Juno Lake is a misty mirror this morning. With a plan to paddle Brule Lake today, I hope those calm conditions persist. Yet again I allow Aurora to sleep in as I begin tearing camp down. I’ve done pretty much all I can do outside of the tent and she is still slumbering. I holler at her to get up back this tactic has little to no effect so, I just open the tent and start rolling up my sleep system and packing various other things away – she sleeps right through it!

I let her alone and go back out and contemplate the peaceful serenity of Juno Lake this morning partaking in another cup of apple cider as I do. Sometime later a slight breeze starts kicking up which snaps me out of the tranquil state of mind. I don’t want to be paddling through big waves on Brule and the longer we linger here in camp the more our odds of doing so increase. Besides, I want to have time to not have to rush Aurora back to her mother so, I take a hard line and she finally crawls out.

The unseasonably warm temps continue today and the aforementioned breeze sure feels good as we paddle east for the portage into Brule. Aurora isn’t nearly as enthralled with this portage today as she runs across several snakes in bringing her first load across. I too count no less than 3 after coming across shortly after her. Yet, it appears she will win the turtle counting contest.

Brule Lakes' enormity is initially well concealed here in this quaint back bay. Soon the grandiose rolling horizons and vast waterway unfold in its full splendor. Since the winds are very manageable, this affords us the coveted opportunity to wholly immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of this immense wilderness wonder.

As fate would have it, we are briskly transported out of our dreamy state of mind as we pull in to the landing just behind a large group with another large group pulling in a couple minutes behind us. Couple that with at least 2 other groups just putting in and you get a real sense of the congestion. Still, we’re able to speedily drag our stuff off to one side without bumping elbows and then grab our water bottles to begin the long walk back to the Homer Lake parking lot.

Once again, it has become a very warm day and Aurora can continue to work on her suntan as we stroll down the gravel road, favoring the shaded sections when coming across them. There are a few vehicles parked in small turn offs that must be out hiking. Soon a large sign comes into view but it only has wording on the opposite side, I tell Aurora I hope it says Homer Lake this way. She sprints ahead and upon reading it dejectedly keeps walking down the road. Unfazed, I turn off without even reading the sign – You have to get up pretty early in the morning to fool this old dog. And, Aurora slept in today!!!

Aurora always likes poking around in Waters Edge Trading Company in Tofte so, we stop in there before grabbing a pizza & some ice cream at the Schroeder Baking Company. From there it's a long drive to Pine City for our parent time exchange. Apparently too long? As after I say goodbye to Aurora, I start walking towards the gas station and my legs completely cramp up. I'm sure I look like I'm having a heart attack! Thankfully, I'm able to work them out and make it home without further issue.

This was a fun trip. We got to do and see a bunch of neat things in a short amount of time without having to deal with inclement weather. One regret is I really wish we would've had time to head up the Vern River but, that gives us an excuse to come back one day. As the title suggests, this was another step in Aurora's evolution in wilderness paddling. I don't know if it will be something she will continue to enjoy throughout her life but, I'll forever treasure the memories we have made thus far. She had the opportunity to meet Jerry "One Match" at Canoecopia earlier this year & had him sign her T-shirt. I think his song "Canoeing with Daddy" is an appropriate climax to this trip report so I included it in the report. By the way, there are at least a couple old photos of Aurora in the video including the last one.

~Juno Lake, Brule Lake