Had a crazy 20km paddle with a savage headwind and cold rain in our face on Wed. We took out early and the crew greeted us with a warm cup of hot chocolate; what a welcome relief. We spent the night in Libby, Mt at the local school yard. The library hosted a special viewing of the film "Shadows of David Thompson" with coffee and cake. 

On Thurs. we had our first major trailer portage, moving the boat about 100 miles down to Thompson Falls. The community had a wonderful welcoming ceremony for us, a parade and a great Rendezvous meal. Our first day off in Thompson allowed for some much needed R&R as well as needed repairs to self and equipment. The locals have been unbelievably hospitable. One fellow named Raymond invited us to use  his wood shop and materials to patch up one of our seats. 

We set out tomorrow for Noxon, MT and it looks like we will be paddling in the rain again...

Fair winds and clear skies

Graham

Today was busy, despite not being a travelling day.  We had brigade training all morning, practicing steering, switching, figure-eights etc. We also practiced our arrival ceremony. In the afternoon, we all paraded through Invermere with accompanying bagpipes. It was an honour to stand with David and Charlotte along with our comrades in paddling! 
    
When we arrived back in camp it became apparent that one of the boats had been stolen. We could see the bandits approximately 2km from shore and we immediately set out to apprehend the scoundrels! We loaded 2 boats with 8 paddlers (2 above the normal load). We quickly reeled in the rouge boat. As we approached,  the occupants remarked that we looked like "pirates" and "professionals". We boarded and escorted the miscreants back to shore, where the authories dealt with them.

What a day! (And the trip hasn't even started yet!)