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Canoe Trip Story-All Invited

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Farine

Confident
This first post describes what this story and purpose is. The second post will actually begin to describe the scene and my introduction as the outfitter 'couple'... .myself plus a fictional partner who will pilot one of the canoes. The racks on the canoe trailer have a seemingly unlimited supply of sturdy 8 feet long aluminum canoes weighing about 80 pounds a piece. The location is the Minnesota-Canadian Boundary Waters.. An extensive network of connected lakes and rivers that make a type of highway deep into unspoiled wilderness.

The quietness, beauty and serenity of this place in real life is stunning if one has ever been there. Since travel is often difficult in times like this.. and there's no requirement to stick together as a group... someone might enjoy a side bar fishing and then come back to the self described evening 'camp fire' time to knock back some fictional drinks... and tell some highly fictional camp fire stories. The mosquitoes, biting flies of real life are optional as well. Each post of yours is what you would do and say and appear to others in the scene. I would be serving as the 'hostess' along with my partner Angelo. We would make sure the literary gear and canoes are in good order ready for use. While some stories rely on quick turn arounds with just a sentence, consider the virtues of offering at least a paragraph. This allows others to 'see' you mentally and gives more to play off.

Should you care to join this thread, one might not only encounter other travelers as themselves describing their height, bearing, gear and expressions, but also the environment itself.. There is something awesome about this pristine place even imagined. The themes of wilderness, freedom and shared experiences are strong.

<Moderator’s Note> All content needs to be original. We are not set up for FanFic & using copyrighted characters, worlds, etc., will result in violation warning or permaban. HAVE FUN! But PLEASE familiarize yourself with our Copyright Policy before posting. Thanks!
 
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The full sized grey pick up truck had its occasion to rest next to its trailer filled with canoes. The put in site was selected not only for the access to the main road and a diner where guests could get a bite to eat or use its facilities, but for the spark of inspiration of natural beauty all around. The shoreline here was rammed gravel driven deep into the natural clay banks. There were posts driven into the ground on one side with rings bolted deep into the post for tying up canoes to prevent them from floating away. It was the start of the loon calls, the occasional disturbance of the water from large fish grabbing a passing fly that was the real attraction of such a place. The dutch blue of the skies seemed to be mirrored in the deep clear waters of the lake... and only the rocky shores punctuated with pine trees and shrubs broke the immense sense of space and freedom. The maps were a necessity in such a place to anchor one to a particular strand of coast.. after awhile so much similar terrain could easily distract a traveler.

Farine's ancestry hailed from the tall Nordic types... her blue eyes.. round face.. and sturdy frame all clear indicators that she would not be left behind when it came time to portage canoes over long distances. The expression in her eyes, generally curious, was taking in the whole assignment she had given herself.. to make sure the excursion was lovely for all. Her manner was impulsive... given to bursts of activity as each question prompted spontaneous action to ascertain its conclusion.

Angelo's ancestry was most certainly Italian. Tall at six foot four, he had piercing blue eyes and a ready smile.. His eyes tracked Farine as she busied herself with checklists and scrounging in the cab of their shared truck for last minute items. He was the methodical one of the two having already triple checked their supplies the night before.. 'Babe, it's alright." The others would be there soon and he didn't want to give the impression that they were unprepared. He ran his fingers through his thick black hair.. He shifted his weight in his thick work jeans. Maybe these last minute nerves were just something for her to 'get out of her system'.. Hard to say. In any case, he was ready.

Farine had a modest amount of gear for herself for the two weeks spent in the wilderness.. The first aid pack was generously sized. Someone could get a twisted ankle or other minor injuries and she'd have whatever that would require out in the field. Her forty pound backpack had rolled up clothes, cordage, firestarting items and an assortment of bushcraft goodies. She herself was dressed for the summer heat of the day.. Cutoff jean shorts with frayed edges, a tank top with a long sleeved denim shirt layered over that to prevent her shoulders from getting sunburned and a wide brimmed hat.. Her sunglasses were closed and hanging about her neck at the moment, but would be good to keep the glare of the reflected light off the water from bouncing back into her vision. She'd be in the front of the canoe with the requirement to call out any obstructions and glare definitely interfered with that.
 
