A warm partly cloudy morning greets us as we crawl out of the tent. Aurora tries her luck fishing from shore while Vickie & I get breakfast going. Our plan is to eventually travel to Little Trout Lake later this morning.

Mercifully the mosquitoes are still not at the peak of their powers as we cross over to Kroft Lake. There is some interesting colorful moss clinging to the steep rocky shoreline (near the portage) of this otherwise low lying lake. Even though it's still May, the weeds are already beginning to choke the surface of this shallow waterway.

At the far western end of Kroft, our next portage into Rum Lake is easily located. This portage is much more forgiving than the others we have crossed thus far. Only a gentle rise over a decent path that sports an occasional muddy spot.

The high rising far shoreline of the western end of Rum Lake indicates that will not be the case for our next portage. As we approach or next portage we paddle past a diminutive, though pretty, island. While still a good distance out from shore, we perceive that the only likely spot for a landing is a mass pile of shoreline boulders. Sure enough, this is the portage! While, the unload isn't quite as cumbersome as at first predicted, it's still a bit of a scramble over the mess of boulders.

Even though the sheer volume of boulders decreases as one enters the woods, the traverse doesn't necessarily get any easier as the trail begins it's steep ascent up and over to Little Trout. As we near Little Trout the trail tapers off a bit just before reaching another boulder laden landing on this lake. Although, I will say, this one is a bit more accommodating.

From here, there is a nice panoramic view of the island campsite which is right out from this landing. Grabbing a Clif bar and snacks, we stop and catch our collective breaths and recharge a bit.

Shoving off, we paddle west. No sooner do we pass by the islands, when Aurora reels in a nice lake trout. The clouds are also beginning to clear off and, for the time, we have a marvelous time paddling around this majestic lake. The massive white pines that are lightly peppered around the high hills that rim the lake provide a beautifully stark contrast to the soft pastel of the multitude of deciduous trees that dominate the forest. It is enticing views such as this that scintillate the sensory palette and create such a beautiful wilderness backdrop.

For the time being, it appears that Little Trout Lake is all ours. As there is no one to be seen in any direction. Eventually we pull off to the campsite closest to the daunting portage into Misquah Lake. In my opinion, none of the campsites on Little Trout are anything too spectacular. Which is another reason we decided to pull up short yesterday. Never the less, this site offers a bit of room to roam as Aurora and I play hide and seek while Vickie prepares a quick Mac & cheese lunch.

Back on the lake, I eventually discern that rapalas seem to be the winning ticket (lure)for today and get everybody switched over. We have fun reeling in a few more lake trout and decide to keep one for supper. Of course we were quite concerned when she first asked but, Aurora is even able to deftly (without impaling one of her parents) cast her line while sitting in the canoe. Not sure where she picked up those skills? But, maybe all this camping stuff is just naturally wearing off on her? Amidst all this excitement the weather has taken a turn for the worse, with dark clouds massing on the distant horizon. So, we pull into the vacant island camp to hunker down - if necessary.

While waiting out the weather, we notice some people at the portage in from Rum. We wave them over and tell them they can have this site if they want, as we are just waiting for the weather to break. We proceed to have a very enjoyable half hour visit with this nice couple from Madison, Wisconsin. The fearsome clouds pass by without releasing much in the way of rain so, we head back out on the lake for a short while after the skies clear - and then, begin the journey back to camp.

We encounter our first bit of navigational confusion after paddling back across Rum Lake. The portage to Kroft is not where our maps say it should be. A rain shower soaks us while we reconnoiter. While we duck out of the rain, I pull out my GPS and check our location. We're right on top of what is supposed to be the landing! After the brief shower relents, we hop back in the canoe and paddle to the extreme eastern edge of the lake where we find the landing. (My GPS,and all maps I've seen, show this landing in the wrong spot. Since the lake is reasonably small it's not that big of a deal. But, if you're in the area, a good rule of thumb would be to paddle to the absolute extreme eastern edge of the lake to find this landing.)

