The Nellie Lake Loop

Painting on Leach Lake

We walked the portage to Leach Lake for fun.  Pretty little lake.

The dogs went for a swim and rested with me.  

Tried using the complimentary underneath the green and it made it look muddy and solid...didn't like the effect, but it was fun to try.  I left out one of the pieces of the landscape.

Painting on Murray Lake

I took several photos of this lake.  It changed so much according to the light.  Everyone had warned us about portaging 'The Notch' and it was actually quite enjoyable.  One of the lovliest portages that we have done to date, complete with views, falls, woods and stunning quartzite.  

We also found interesting graffiti on the campsite from 1933.  It reads:

May 15, 1933. 
W.M. and D.M. 

 Nellie Lake

Painting on Nellie Lake

Nellie Lake is the most beautiful lake I have ever seen.  I'll be back to experience more of the transparent quality of the water in nicer weather.  I ended up painting this in the rain.  If you look closely at the image above, I walked Thomson and Buffy to the mountain side before it started to rain...we are off on the bottom right on the quartzite.  The mustard coloured strip is a result of the staining of fallen pine needles setteling on the side of the lake.  Water appeared to gradate from this mustard, through green and then a blue similar to O.S.A. Lake.  On a calmer day, this must be even more breathtaking.

  Treasures surround the area if you know where to look.  We found the foundation of a log cabin, rusted metal parts that were a wood stove, wine barels and logging saw, as well as broken purple glass underneath a fallen tree.

Nellie Lake offers the cleanest water I have filtered in the park.  The filter barly needed cleaning after.  We are enjoying the last bit of fitered Nellie water today with lunch.

View from the area of Carmichael's space:

We must have been meters from his rock without luck.  It was spitting rain and we were probably too high up.  We will try again in nicer weather.

Here is the Carmichael view:  http://www.portageur.ca/images/FranklinCarmichaelatGraceLake.jpg

This is the image I was able to complete our last full day on Grace, once we returned to the site.  I'll paint this one in the studio as I'd like to create a little series of these views there.  

As usual, the en plen air experience is both frustraiting and rewarding.
It is well worth it and it was an amazing experience portaging and paddeling 61 km.