Day 10. Fri. July 22, 8:30 AM

In which our protagonist bows to circumstances.

I’ve accepted I’m windbound today, and it’s probably just as well. I’m at 57°08’49” N, 75°48’19” W.

Woke up to find my hands swollen to the point of near immobility. That was at 4AM when the wind started kicking and the rain was getting started. I also discovered my air mattress has a leak and my kayak’s stern dry compartment is shipping way too much water for my liking. Also, my heel blisters — on both feet — need doctoring. I think it’s safe to say I need to stay put.

At 6:30 AM I took advantage of a lull in the rain to fetch my rain gear and tarp from the boat, and to slap some Aquaseal on the rudder housing. Planning to add another layer this afternoon. Hope it helps keep water out of the stern.

At least it’s warm. It is in the mid-50s F even at 8:30 AM, and I am sitting in the tent with my shirt off listening to the wind whip.

Despite the condition of my body, gear and surroundings, I am still prepared to do this portage in the afternoon if the breeze lets up. Really feeling the time crunch. These ponds are taking much more time and effort than I’d expected. Past paddlers who described this route must have been far more skilled than I am. Even without the wind, an idyllic couple of days of paddling this would not have been.

I settle in with my shirtpocket-sized copy of Whitman, which along with a few other works selected by Galway Kinnell, contains the entirety of Song of Myself. No matter how many times I come back to it, I find it endlessly breathtaking. It’s the one piece of pleasure reading I’ve brought along, and the inspiration it has reliably brought me for decades proves uplifting.

7PM

My strategy is to get up an hour early at 4AM or so, get on the water, and slog through the last three big portages in hopes of making it to Minto before I’m exhausted at 7:30 like I have been the past few days. I hope no gods are laughing now that I’ve mentioned my plans.