My last full day of this trip. I sleep in a bit and get up around 10:30am. I have coffee and read some Cortazar.




I take a couple of pictures as long as the camera is out.






I then pack lunch and set off of my day-trip to South Wilder Lake. I really love paddling these small creeks.

The creek ends abruptly, with barely enough room to turn the canoe to land.






It's about a 45 rod walk to South Wilder. I take some pictures but I don't stay long -- too many flies.

Looking down the creek from the South Wilder end -- notice the tiered beaver dams.

The entire shoreline was full of Leatherleaf in bloom -- which is treat, as it blooms very early in the year.




A Pileated Woodpecker must also frequent this area.




Here's a view of the entrance (across a small pond) to South Wilder

The portage between North and South Wilder crosses the creek on some downed logs (this is also the Pow Wow Trail crossing)




This is why the portage begins a ways back and you have to cross the creek on foot




I make my way back to the canoe and start paddling back to North Wilder. I pause to admire an impressive beaver dam on such a small creek

A view toward North Wilder from about halfway down the creek




I want to figure out where those voices last night were coming from, so I head to the portage landing that leads to Harbor Lake (and crosses the Pow Wow Trail). After landing, I take a picture of my camp from across the lake.




I find the trail crossing and head north on the Pow Wow. Within a few minutes, I find a spur trail and follow it to a campsite. I realize that I couldn't see the campers (or their presumed fire) from my site as an island is directly in the viewing path. The site is small, but adequate.

On the way back to the portage landing I reaffirm why I don't keep my small camera out while I'm portaging -- I take over 50 pictures in 25 minutes...here's a few favorites:

I then paddled to the northern end of North Wilder Lake and I locate "Nibi's North Wilder island pine tree"! I looked scouted a bit for the tree (it's quite distinctive) on my solo here two years ago, but did not locate it (I did not explore the north end that time).





Nibi's North Wilder Island Tree -- June 2001

Photo Copyright LHR Images -- Used by permission


View southward from the north end of North Wilder

I drift south with the wind and jig for a while -- no luck. I troll back toward camp -- no luck. Perhaps there are no fish in North Wilder (or I just wasn't trying hard enough). Just south of camp I notice six or seven Painted Turtles on a log.




I drift a bit closer and the more skittish ones flee into the water, leaving three brave turtles eyeing me with great interest.




Back at camp I read a bit and then cannot resist taking more pictures.

I sit by the fire and read more Cortazar. And take more pictures, of course.

About 6:30 or 7:00, two successive flocks of geese flew over -- the honking seemed to set the peepers to chirping prematurely (after the flock flew out of audio range, they stopped within minutes, only to start again with the next flock and then stop again until after dark).




I spot a spider silouhetted against the sky, as well as a beaver patrolling off shore.

Dusk and sunset offer many photographic opportunities.

I read more Cortazar.




As it's my last night, I'm reluctant to head to bed. I sit on the top of a rock at the shore (it rises 2-3 feet above the ground and then slopes at a 45 degree angle about 5 feet into the water) in half-lotus pose (yoga) and looked up at the stars, enjoying a smoke and some whiskey, the embers of a dying fire behind me. Bliss.

Of course, karma has to come in somewhere to keep me on my toes after all that peacefulness. When I went to get water to douse the fire, the beaver from earlier had returned unseen and slapped his tail about 15 feet off shore -- I just about had a heart attack.