Part 5 – Back from Robb Lake to the night at the cabin

We got back to the Tent, and a surprise was waiting for us. 6 more snowmobiles were parking there. It is quite funny, because it almost seams like all the Canadians have a special arrangement for the snowmobiles when they go and park. It always looks like each one has his own spot to park at. With the snowmobiles came the wives and daughters (and one mother – Nancy). They were relaxing next to the tent, enjoying the beer. I still can't figure out how on earth they knew we had beer… Dave & Brenda, Tim & Suzy, Mark & Nancy, and the daughters, Clair, Jennifer & Krista. What a pleasant surprise. We got some more beer out, Dave and the guys looked at his sled, trying to think about how to fix it, I looked at the photos with Suzy, the Moms sat outside, and the daughters got the B.B gun out, and started preparing it for the soon to be shooting range. Tim went over and helped them. Suzy and I finished looking at the pictures, and then I went over to see how the dads are doing. It was such a shame to look at 3 cans of beer freezing away while they all kneel down at the sled, trying to fix it. Gary and I talked about remaking Dave's sled into a hot outdoor bath to use on the frozen lake, using a pump, metal pipes, and the furnace as a heater for the water. We taught of having a garden hose connection at the side of the sled, so water could run into the sled. Inside the sled there should be a pipe with a few holes in it, so the water could shoot out in high velocity, giving a massage to the tired legs after a whole day of… ice fishing. Tim got the B.B gun working, and the girls set a beer can (empty, of-course) as a target. We could even hear a few hits every now and then. I joined for a few shots, and then we turned to play some of the local "ice golfing". Ice-golfing? What's the connection, one might ask… well, for every case of beer Mark bought, he got 3 red/orange golf balls. You have balls, just bring a bat, and play on. The game goes as follows: someone takes the bat, and set the ball on a small ditch on the ground. Then someone else comes along, and suggests to place it on an empty beer can. In my case, we placed 2 beer cans. Then the batter's job is divided into 2; Making the shot as funny as possible, and to guide the rest of the seekers to where the ball landed. The audience has also a big part. Once the ball landed everyone should try help finding the ball. 2 ways of helping: 1. look at the ball and point out to the seekers where the ball is. 2. Take a snowmobile and race down to get the ball. Oh, and drink beer.
After a few rounds of golfing, we got the bowling ball out. We set some split wood as pins, smoothed the runway a bit, and started on bowling. Now I know what Ben meant by ice fishing being lots of fun, "but I don't remember catching fish as the main issue there". We had the tip-ups in the holes, and some of us looked at them while we played. Yep, it counts as ice-fishing. We played for about an hour, and at the very last roll Clair got a STRIKE. We drank some more beer for that. Went back to golfing, and back again to beer and talking. I forgot to mention Dave's huge family sized M&M peanut pack he had. It was opened ever since we set the tent up, and it was all frozen. It tastes even better frozen. Anyhow, we finished it about when Nancy, Suzy, Brenda, Gary and I left. Yep, every good time has to end, I guess. I am not sure why, but it just does. We said our goodbyes, packed our stuff, got everything ready, and we were about on schedule for getting all the way to bear camp (2 hours) before dark. On the way out I sat behind Gary, Brenda and Suzy drove on Suzy's machine, which had no lights on it, and Nancy drove on hers (I am not sure, but we have a saying in Israel: never let facts change a good story). We got all the way to bear camp without any unusual difficulties. It makes a big difference driving with a sled at the back. It rocks the snowmobile on every bump on the "road". On bear camp we went to see little white river – a long river which goes from one lake to the over, until it drains to the Mississauga river. It was covered with ice and snow, but a very thin layer. The water was still running under it, and it was still "open", so you can't cross it. After a short refuse from the engine of one of the machines, we got out and back to Iron Bridge township building. Brenda had her truck waiting there, and we got the ramp set on the truck. The ramp was set at about 40 degrees, because the truck is quite high. The length of Brenda's snowmobile is the exact length of the back of the truck, when the back door is open. Before we set the safety chains on, Brenda jumped on the snowmobile, raced on the ramp, and landed exactly on the back of the truck, leaving 2 cm room for errors, which she corrected afterwards, which is also a hard task – the gear sets only in a certain RPM, in which the machine jumps forwards. That was surely inspiring. Brenda got her Truck, and drove off to get the trailer, so we can get 2 more snowmobiles and the sled back home. While we waited we helped Suzy locking her snowmobile to Tim's truck. Brenda and Nancy came back, and we got all the remaining stuff on the truck and trailer, and drove back to the cabin. We stopped on the road several times, just to make sure nothing slipped or fell on the way. We were good. We got back, and decided that next "morning" will be the best time to unload the stuff from the truck and trailer. We got our "personal gear", and went into the cabin. Yellow dog came congratulating us on our return, and Sandy was inside. She was expecting us to come back when we did, so the food was planned for that time about. We had some delicious chicken soup and chili. Over dinner we talked about the tent event, and told Sandy some of the stories from this years event. Gary reminded me I still have some obligations – I still need to clean the fish I caught. Luckily I got two of them – one to learn from. Gary showed me How the clean the fish on the bigger one, and then I cleaned the smaller one. It was a nice experience; I think much nicer then killing the damn thing. We finished cleaning the fish at about midnight, both tired but happy. We finished that, drank a beer or two, and went to sleep. We showered first, of course.

