Susan is "driving" today so I take advantage of the sunny skies to put my boots out to dry. I'm taking a chance and wearing my tennis shoes--hopefully they won't get wet today. Our plan for today is to continue the length of Lanezi Lake, cross Sandy Lake, take another brief jaunt down another section of the Cariboo River into Unna Lake and then to our campsite on the very tiny Rum Lake.

About 90 minutes after we departed our last campsite, a steady head wind kicks up and is with us all day until just before we reach our final destination. We have nice broken clouds and sun though so other than having to work a little bit harder due to the wind, we have a pleasant day of paddling.

I catch Barry and Patty relaxing their paddling form. ; )

We stop for lunch and Patty sprawls out in the warm sunshine while Merlin and Cheryl prepare the food. I take pictures of the assorted flora at this spot. I didn't even see the worm when I was taking the picture. These flowers were all along the circuit.

As we moved towards the end of Lanezi Lake, forbidding clouds were constantly ahead of us and we even had a few stray raindrops fall on us. It was kind of surprising, and I thought they were drops carried by the wind from a paddle or a splash when they first hit. Thankfully they did not multiply.

We know we're getting close when we see the sign for Babcock Creek. Just a little past this point we make the turn into Unna Lake and then to Rum Lake where we'll camp for the night.

We get to Rum Lake and it is a very small, intimate lake. However, we discover that our campsite (#42) has been occupied by another group (we had seen this group on Day 1 as they were heading up the portage from Kibbee Lake to Indianpoint Lake) and they are not present when we arrive. Merlin says he saw them heading over to Cariboo Falls so they should be returning in a while. He tells us to go ahead and set up where possible--he would use the satellite phone to contact the registration desk and solve the conflict. He headed out to try to get reception and had to go all the way back to Unna Lake before connecting. Pathways always uses the same group campsites and basically has first dibs when the book opens in December so there is an obvious mixup. While we wait, we decide it's a good day to take a bath! Barry, Patty, Susan and I suit up and dive in to get cleaned up. I wash my body as much as I can in a lake and a bathing suit and wash my hair as well. It felt WONDERFUL! We get out, dry off, get dressed again and wait a bit more for the group to return. Since the falls is a highlight of the trip, we decide we can't miss it. Cheryl will take Barry, Patty, Susan and I as soon as the conflict is resolved. The other group returns and the two women who appear to be in charge are pissed. I can't really blame them as this is by far the nicest campsite we've seen and they are all set up. But we all sit back and let Merlin and Cheryl deal with it. He worked it out with them and in the meantime we left to go to the falls.

Here's another shot of our close encounter with the wildlife. Sorry it's not very clear. We were trying to pass quickly and quietly so as not to disturb her further. Kind of hard to be multi-tasking in that situation.

Tonight it is quiet and warmer--maybe because we are by a smaller lake? Too bad nobody wants to stay up and do some stargazing. I'm sure they are spectacular. And, on a night we could have used it, the daylight fades fast and it gets dark earlier. HA! Once again I am writing these thoughts in my tent after everyone else has turned in. But this time my most prevalent thought is that I only have to sleep in this sleeping bag for one more night after this night! I am so thankful it has not been very cold for the duration of this trip as I have been tormented by the mummy bag. I will be so glad to sleep in my own bed again. It is 10:40pm when I turn my light off.