise. Brenda checking out Grandpa's GPS.
Pointing the way to our next destination. This Lake takes the longest to cross.
About 20 minutes.
Exploring the area while Doug is returning to pick up the rest of the supplies/food.
Hide & seek Teresa?
Teresa & Kelly-Lynn.
Erin loves to explore. Every rock and hill she would find and climb.
Jennie & Erin.
We found this small cave and couldn't resist checking it out.
Doug returning with the rest of the supplies.
Flipping the boat for the next adventure across the Lake.
Got it.
Oh Oh, the boat had a leak. This boat was the only one large enough to carry the ATV, plus all the supplies and the 8 of us. Someone had borrowed it and dragged it over a rock creating the small hole.
Doug returning the leaky boat while Kelly-Lynn was yelling "SING DADDY SING" We saw the humor in this gondola scene, but Doug was pretty upset to say the least. The leaky boat presented us with a whole new problem!
Many mushrooms everywhere.
Our only option was to take a smaller boat, leave the ATV behind and carry all the supplies on our next portage to the third Lake. Two trips across Camp Lake instead of one.
Here Doug, Marcel and Kelly-Lynn are taking the first trip with the supplies.
Marcel took this picture us waving them off.
A Kodak moment while waiting for the boat to return.
Returning for the second crossing. Marcel and Kelly-Lynn were left behind.
Lucky for us the survival kit was with us. Southern Comfort.
Or Northern Comfort in our case.
How long is this trip anyway???
Brenda was such a joy to have with us.
Our destination. This brought a whole new meaning to portaging! From here to Reid Lake, everything had to be carried. Supplies, food, drinking water, gas tanks, motor and all the duffel bags.
Lucky for us, by the time we got here, Marcel and Kelly-Lynn had already taken two trips to the last Lake.
Brenda & Teresa carrying the very heavy cooler up yet another steep hill.
Marcel carrying the heavy gas tank up a hill.
Erin running uphill. Coming back for more supplies. Erin and Kelly-Lynn were such troopers. Never complained about having to do their share. Erin even offered to carry the small gas tank I was carrying, but that lasted about 1 minute.
Reid Lake at the bottom of this hill.
Teresa and Brenda left the cooler behind. Simply too heavy.
Before crossing the third Lake, Doug, Marcel and Brenda dragged the boat trailer back to the second Lake. It was needed to carry the boat back to the first Lake. The leaky boat is coming home with us.
A leaky boat crossing the first Lake??? I'm confused just typing this. lol
A zoomed in picture of our first glance of the cabin across Reid Lake.
It's gorgeous.
After dropping off the boat trailer at the second Lake, Doug and Brenda carried the cooler the rest of the way.
At the third lake, Doug and Brenda are taking all the supplies across the Lake to the cabin. Only a few minutes away. We had the option to go on the boat or walk around the Lake. Easy choice. Walk. I had enough of boats.
While the rest of us were walking around the Lake, which took about 10 minutes, we heard a commotion...
Brenda had fallen in the Lake at the dock. This is her story: " So dad and I took the supplies across the lake to the dock so we didnt have to carry it any further. So as we approached the dock dad had said "okay Brenda go and grab the dock and tie up the front of the boat ". So while doing so I had pulled the boat close to the dock and then I had turned around to grab the rope so I could tie the boat. But the boat had drifted away from the dock so I reached over and grabbed the dock again. While doing this I couldnt pull the boat closer because it kept drifting. So I was fully stretched out and dad is shouting: "Let Go Brenda Let Go!" So I let go and face first into the water I go. IT WAS FREEZING. I walked away with only a cut on my hand and a massive bruise on my leg. The highlight of the weekend, and telling everybody. When we came home I told all my friends what had happened:("
Water pumped from the Lake is used for everything except drinking.
We arrived at the cabin at 2:30. Took 8 hrs to get here, with a breakfast stop.
Erin playing with snails she found.
Showing grandpa her snails.
And aunt Jennie.
Inside the cabin playing games. We taught Brenda and Kelly-Lynn to play euchre.
The cabin sleeps 16 people. Four sets of bunk beds. All double and queen beds. The bottom bunk was ours.
The two grey steel boxes attached to the walls are for food storage.
Love the reflection of the lake in the big window.
The silver in the water from the setting sun made for a great picture.
Teresa raking the pine needles off the rocks so we wouldn't slip on them.
Erin wanted to take my picture.
Erin is getting water for rock painting. She's always busy entertaining herself.
The cabin has 6 shareholders of which Doug is one. And 4 associate members.
Brenda still trying to get warm after her dip in the lake.
Notice the bottle of peach schnapps on the floor? Teresa had her own secret stash.
Scraping the cookie sheet clean after supper with a BIG knife.
A spin around the lake after supper. (without me)
Cozy warm by the wood stove.
The shiny silver container on the stove is about 2 feet long. It is filled with water. Therefore always hot water available for dishes, and showers. The shower box outside, built 3 years ago, is run by a generator. It has enough water for a 5 minute shower. Works great.
Gorgeous, gorgeous sunsets. Water was like glass.
Early morning coffee. Watching the sun rise. Another sunny clear day.
Beauty all around us.
After a sausage and pancake breakfast made by our live in chef, we went for a hike around the lake to the top of this hill overlooking the cabin in the distance. Absolutely breathtaking. Took about an hour to get here.
Taking a breather at the top.
Galt kiddies.