At least the rain helps to cool things down for awhile. Making it back to camp without further incident we set about preparing Aurora's trout for supper. It deliciously supplements our seasoned pork loin and, the hammock is a life saver for this over stuffed Dad.

It's another quiet, peaceful evening around the campfire as we enjoy some relief from the heat & humidity. I wonder aloud about the fact that Little Trout Lake was vacant when we had arrived today. Perhaps we should have pushed on yesterday???

A warm partly cloudy morning greets us as we crawl out of the tent. Aurora tries her luck fishing from shore while Vickie & I get breakfast going. Our plan is to eventually travel to Little Trout Lake later this morning.

Mercifully the mosquitoes are still not at the peak of their powers as we cross over to Kroft Lake. There is some interesting colorful moss clinging to the steep rocky shoreline (near the portage) of this otherwise low lying lake. Even though it's still May, the weeds are already beginning to choke the surface of this shallow waterway.

At the far western end of Kroft, our next portage into Rum Lake is easily located. This portage is much more forgiving than the others we have crossed thus far. Only a gentle rise over a decent path that sports an occasional muddy spot.

The high rising far shoreline of the western end of Rum Lake indicates that will not be the case for our next portage. As we approach or next portage we paddle past a diminutive, though pretty, island. While still a good distance out from shore, we perceive that the only likely spot for a landing is a mass pile of shoreline boulders. Sure enough, this is the portage! While, the unload isn't quite as cumbersome as at first predicted, it's still a bit of a scramble over the mess of boulders.

Even though the sheer volume of boulders decreases as one enters the woods, the traverse doesn't necessarily get any easier as the trail begins it's steep ascent up and over to Little Trout. As we near Little Trout the trail tapers off a bit just before reaching another boulder laden landing on this lake. Although, I will say, this one is a bit more accommodating.

From here, there is a nice panoramic view of the island campsite which is right out from this landing. Grabbing a Clif bar and snacks, we stop and catch our collective breaths and recharge a bit.

Shoving off, we paddle west. No sooner do we pass by the islands, when Aurora reels in a nice lake trout. The clouds are also beginning to clear off and, for the time, we have a marvelous time paddling around this majestic lake. The massive white pines that are lightly peppered around the high hills that rim the lake provide a beautifully stark contrast to the soft pastel of the multitude of deciduous trees that dominate the forest. It is enticing views such as this that scintillate the sensory palette and create such a beautiful wilderness backdrop.

For the time being, it appears that Little Trout Lake is all ours. As there is no one to be seen in any direction. Eventually we pull off to the campsite closest to the daunting portage into Misquah Lake. In my opinion, none of the campsites on Little Trout are anything too spectacular. Which is another reason we decided to pull up short yesterday. Never the less, this site offers a bit of room to roam as Aurora and I play hide and seek while Vickie prepares a quick Mac & cheese lunch.

Back on the lake, I eventually discern that rapalas seem to be the winning ticket (lure)for today and get everybody switched over. We have fun reeling in a few more lake trout and decide to keep one for supper. Of course we were quite concerned when she first asked but, Aurora is even able to deftly (without impaling one of her parents) cast her line while sitting in the canoe. Not sure where she picked up those skills? But, maybe all this camping stuff is just naturally wearing off on her? Amidst all this excitement the weather has taken a turn for the worse, with dark clouds massing on the distant horizon. So, we pull into the vacant island camp to hunker down - if necessary.

While waiting out the weather, we notice some people at the portage in from Rum. We wave them over and tell them they can have this site if they want, as we are just waiting for the weather to break. We proceed to have a very enjoyable half hour visit with this nice couple from Madison, Wisconsin. The fearsome clouds pass by without releasing much in the way of rain so, we head back out on the lake for a short while after the skies clear - and then, begin the journey back to camp.

