Awake again at the crack of dawn. We are both early risers and we were greeted by a wonderful sunrise. A whitetail deer grazed across the river as the colors above it changed from purple to blue and then faded into orange as the sun began it's climb into the sky.

We were in no hurry as our next camp was to be somewhere near Thursday Bay. We enjoyed fresh coffee made in our French press cups and enjoyed another breakfast of PB and bagels. The bagels are bulky and the PB is heavy but it sure is an easy breakfast and you are rewarded with carbs and protein. We broke camp and were able to dry our gear before packing it. I think we were on the water before 9am. A quick paddle across the river to the Canadian portage around LBF and back into the water we went.

This area was quite crowded as expected and this is the first time I had seen a camp on the Canadian portage trail and it was a big one. They had the whole area covered. They were still sleeping when we went by the first time but a few had arisen on our second trip. I had no idea if they were Quetico campers or illegal BWCA campers. I wasn't going to ask and I just hoped everyone was following rules. I'll be honest though it sucks having a camp in one of the most scenic spots as it takes away from the beauty of the falls and in order to see all of it you would have to walk through their campsite. I snapped a few pics best I could and we moved on.

Our paddle into Crooked Lake was amazing as usual. This may be in the top three of my favorite areas. The lake twists and turns and granite outcroppings appear around every bend. Small bays full of grasses and water lilly are tucked into hidden corners. We passed our first occupied camp and a lady in a solo was chatting with two gentlemen. The men solicited us for whiskey and cigarettes and stated that they would pay! We laughed and told them we had neither. The cigarettes' was a true statement but we were not giving up the small amount of whiskey we carried in our pack. From that point on we never saw another soul until we reached our next camp between Wed/Thurs Bay.

Camp # 1859 I had stayed at this camp on my first ever BWCA trip and I had wanted to get back to it ever since. It's a great site, high up on a double tired granite step. Perfect for one or two tents but one is the best. We stayed here for 3 nights. We had been trolling the entire time once we passed LBF and had acquired enough fish for a delectable dinner of fish tacos with Mexican Rice. To say it was great would most likely be an understatement. Of course we had happy hour as well which may or may not have been extended as we knew we were "home: for a few day.

Off to bed we went right as the skeets made their nightly appearance. ~Crooked Lake