There is a 100 year lease on the cabin. It sits on Crown land. The shareholders (which have changed over the years) have owned it since 1937. The cabin was only used for hunting and ice fishing in the past. Now is used for recreation as well.
Galt family.
Brenda taking a picture of Jennie and Teresa.
Erin still exploring and posing on rocks.
Marcel and Kelly-Lynn.
Still having a great time.
Kelly-Lynn waiting for me again.
A rusty bucket, fungus, log and a tree stump made for a great picture.
Mushrooms and Moth
After we had delicious soup and sandwiches for lunch, Kelly-Lynn, Jennie and I decided to walk along the lake the other way.
Jennie climbing up a steep hill.
Our walk was cut short by a marshy area. Only 45 minutes. Jennie had planned a 2 hour walk.
Preparing our Thanksgiving dinner.
With the wind blowing to the lake, I decided to start a fire. Kelly-Lynn was the master of the fire and we were her workers.
About three hours later, Erin was picked to be her best worker and she was allowed to pick the first piece of pie. Apple or blueberry. Bought in Plevna.
Small branches, dry pine needles and burnable garbage. Everything that burns made it in the fire. The compost was collected in a separate bucket. The morning we left, Doug took a trip across the lake by boat and it was dumped for the animals. Thus keeping the wildlife away from the cabin. Extremely orgainized. Very impressive.
Moose call!!!
Teaching Brenda to shoot.
Notice "the other" outhouse in the back? And Kelly-Lynn and Erin with their ears covered?
Brenda hit the target. Well done.
Rock Painting.
This says it all.
Brenda painted this "Thank You" on the rocks.
Delicious Thankgiving dinner. Because all the goods had to be carried, the blueberry pie was more like blueberry crumble. But still delicious.
Sunday evening sunset. I took over 500 pictures this weekend, but only 128 got posted.
Doug and Erin fishing at dusk.
Giggling because she caught a small trout.
"I caught it" Pointing to herself, and still giggling.
Definitely does
not want to hold the fish for the Kodak moment.
Grandpa and Kelly-Lynn digging for what they thought was a toonie.
Marcel helping Jennie with hair washing.
On Monday morning, after a bacon and egg breakfast we cleaned the cabin. Around 10:30 started our trek back to the second lake. Doug and Brenda took the boat across again with the supplies. The rest of us walked. From there we had to carry everything again. At least the food didn't have to be shlepped back.
The tank of gas didn't get any lighter, and neither did the motor Doug carried all the way.
Teresa, Marcel & Doug took the boat trailer on the boat across the lake, while the rest of us waited behind for the second crossing. Doug and Marcel stayed on the other side to fix the broken boat with a piece of wood that was to be screwed on and gorilla glue. Teresa had to drive the boat back to pick us up. This was her first time ever driving a boat. "
Way out of my comfort zone she kept saying" She was very nervous crossing on her own.
By the smile on her face, she looks sooo happy to have us all aboard and share the crossing to the other side of the lake.
We made it across the lake, and I told Doug I was never so happy to see him. I thought the worst was behind us, but little did I know that more excitement was yet to come.
The large heavy wooden boat was loaded on the trailer by the 4 strongest people. They made it across the bridge seen in the back, breaking a few planks. This will be repaired on their next trip to the cabin. At this very sharp turn, the boat had a mind of its own and needed a little help back on the trailer. The supplies were left behind.
They managed to get the boat to the first lake. Doug and "strapped in" Erin are going back for the small trailer with the supplies. They had been gone for a while when we heard a loud crash. Teresa and Marcel started running back up the hill. Brenda followed shortly. She passed Marcel and Teresa and kept running. When they caught up with Doug, he was surprised to see them.
If a tree falls in the woods...... And that's what it was.
After they returned the ATV was stored at the nearby cottage here. No room to bring it home. The boat had priority on the trailer. A couple of men were going back the following week for moose hunting. The boat will be needed then to carry the ATV to pull the trailer to carry the moose they shoot. There you have it.
Getting the not quite fixed leaky boat in the water.
Their plan: Marcel, Doug and the heavy gas tank in the leaky boat will be on the motor end. That way the leak, which is near the front of the boat, will stay out of the water. Then gun it and make it to the other side as quickly as possible. The rest of us (all females I may add) and the supplies will cross in the small boat with the small motor.
They decided to push us off first. Great plan. Not....
No sooner were we on our way and they are flying past us, creating huge waves. Looks like they are ready for take off.
Again, Teresa had to drive the boat. We were putting along pretty nicely until we got hit by the huge waves....
Made it to the other side. Kissing the ground. Need I say more?
Way, way, way more excitement than I had signed up for.
A few days ago when we arrived at the cabin I was asked if I would come again and I said yes.
Doug asked me again at the end of our trip, and I didn't answer quite as fast then. All in all, we had a great weekend.
The boat being lifted on to the trailer and tied down. Then homeward bound. A quick stop at a chip truck around 2 o'clock. I had the biggest poutine they had, followed by a raspberry tart. I got my calories, cholesterol and salt intake for a month. On the way home, I asked Teresa if she was going to eat her tart and she said "yes". That was too bad because I would have devoured that as well. Comfort food, I think.
Thank you Teresa and Doug for a memorable weekend. To Brenda a big hug for your endless energy and willingness to help with all the heavy labor, and Kelly-Lynn & Erin for showing us around and looking after us so well.
