The rain was still coming down and the wind was still blowing when we woke at dawn at our primitive Side Lake campsite. We kept waiting for the rain to stop, dozing into the morning. Finally, once again, we got up at about 7:30. Another long night's sleep.

We were happy to have the tarp well-rigged once we were up-

In the picture above, you can see the dome of granite that was behind our little campsite, rising above the tent. Although treacherously slippery when wet (as it was now), the granite dome proved to be a big blessing to us this morning, because it shielded our campsite from the north wind howling down Side Lake.

The granite dome, the lake, and a beaver pond enclosed our little site and did not leave much room to move around, beyond the open area you can see in the picture above. To get away from the water for "sanitation," we had to walk along a ledge of rock to the beaver pond and cross over the dam to get further inland. Not the most luxurious campsite. But the shelter from the wind was appreciated.

We always fry up some pre-cooked bacon for breakfast. That stuff is really great! This morning we were supplementing it with a freeze-dried fruit dessert. I think it was "three berry cobbler." Kind of like Danish on a canoe trip. Unfortunately, when it was ready, I experienced pot-gripper failure, and the dessert went flying onto the ground -

We cleaned that up, then took the tent down during a break in the rain. We kept waiting for the storm to abate. For some reason I placed considerable faith in the forecast from before we started the trip a couple days ago, which predicted clearing mid-morning today. But there was no sign of clearing. It kept blowing and pissing.

About 10:45 we finally decided to stop waiting and just get on the water. As soon as we were out from the shelter of our campsite, the wind was raging in our faces as we paddled north on Side Lake. Fortunately, we did not have far to go to the portage to Sarah. During a brief respite in the precipitation, we took this picture looking back down Side Lake from the sheltered cove at the portage landing -

Cliff gardens by the portage take-out -

The Side-Sarah portage is a little long, but it parallels a creek and can be broken up by paddling some stretches. At the beginning you have to carry around this rocky section of creek -

Then there is a very short stretch you can paddle -

But for some reason, we opted instead to portage past that stretch on this ankle-breaking path -

From there you go up a granite slope that was very treacherous in these wet conditions. This picture was taken going back between loads -

Then the portage descends along more slick granite. I had to set the canoe down twice on this slip-and-slide stretch. At the bottom is another place you can put in for optional paddling, instead of continuing to portage along the edge of the marshy stretch of creek. I set the canoe down out of the way while we considered our options -

When we came through here in the other direction in 2005, we carried our gear the whole way instead of paddling. But now the rocks were very slippery, and it looked like there were some trees down on the portage path paralleling the edge of the marshy creek ahead. So after going back for the rest of our gear, we opted to paddle this stretch. This picture shows the marshy creek we would paddle from where I set down the canoe -

Paddling up the marshy creek proved to be the right decision. The marsh was very nice, despite the rain that started pouring down again as we passed through. The picture below looks back once we got to the end of the marsh and rejoined the portage. Sorry about the drops of water on the camera lens (they are not the only ones you will see in today's pictures) -

From the marsh, you ascend to rejoin the main portage path -

From there to the end of the portage is much shorter than I remembered. After the initial assent, it descends quite a bit to Sarah Lake. This is the view from the landing looking out over the southeastern bay of Sarah -

Beyond the point, we could see the water churning where it was open to the northwest wind -

We paused to eat some power bars and purify water before launching out on Sarah. Then, at about noon, we armed ourselves with our PFDs and set out, expecting to confront an "angry Sarah." Yep. It was really blowing and raining as we rounded the point.

We dug in and aimed for the long, narrow, winding channel between the big island and the eastern shore of the lake. We thought the channel would be sheletered and provide a break from the wind. Far from it! The channel acted as a wind tunnel, and we had to paddle with all our might to make progress in the cold rain. This was probably the hardest paddling we had done in many trips. It did not help that the cold rain was lashing our faces and chilling our bones through several layers of clothes, even with all the exertion of paddling.

My map indicated that a recommended campsite was at the north end of the channel, right at the narrow passage back into the open lake. As we approached that spot now, I prayed it was unoccupied and sheltered from the wind. Under current conditions we needed to take refuge. In fact, I probably would have asked to do so even if the site was occupied.

Fortunately, the site was free, and it provided perfect shelter for these conditions. It was on the south side of a ridge on the mainland, which blocked the brunt of the north wind. We were basically wind-bound here. Or at least weather-bound by the combination of wind, rain, and cold. But it was a great place to stop. This is what it looked like from the unsheltered tip of our campsite through the gap north into the open lake -

We set up the tarp, changed into warm dry clothes and footwear (the dry footwear was essential), and made soup, PBJ tortillas, and coffee for lunch. Warmed and nourished, we settled into this excellent campsite. Our tarp was covering the fire area, with great logs for seating, and plenty of room for the packs. We set up the tent during a break in the rain on one of several good tent pads. Here's a shot of our site with David sterilizing water -

Later on, during a more-or-less break in the rain, we went for a walk in the area around the site. There were lots of rocky ledges -

And rock tripe -

A ramshackle forest descended to the shore around the point -

Climbing up to the top of the ridge, there were many expanses of reindeer lichen -

And mossy layers cascaded down to a balsam forest -

Sarah Lake through the screen of trees -

Coming back to our snug, sheltered campsite -

After our stroll, I sat under the tarp for a while jotting down a few trip notes -

Even behind the shelter of the ridge, there was a pretty good breeze blowing through our campsite. Yet the air was so damp, none of the gear we had hung under the tarp had dried at all. This was one of the few days on any of our summer or September trips when we did not go for at least a quick dip to wash off. It was just too cold and wet.

Finally, at around 6:00 pm, blue sky appeared to the north, pushed our way by the powerful wind -

Eventually the sun lit up the opposite shore of our little cove -

After the storm -

Now the air started drying, and so did our gear. After a dinner of freeze-dried chicken enchiladas, we had some Maker's Mark and cookies on the low lying rocks on the point. The wind was still howling in from the north -

Sunset -

Despite the short travel day, we were worn out. Reclining during the bourbon course -

The twilit sky shone through the pine forest on the tip of the island to the west. It reminded us of cathedral windows. This picture does not really do it justice -

We got in the tent after dark. Despite the clearing sky, we kept the rain fly on to break the wind and retain the warmth, with just one south-facing door open. We needed the fly, because the wind raged all night long. This campsite was a godsend in an hour of need. We turned out the lights about 9:00. Sometime in the early morning, I woke to see Orion, that icon of winter, rising in the southern sky. I pulled up the sleeping bag around my head and felt grateful for the warmth and comfort of our tent.