Wednesday, August 24, 2016 we drove up to Lake One to start our paddle that morning. With three canoes and seven paddlers we blasted our way to an island campsite (#1341) on the southeast side of Insula. We prepared our ususal day one steak dinner and ate like cavemen.
Thursday, August 25, 2016 the group split as planned, with four staying on Insula and the rest spending a couple of nights in the Fungus Lake PMA. The first portage into Hope Creek needed some trees cut and cleared, but it wasn't too much effort. Having made a similar trek in 2012, we knew that the second portage was not really there and so it took us more than a couple of hours to clear trees and mark path that would allow a one hop exit.
By the time we paddled across Hope Lake and onto the next section of creek that would bring us to South Hope, we were more than a bit hungry. Needless to say we turned back and took refuge on Hope Lake on the one bit of shoreline that was not burned by the Pagami Creek fire in 2011.
Friday, August 26, 2016 we chose to break camp a day early, but we only took our fishing gear and lunch for the run into South Hope. We caught a number good sized walleye and small mouth bass. We ate lunch, filleted the walleye and packed up our fishing gear, so that we could make good time on the return trip to Insula. It still took a number of hours to work our way back down Hope Creek, picking up the rest of our gear on Hope Lake and retracing that awful second poratage. We arrived to our original campsite, but the rest of our group was still on a long day trip to fish and see the pictographs on Fishdance. We started making dinner and the rest of group arrived just in time for the big fish fry meal.
Saturday, August 27, 2016 we decided to stay close to camp and fish Lake Insula. One of the crew was rewarded with a personal best catch of a beautiful northern pike.
Sunday, August 28, 2016 was a rest day for most, but an adventursome pair decided to make a day trip loop through Alice, Cacabic, Thomas and Kiana. The weather was nearly perfect and the only real challenge was a section of low water on Cacabic.
Monday, August 29, 2016 we broke camp just before 8am after a quick breakfast of coffee and oatmeal. Once again we made good time by single hopping the portages and keeping within sight, but not so close that we would cause ourselves to get backed up on the next portage.