Angelo shrugged as the time passed.. The fish were biting and that proved too great a call to pull out his fishing rod and reel, fish stringer, lures and fish net. He stood off the shore a few feet in his crocs and calmly armed his fishing rod with its best chance to land a fish. The cast went deep with a satisfying plunk where the lure's swimming motion was likely to garner interest. He let Farine busy herself with putting on suntan lotion and pick through some of the snacks they brought for just such an occasion.. The weather was ideal with a good breeze off of the lake...
 
The strike of the fish was decisive. The flexible graphite fishing rod bent into a strong “U” shape with the tip of the rod underwater. Angelo’s boredom was just setting in when this event instantly gravitated him into action and interest. He had calculated the line test well. It was heavy enough to keep his future dinner on the line and light enough his quarry hadn’t spotted it. He called for Farine to bring the net around. She didn’t instantly respond, so he spared a second glance and realized she was physically there to help him bring the fish to land.

Farine usually went without a fish on her side of the count when they went fishing. Everything could be optimized and it seemed the odds would not be appeased. So she had learned to just enjoy his catch almost as much as if it happened to her. She brought other things to the table. For example, she had this recipe for cheesecake that used the fresh blueberries that were ripe this time of year that went nicely with fried fish. She had spent some of her time in the brush near the truck picking wild blueberries and already had a double handful in a Tupperware container nearby.
 
Angelo accepted the net from Farine's hand to slip it under the fish to keep it from escaping. It was easily a five pound Northern Pike. He slipped his lure out of the pike's gullet with a twitch of his pliers from his back pocket.. The pliers went back in his pocket. Farine handed him the stringer which then secured the fish and keep it alive and fresh.. Then he shared a look with her. Canoeing with a fish in tow the whole time wasn't advisable either. Of COURSE, he would happen to land the best catch he had all season why they were yet at their starting point. It amused him. He laughed. They'd have to sort that .. the first of many dynamic situations that happened when one stepped out their front door.

After she had been the assistant to the capture of this massive fish, she was already dissecting her suggestions. How much space did they have in their cooler.. how much would it take to clean and gut it... and possibly pull out the camp stove and just cook it here. It would last longer cooked and maybe they could make fish tacos..

Angelo KNEW that look.. that was her calculating expression.. "Out with it. " He insisted. That was a pet peeve he had.. she seemed determined to sort through all of her thoughts when the process was what he was most interested in.

She sighed. She had to get used to that messy process he had of wanting into her inner dialogues. "Fish Tacos." Men liked short answers. This ought to be enough to circle back to the key elements which would get to this outcome.
"Get the stove." He directed. Her sigh was something he would mention later when they were really alone and not likely to have others arriving any minute.. HIs tone was direct but not 'over the top'. He'd grab the filet knife and by turning one of their canoes upside down, it would make a defacto table he could clean and gut the fish on. At least he could get this fish into fillets inside a couple of minutes. If a guest was to arrive he could pop the cleaned fish into a cooler and they could still get underway quickly.
 
Farine watched him work while she was 'fishing' in the gear for the camp stove. Here is where they diverted. He would have put the item reliably in the same place in the truck every time. She just had it 'somewhere' and then had to go digging for it. But then, her creativity and artistic side balanced out the injection of chaos she tended to bring to things..

Angelo laughed inwardly as he glanced at her efforts to locate the camp stove. He might have rescued her if he were his younger self,. Now he wanted her to evaluate if his suggestions had merit. The fish cleaning was easy back in civilization. They even had a bear proof bin to dump the fish guts and bones next to the site. As for her 'injection of chaos', he often found it amusing as long as it didn't get too chaotic. She certainly didn't mean any harm by it. She kept him on his toes. His running joke was that her life events kept him in shape and on his toes. It helped that his reflexes were good. Now he saw that she had found the camp stove.. her happy energy buoyed him up. Now that the fish was cleaned, filleted and ready to cook, he paused. It might be drawing the guests into an unwelcome pause, but he really wanted to cook them now. He walked over towards her carrying the massive fish fillets with care that he didn't drop them. ' Babe.. What are your thoughts about cooking them right now? DO you think our guests will mind?"

