30APRIL2011 near Pick City, ND - Today the canoe did not move. From the Northwest came wind without end reaching a speed of fifty miles per hour. Accompanying the wind was snow, accumulating several inches. I am nine miles from the canoe, cleaning my gear and watching television and have not seen the lake, but I expect that wind has completely broken all the ice and driven it onto the banks that face NW. The small bay where I cached the canoe faces NW. I hope I have pulled it far enough into the woods so that the ice is not pushed into it. If ice reaches that far, the possibility of the canoe being crushed is fairly high. It is about 60 feet from the water's edge and about 4 feet higher ... probably okay, but right now I wish I had set it at a greater distance.

I contacted David Isaak. He stated that he would help me get the portage tires inflated and also help with the portage. His offer is not for today due to the weather and the difficult driving ... many North Dakota roads have even been closed. Sunday around noon I plan to meet David at the Lutheran Church Pancake meal and hopefully get him to dedicate some of his afternoon to my assistance. By then the temperature will be up around 40 and the roads should be clear enough for my portage technique. That I lost a shoe is a complication, made moreso by my being unable to buy replacements today. I will see if David has some rubber boots I can borrow; I can wear my deck shoes for the road part of the portage.

It is good to be indoors today.