Part 4 – from "3rd morning on Blue Lake" to "back from Robb Lake"

Part 4 – from "3rd morning on Blue Lake" to "back from Robb Lake"

The night was perfect clear. Before we got to sleep (I now remembered), Dave and I went outside, and looked at what seamed to be the light over lower Acton (from "married with children"). The night was so clear, and the moon was almost full, so the tree lines made everything dark, and on the lake itself, the white snow and the moonlight made it to look like someone turned the hockey arena's lights on…
Beautiful.

This morning we decided to wake for the morning runs. We did. Clair's alarm went on at 6:10, and by 6:15 Tim was the first one to make a good morning sound. I switched beds with Mark, so I was next to the door of the tent – next to the opening. I guess there was a small opening there, because I tried to get my boots on, but they were frozen as a rock. I guess I should have wondered why all the others hang the inner sleeves of their boots inside the tent. I got my spare shoes on, and stood for 5 minutes next to the ferniest with the boots on my hands, so they will unfreeze. They did, eventually. I guess I taught myself lesson #4: if you don't want something to freeze, hang it inside the tent. Dave got out and said: it's -22! I got the camera out, and took some pictures of that. I am sure that is the coldest I've ever been. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, thou. There was no wind, and the sun chased the cold away. Mark went to check the tip-ups we kept in the water all night. He came back with a small lake trout – the first live fish I saw out in the open. Dave took the fish later, and killed it. Killing a fish is quite a … unique experience – you need to bang his head against something. Bang it, and bang it hard. If you don't, he will suffer. Today we are going fishing in a different lake – on Robb Lake. We packed all the gear, beer, shore (sure) lunch, beer… There is a thing where you have to rock the snowmobile before riding, to release the tracks and skies, because they stick to the ground on long parks. We did that, and Gary went for a short round, just to heat his engine. He came back, and told me that the sunrise is just over the bend, and I should go take a few pictures. I did so, and Dave suddenly came over and said: "We are going over to that direction, so if you wanna' join us, it's that way". I pointed at the sunrise. Dave smiled, looked and turned around. I joined them to Robb Lake. On the way I got to see a tree break down, because Tim got it with his sled. It took us about 20 minutes to get there, but on Robb Lake it was beautiful. The morning mist still covered some parts of the lake. We had the whole place to our selves. When we came to where we're going to fish, everyone stopped at a different position. At the beginning I wasn't sure what they are doing, but I remembered the picture of Dave, holding a can of beer in one hand, his jigging rod on the other, and he is sitting on his snowmobile. They are stopping in where they are going to drill holes for jigging. I also stopped at a "random" position. We drilled some holes, and Tim went into the bush, to get some fire wood. I had the suckers driving with me, so I was in charge of spreading them around to the guys. We got the holes ready, and I set my tip-up in. as I was setting my other one, Dave screamed FLAG. That means that I need to run to my tip-up, and try to bring the fish out. Tip-up fishing goes like this:

1. A flag pops up.
2. Scream FLAG!!!
3. In case it's your tip-up that went, run over to it.
4. Look at the center of the tip-up. if it is spinning like crazy, it means you are most likely to have a catch.
5. Take your gloves off. You do not want them to get wet.
6. Move the tip-up from the hole, and place it on the side. Make sure not to lift it from the middle thing which spins, because then the fish will notice there is something "fishy" going on.
7. Hold the line with your hands. After a good run with the line, the fish sets the bait and swallows it.
8. Give a nice pull to the line, to set the hook better inside the mouth of the fish.
   
