Fri. Sept 13
Route Paddled: Manitou Lake to Amable du Fond River to Kioskkokwi Lake
Distance Paddled: 7.3 km = 4.6 miles
Distance Portaged: 1865 metres (1.9 x 3 = 5.7 km OR 1.2 x 3 = 3.6 miles)
Weather: Cool in the morning with light winds and warm seasonal temperatures in the afternoon

At 1:00 am, Norm H was aroused by a lone wolf howling several times from across the lake – with no response. Again, at 5 am, two wolves began to sing out their distinctive echoing cries to one another. It became apparent from the howling that the wolf that had been across the lake earlier had now traveled eastward while the second wolf was even further down the lake, perhaps on North Tea Lake.

Daybreak promised another glorious day. We were not in a hurry to leave this campsite, but we knew all too well that we could easily face some steady winds and waves if we dallied about. By 9 am, we slipped quietly from our beach into light, northwest winds – again safely paddling out toward the middle of the lake and then tacking inland. The importance of staying as close together as possible on this unpredictable lake was the rule of the day. It took us forty minutes to paddle under cloudy skies and 23-degree C temperature to reach our next portage to Amable du Fond River.

Before undertaking our portage, we re-visited the old log cottage on a knoll – one date carved on a log wall was 1934. We were disappointed to see that the campsite under a select stand of towering pines no longer existed and we wondered where the Letos camped the previous night as we had recommended this site to them. We chuckled over the use of the privy door as the kitchen table during our stay in 1999, and the expression on John’s face when he learnt about it – fond memories.

At the start of the portage (15P1190), it was evident from the trampled grass that bears had been munching on the berry bushes over the past month or two to fatten themselves for the upcoming winter hibernation. This portage had to be one of the most travelled routes in the northern sector of the park; the terrain reminded Wayne of his hiking exploits in the Adirondacks of New York State.

 At the end of the Amable du Fond River, we hand guided our canoes through a rock-laden shoal and then paddled a short distance to our final portage (16P675) to Kioskkokwi Lake. Here we met a group of 14 youths and their leaders from a religious order who were on their way to Pine Island on Manitou Lake for the weekend – a great experience for these first-time canoeists. Knowing that we were on our last portage over relatively easy terrain, we became energized. At the end of the portage to Kioskkokwi Lake, we stopped to reminisce on our trip, having successfully accomplished our goal of tripping new territory as well as completing the last stage of our 1999 trip. To top it off, two canoeists on a day-trip generously offered to take our photo next to the Amable du Fond River – an offer much appreciated.

Through the dead-head clad channel leading to Kioskkokwi Lake, we came close to a pair of heron and their offspring making an immediate departure from the shoreline. Their action, combined with our appearance, created a stir amongst a variety of waterfowl. A duck surfaced from fishing and immediately took flight five feet in front of Norm H’s canoe. We eventually broke out into Kioskkokwi Lake to face tacking procedures before reaching our intended campsite, the same one we had camped on in 1999. The lakes were unbelievably warm for this time of year. We swam, basked in the sun and just loafed around for the better part of the remaining afternoon. Wayne and Norm H explored the area and incorporated a unique engineering feat in acquiring a seat for our campfire later that evening – much to the amazement of John and Norm R - our secret story to be shared amongst us for many years to come! We cooked up a scrumptious supper of leftovers along with our intended meal and topped it off with the last of the tasty brownies - a feast!

While gathering firewood earlier in the day, Wayne located the tree trunk of an old, red cedar washed up amongst the bushes. Later, we relaxed and enjoyed the aroma of the fragrant burning logs of the campfire as they hissed and crackled, filtering the rich cedar scent throughout the campsite. We shared stories from our youth and careers and sipped on the last of the medicinal Yukon Jack. Kioskkokwi Lake was at its prime under a clear, half moon and a full galaxy of stars. Norm R, an avid moose hunter, took this opportunity to call out some of his perfected moose calls across the lake – we will never know if the moose were stirred by the so-called "amorous" calls or frightened away; but we were certain those calls must have made an impression on some novice campers residing at the next campsite! Sleep came late for we knew that this was our last evening together in the park and our annual canoe trip was at its end.