Note: For some odd reason, I didn't write in my little notebook after Rifle Lake. Because we know what we did on Day 4 and there are photos, I have improvised a narrative.

This was our "wake-up" morning and we broke camp early. We paddled up the stream toward the "dam" (marked on the map) and climbed up to the bluff that overlooks the remarkable set of rapids leading back to Lake One. The dangerous beginning part makes a 90-degree turn and then there is a pond. [Some of the overlook photos are taken at the spot where we camped years later (1982), but there was no campsite there back in 1973.]

After scouting our path, we put in at the pond and ran several sets of rapids. As I usually did in that situation, I let Neil do all of the steering, and most of the time I was just gripping the gunnels of the canoe. It was an exciting ride, with a fast chute at the end, dumping us right into Lake One. Memorable! Fun!

This view is looking back at the rapids after we came through.

It was time to end our canoe trip. The shortest one we have ever taken (except for an aborted trip in 2013--our last canoe trip), and it was somewhat unsatisfying because we would have loved to stay longer. But still, we had a toddler and a baby waiting in Minneapolis, and it would be nice to get back to them again.

There would be many more canoe trips in the BWCA, as well as a couple in Quetico, one in Temagami, and two in Algonquin. This small adventure was part of the foundation of a lifetime of canoe-tripping, and a deep love for the canoe country and the north woods.

Lake One gave us a beautiful farewell, as we headed for the landing and ended our trip.