9. Keep on pulling the line. If the fish pulls back, let him – so the line will not break.
   
10. Once you see the fish in the hole, pull him to the top carefully. Make sure he does not use the sides of the hole to escape.
    
11. Once the fish is inside the hole, get your hand in there, and pull him out as fast as you can.
    
12. Move the fish away from the hole, so it will not jump back in.
    

That's the 12 steps of getting a fish out of a frozen lake, using a tip-up. So I sort of followed these rules. Part 11 Gary did for me. He was very surprised with my fishing techniques – The fish came in backwards. I got the hook in his mouth, but the fish got all tangled in the line, so when I pulled, the tail came first. Gary pulled him out, and then showed me the proper way of holding a lake trout – from the gills on the outside, and inside to the mouth. Then we had 2 more things to do – Kill the fish, and wrap him in old newspapers (make sure he is dead by boring him to death). Gary killed this one for me before I got my camera ready. We got some pictures of him. Gary then set 2 pieces of newspaper, and we rolled the fish inside. About an hour passed, a bait here and there, but no catches, until my honey hole worked again. The flag went up again. I ran over, moved the tip-up, pulled the line, and Gary was there again to assist. The fish once again came backwards. Gary was astounded. I explained that it's the same we do with camels: you have to tie its legs, or it will run away. This fish was bigger, so we got the lie detector out – the measuring tape, and measured – 25 inches. This time I got some pictures with the bastard. And then I had to kill him. It is not as easy as it sounds. They are slippery, and sometimes they still move. I gave him the first punch on the side of the ice hoger. He still didn't want to go. I got him again, and this time it was pretty nasty. I'm sure he is dead now…
Tim and Clair made fire on the shore. On second look, Tim noticed they made the fire next to a opening in the snow of what might be a bear den. I went over to look – I've never seen an opening of a bear den before, not to mention a bear den. I got there and took some pictures of the opening, and then Dave joined me, asking me where the opening is. I pointed at the ground, and he started digging it out. I asked his if he is not afraid of waking the bear, and he explained that there is not possible chance that we will wake the bear. And if we do, RUN. I talked to Gary about that later on. He said that as long as he outruns Dave, he has nothing to worry about. I guess he is right, because as much as I know Dave, he will run to the opposite direction – ramming the bear or something. So Dave dug, until he removed all the snow away. I got the camera in, and took 3-4 pictures, with flash, so we can tell what's in there. Dave got his head in there before, but couldn't see anything. I showed him the pictures, and he said that apparently it's just ground heat. We made some breakfast – Burgers and Cheese in buns, and some buns with pinnate-butter. Over breakfast I got to talk with Dave about religious restrictions Jews made for themselves – Meat and milk products are forbidden, and also pork, sea food… he asked me: "why on earth would you want to do that?”. I explained about the scientific side of it, and apparently someone knew about it, and wrote it in the bible, so everyone will follow. Because of that Jews were considered witches and warlocks – everyone else got sick, and Jews stayed healthy. After breakfast Gary took his slay to the bush. He drove up on Tim's tracks, but he got stuck in the middle – his machine is slightly bigger, and heavier, so he was caught in a big basin of snow. I heard his engine fighting to get out, and then I heard Tim yells to Gary: "I told you, you should get the VK", and Dave joined in. Gary kept on trying, and after a minute of so I saw him shoveling snow from behind the machine, so he can get himself out of the mess. I walked over, just to see and learn what to do in such a case. I learned that if your on your own, your best chances are if someone comes along and helps. I know for sure that if Gary was all alone, and he didn’t have anyone to help him, he would manage to get it out. Maybe even faster then what it took the both of us. He had a system going. We got it out by following these steps (which I learned after lesson #2):

