I woke up at 4 AM and made a trip to the latrine. After about an hour lying in my sleeping bag I woke up, made a cup of coffee, and drank it as I watched the eastern sky slowly brighten. Loons were calling far off, and the wind was soft and peaceful. I was surprised that the loons were still around and calling, albeit not as often as they do in June or August.

Cam got up at about 6 and we both enjoyed a cup of coffee and a few Clif bars. We broke camp but stayed long enough to watch the sun rise on a perfect canoe country morning. We headed into a beautifully calm Seagull Lake and I paddled as Cam fished. Fish were feeding all over the bay near our campsite, but we couldn’t get them to strike our bait. The wind slowly picked up and soon foot-high waves were once again cruising in from the large stretch of open water. We had decided to hug the north shore of the lake to stay out of the wind, and thankfully it wasn’t long before we were in the shelter of the islands. Cam took one or two waves in his lap when we had to turn briefly into the wind, but we didn’t take on any water.

With Cam navigating we wove through the web of islands and stayed out of the wind, paddling through beautiful stands of timber and under the shadow of the palisades. I somehow had wrongly assumed that the north end of Seagull was burned in the same way the south end was. It actually was more beautiful and scenic than Saganaga. I may come back to this area with Grandpa next summer.

We emerged from the islands and re-entered the line of waves rushing from the stretch of open water northeast of Three Mile Island. At just the right moment, we turned and rode the waves into the channel and all the way up to the dock at Seagull Outfitters. Cam couldn’t contain his excitement at being able to shower again. As we unloaded the canoe, I noticed that a cold front was starting to move in. We enjoyed a shower and headed back to Minneapolis. Cam ended that day at Target Field enjoying a Twins game with his aunt and uncle. How’s that for a reintroduction into civilization?

This was a wonderful trip for me. I was able to spend some time with a good friend, catch some fish (although that canoe country walleye still is waiting for me), see the northern lights for the first time, revisit a different area, refine my canoe tripping skills, and experience fall in the Boundary Waters. Since my trips with Grandpa are usually more laid back and relaxed, it was nice to take a more aggressive trip and cover some more ground. I don’t know if I will ever take a fall canoe trip on the big lakes again because of the unpredictability of the wind conditions. Overall I am grateful for God’s protection and the little displays of beauty He put on for us: the sunrises, the sunsets, the beauty of untouched wilderness, the light from our campfires, the fall colors starting to unfold, the rainbow after the rain, the stars, and the Aurora Borealis. I’ll be back.