Up at 5:10, on the water about 7. The wind is still blowing (third day).

We paddled over to look at the fire. It was still burning down low. It had burned up a really nice-looking campsite.

Encountered VERY heavy choppy water on the large part of Lac La Croix--strong SW wind. It was the hardest paddling we have ever done.

Entered the Namakan River about 10 AM. This was the destination of our first canoe trip together in 1971. (Trip report: "How It All Began".) It felt good to return. We stopped and snacked at Snake Falls, in a bright sun and 85+ degrees. WIND!

We decided this time we might want to go around to Ivy Falls, since we hadn't seen it before. It wasn't super impressive.

RETURNING TO MYRTLE FALLS TO OFFER A PRAYER OF THANKS.

We tried one way over to Myrtle Falls and were stymied by a rapids we would have had to go up. Turned around and came at Myrtle Falls from downstream.

The significance of Myrtle falls is that it is the exact location where I fell in love with canoe-tripping. And since canoe-tripping with my husband was one of my passions, I had wished to return here. It was such a lovely sight! [I am not even sure I have a photo, but perhaps this is part of the view. No, actually once I check our '71 photos, it looks like this is Snake Falls.]

I am sure, however that this spot is special. Here is the photo I took in 1971.

I cried. I prayed. I gave thanks. After nine years, to sit on the rock where I'd asked God to bless our canoe trip with a dark-haired, brown-eyed baby boy--it just felt wonderful to be back. To remember that prayer and to think about that little baby, born nine months later. To realize that the little boy was eight years old now, and also that we were still canoe-tripping together. The birches where I took the photo were dying. But the feeling of loving the campsite by Myrtle Falls would never die in me.

The tent site was so small, sloping, and exposed. We decided to set up in the woods and it made for a cozy feeling. We could still hear the sound of the falls when we were in the tent.

Earlier today we had seen a large black bear at Snake Falls portage, and two families of ducks. There have been lots of herons and ducks on the river.

As we came around to get to Myrtle Falls downstream from Ivy, there was a huge sand bar--like a delta is forming. Had to walk through some parts as the water was very shallow. Then a big headwind blew up, so we arrived here beat-out and sweaty. Neil is wild-eyed with low blood sugar and I hope we have managed to head off an insulin reaction.

We have been through a long, hard day--maybe our hardest ever for energy expenditure. The heat and wind add to it too. Three days of hard wind and no storms makes me wonder what is brewing.

There are ticks here in the woods. We need a bath! We are ripe!

We had a nap, and then heard a boat below the falls. We went out and watched two fishermen and an Indian guide in a square-back canoe. They caught several large fish, then the guide caught a small one (8-10 inches) and threw it up to us. When we acted interested, he later offered us a larger one, too. Probably 12-14 inches. I said "yes", so he threw that one up, too.

Fish tasted very good with our supper. [We weren't that skilled at cleaning fish and didn't have the right kind of knife, but as I remember it, Neil managed to get some decent pieces of fish for us to fry and add to our planned meal.]

We cleaned up and then sat and just watched the falls until 9 PM or so. We were tired, but it was a good tired.