1. Make sure you have comfortable holding places on the snowmobile. Remove fishing gear if necessary.
   
2. Lift the back of the machine, and set it on new ground.
   
3. Move the skies a bit, so they will not be locked in the position you were stuck in.
   
4. Get a friend to pull the skies while you drive out.
   
5. Make sure to plan the rout you'll go on carefully – so you'll not get stuck again (didn't happen).
   
6. Get the gear back on the sled.
   
7. Get back down from wherever you were stuck, and make sure to have a beer ready for your friend when he arrives (If you were stuck far enough, try to drink a whole can of beer before the friend comes back).
   

So we got Gary out, and got the beer out straight after. Then Gary and I talked about heading back – we still had to drive back to Iron Bridge, and we tried to avoid riding when it gets dark. Gary told that to Dave, but apparently we were all fed up with Robb Lake. Another thing is that the girls were supposed to be at the tent soon.

We packed all the gear. Every time someone lifted a tip-up and the flag you go up, you could hear Dave yelling FLAG, and laughing. We folded everything back, and drove back. The scenery is just amazing. On the way, close to the tent, we passed by a group, which apparently were Rick and his guys, which visited us the day before. At the tent a surprise was waiting for us.

I will tell you about it in the next Chapter…

Part 3 – From the first night on Blue Lake to the second night on Blue Lake

After we decided to wake for the morning runs (catching the fish who seek for their breakfast), we woke up at 7:30. morning runs are at about 6:00-6:30: at the crank of dawn. So, I guess we missed them. Mark got the ice hoger running, and made 2 holes. Gary then continued from there, drilled some more holes, and taught me the complicated method for drilling a hole in the ice – you hold the ice hoger, and let it drill for you. Don't press it down, just don't let it spin or shut down. Oh, and pull it up when you're done. By the time Gary and I drilled the holes, Clair followed us and cleared the holes from the ice and snow packed around it and in it, so it will be ready to use. So, I made also a few holes, and then I went over to Mark, to see how he sets the tip-ups:
Get the minnows from the minnow net (under the water, of course, on the other side of the tent.
Get the tip-up, the cooler with the minnows, a small net to get the minnow out of the cooler, get the big hard metal net (I know it has a real name) to clear the hole (if it froze). Of course, so need also a small weight, so you can drop the line faster
Open the tip-up, attach the weight, and let the line go all the way to the bottom. Make sure you're at the bottom. Them take 2-3 feet of line back, and attach a small copper weight to the line, to mark the depth you fish at (so you'll not have to recheck the depth every fish you catch).
get the line out, and get 1 minnow out of the cooler, using the small net.
Attach the minnow to the hook. This is done carefully, because the hook goes between the spine and the internal organs of the fish, so a small mistake will cause: a. the fish will run away. B. the fish will die.
Make sure you have a weight close to the hook, so it will drag the minnow down to the depth you set.
Ease the minnow down to the bottom of the lake. Use the metal big net to clean the1 sides of the hole if needed, so you will be able to set the tip-up horizontally.
set the tip-up over the hole, and set the flag down, if you are using Gary's tip-ups you will need to set it by leaning the flag against the middle cross in the middle. In Mark's tip-ups, made from wood, you'll need to set the flag on a small metal line.
So I've also made a few holes, and set a few tip-ups. So far, the hardest part is to get the hook into the minnow – both placing it correctly, and just getting the hook in there. I guess if you're going fishing, some fish will get hurt.
We set 5-6 holes in a straight line, and once we had some activity in one of them, we set 2 more in the same depth, by going sideways. Clair marked each hole with a branch, so snowmobiles will know to avoid them. I heard that sometimes they don’t, and you might loose a tip-up while fishing. We had 2 bites them morning, which I ran too, and Gary followed me, to guide me threw. I think I touched the line too soon, because we only had bites, and no fish. I was still a rookie, and I didn’t want to finish all the fish in the lake on the first day.

