July 25th, 2019
Great Slave Lake, Burnt Island
This lake continues to inspire us all in a way I will never be able to explain. It is definitely the most beautiful body of water I have ever had the pleasure to paddle.
We woke up around 7:00 AM to the sound of constant crashing waves against the Precambrian rock shore that marked our campsite. The winds had continued all through the night, fueling our dreams with their white noise. We were wind-bound.
We ate breakfast and over-caffeinated ourselves with two big pots full of coffee. We all spent our time off alone, but together. Reading, laundry and writing filled the morning. Just 4 miles north sat Caribou Islands, but they were just out of reach.
We ate pancakes for lunch and the winds died and the waves retracted into the depths of the knowing lake. We struck camp and made it on the water before 2:00 PM.
For the next seven hours, we paddled across 27 miles of Great Slave Lake through dead still air and water. The colors changed around us as clouds moved in and haze from a fire clogged the northern horizon. This was a paddle I will never forget. We paddled to a northern wind as clouds threatened storm, camping around 9:00 PM on Burnt Island with a nice tent-site.
-Bram