Round, Missing Link, Tuscarora. 3.2 miles.

After a quick gear move from our vehicle to the shuttle, we were on our way back down the Gunflint Trail to the Round Lake launch. There was a pretty good wind blowing on Round Lake, but that was of little concern since most of our trek today would involve portaging instead of paddling. We left the dock around 4pm and realized we needed to make haste if we were to get to Tuscarora Lake before the sunset at 6pm.

The 138 rod portage from Round Lake to Missing Link Lake is a steady climb up hill. This portage always seems to be a bit muddy in the spots where it isn't rocky. During the short paddle across Missing Link we did ponder the notion of camping here tonight, but decided that we'd rather put the 420 rod "Tusky" portage behind us today, than deal with it tomorrow even if it meant setting up camp in the dark. Plus, the campsites on Tuscarora Lake are generally nicer than the ones on Missing Link.

My wife had only done a few portages before in her life, so it would be interesting to see how she would handle the "Tusky". My previous experience on this portage was not a fond memory as it was on this portage a few years back that my portage yoke snapped about mid portage. Well, we both made it across without any issues and neither of us needed to stop for a break. I surprised myself by carrying the canoe the entire length without stopping. I asked Lisa what she thought as we paddled away on Tuscarora Lake and she commented, "That was a nice walk in the woods." I just smiled to myself at the realization that we'd be taking many more trips in the years to come with that attitude! Even our dog Molly seemed to enjoy the long walk. She took turns running back and forth between Lisa and I to make sure we didn't get "lost". Our dog is 1/2 border collie, so herding her masters comes natural to her.

Well, we reached Tuscarora Lake around 6pm as the sun was setting. We picked a really nice camp on the left point that I had stayed on before in 2010 with my daughter. It was very windy as a storm seemed to be blowing in. However, the result of the clouds rolling in was a wonderful view. We made dinner in the dark and hit the sack early. We were pretty wiped out after a long drive and that long portage.

Tuscarora, Owl, Crooked, Tarry, Mora, Little Saganaga. 8.9 miles.

Despite the rainy and windy night, we slept like babies and awoke to a sunny morning. According to the weather forecast, rain was due to hit by mid afternoon, so we made haste to have breakfast and break down camp. Our goal today was to reach Little Saganaga Lake.

The paddle across Tuscarora Lake was most enjoyable. The leaves here were not quite at peak. We didn't see anyone else camped on the lake, so we had it to ourselves.

We made quick work of the 70 rod portage into Owl Lake. Just a gentle up and down portage. We thought Owl Lake was most beautiful and it was one of Lisa's favorites from the trip.

The 51 rod portage from Owl to Crooked was pretty easy also with a cool submerged creek under the boulders on the Crooked Lake end. The clouds had set in by the time we paddled away on Crooked Lake and the winds began to pick up from the southwest. Good thing we were on small lakes.

On Crooked Lake, one can start to see the effects of the Cavity Lake fire from 2007. The rest of our route would take us in and out of the burn areas from this massive fire. The portage landing for the trail from Crooked to Tarry is tucked between several cedar trees. It is amazing how the roots run everywhere like something from Fangorn forest. We didn't pack a water bowl for Molly this trip and as you can see from the pictures we didn't need to. Nor, would we need to bathe her.

After a quick paddle across Tarry Lake, we reached the short 8 rod portage to Mora. In higher water, one could probably paddle through this spot. Mora Lake is also pretty cool. Here, the fire damage is less evident than on Crooked. We reached our final portage for the day at the west end of Mora. This 48 rod portage into Little Saganaga Lake is probably one of the most scenic portages I've seen before. As you can see from the pictures and video, it follows a stream / falls flowing into Little Saganaga. The portage is very easy and slightly downhill. The remainder of our route would follow this flowage downhill all the way to Seagull Lake.

