3 October 2019, Thursday

An owl and two loons call to us during this cold night. Somehow their voices seem to make a place seem wild and more mystical. In the morning we wake to cold sunshine. Hot coffee, tea and oatmeal warm us up, while a morning breeze and strengthening sunshine dry the dew from the tent and tarp. We strike camp a day early so we can get a quick start towards Moncton tomorrow morning in the rain. We’ll sleep in Vincent tonight.

The day remains cool but the continued sunshine warms us a bit. We head over to Jeremy’s Landing to get more information for our possible paddling trip next year and to rent a canoe for a few hours. O and I enjoy our paddle up the Mersey River. The fall colors are exquisite in the afternoon sunshine, and we find the sound of paddles dipping in the water quite relaxing. Years of summer wilderness canoe trips create pleasant associations with the music of the water.

Returning to camp we cook up our last Keji supper and top it off with our extra special hot chocolate and more of our Newfoundland chocolates. Then we ready our extra warm sleeping layers. Tonight we will be better prepared for the cold.