Farine looked up the main road for any sign of their cars or activity. Not even the diner was getting action right now. She fretted only a moment before seeking his face with a made up mind to cook the fish...

He kissed her cheek then.. not wanting to touch her with his fish-slimed hands. "I want you to let me handle the cooking once you set it up. I have my Grandmother's recipe and since these were MY catch... " He let his voice trail off. Usually he was relaxed and let her have her way ...
 
The wind was picking up. Farine scanned the sky for signs of a weather change. The idyllic weather they started with so far was holding steady. The tailgate would make a sturdy work surface for the camp stove particularly since Angelo was tall and he was cooking. She assembled the parts and ...

... Angelo swept in at precisely this point with his now cleaned hands. He playfully bumped her out of the way. She had divined his thoughts and this brought up a sense of teamwork. The food had been packed HIS way, so there was no need to search for the recipe components. He thought she might have a sense of serenity keeping a watch out for their guests, but it turned out she was more interested in learning about his Grandmother's recipe. No matter. They seemed to have the next period of time to themselves. He moved through the steps in order to heat the oversized pan with the right sized portions of their prize...

When she was shifted slightly, she already knew this was his show and to be fair he was agreeable much of the time. The precision with which he addressed this was filtering into her thoughts....

It was his hope that maybe she might learn some of the elements of this treasured family heirloom recipe. Her distractions seemed to get the better of her, but then his background kicked in and his gaze swept her up an down. No, this was something else. The oil in the pan was heating up. He had a spare moment to regard her. She was in some kind of deep thought. No sigh this time, though. In time, she might reveal it. The pressure to get this action completed in an expedited manner was present. Did she feel his regard on her? He wasn't sure.

"I'm sorry." She began. "I've been somewhat selfish. " She didn't mean about being casual about storing the camp stove in the truck. That was an extra seven minutes or so on her part when they were paused for other reasons. The look she gave him was more all encompassing. "I'll work on it.."

NOW, Angelo gave the environment a thorough scan. His woman was about to bare her soul. If that didn't bring the group in, he didn't know what would. The oil began to sizzle and pop in the pan as if angrily tapping its oily foot to DO something. He smiled at her. One of the great parts of their friendship was all the things they didn't have to say. "I love you." He knew they would eventually speak on it. Right now, he was cooking fish. Her attention was fully fixed on his instructions. The fish was about to become delicious. He would show her how.
 
Angelo slid the finished product onto a tin metal plate that assembled into a cook set and scrutinized the results. Passable. He speared a bit on a fork. Better than that. VERY good. Alright.. Now they really had to make some decisions. All of the reasons for lingering were now expended. An hour and a half had gone by and there was a sense of being on their own. Yet, this didn't have to be the outcome for guests who arrived after this point.. There was a family friend who could connect newcomers with them in the field. All that had to happen was to leave a message with the staff at the nearby Diner and a simple phone call would summon their friend to expedite the process. "Farine, just because the guests haven't arrived yet doesn't mean we have to 'camp' here for the rest of the day. It's a beautiful day.. We can still be out on the lake. "

Farine felt a sense of responsibility chaining her to this location until he offered this. "So, if I understand this properly, we take as much gear as makes sense... We call Robert and the truck with its trailer resides there...."

