Sat. Sept 14
Route Paddled: Kioskkokwi Lake to Kiosk Campground
Distance Paddled: 3.5 km = 2.2 miles
Distance Portaged: 0

Weather: Warm with clear skies and light winds

At 6:20 am, the morning dawned sunny with a light breeze from the west. A lone canoeist passed by our campsite, having spent part of a week in the interior. He informed us of his brutal trek through Maple Creek, trudging and hauling his canoe through knee deep mud and low waters - he appeared tired, but not dejected - his ordeal soon coming to an end; never to be forgotten.

We took our time preparing the flapjacks for breakfast and decamping - we were in no hurry and had plenty of time to reach the campgrounds at the far end of the lake. Before leaving, Norm H built a southerly-directed Inuit inuksuk on top of the outcrop (more info at pinnacle farms.) Its purpose was to welcome other canoeists returning from the park’s interior via Maple Creek and the Amable du Fond River. Pushing off from the sandy beach, we paddled pass the outcrop, its rocky shore rising straight up from the water for about twenty feet where our mighty inuksuk stood as lookout. Just below it and along the waterline, a facial image we called, "The "Slumbering Sentinel", could be seen etched by nature into the stone and half submerged in the lake.

Enjoying a slight breeze, we reveled in our solitude as we paddled gingerly along the shoreline, passing the campsite of the two canoeists we had met the previous day and the picturesque islands within an inlet. There was no sound other than the water dripping off our paddles as we reached forward and pulled for another gentle stroke; the wild ruggedness of the landscape with its peace and beauty would remain deep into our souls.

During many solitary moments on this trip, it was easy to realize how these annual canoe trips added immeasurably to our well-being; reviving our spirits and giving us strength, both mentally and physically. Toni Harting had summed it up perfectly in his book, French River, " a canoe trip, properly executed should afford the opportunity to slip the moorings of the "real" world, to leave behind the stressors and petit-mal annoyances of daily living and enter a realm where nothing matters but wind and water, the stroke of the paddle and the silent glide of the canoe." This trip would be no exception.

Upon reaching the wharf at Kiosk, other eager canoeists were readying themselves for their own trip into the interior. With a tinge of envy, we watched, knowing that it was time to leave our trip behind us and to await the day we embark on a new dream-journey together - perhaps paddling where true voyageurs of long ago once explored - the French River system – next year.

Overall Trip:
Distance Paddled: 41.5 km = 25.9 miles
Distance Portaged: 13.6 km x 3 = 40.8 km OR 8.5 miles x 3 = 25.5 miles