Interesting weekend. Scandinavian festival, mini family reunion., home on the 10 am ferry and a belated Father's Day supper. Weather isn't looking good - more rain. I see my entry for Saturday didn't get posted and of course I didn't do one yesterday.
Here is more story.

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he next morning with full packs and the toboggan fully loaded they were all heading up the ice by quarter after seven.  They headed straight into the camp with their packboards, leaving the toboggan load for later.  The decision was that Jerry and Milford would commence a base line to cruise from while the other two would get the load from the toboggan and complete the camp set up.  They ruled out making a second trip from the cabin that day as little was left but their personal gear and camp necessities.  The weather was holding about the same temperature but a few flurries of snow came and went.

  It took two extra trips to get everything in from the lake, they now had a well-packed trail and the light snow actually helped make the trail better.  Once everything was at the camp, Ken, tried in vain to start the chain saw then gave up and using a swede saw started laying in a supply of fire wood, Harv tightened the fly over the tent then added a second ridge pole and stretched another fly to create an awning in front of the tent.  Once this was done all the supplies were stacked along its two edges creating two low walls.   Then using the snow shovel that they had decided on at the last minute, banked snow around the entire tent and awning arrangement.  By salvaging some of the cardboard from the food supplies he was able to lay a covering of cardboard over the raised sleeping area that had been made from poles the day before.  He then cut spruce boughs from the stunted spruce growing in the swampy area and covered the cardboard.  In the time that was left he and Ken worked together cutting and piling wood next to the tent.

  Just after three that afternoon, they called it a day and headed out to the lake.  Jerry and Milford could be seen about a half-mile further along the lake, they waited for them and all four headed back to the cabin together.

  They cooked their supper, packed lunches for the next day, washed and packed all the cooking utensils except what they would need for morning and were again in bed early.

  The next morning they packed up everything and were again hiking up the ice by just after seven.  They reached the camp just before nine and after a short rest all four headed out, Jerry and Milford to continue the base line and Harv and Ken to start cruising.

  The base line was to be four hundred chains long- five miles- in order to keep using cardinal directions at some point there would have to be a half mile jog, on snowshoes they estimated it would take about three to four days to complete the blazing of this line depending on no unforeseen obstacles and the weather.  The cruising would take considerably longer.  Because of the time of the year they had elected to increase the distance between each cruise strip line from the usual ten chains (660 feet) to fifteen chains (960 feet) but there would still be a cruise plot 2 ½ chains (165 feet) long and a half chain wide every 2 ½ chains.  Temperature, snow, daylight and traveling distance would all impact on how much was accomplished each day.

  That first day Harv and Ken succeeded in completing two strips for a total of one hundred and twenty chains but had to return to the camp after dark.  Jerry and Milford returned earlier and had a fire going and a supper almost ready when they got back.

  When Harv unpacked he produced a thermometer, “I don’t really know why I threw this in but we may as well know what goes on with the temperature.” He went out side and fastened it to the end of the ridgepole.  The interior of the tent was warm and cozy with the heat from the fire and they sat in shirtsleeves as they had their first supper on site. The long day, the fresh air, full stomachs and the heat soon combined to send them all into their sleeping bags.