Saturday, September 10, 2016

I arose early and decided to get a fire started and put breakfast on. This was probably my favorite part of the trip. Soaking in the BWCA by myself, the smell and crackle of the fire, the joy of cooking hashbrowns and pancakes over in open flame. It was just a moment of tranquility that stuck with me.

We packed up and paddled across the bay to the beach portage. The portage was long but not difficult except for one sloped rock face in the last 20 rods that several people slipped down. As is our custom, we all took a shot of whiskey upon completing the portage.

We continued down the scenic Heritage Creek and through Heritage Lake. After completing the portage to Shell, we checked out all three vacant campsites on the northern island. By our account, the southernmost campsite on the point was the best. Therefore, that’s the one we chose. My friend and I chose to put our tent right on the grassy point since there was no wind to speak of. This may not be a good place if there is wind, since I bet wind would whip through there.

There’s a good rock ledge at about water level for jumping in to swim and this site offers great views of the lake.

We spent the day again swimming, playing cards, eating, and preparing wood for our evening campfire. We stayed up late tonight soaking in every last bit of BWCA before our exit tomorrow.