Gary made us his famous sausages, and we ate them with fries, bagels and home made (Tim) bread. We toasted it all on the ferniest. What a breakfast.
After breakfast, beer and liquor we decided to try our luck on the other side of the lake, east (not down). Gary Dave and I went to try our luck elsewhere, and Clair, Mart and Tim stayed in the tent, to get the holes running. Before we left, Gary and I boiled some water, so I will have some water to drink. After all, my body is not used to the type of bacteria in the water in a frozen lake. So we boiled a pot of water and set in on the ice, so it will cool down. It did, and also it sank until it reached the handle, which is made of wood.

Dave drove there, and I was supposed to follow; only my machine did not start. It took us about a minute to get it running, and I went after Dave. I taught I saw him, but after a while I wasn't sure, so I turned around. Gary noticed I'm coming back, so he came over to see what's wrong. I just didn't want to get lost. I followed Gary across the lake, and so a group on the ice. After them was Dave, one hole with a tip-up, he is sitting on his snowmobile, with a beer in his hand. We made some holes, and set the tip-ups. Gary explained to me the complicated rules of fishing in Canada: every one can have up to 2 lines at a time, there is a limit of fish you are allowed to have with you. You can have only 2 lake trout, but then if you eat one of them, you are allowed one more. For Northern Pikes the total is 3 fish per person. Gary also explained to me about the jigging – setting a small fishing rod, called a jigging rod, over the hole. Then I remembered that he explained on the way about the jigging: if Dave has a fish, but the fix escapes, you tell him he should have "let him run" / "set the hook". You decide which answer by the opposite of what Dave did. We stood there, tried to get a minor snowball fight with Gary, but it didn't catch. I guess he didn't want to scare the fish away. We stayed there for a few hours, and without fish we decided to head back to the tent. Over there, apparently, Tim decided to get a weekly supply of fire wood, so we heard the chainsaw working and working. Gary and I took the machines and drove along the shore, to find branches, so we can use them for isolation on the floor. We got a bunch of them, and when we came back there was a HUGE PILE of fire wood in front of the tent.
4 snowmobiles came along for a visit when we came back. The mysterious trapper whom we were supposed to visit on Sunday was there, with 3 of his friends. We all drank beer together. It is amazing, that on the lake, as long as you have beer, you will survive everything, and they always have enough beer out there. After the visitors left, Clair, Mark and I set the branches inside the tens, and then I went for the wood splitting exercise. I took the coat off, not to sweat too much, and got on with it. We heard from them that they also had no luck, which is odd, because usually that lake has lots of fish in it, and they love eating the minnows. Night came down, and with it some more alcohol – beer and liquor. Dave Mark and Tim got the BBQ going, so we can toast and make meet. At the beginning it didn't work so well, but eventually Dave fixed it. We have potatoes, which Clair pealed and cut, and then we dip-fried them. Also we had burgers, with buns. We had more food then we could eat, but eventually, we finished it all. Nothing goes to waste on the ice.
We finished eating, and got outside. We stood and made some more tasting of the liquor. Then Dave got the bowling ball on the counter, placed a hat on him, added a cigarette in the lower hole, and he was names "Wilson". The name was a must… then Wilson met the ice again, and we started passing around the bowling ball, playing soccer with it. Each of us tried to be wiser, and pass the ball in a new way, but it is a bowling ball, so your options are not as large as a real soccer ball. After we were done with playing soccer, we drank some more, and went to sleep. I made sure I will not sleep at the far corner, so Mark switched places with me. We all got saddled in, and then Tim asked Gary: "how about a good night sip?" Gary replayed: "only if Dave will go outside and bring it". Dave jumped on the opportunity, and said "sure, I'll go", but there was no need for that. Tim pulled out a bottle of peach schnapps, which made most of us happy and sweet dreams.

I hope you'll have some too. Good night.

Part 2 – from Tim's ice shack to the night at Blue lake – home for the next 3 days

We got to the rest of the gang, and we spotted that Dave is missing. One of the hinges of his new slay droke, so he drove to Mud Lake Saloon to fix it. We all took off and kept on going in the bush. We got to Mud Lake Saloon, and we heard a noise of a machine. "could it be? What are the possibilities they have a welder at Mud Lake Saloon? It could be a small generator, but I think that's a welder". He was right. Dave was in there welding back the hinge that broke. We stopped there for a couple of minutes, and kept on going towards Blue lake – our destination for the Tent.

