Ova-easy dehydrated eggs with fixin’s and a cinnamon raisin bagel for breakfast. As promised, it looks like it’s shaping up to be another beautiful day. I take some time to process a little firewood for later before heading out for todays adventures.

Gijikiki is somewhat of an oddity as far as canoe country lakes go. It is small but, deep. It is spectacularly garnished with several islands and rimmed with towering bluffs around most of the perimeter; making for a unique, yet astonishingly intimate, scene. Just a bit west of the Ottertrack portage landing is a mostly open escarpment rising high above the lake. The landing is cumbersome, and it does require some climbing & bushwhacking 101 skills, but it does afford a spectacular overview of Gijikiki.

Speaking of the portage back down to Ottertrack; I eventually undertake this beast of a portage yet again. It’s much easier heading north, as the main problem I encounter is keeping the canoe from hitting/dragging on the rocky trail as I descend the steepest sections.

Once out on Ottertrack, I am once again blessed with ideal paddling conditions. I plan on coming this way fully loaded again tomorrow, so this is somewhat of a reconnaissance mission as well as a day trip. Although, while I do plan on taking the western portage around the rapids into Knife tomorrow; to minimize repetitiveness, I take the eastern most portage through the peninsula today. It’s a user-friendly trail that climbs slightly most of the way before a drop down to Knife. Almost unbelievably, mid-day paddling conditions remain stellar as I head out SW down huge Knife lake. A short distance down the lake there is a scattering of small rock islands, barely protruding above the water level, that catch my eye. I pull up and get out to look around. I quickly realize that sea gulls are nesting here and comprehending the panicked meaning of the piercing loud screeching and faux dive bombing is easy to translate. I try to best minimize my intrusion and quickly move on.

I paddle past the first campsite I come across as it doesn’t look too desirable from the lake. However, I do pull into the next one on the point. This is a pretty nice camp but, it looks to have taken a lot of recent abuse. There is a nice elevated overlook just behind the main camping area which provides a revealing look down on the crystal-clear water where I can clearly see fish coming up from out of the depths.

I portage into Amoeber lake. This portage climbs most of the way before dropping to a somewhat inconvenient landing on Amoeber. First cast – fish on! Since I plan on moving camp here tomorrow this is a good omen. The island site is vacant so, I pull in a give it a quick review. Hopefully it’s still open tomorrow. I slowly work my way across Amoeber, Topaz and then Cherry; fishing as I go. The islands in the western lobe of Cherry have got to be some of the most impressive in all the BWCA. The eastern one especially seems to rise almost straight up out of the water. Seems like something right out of The Lord of the Rings.

Eventually I pull into the vacant narrows site on Cherry. I had stayed here about 10 years ago and thought it was a very nice site then. It appears to have fallen on some hard times as of late. It’s still a great location but, it just doesn’t exude the same ambiance it once did. It seems that a couple of the larger trees near the kitchen/fire grate area have come down leaving most of the kitchen area largely exposed. However, the exquisite tent pads back away from the main camp area are still there and, of course, the scenic cliffs would be hard to remove. I work up a sweat as I take a little hike up behind camp to a panoramic overlook of both lobes of the lake. I prefer the view of the western side.

Moving on to Lunar lake, I find the abandoned beaver pond at the middle of that portage is no longer abandoned! I get out and walk the Black Pearl through the maze of trees. (when heading from Cherry to Lunar, remember to stay left) Looking back, I realize I probably could’ve just paddled it. Ah well? I pick up the portage trail at the underground creek and begin the boulder scramble the rest of the way up to Lunar.

The trail to Lake of the Clouds isn’t necessarily overgrown but, it doesn’t appear to get a lot of use and is tricky to spot from the lake. It’s a short trail that climbs up the whole way. Lake of the Clouds has got to be one of the best protected lakes on a maintained portage route. There’s no getting around this fact, and a person will definitely earn their stripes getting here. It is a very scenic and intimate lake that is a personal favorite. I spend a little more time here than I had on the other lakes; quietly reflecting on past experiences here and looking forward to possible future ones as well.

The portage to Rivalry has an impressive cliff wall shadowing a portion of the eastern side of the trail. Rivalry isn’t much more than a beaver pond so you would think finding the proper portage shouldn’t be too difficult. I make the mistake of briefly following a faux portage. It has a good landing and well-worn trail. And clearly, I’m not even close to the first person to venture up this trail as there are old ax/hatchet marks a fair distance up the trail. I soon realize the error of my ways and quickly locate the proper landing.

To say this landing is a bit mushy is a huge understatement. I only take a half of a false step but, instantly end up knee deep in muck. There is some marsh marigold in bloom nearby to brighten up the scene. Shortly after getting past the ‘quicksand’ the trail drops very steeply and then levels off some before reaching the shores of Gijikiki.

Throw some brats on the grill and settle in for another picture-perfect evening of star gazing. It’s funny. I spend much of my time leading up to this trip processing the details of how, why, where, when I’d like it to go. Now that I’m here, the shoe is on the other foot. I spend much of the quiet evening thinking about the things I left behind. I suppose that’s one of the (perhaps unintended) spiritual fruits of getting away? It gives me some time, and most importantly, a different perspective to contemplate those things. Sort of like one of the main themes in one of my favorite movies; “Dead Poets Society”. For true growth and a better understanding, it’s good to occasionally get out of our comfort zones/normal routines and look at things from a different perspective. I think that is one of the reasons I enjoy getting away so much. I truly savor listening to the ‘quiet of nature’ and letting God guide my mind where he wills.

~Gijikiki Lake, Ottertrack Lake, Knife Lake, Amoeber Lake, Topaz Lake, Cherry Lake, Lunar Lake, Clouds, Lake of the, Rivalry Lake