Saturday morning, 3:45 AM: pitch black, it’s cold with scattered mixed precipitation, the wind is howling, and the waves are washing up over the dock. We were up early to get clients luggage out to the dock prior to the first of two planes coming in beginning at 6:00 AM. Once the planes were off again, I headed out to the outpost camp on Caribou Island.
The boat ride out to the outpost from the lodge, a trip of just over 9 kilometres, was chillingly cold and wet. The wind must have been blowing at 4 to 5 on the Beaufort scale (approximately 27-37 km/hour) and the spray came over the boat stinging my face. Although I had been out to the outpost twice before during the previous week, I took my GPS as a backup so that I could follow a previously laid down track if needed to avoid shoals and rock piles. Of course, the batteries died shortly after setting out and I had to rely on memory to get me there and back. With a brief pause to orient myself in mid-lake, I arrived at the outpost, happy to be in the lee of the wind. Once at the camp, there were numerous chores to be done: de-plane new clients and their gear, load up the outgoing men, and then start on cabin clean up. When all was said and done, it was mid-morning by the time I was back at the lodge where I could warm up, dry out, and have some breakfast.
Our big excitement this week was the Thursday morning arrival of the float plane loaded with supplies for the lodge, three 45 gallon barrels of gasoline, and a new wooden boat.
The boats are built by B. Giesler and Sons of Powassan, Ontario. The company was founded in 1921 by “Barney” Giesler, a blacksmith who found that, with the advent of the automobile age, he had more time on his hands to fish. Needing a seaworthy boat to fish the sometimes rough waters of Lake Nipissing, he built his own boat. Before long, Giesler had several orders for boats and the company was on its way to becoming well-established. By the 1950’s, two models were being offered. Today, Giesler and Sons build 20 models of boats and canoes made using western cedar planks and copper nails.
The lodge at Meta Lake has 15 Lake Nipissing models in active use. The boats, weighing in at 350 lbs., are 18’ in length with a beam of 59” and depth of 25”. Wooden boats, although requiring annual maintenance, provide a smoother ride especially in rough water as the wood has more “give” than an aluminum boat. Equipped with a 15hp 4-stroke motor, they handle very well.
Overall, we had good weather this past week although Thursday night brought in a major cold front with frost and then close to 24 hours of rain. The cold will last through until Sunday morning and then temperatures are forecast to rise – just in time for our day off and, hopefully some more walleye fishing. First thing Monday, though, it will be back to cutting firewood.
