Date: Mon, 7 Dec 2015 22:25:50 +0000 (UTC) From: Bob Smith Subject: Great North Woods Chpt 6 Chapter 6 The next morning found the boys back on the lake canoeing. This was to be a tough day. The wind was coming down the lake into the boys' faces. It was hard paddling. The wind was cold and the water splashed over the front of all the canoes, getting the boys both wet and cold. Even in the summer, these northern lakes could be brutally cold. Then there were the portages. They were simply a bitch. After three hours of pushing against the wind, Gunner pulled into the shore. The boys felt relieved that their hard work would end with a break. "Take all your stuff out of the canoe and carry it up the hill to the next lake." he announced. The boys took all their supplies and personal gear out of their canoes and lugged it up the hill. Once at the top you could hear the moan coming from their mouths as they realized the trip down was worse than the trip up. The trail to the next lake was filled with mud; ankle deep, wet, slippery, smelly, mud that sucked you in each time you took a step. You didn't lift your leg to move forward, you dragged it up through the heavy sludge. The kids could feel their shoes about to be sucked off each time they moved forward. To make things worse, the downhill trail was covered with dead trees, a result of a winter blow down. Every few feet they encountered a massive, slippery log that had to be climbed over. Most times, they had to leave their pack on one side of the downed tree, climb over the tree and then retrieved their packs only to redo the same things two feet away. It was hot, hard work made even worse by the mosquitos. This was the first time they encountered the massive swarms of boy eating bugs. Up until now they were on parts of the lake where a nice breeze would keep the bugs away but not here. This was dense woods with massive dark over hangs that allowed little breeze and the diminutive bugs, with their sharp needles, to thrive. To say it was miserable would be an understatement. The boys slipped and swore up a storm as they tried to reach the next shore without getting hurt. Once they achieved their goal, they realized that they still had to go back up the hill, get their canoes and repeat the process. The boys had been working together as a team for almost a month and that experienced helped them immensely. Each team of two boys picked up their canoes, settled it over their heads and headed up the slope for a repeat performance. Going downhill was hell but the boys helped each other getting over the logs and through the thick mud. The bugs, mud and humidity were still bad but working together saw the crews putting their canoes in the water and getting out of that hell hole a lot faster than they would have predicted. In less than an hour they were on the water and heading north. Gunner found a clear spot and he told the boys to beach their vessels for lunch. The boys were exhausted. Their tempers were short. The wind never stopped and the waves continue to drench the boys as they resumed their journey after lunch. Finally, Gunner pointed to a clear spot on the shore and signaled that was their overnight camping area. The boys set up their tents. The cooking crew got to work cooking and the wood gathering crew gathered enough wood for dinner and the evening. As dinner was cooking the boys jumped into the lake with their clothes on. They attempted to get their clothes clean while still dressed. Everything stunk. They used the soap to wash themselves and their clothes. When they were done, their once white clothes were dark gray; their tennis shoes stunk to high heaven but at least they were clean. They sat around the camp fire in shorts while their clothes dry. By the time it was dark and they had finished eating, no one was interested in sex or anything else except sleep. They crawled into bed and fell into the sleep of the dead. They were so tired they couldn't even get boned let alone jerk off. Morning came quickly. Their clothes were clean, kind of, well not really, but at least they weren't covered with thick, smelly mud anymore. The day started like yesterday. There were strong headwinds, choppy water and portages. This time the portages were not as bad as before but still they had lots of mud to contend with. Like yesterday, once they reached their campsite, they bathed, eat and fell asleep. The next morning the wind had disappeared and it was sunny and warm. As the sun climbed so did the boys' spirts. They were still tired from the last two days but they were rested enough so they could tease each other and play around as they paddled toward their next campsite. Even a portage didn't dampen their spirts. It was a short one with some mud but no downed trees and a low hill. Life looked good as they looked for a camping place. After six hours of hard canoeing, Gunner pointed out a spot to camp for the night. The camp sport was a small peninsular, covered with mostly grass with a few trees. The land was low, barely above the lake water. The boys pitched their tents in a circle around the fire. The quickly gathered firewood and started dinner. After dinner some of the boys fished while the rest just rested on the ground or in their tents, exhausted after two miserable days of paddling. The sun was just setting when there was a yell. "I got one and it's a big fucking one" yelled Jackson his fishing pole bed over on itself. All of the boys looked at him as he fought the fish. The line zipped out of Jackson's spinning reel as the fish dove for deeper water. Advice was coming from all the boys, most of it useless." "Keep the line tight." "Don't pull him up too fast. "You're going to lose him if you're not careful." Finally, Jackson said. "Shut up you guys and someone get a net." By now all the boys were surrounding Jackson as the fish fought for his life. A net was produced and the boys waited until the fish was close enough to scoop up. It took two attempts but the almost fifteen pound northern pike was finally landed. "Can we eat him?" Jackson asked Gunner. "You clean it and you can eat it" responded the quiet leader. "Just remember, northern are not a great eating fish. They have lots of bones unless you filet them right" "I think I will throw him back" said the proud boy "but, first, a picture." Gunner produced a camera and the boys gathered around Jackson as the pictures were taken. Gunner took a few shorts of Jackson holding his trophy and only then was the fish released to fight again. As the boys settled down around the fire, Gunner yelled "Heads up guys. I have news for you. It is Thursday and we have been on the water for 28 days. Saturday, we end the trip. So you have tonight and tomorrow night and then we are home. Tomorrow night we will have a last campfire meeting and I will give out your necklaces. Bottom line, if you plan on being up late, tonight is your last free night, guys." The boys sat around the campfire disappointed that their adventure was fast coming to an end. As each boy looked into the campfire, they remembered the tough times they faced. * The long days paddling in the sun: * The arctic, cold water splashing over the bows of the canoes soaking and their equipment in the canoe: * The bear that almost ate their food until they scared him off: * Fishing for some of the best eating fish in the world: It was a hard but good trip. The boys didn't realize it at the time, but when the trip was finally over; their parents would notice the metamorphosis the boys had undergone over the past month. The boys were tan. Not just tan but brown. The differences were striking when you looked at their waist lines. Each had a snowy white ass outlined by their dark mahogany backs. The boys had lost whatever fat they had started the trip with. Their physiques had morphed from boys into young men. Now their young chests popped out and you could easily see their pectoral muscles. Their bellies were taut and some of the boys even showed the beginning of a six pack, to the extent a twelve year old could have a six pack. Their upper arms showed the results of a month's pushing miles of water with their paddle. In the beginning of the trip, they struggled to put a canoe over their heads, now it was no effort. The boys were buff. Their personalities had also changed. Their parents would see more confident boys. They had overcome serious obstacles. They had carried on when they were exhausted. They had traveled miles by canoe, in some of the most isolated lakes in North America. If they got hurt or ill, there wasn't a hospital or doctor near them. If they lost a paddle or their food, they were on their own. They were confident and independent young men. Even their sexuality had undergone a change. In the beginning of the trip, they didn't know nor understand the power of sex. In the beginning, the idea of jacking off with another boy was, for most of them, repugnant. The idea of actual sex was well beyond anything they could have concocted in their young minds. For some of the boys, it took a while to come to grips with the fact they liked someone playing with their cocks. Now none of the boys had any issues with nudity. Their modesty no longer extended to someone, in this group at least, seeing their cocks erect. Their reticence did not extend to touching another guy dick. In the future none of the boys would declare themselves gay. A couple would acknowledge they were bi but none of them regretted the sexual play with their friends during their northern venture. "Well," said Luke as he gripped his engorged cock in his shorts." I want to get fucked, so who is up for riding my ass?"