I have sworn off having that blasted canoe on my shoulders again until we portage to Clearwater on the way out. Nope, won’t do it. Can’t. Portaging is a terrible idea for today.

BWCA Dad and son perform pancake magic providing blueberry, banana, walnut fortified flapjacks. The syrup lasts for everyone and discussions go on about plans for the day. Extreme fisherman dad is in a similar place to me, there is no way a portage will happen today. BWCA dad has Brook Trout on the mind, so a “short” 80 rod portage is in their plans to go to Gogebic Lake. See... look at the map, totally manageable.

My son, hearing of the plans to hang around the camp, maybe swim a lap around the island, do some fishing and take it easy on West Pike, was aghast that we would slow the adventurous pace down. I explain that we probably won’t catch brook trout and if we get to Gogebic midday, the chances are boredom will set in making the portage not pay off. By the time the canoes are in the water, he has whittled me down, I can’t hold back his enthusiasm, and I paddle off toward the west end of the lake for the “portage” to Gogebic. Sigh.

Yes we caught fish on the way. Yes, my shoulders feel better after paddling a while. Yes, my son is very happy to be continuing his adventure to other lakes, and yes, I am very happy to spend some good one on one time with him reveling in our previous day’s adventures. That all said, that portage to Gogebic, is not a portage. Mountainous hiking trail where someone forgot to add switchbacks? Possibly. The BWCA dad and I carry the canoes up a hellish incline one canoe at a time. The few bends in the path are difficult carrying canoes from the ends as it is a tight fit and we both need to make big, wide swings. At one point it is too tight and my Penobscot, doesn’t fit between two trees without tipping it on an angle. From the top of this crazy rise, we portage our gear and canoes up, and down. It comes to me that 80 rods isn’t really all that short when the trail approaches vertical.

Gogebic is a very picturesque lake. The great canoe accessible campsite is taken, the other one on the hiking trail is still open, but we don’t go back and look at it. Newts are everywhere in the rocks, as well as crayfish and minnows. BWCA dad has a lot of fly choices to make for Brookies. Long story short, the lake is beautiful, you feel pretty alone, sorry to intrude folks at that camp site. The wind is gone up here though. It is hot and we don’t even get a nibble. After lunching in the canoes we decide to head back and fish for more bass on West Pike. It is a nice slow afternoon, catching fish and having quiet time in the canoe.

When we get back I make some taco fixings and Extreme Fisherman shore lunches up 5 bass that were quite tasty. Fish tacos with Cilantro Lime Rice, black beans and foil packed chicken if you want it.

Thunder to our east, thunder to the west, nothing here. A gale blows in, and my son asks if we are windstruck. I tell him if it was blowing like this tomorrow, we would be. The BWCA dad begs to differ that the waves are manageable, but that is just crazy. Somehow we didn’t get rained on, however we had some amazing views gazing up the sides of the towering clouds with the sun lighting up the anvil tops.

My son is wiped out. Today was a bit of a wash in his opinion. He feels he would have had more fun if we took it easy. My thought is skipping Gogebic would have been misery as he would have focused on what he was missing with others were doing. He is ready to get out of here. We spend a lot of the evening and the next morning packing up. How did it get hot again after that wind? West Pike Lake, Pine Lake West Pike Lake, Gogebic Lake