Spring 2010 Trip Log - Part Three   The next morning we had much the same plan.  I was up early to make the coffee and then we were paddling down the lake around 6, headed in the same direction as the day before.  This time it was to try our luck with some fishing.  When we explored the rapids area of the Petawawa we didn’t have the fishing rods with us.  I wanted to make a few casts into the pool, just in case. We trolled down the lake as we paddled.  I had on a size 4 Bluefox and Connie was using a black and silver size 5 Rapala.  Each line was weighted down with several split shot a few feet up the line.  We trolled from our camp to almost where we had seen the snapping turtle the day before without so much as a nibble.  We did see a beaver crossing the lake…..on his way to work, no doubt.   Off to work   It was a cloudy morning and a bit cooler than the previous few days, but the sun was making every effort to poke through and heat up the forest. The sun trying to rise through the clouds on Sunday morning   We arrived at the portage trailing a pair of loons who were curious about us.  Near the take out the water was only a foot or so deep and I watched as both birds dove and swam right under the canoe.  Boy they are big birds.  We pulled the canoe up on the shore and I pushed it to one side, so as not block the landing.  With rods in hand we set off to the end of the portage.   We spent a few hours here, casting into the pool and taking some pictures.  The water level was low for this tie of the year which allowed us to stand places we normally would not be able to in May. I spent some time playing with the camera and taking shots of the rapids from every angle and setting.   Low water levels for this time of year   I did mange to land a small Cisco, but fishing in the pool wasn’t very successful for anything else.  Oh yah……still no moose.   Connie fishing at the falls of the Petawawa At around 10 o’clock we decided that we had enough fishing and headed back to camp for brunch.  The wind picked up a bit on the lake, making the trip back a little harder, but we managed to make good time.  By the time we got back to camp it was almost 11.  I fired up the stove and began preparing some food for us.  This morning was a mushroom and cheese omelette.  It filled us up considerably and after we had completed the dishes I sat on the shoreline to digest.  I closed my eyes for a bit and soon found myself dropping off to sleep.  It’s amazing what some good, clean air can do. When I woke up I found that Connie too had snuck off to the tent for a snooze, so I grabbed the boat and headed out to do some exploring near our island.  I paddled over to the site across the lake and checked it while no one was occupying it.  It too was a roomy area with a large rocky area of shore that looked like it was a good place to do some swimming.  I thought about it…..for a second.  But I decided against it.  Even though it was a warmer than normal spring, the water was still a little too cold for me to give it a try.   Looking towards our camp from the other campsite   Looking down Daisy past our island One feature of the campsite was a huge pine tree growing on top of a large outcropping of rock.  The tree must have been there for decades, growing fully above the rock.  Its roots spread out in every direction, seeking anything it could latch onto. Latching on to anything it can find We spent the rest of the day relaxing and later I head out do some more fishing near the island.  By early in the afternoon a small group had taken up residence at the campsite across from us.  As I passed them with the line out I sparked up a conversation with them.  There were four young adults camped there for the night.  They had entered from further north in the park and were headed out by way of Magnetawan to be picked up by a shuttle.  They told me they had seen moose on the Petawawa the day before and had a pretty good trip so far.  They were headed out the next day.  It was good to make a few more friends from the park and I plugged my website to them…..the more fans the better, right?  A big shout out to those cool campers from Toronto:  Jonathan Biback, sisters Christine & Kimberly Markham and Jordan Small.  It was a pleasure meeting you guys and I hope we meet up again in the park sometime.  It was getting close to dark when I paddled back to the camp and Connie and I sat around the fire until we began to get sleepy around 11 PM. Sunday night moon     Spring 2010 Trip Log - Part Four