After the storm passed through Long Island yesterday, I thought that we were home free weatherwise. Nevertheless the forecast called for south winds, which would be in our faces going to Burritt's Rapids. So we got a reasonably early start (7:20am) and paddled relatively easily to Baxter Conservation area just north of the 416 bridge; there we had a rest and a snack. After that the wind picked up and we were much slower the rest of the way into Burritt's Rapids, where we arrived around 2:30pm. We had our lunch there and set off for Merrickville. It wasn't long before it started to rain gently and then it got quite heavy. By the time we arrived in Merrickville, I was exhausted and became concerned about staying overnight in the tent because we were soaked and I was cooling off. When I first tried to lift the canoe onto my shoulders, I couldn't do it although I managed after walking around and resting for a few minutes.
After portaging at Merrickville, I told Gramie that I didn't want to go through the night and continue paddling the next day. Thus, I called Hans and asked him to drive the Outback to pick us up. He did so graciously and I was happy to see him arrive in Merrickville as it was getting dark.
I feel badly about letting Gramie down because she really wanted to finish this cane trip.
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