Most of the night was spent defying gravity. Even in the Post-Modern age we now find ourselves in, gravity is an inescapable reality. I beat an early, hasty retreat fueled by lake water and a desire to be rid of the mud that was now everywhere.

Beavermouth, my planned exit from the lake, was out of the question. A big push, however, would make for an easier morrow so I set off with a vengeance.

The shoreline tore at my heart all day. What a place this must have been before inundation. What kind of place would it become once the dam had outlived it’s usefulness?

The paddle up the lake breathtaking. A windless night had helped form patches of ice where Kai Nani did her best Endeavour impersonation. I allowed her to be ground to halt by the skin and imagined for a moment what thoughts must have raced through the imaginations of Shackleton’s crew as they saw their hopes dashed by thick, fast ice.




The lake all to myself, I piled the miles on in glorious weather. Soon, I thought to myself, soon Kinibasket would be behind me.






The shore, however remained unchanged. As in unwelcoming, muddy, and miserable. Welcome to Moonbase Bravo: