Well so much for the weather looking excellent for today here at Gangler’s.  At around 5 AM it started again – rain.  And it was heavy and though it stopped around 7 AM, we were socked in bad and it was evident we weren’t flying to Courage Lake in the tundra anytime soon.

Granny and I figured we’d postpone our tundra expedition yet another day and fish with Tyler again.  It’s been fun with Tyler.  But Ken and his pilots suggested be patient.  Though the forecasts up here are shaky, sometimes they can look at the radar and make their own predictions.  The guys thought we had a weather break in the afternoon and we made plans for a 1 PM departure.

It wasn’t just Granny and I heading north today.  Gangler’s does Eco Trips and while we’ve been at the lodge the last few days we’ve been sharing the place with eight other folks.  They are doing hikes, a little fishing, wolf watching, viewing the northern lights and today is tundra day and it so happens Ken fly’s them up to Courage Lake for the day and they see caribou and hike to the boundary post of Manitoba and Nunavik Provinces.

Bottom line, it wasn’t only us headed for Courage today and Ken had three flights planned.  Two on the larger Caravan Sea Plane for the Eco guests and us on the Haviland Beaver.  So when the 1 PM departure plan came about it was actually, first run of Eco’s on the Carvan at 1, Granny and I on the Beaver shortly after, then the Caravan returns and leaves again with the second group of Eco’s.

All was good and at noon Granny and I had our bags and gear ready to load the Beaver when time.  The Eco’s patiently waited with us with their day trip bags.  And at 1 PM it was good to go.  Five of them loaded up and off they went.

Granny and I were sure to be next but there was delay.  The Beaver had a dead battery.  And while I won’t get into it, it was serious enough that we couldn’t get it charged up in time to make it to Courage and set up camp in daylight.  We go postponed again.  A huge disappointment.

But it wasn’t a wasted day.  If you travel a lot than crazy unknowns do happen.  You need to be prepared and always have a back up plan.  While missing and entire day of fishing in paradise hurt, Granny and I went on a late afternoon hike along a nearby esker.  The colors of the trees, shrubs and thickness of the beautiful lichens on the forest floor, it was a pretty dang nice hike.  And in a place and region neither of us have ever done a proper hike before.

I won’t get too excited or raise my hopes too high, but Ken was pretty upset over the dead battery in the Beaver and it appears his team is fully on preparing it for morning.  We will fly – God willing – at 8 AM.  Time for another in lodge delicious meal.  And tonight we rare having desert!

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing