SYP--strong young person--in the last post i did before going off on a solo two week wilderness canoe trip,i said that i was thinking about a SPOT or PLB when i went back into the "by permit only" remote areas that i scouted out last year.once again at the ranger station i was the only one on the page for the month of June seeking a permit..



this is what i found this year.the water levels had dropped from a historic high to just a bit above normal.i unloaded just under that limb and did not have to go far to find out that i was not going anywhere.the winding narrow creek thru that bog was now too shallow to get thru without getting out and draging ---so that was the need for the SYP--getting to that treeline in the far distence would have taken all day and then it was a "brush bust" for 50 or so yards into the small lake where i wanted to camp..by the way the yellow stuff on the water is pine pollen not some sort of scum..
a couple things did get my attention..one is the rangers carry radios..i met them a week or so later and along with the packs,two handed saw,axe and shovel they had a radio tucked away someplace that i heard crackle so there was a source of help if needed..but in two weeks in a "busy" portage is not the same as one in a remote back bay..the other thing was just how nasty the shoreline was.on a rainy day i was looking over the tangle of trees,moss covered rocks,cliff faces and heaps of rocks that i would have to deal with in a "overboard and swim" sitution--it did not look good even with all the gear in my ditch vest PFD it would be survival and not camping untill help came..all food for thought before the next trip-