The book I read yesterday was "Lost in the Wild." It's about two young men who get lost on foot in the BWCA/Quetico region (I won't tell you the ending!). So I grad a map, compass, and bag and head into the bush behind camp to look for mushrooms. I'm an avid mushroom hunter, and it's become one of my favorite ways to spend a cool afternoon in the BWCA. I find TONS of mushrooms, but not much for edibles. No chanterelles yet, no king boletes, no lobsters. Most of the edible stuff I find isn't worth picking, so I leave them all alone. 

After lunch, I head down to Pipe Lake to do some fishing and exploring. I fish my way down Vern and catch nothing. The paths into Pipe are easy to find and short. The fish in Pipe are very active. First cast....fish. Second cast...fish. Either I'm an amazing fisherman or these are dumb fish. I end up catching 15 or 20 on the east end of the lake, all on topwater in the middle of the day in the middle of July. It's fun.

I meander my way down the lake, fishing here and there, catching a few, and checking out the campsites when I get there. The campsites on Pipe are small, which is to be expected. The one farthest east is the best, in my opinion.  I'll try to get reviews up online for those who are thinking of venturing in here. In the evening I do more fishing (without much luck) and have a nice fire.  The lows tonight get down to the low-40's apparently, and the synthetic 40 degree bag I've rented from the outfitters doesn't keep me warm. If I wasn't such an idiot, I'd also have long pants and a fleece with, but those are sitting at home, too. 

I sleep fitfully and am up early, ready to head home. My goal with this little trip was to see an area of the BWCA I've never seen without having to worry *too much* about big wind. Tomorrow's trip up to Brule will get me back on "old" water, but if it's windy, I'll head out the way I came in to avoid the bigger water.