We went by another cabin out there, and got the outer layer of the tent, and also some other stuff for isolation to the floor. We placed both of the things on Tim's slay, and took off. After a few bumps and hills the heavy fabric of the tent fell, and we got it to Mark's machine. He placed it on his sit, and sat on it for the rest of the drive. It wasn't so long from there. After a few minutes the other part fell, and Clair, like her father, took it, and sat on it for the remaining few minutes of the ride.

We got to Blue lake at about 16:15, and stopped at what seems to be a very interesting area for snowmobiles. It was all tracks, going back and forth. "could this be our tracks from last week?", Tim wondered. "I seems it didn't snow much since." Tim and Mark had it all figured out. I guess I was still "blinded" and "shocked" from all the excitement, flights and lack of sleep (wa wa wa)… "our mission is to finish building the tent, get the wood ferniest up and running, set a few tip-ups, and all before dark.". "Ron, you'll get us a wood stove ferniest. It must be out here somewhere. I (Tim) will go and bring / make some fire wood. Mark will get the polls for the tent…". While we had our plan all figured out, Gary and Dave showed up. Dave kinda' fixed the slay, but "I'm not sure it will hold. That welder didn't have enough juice for this mission." Mark added a comment: "maybe the problem is not the welder they have at Mud Lake Saloon… it could be the welder."
I tried to think about where the ferniest could be, and all I could think about is the survival show. I guessed they brought it with them, and I need to look for it in the sleds and slays. Mark said to me: "I bet Clair can help you find a wood ferniest out here somewhere." He was right. Clair remembered exactly where they left the stove last year. Only it was all covered with snow and ice, inside the woods. After effort we got the ferniest out, and Mark helped taking it to the snow. In the meanwhile Dave got the tent, and opened it on the lake, about where we are going to set it. I helped Dave with setting the tent. We spread it over the ice, and Dave started bringing the polls – looking at them, he said it's time, after 4 years, to replace them. Tim came with the next load of fire wood, and Dave made the order – he measured 8 big steps for the length of the old polls, and asked Tim for such. In the meanwhile, Dave and I hooked the one good poll we have to one of the sides of the tent. Tim cut down a tree, as straight and solid as he could find. Gary and Clair helped him get the tree out of the bush, and tie it to the snowmobile. We got the tree, and Dave cut it to the right length, and cleared all the branches away. We got all the tent up, and it was standing on its own. We got the ferniest in, with the wooden plate, and then Dave and Gary started with the isolation for the floor of the tent. It is mainly consists of the stuff we brought from our last stop, and some pine branches. Tim, Clair and Gary were inside, arranging the branches we got them from outside. The main idea – as much leaves as possible, with minimum wood on them. I split some wood for the ferniest, which is kind of fun, and then I had lesson #3, from Mark: "if you'll sweat, you will freeze and die. Slow down". I got my jacket off, slowed down, and drank some more beer. Only then I continued splitting wood. So, I guess I can conclude we had the tent up and running, after setting the chimney for the tent, getting some wood inside, and having it running, just at the neck of dark. We had a heavy duty stump to act as a supporting peg, and Tim sliced it straight, attached a piece of wooden board, and we had our liquor bar out there. Brenda set with Dave some chicken soup and chilly, so we had only to heat it up and eat. We set both pots on the stove, and they boiled pretty fast, while we drank some beer, and had the liquor selection out for testing. We sat inside the tent, ate and drank beer. The funniest thing about Canada in the winter is that your beer will not heat up. It will slush on you and freeze, if you don't drink it fast enough. We tried to avoid that embarrassing situation. I guess all that is left to do is decide on sleeping arrangements and go to sleep. I think I was hassled at that point. They said that I should get the bed at the far corner, next to the stove, because it can get very cold during the night. May I remind that we have a -40c sleeping bags – they look bigger than tents he have in the army in Israel. During the night, we had a good system for keeping the ferniest running: every one who would wake to pee has to put some more wood in the stove. (a short video talking about that, will be added later) I was hassled, and slept at the far corner. I used the sleeping bag to hide from the furring ferniest.

