Week 2—Gunflint Lodge, Grand Marais
Our canoe expedition is a worthy candidate for a dedicated post. Up to this point, we had been experiencing Minnesota at its November best - grey and gloomy a la Robert Frost. So, after one cabin-bound day (and in spite of the fact that our cabin could have housed a small houseparty and had almost more than all the comforts of home) we decided to brave the cold, wet and gloom and take advantage of all of the activity options that were included in our package. Undeterred by the absence of anyone else thinking that this would be a good idea, we vested up - Graeme et al deciding to take their shoes off so they wouldn't get wet - and paddled off into the mist. Jane and I (and Fin and Tutu who, shivering from the onset, knew this was a bad idea) took off in third position and this handicap thwarted all attempts to catch up with either Graeme and Claire or Catriona and Nathan. I'm not sure whether it was wind or current or a combination (a question for someone of Bill Peirson's ilk) but the gap between us widened as quickly as the shore receded uncomfortably into the distance.
After five minutes or so (which seemed like an hour) Jane and I made one of those Thompson decisions that require no conversation and made an about turn to head back to the shore. We then set out along the foreshore to scout for the rest of the party. Not able to sight them, we stepped up our pace and returned to the boatshed, ready to raise the alarm. Thankfully, we saw Graeme and Claire coming down to join us. They had headed into shore, dragged their canoe up through someone's property, abandoned it and thumbed a ride back to the lodge.
Not so Catriona and Nathan. We dropped Claire and Jane back at our cabin from whence Fin immediately escaped - just to raise the dramatic tone of the afternoon a little further - and then Graeme and I went in search of Catriona and Nathan. We drove slowly up the road which ran parallel to the shore, separated by a bushy, steep strip of land populated with the odd cabin. Graeme decided to try to walk through what proved inpenetrable scrub to the shoreline, while I continued to drive along the road. After driving for a mile or two and not seeing anyone, I turned around and headed back, picking up Graeme along the way. We were thinking about our next course of action when we saw a bedraggled Catriona and Nathan hobble up to the roadway.
Back to the cabin to restore body heat, nurse wounded feet and be thoroughly satisfied with entertainment comprising jigsaws, videos and the hot tub (next door)
