DAY 7, SEPTEMBER 3, LITTLE CAUCHON TO CEDAR; 9 miles, 2 portages (140 and 340 meters) with a 1.1 mile hike up/back another low-maintenance portage.

Up at 6:00, but the sun we'd hoped for in the south-facing site was hiding above an overcast sky. 53 degrees. Had coffee and breakfast, broke camp, and were on the water at 8:10. Ten minutes of paddling got us to our first portage, where we were in a heavy mist. By the end of the short portage into Laurel Lake, the mist had become light rain and we'd donned our rain gear. We portaged into Aura Lee, then paddled into Little Cedar, where we decided to inspect the first of three portages into Carl Wilson Lake, should we elect to take the shorter option tomorrow. The difference between lake levels for this portage is 61 meters and the portage is 880 meters long, suggesting a 7% average gradient, but we found gradients in the 20% range at the start of the portage. Nope, we'll use the longer option tomorrow.

Cedar Lake is the day's destination, and we're again on the lake before noon. We want an east-facing site, which requires that we paddle past tomorrow's first portage. We check several unoccupied sites, the first of which has a big, fresh pile of bear scat, and end up about 30 minutes beyond tomorrow's portages, but the site we settle into is well worth the distance, and has southeastern exposure. Our map review suggested we might paddle across the lake to Brent Store (wouldn't ice cream be nice?) after setting up camp, but it's cool, the wind has again picked up and we want warm dry feet more than ice cream. Our map shows an old structure near our site, but we can't find it, so after dinner of jerk chicken with black beans and rice the Farkle and McManus routine is on again.