Our last morning greeted us with flat water and heavy fog. While we welcomed the easy paddling, I do a lot of map-and-landmark navigating so the fog was going to make our trip out to Rockwood Lodge rather interesting. The previous nights rain had left everything soaked so we packed it all up wet, knowing there was going to be a lot of gear drying when we got home.

We finished up the last of our food with another oatmeal breakfast and were on our way. By now the fog had lifted a bit and I did not have to rely on my compass so much after all. The water remained calm and after a couple of relatively easy portages we made it to Poplar lake in pretty good time. It was a change to hear motors and see structures again.

Just before passing through the islands on our way to Rockwood Lodge, Kirby spotted what he thought was some birds swimming a few hundred yards ahead of us. I could see them too, but it still was a bit foggy and it was hard to make out what kind of birds they were. It looked like they were flapping their wings but we were still unable to identify their species. As we got closer, they looked less like birds and we thought maybe it was a family of beavers. Then, imagine our amazement when, as they neared an island, we watched these "birds" come up out of the water attached to big bodies and go crashing into the trees. It was Mama Moose and two of her young ones! What we had seen through the fog was the top of their heads and the "wing flapping" was the moose wiggling their ears. What a way to finish the trip! Kirby and I could still hear them crashing through the woods as we passed by the island.

A few minutes later and Mike was greeting us as we pulled up on his beach at Rockwood Lodge. He was glad to hear of our moose encounter since he had also seen them previously in the summer--but not for awhile--and he had wondered if they were still around.

After an awfully refreshing shower, clean clothes and some mighty tasty burgers at the Trail Center Café, we hit the road home concluding another awesome trip.