I let Aurora sleep in while I watch our resident beaver swim around while enjoying a hot cup of apple cider this early misty morning. Later we both have some cinnamon raisin bagels with our Ova-Easy eggs for our leisurely breakfast and then get packed up for our day trip.

Aurora is eager to fish again but gets annoyed when I occasionally paddle over her line as we troll towards the Vern Lake portage. She thinks it’s a bite. To remedy this situation, I suggest we switch spots in the canoe after we put the portage behind us. So, we put that strategy into motion as planned – no more complaints!

However, after we pull under the large cliffs to get out and climb to the top, we discover a tragic flaw in the execution of that plan. Since I was in the front seat, I never noticed it but, Aurora has forgotten her PFD back at the landing. I tell her not to get upset, we’ll explore here and then paddle back to grab it. (Hopefully Canoearoo doesn't come down on me too hard?!)

I don’t know if there’s a dedicated/official trail up to the top? But we just start crawling up just above where we landed and get to the top without too much zig zagging. As mentioned yesterday, the whole of the immediate shoreline areas is not heavily forested so getting ripped apart by sharp branches is easily avoided. Note: The amount of mooseplums in this vicinity is impressive.

Once at the peak we are afforded a breathtaking (pun intended), long reaching, panoramic view of the surrounding countryside. Aurora mentions it would be cool to find a moose antler so we spend a little time browsing the woods. Again we find countless piles of mooseplums but, no antlers.

I give Aurora my PFD and then we paddle back to grab hers. She suggests we check out the little waterfall we’d seen yesterday. As we pull in to said waterfall, there really isn't a good spot to land the canoe but we get creative and make it happen. I tie the Black Pearl off to a nearby tree and we bushwhack over to the stream.

While the waterfall is neat, what we find just behind it blows us away. There is a blown out beaver dam and a long-abandoned monstrosity of a beaver lodge surrounded by a multitude of still standing sunbaked spires. Aurora equates this beaver lodge to New York City! :) Yet again there is ample evidence of moose in the area as trails run atop the ridgeline and beyond. Really one of those unexpectedly cool areas to explore and I’m glad we stopped here to check it out.

Approaching the SE narrows of Vern Lake, where there’s supposed to be a couple of short portages, a canoe with 3 passengers inside pokes its head out from around the corner. They kindly inform us that we will be able to paddle right through the first one if we take our time and pick our way through. Even though it’s not much of a rapid, there’s no paddling up the second one so we pull into the portage landing.

This is an exceedingly short & easy portage. The water is still a little cold so I forgo walking the Black Pearl up the chute and just undertake the portage. After expeditiously getting everything across, we linger in this tranquil spot and catch some very small northerns in the shallow pool where the rapids wash out.

Next, we proceed on to the East Pipe Lake portage which is a short paddle away. Considering the docile nature of the previous portages, the climb up to the lake takes us somewhat by surprise but, we are completely astounded by the massive ‘boneyard’ of beaver sticks at the landing to East Pipe which is situated atop a sizeable beaver dam. The old boardwalk is almost completely dilapidated and currently serves no practical function. So, I get the unnerving sensation of walking across a succession of partially floating roller pins. I tell Aurora if she wants/needs a new firestick tonight, this is where she can pick one out on our way back.

East Pipe is an unexpectedly scenic lake with a few small islands indiscriminately peppered within its perimeter. The portage landing into Pipe Lake is very overgrown and kind of tough to discern until we’re right on top of it. It’s a little tricky climbing out because Aurora can’t really pull the canoe up & I need to run the gauntlet of large overhanging branches on my way to the front.

This is another very short portage that climbs up the entirety of its length. Once on Pipe it appears it would’ve been easier to have just stopped a little north of the actual landing and just bushwhacked up – it's much more open. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. Pipe doesn’t impress either one of us as this end appears to be a huge beaver pond.

Upon our return voyage back to camp, now knowing full well what to expect portage wise; instead of just walking the canoe down the shallow rapids, I suggest that Aurora take a crack at putting the Black Pearl on her shoulders at the short portage back into Vern Lake. Since her very first portage was into nearby Vernon Lake, I suppose it's fitting that her first canoe carry be into Vern Lake? After putting up some half-hearted resistance, she soon saunters under as I hold it up for her. Not exactly brimming with confidence, she assumes the burden while I take a picture for posterity. This is about as easy of a portage as they come and she really didn’t need to do much more than hold it up. And while I don’t expect her to be crossing the Paulson to Sea Gull portage doing the “Voyageur trot” by the end of summer, I think it’s a foundational stepping stone & great confidence builder for her to feel the weight of the canoe on her shoulders and realize that she could indeed carry the Black Pearl. Permit me the indulgence of a photo montage of Aurora's portaging history.

Once back on Vern Lake we discover that our originally targeted campsite #962 is now vacant. So, we paddle over to the back side landing to inspect what we missed out on. Aurora is already irreversibly zeroed in on a few frogs before we officially land and I must bring us in unaided. Fortunately, it’s a shallow water approach.

This is certainly a much nicer site than ours with several tent pads dispersed about this site. Although, it appears the ones nearest the accommodating fire grate area may collect water. It also has about the right feel of openness but, yet still offers some shaded and protection from the elements. A prominent rock knob rises from the SE corner to provide an ideal sitting area for viewing the lake, sunsets, stars etc. However, the trail to the latrine is up a long steep hill.

After entering back into Juno Lake, we are closely tracing the shoreline back to camp when a chunky beaver waddles back into the lake from shore just ahead of us startling Aurora. We spy a couple other beavers out and about on the lake as well before making it back to camp.

As I get supper going, Aurora is busy sawing up some of the beaver sticks we brought back to camp to creatively build a miniature log cabin. She painstakingly notches it out so it has a measure of durability and even adds some moss to chink it!

It's another gorgeous, relatively bug free, night that God has graced us with. Since we're leaving tomorrow; I propose since she enjoyed the portage so much yesterday, that we just do one portage (Juno to Brule) tomorrow and then just do the long walk back to the van. Aurora quickly agrees to that plan and after supper, we sit up and savor the grandeur of the clear night skies and our crackling campfire.

~Juno Lake, Vern Lake, East Pipe Lake, Pipe Lake