14C Sunny
Yesterday turned out nice. Went in to Victoria and had a nice lunch and visit with Steve and Jennifer. Steve is down for a week long session of meetings of mayors and alderman and government from all the BC municipalities. Worked on garage sale stuff.

then finding a comfortable spot sat down to think about the days ahead.

  ‘It makes sense to stay right here the river does have traffic, there should be an air search still on and even if there isn’t there has been lightning that should keep the fire patrols coming.  It’s the bloody cloud cover that’s the problem from the aircraft side, but that’s what’s happening and can’t be helped.

  I should have fish for awhile if draining the pond down works, got drinking water, maybe I’ll catch something in a snare, so should be okay that way for awhile.  But I should see what I can do about a weapon. I know there is at least one bear and he isn’t going to be happy about me, there are wolves although I haven’t heard any.  I have lost all track of time since I forgot about my belt but it must be getting close to June and mosquitoes and black flies will have to become a problem.’

  He went over his summary several times, if he had rope he could try and build a raft, but he didn’t have rope.  He briefly contemplated trying again to walk out, but he would have no fire and for the most part wouldn’t be visible to aircraft or river traffic.

  Sitting up straight Nat slowly surveyed all three hundred and sixty degrees of his world.  A small rueful smile twisted his face,  “Well Nat me boy, a lot of people would pay for the chance to get back to nature, you got everything you really need, a plastic roof, a firm bed, great fishing, fire and my overtime should be building like crazy! Oh yeah and I can talk to myself without anyone thinking I’m nuts.”  He let out a small chuckle.

  He got to his feet, turned the fish slabs then picking up the hatchet went in search of another pole.

  It was difficult to find what he wanted, he was looking for a straight pole maybe eight feet long, not more then two inches in diameter, it couldn’t be brittle but also not too flexible.  There was river alder that was long enough and thick enough but usually grew in a long curve.  The small spruce, poplar and cottonwood were thick on the bottom tapering to a thin top. Afraid to be away from his fire and being unable to signal he finally gave up and walked back towards the river. A large cottonwood was in his path and as he skirted it he noticed a balsam growing between the roots, it was spindly slowly loosing it’s vigor to the dominant tree.  It looked like it would work and having seen nothing else, cut it down, trimmed it and headed back to camp.

  By the time he got back the smell of the smoking fish was overpowering and dropping the pole he tore the smaller fish off its stick and wolfed it down; he was so hungry he could easily have started on the bigger one, but instead moved it back from the heat but kept it in the smoke.

  Turning to his new pole, he first carefully split the thicker end with the hunting knife for a distance of about seven or eight inches.  Then he took the butter knife from his small collection pile.  He tried to insert the handle into the split but it was too thick, so using the hatchet and a convenient boulder he hammered the handle until it was flat.  It slid into the split with only slight resistance.  It wasn’t until then that he remembered that he had used all of the snare wire. ‘Shit, it’s no good unless I can bind it, what have I got?’

He thought for a couple of minutes then reached down and removed his belt.  He stretched it out on a small log then carefully sliced off two long strips; he put the belt back through his belt loops and cinched it up.  He took the two strips of leather and going to the pond immersed the strips holding them down with a rock.  He noticed that the water level had almost equalized with the trench, so he removed the willow poles and using the pipe once more scratched out almost another foot of saturated soil.  He replaced the pole barricade.