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Matt and Katharina slept over for the night and we got up early, picked up Marion and Remi, and then met Brian. We drove to
Arnprior, had breakfast at PJ's which is newly renovated. We got to the park, bought our permits at the crowded ranger station,
and then rented canoes at Brent. Headed out onto Cedar Lake into brilliant sunshine and a light breeze which was unfortunately
against us all day, but travel was fairly easy going anyway. After about an hour of paddling, we stopped at an island for lunch.
Kat and I ate more food than I had planned, so it is a good thing that we have lots of extra. We followed a chain of smaller lakes
along the old rail line. At one point we had to go under the tracks, through a concrete tunnel, where water dripped from the
ceiling. At the far side of the tunnel the way was blocked by deadfall, so we had to get out of the boats to wade in the water to
get them through. In the late afternoon we arrived at Laurrel Lake and began searching for a campsite. There was a small island,
but we thought it was too cold and windy to spend the night there. We ended up camping at the far Western end of the lake.
Everyone has a unique sleeping arrangement. Kat and I have a small 2 person tent. Matt has a 3 man castle all to himself.
Marion and Remi share a tiny tent, not much larger than a bivy sac. Brian has a hammock and simply hangs himself between a couple
of trees. It rained a bit as we cooked supper, but then cleared up and the wind died. We hung up the food with great difficulty
as there was a lot of weight and only two ropes. My rope got stuck while hauling, and we could neither lower nor raise the bag.
Since it was not high enough, I tied another rope to the pack and swung it out over a hill, hoping to be able to free the rope
tomorrow. We spent the rest of the night poking at a small fire and indulging in various relation materials. Kat and I paddled
out onto the glassy smooth lake in the brilliant moonlight at one point, then came back to the fire before heading off to sleep.
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