Frozen bogstuff

The setting: It is a cold and gray day with a raw east wind.

I put in at the east end of the ancient portage, but only because I realized as I did my portage to the lake that I take out there, but almost never begin from that spot, and one should do things differently as much as possible.

The frozen north channel, #1 island to the right

Today is designed for continuing my map project. Cold weather over the last couple days has frozen the boggy parts in the marsh. This will make it easier to set up my plane table and take sights from places where my feet might be more likely to punch through. It is #2 island that I want to have outlined completely while catching the south side of the large #1 island.

With the east wind, I am exposed to the full rawness of the wind. I grew up in cold weather, colder than this, but still, this is cold. Exposed finger tips sting along with my ears.

#2 island - this is a well used beaver canal with a major feeding zone 10 yards to the right

After a couple of hours of map work, paddling back and forth to spots, setting up flags, taking sights, getting back into the canoe, and doing it over again, I head down to the south lagoons. There, as I pass the workbench lodge, I spot a pair of woodducks. I've been wondering where they had gone to, it had been many trips since I last saw one.

Like the north channel, the south lagoon is frozen, but not impassable if one wants to work at it. But, everything in the marsh seems to be laying low, conserving energy and waiting out the cold. I think that I should do the same.