I'm awakened around 5:30am by wolves howling nearby (which makes sense, as there was wolf scat on the portage into Hope Lake). I'm up before 9am. I eat breakfast and take a few pictures.










I leave camp around 10am. While crossing the swampy portage three times (since I'm double-portaging), I come up with a BWCA Haiku:

Swampy Portage

What you think is a
solid stone under water
often times is not


I reach Insula by 12:30pm and pause to take some pictures of the rapids where Hope Creek enters Insula.

Also, during a short break I take a self-portrait that just may end up on a book jacket some day...my buddy dubbed it my "Hunter S. Thompson" shot.




On the Hudson side of the Insula-Hudson portage I chat with some guys for a few minutes (the only people I speak to between Sunday and Sunday). I see three groups on Hudson -- all heading east. I did not see any occupied sites on the southern portion of Insula and only one visibly occupied site on Hudson. I head south up Wilder Creek and arrive on North Wilder Lake around 4pm.

Here's a shot looking east along Wilder Creek from the portage landing.




As I'm tired and it looks like rain (and I know North Wilder has a nice campsite -- I stayed there during my first solo two years ago), I decide to camp here and day-trip to South Wilder in the next day or two. I have camp set by 5pm. It starts raining as soon as the tent and tarp are up, so I retreat under the tarp.

I read Gary Snyder for a while (and cross out one chapter in the Table of Contents -- too much persuasion and politics, not enough nature and thought). I spot two loons near the small island off shore. They appear to perhaps be scouting for nesting sites.




I hear people across the lake, but there are no campsites there. Perhaps hikers on the Pow Wow Trail? My map shows no sites there, but there could be a hiking site. No sunset tonight, just rain off and on and growing dusk. I head to the tent by 9:30pm