As we loaded up the canoe on Little Saganaga, it quickly became apparent that the rain and wind that was forecasted was about to hit. We tossed on our rain gear and headed across the lake in search of a camp. We planned to camp near the islands in the north end of the lake to make our trek the next day easier, so that's where we headed. About halfway across the lake the rain started and then the wind picked up and soon enough it was a sideways downpour. Yay!

We though about stopping early, but the nicer camps along the way were taken by others, so we ended up taking a great site on the north side of an island. It was well protected from the wind and has plenty of tent pads. Once camp was erected, we hunkered down under the tarp for some hot chocolate. The wind howled for the rest of the day as the rain showers came and went. Thankfully, the rain let up long enough for us to get a nice fire going to cook steaks for dinner! I always bring an axe on canoe trips, because freshly split wood means fire!

Tuscarora, Owl, Crooked, Tarry, Mora, Little Saganaga. 8.9 miles.

Despite the rainy and windy night, we slept like babies and awoke to a sunny morning. According to the weather forecast, rain was due to hit by mid afternoon, so we made haste to have breakfast and break down camp. Our goal today was to reach Little Saganaga Lake.

The paddle across Tuscarora Lake was most enjoyable. The leaves here were not quite at peak. We didn't see anyone else camped on the lake, so we had it to ourselves.

We made quick work of the 70 rod portage into Owl Lake. Just a gentle up and down portage. We thought Owl Lake was most beautiful and it was one of Lisa's favorites from the trip.

The 51 rod portage from Owl to Crooked was pretty easy also with a cool submerged creek under the boulders on the Crooked Lake end. The clouds had set in by the time we paddled away on Crooked Lake and the winds began to pick up from the southwest. Good thing we were on small lakes.

On Crooked Lake, one can start to see the effects of the Cavity Lake fire from 2007. The rest of our route would take us in and out of the burn areas from this massive fire. The portage landing for the trail from Crooked to Tarry is tucked between several cedar trees. It is amazing how the roots run everywhere like something from Fangorn forest. We didn't pack a water bowl for Molly this trip and as you can see from the pictures we didn't need to. Nor, would we need to bathe her.

After a quick paddle across Tarry Lake, we reached the short 8 rod portage to Mora. In higher water, one could probably paddle through this spot. Mora Lake is also pretty cool. Here, the fire damage is less evident than on Crooked. We reached our final portage for the day at the west end of Mora. This 48 rod portage into Little Saganaga Lake is probably one of the most scenic portages I've seen before. As you can see from the pictures and video, it follows a stream / falls flowing into Little Saganaga. The portage is very easy and slightly downhill. The remainder of our route would follow this flowage downhill all the way to Seagull Lake.

As we loaded up the canoe on Little Saganaga, it quickly became apparent that the rain and wind that was forecasted was about to hit. We tossed on our rain gear and headed across the lake in search of a camp. We planned to camp near the islands in the north end of the lake to make our trek the next day easier, so that's where we headed. About halfway across the lake the rain started and then the wind picked up and soon enough it was a sideways downpour. Yay!

We though about stopping early, but the nicer camps along the way were taken by others, so we ended up taking a great site on the north side of an island. It was well protected from the wind and has plenty of tent pads. Once camp was erected, we hunkered down under the tarp for some hot chocolate. The wind howled for the rest of the day as the rain showers came and went. Thankfully, the rain let up long enough for us to get a nice fire going to cook steaks for dinner! I always bring an axe on canoe trips, because freshly split wood means fire!

Seagull. 4.9 miles.

Our last day of the trip would be a quick one. Even though it was only a 5 mile paddle back to Seagull's dock we still had a long drive home today, so we broke camp early and were on the water by 7am. Debbie and Dave were at the store waiting for us when we reached the dock and helped us load our gear into the van. After a quick shower and some parting words it was sadly time to hit the road.

We covered a total of 30.7 miles on this short trip, but we enjoyed every minute of it. The colors were beautiful and it was a pure joy having our dog Molly around. Fall is one of the best times of the year for a canoe trip. Although the days are shorter, you usually have the place to yourself and the weather can be wonderful. Lisa and I have already planned a route for next Fall!