Yet another gray morning, although it’s nice to see the wind is calm. Not wanting to paddle all the way around the large peninsula, we opt for the 40 rod portage just NE of our site. There’s a nice beach here and then a narrow (for getting the canoe through) passage through a couple of pine trees before the trail climbs then drops back down to a rocky landing. As we work our way towards Cross Bay Lake, the portages are all fairly short and level but, exceedingly muddy & wet with a few boulders thrown in for good measure . Fortunately Aurora has overcome her fear of puddles and now charges ahead with confidence! The landing on the Rib Lake end of the portage to Cross Bay deserves special mention as a boulder infested mess.

Once on Cross Bay, Vickie checks out the southern site and isn’t overly enthusiastic about it so we paddle on. Along the western shore where the tiny creek comes in from a no name lake, we hear rushing water so we paddle over to investigate. Once we penetrate the initial shrouding brush, a stunning waterfall is revealed. Vickie is particularly enthralled and we linger here basking in this magical atmosphere.

Continuing on up the lake, (actually Cross Bay is more of a river) we spy the next campsite up high on the western shore. The landing is a bit tricky but, there are a couple of nice tent pads and I’m able to situate the tarp so that the hammock is partially underneath it. It’s a bit grassy (buggy) but, does offer a commanding view in both directions. Aurora even has a playmate here as a grouse keeps her occupied while Vickie & I put the finishing touches on getting setup.

Although it has been a short travel day, we don’t stay up too late tonight as the bugs, once again, prove to be a nuisance. Like it had throughout the day, it rains on and off until morning. We hear noises into the night but, rightly figure it’s just the grouse.

Long Island Lake, Karl Lake, Lower George Lake, Rib Lake, Cross Bay Lake