And good night to all, and to all a good night…

Canada, Part one - from Chicago to Tim's ice shack

Finally, I landed in Chicago. A fast run towards the passport control and from there to the luggage, it was very quick. All of the sudden, Keren is standing in front of me. We walked outside, and the second I took the first breath, it came to me – it's winter over here. Ben was still on his first round with the car, so he picked us up quite fast. We headed straight up north, towards Gary and Sandy. On the way we couldn't help not to stop at Taco Bell's. We met Gary and Sandy, and "the luggage" was moved to their car, on the way to Canada. We (Keren) repacked my suitcases, so it will fit at the back of the car. We drove up north, talked about all kind of stuff – updates about the families, what is the tent event, life and stuff.

At 1:45 we got to the cabin. We unpacked, drank some beer, talked some more, got more exited, and went to sleep (around 4:00). Got up at 7:15, had breakfast (tea and bagels mostly), and got our gear all ready for the adventure. Outside Dave was loading all the snowmobiles on the truck and trailers, and also some other stuff we had. So, everything is packed, Yellow dog is inside the cabin, I got my drivers license, and we are ready to go.
On the way we got me a fishing license, rechecked that everything is good to go, and headed to Mark's place, Tim's place, and from there to the unload point – the Iron Bridge township building. The place was fully packed with trucks, who seems to have unloaded several snowmobiles to go for a day or two of fun. Gary explained to me that there are so many trucks because Black creek is still open (with running water), and this is the only other way of getting to the northern part (Blue lake, Eliot lake…).

We unloaded all of the stuff, I got a quick "do and don't" from Brenda (mostly "do", not as much "don't" in Canada, I guess). We got rollin'. Driving a snowmobile was a first for me, and the first thing I did was to "go to snowmobile school" – look how everybody else use them and drive them. It's a good thing I did, because on the road and on solid ice the machine does not really turn as the driver plans. We drove/sled for a few minutes, and that gave me a chance to get some confidence and familiarize with the new vehicle.

While we were driving, we passed by Icy rocks, and took some pictures. From that moment on, I became a real expedition member – the camera was always hanged on my neck, ready for action. We got all the way to Bear camp, and got some supplies from there – sleeping bags, cooking equipment… Kept on going, until Rabbit crossing, where Gary noticed he is missing a cooler of beer. He released his sled, and turned around to bring it. Tim invited me to join him to his ice shack, to get some more equipment. I jumped on the offer, on the snow mobile, and on 2 feet of uncompressed snow – I went down the snow, and didn't know what to do. Lesson number two (a double lesson): Tim: "Your weight makes a lot of difference on these machines. Use it.". Dave: "If you feel like you're gonna' get stuck, just puch the throttle, lean to the side, and the cat will do what it's supposed to do."
So Dave and Tim pulled the snowmobile out of the snow, placed it on more solid ground, Dave sat on the right side, Tim pulled on of the skis, and the machine just jumped out back to the main trail.

We headed to Tim's ice shack. On the way I had to see if I learned the lesson previously learned – a small creep passed the trail, with it a down and up slope, with a slight side curve. Before that slopes Tim released his slay, and I had a feeling that some challenge is ahead. I passed the test, on the second attempt. We got to the ice shack, and Tim started getting all the equipment he needs from there – 4 sleeping bags, a coffee pot, a cooking pan, a shovel, paper plates... While we were packing, 3 guys cam with their snowmobiles, checking who is looking around the ice shack. It is so nice to see good people in the middle of the "road". We packed everything – except for the paper plates, everything on Tim's snowmobile. He had a 3 foot high tower made of heavy sleeping bags. We passed the frozen lake, and on the way out of the lake we had a climb with a side slope. Tim was first to go, and when he go to the side slope, the high weight of the sleeping bags dropped him to the side. I managed to lift everything up, I held the machine, and Tim drove – he was basically standing on the side of the sled, counterbalancing it from the sleeping bag mountain. We got all the way back to everybody else, was Gary with the lost cooler, and I think that by the time we got there they finished all the beer in that cooler. Maybe I'm wrong... after all, Clair doesn't drink.

Images will be added later on...

Welcome to "long stories blog", where I'm going to write about things i did, and i do not want to fill and take a whole lot of space on the family blog.