August 6th, 2019
A cold, dark morning greeted us at 4:00 AM. Hot coffee and cold granola awaited us. The coffee station was a “hot” commodity this morning as it really took the bite off the cold. The weather persisted from the day before – scattered showers and wind from the northwest.
We paddled through a strong biting wind all morning with intermittent spats of rain wetting us. Paddling through the strong, wet winds left the paddler with a numb face familiar to any skier. We portaged at the end of Upper Carp once and attained some fast water to get into Reindeer Lake. The afternoon’s paddle was more of the same weather, but with frequent cameos made by the sun to brighten everyone’s mood. We camped at 3:00 PM on a very open low esker with burn out. Bug-tent reading and naps for an hour, then dinner. In the tents by 6:30 PM as the mosquitos, gnats and blackflies began to swarm. Hopefully, we will finish the Yellowknife tomorrow.
-Bram