.... Angelo finished the plan as he was still fleshing it out in his mind. "We tell the Diner to have any interested parties call Robert and then he uses our satellite text system to connect them to us. We continue to explore and enjoy the Lake. We'll set up camp tonight a little closer to here than we originally planned.. " He pulled out the map which was encased in plastic so random splashes didn't degrade it. "I like this location.' He showed it to her. It had most of the amenities of their original site, just was a few hours of less paddling. "We can have our canoe loaded inside of a half hour. If you want, I'll load it while you walk over to the DIner and make those arrangements? " He felt better if he did the packing anyway, but that wasn't a huge deal. He just knew she was the extrovert and talking a lot seemed to be 'her thing'...

She considered all of this and decided this was good. "So I think I'll head that way now... " She took a quick bite of the fried fish. "THAT is amazing. " Somehow this trip was developing a life of its own. Farine licked her fingers clean on the walk towards the diner, idly wondering what else would happen over the next two weeks. She was about to find out.
 
Angelo hefted the gear out of the bed of their truck and out of the totes which lined the bottom of the canoe trailer. If they were only bringing gear for two plus a little more for insurance, their extensive plans had to be reworked on the spot.. He used to do this back in the day for expeditions under the watchful eye of his superiors. It felt good to do it his own way for himself and his woman. It was a delight to think about the solitude they were about to be immersed in. He worked hard in the world of 'regular people' for this vacation to enjoy nature. The occasional slap he gave to a landing insect was a small price to pay for being in this environment. The cordage she brought was to lash the key gear to the canoe itself. Even veteran canoe-ers sometimes tipped and then the price of tents or heavily laden coolers sinking to the bottom of the lake was high in terms of exposure to the elements or hunger. He made one last survey of his truck and trailer to make sure nothing he truly needed was being left behind.

Farine approached the diner with fond memories. They tended to have a meal here after an extended tour in the lakes to recap a trip before returning to civilization. There were a couple of people on staff who recognized her. She stopped a moment to relate her information.
"Let me get a piece of paper, Hun.' She said... digging into her apron's pocket.. "Go ahead... I'm ready.. " She laid the paper against the podium she greeted new diner guests from and took down the contact information she would need to direct new guests to join them should they arrive later.. Robert would get them connected by text and gear and a guide would help them connect to the couple who were already in the wilderness.. Then it was simple.. She passed copies of her hasily made note to her supervisor and a friend on staff to make sure that information would not be lost. "GOT IT!" she announced when it was all established.

Meanwhile, Angelo surveyed his packing effort. One canoe.. reasonably laden, stood lashed to the support post and idly drifted on its tether. A fish flopped nearby but that had to be ignored. There would be other occasions to ply his skill. Farine's instinct to scan the sky regularly for weather updates was apt. He could see more clouds forming in the west. They should leave soon.
 
Billie and her Dad came from the diner seeing all the canoes, came to inquire about them. Bill stood six foot two inches tall, Billie about five seven. Billie tested the water temperature, since she had on flip flops, this was easy to do with her toes. She smiled, thinking this could be a really good idea. Bill agreed, which widened her smile considerably.
 
Angelo strode up directly to Billie and her Dad .. as he had never left the area and offered to shake each one's hand in turn. "Welcome.. welcome! " He was eager to enroll them. Seeing Billie immediately test the water put a smile on his face.. "Farine will be here momentarily. She's making some arrangements. While she's stepped away, we can still outfit you with all the gear you need to join us.. " He stepped back to indicate they could have their choice of canoes.. and could show them how to select the right sized wooden paddles for their heights if they did not know.. His assessing look was that Bill at six foot two would enjoy having the spot in the back of the canoe where his height and power could really move their craft along.

As far as other provisions went.. Billie could dawdle as long as she wanted in the cool waters .. there were tents, camp chairs that folded up tight and other selections that either or both could make. He would be happy to load their selections into their canoe. "So.. " Angelo ventured to ask..."Have you ever been canoeing about in these waters? " THere was no sense in offering knowledge they already had..
 
Bill answered that they had canoed on Lake Champlain on the borders of Canada, Vermont and New York. He admitted that their canoe had a motor though, and was bright red with yellow trim. They had not thought to bring it on this trip, though, as they were carrying a lot of stuff in their car.
 
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