We encounter our first bit of navigational confusion after paddling back across Rum Lake. The portage to Kroft is not where our maps say it should be. A rain shower soaks us while we reconnoiter. While we duck out of the rain, I pull out my GPS and check our location. We're right on top of what is supposed to be the landing! After the brief shower relents, we hop back in the canoe and paddle to the extreme eastern edge of the lake where we find the landing. (My GPS,and all maps I've seen, show this landing in the wrong spot. Since the lake is reasonably small it's not that big of a deal. But, if you're in the area, a good rule of thumb would be to paddle to the absolute extreme eastern edge of the lake to find this landing.)

At least the rain helps to cool things down for awhile. Making it back to camp without further incident we set about preparing Aurora's trout for supper. It deliciously supplements our seasoned pork loin and, the hammock is a life saver for this over stuffed Dad.

It's another quiet, peaceful evening around the campfire as we enjoy some relief from the heat & humidity. I wonder aloud about the fact that Little Trout Lake was vacant when we had arrived today. Perhaps we should have pushed on yesterday???

Another unseasonably warm morning dawns, with high humidity to boot. Our breakfast conversation revolves around our travel plans. In the final analysis, we decide to stay on Ram Lake and keep (relatively) close to camp.

Yet again, fishing on Ram proves to be unfruitful. Much like her mother, Aurora has developed a curiosity for finding unique rocks. So, having spied some neat ones at the portage landing (on our way in), we paddle over to do some closer investigation.

Finding a few we eventually begin wandering north up the shoreline towards the campsite there. At the peak of the shoreline ridge we come across a well worn trail. Our maps show nothing of the sort, nor had I heard anything about this is planning the trip. Soon we stumble upon a pipe sticking out of the ground, which I surmise is some sort of water gauge. As we continue to work our way northward, it becomes obvious that the trail will lead us to the campsite - which it does.

Backtracking, the trail leads us all the way back to the top of the stone staircase at the portage landing. We notice that the trail also runs south as well, so we set off that way.

This path is much more overgrown but, still relatively easy to follow. And, where it does become a little confusing there always seems to be a tape trail marker hanging from a nearby branch. This really peaks our curiosity as we follow the trail southward around the lake. Along the way there's even a marginal over view of the lake, and different colors of old tape; indicating this trail has been here for awhile.

Just as the vegetation along the trail is becoming a bit too dense for comfort, totally surprisingly we emerge into an opening where there is a 15-20' swath of open forest running in both directions! We follow it right down to the lake and begin to take note of the remnant shrub and small tree stumps throughout the swath. It resembles what you might see along/under a power line. It appears that this swath terminates at the most southern point of Ram Lake. Knowing that the wilderness boundary is very close to the lake, initially I think that perhaps a private landowner has cut this. But, after hiking back up the hill and seeing just how far the swath extends....I'm of the opinion that this was more than just a short little bushwhack and required either a lot of man power or some heavy machinery. And more likely the later. Needless to say, we are stumped (pun intended) as to it's origins or reason for it's existence.

Having gathered up a King's ransom in birch bark, after we hike back to the landing we cross paths with a group of 5 young men who look completely exhausted. They inform us that Little Trout was full the day we entered and, more importantly for them, the day before (which was their entry date) as well. They wound up having to portage all the way to Vista Lake and had to settle for the crumby site in the north western arm. Also, they didn't have much good to say about the Little Trout - Misquah portage.

Our CCS tarp affords us some shade which provides a welcome measure of relief from the heat of the day. Both Vickie & I exhaustively conclude that we must be getting too old for this stuff until we turn on the weather radio and find out that the temperature has soared into the 90's! One of the primary facets of why we prefer May & September/October tripping is the cooler temperatures. Obviously we miss out this trip but, considering how stormy our past couple of spring trips have been, I guess the law of averages would have suggested weather like this. At least Aurora has enough energy to give our local frog population a run for it's money.

Aurora's persistence compels both Vickie & I (each in turn) to join her on an exploratory hikes back behind camp. While the site proper, near the lake shore, is flat; behind camp the terrain has a pretty good incline. The trade off is that, since there are several large white pines in the immediate vicinity, the pine duff keeps the brush a weeds to a minimum making exploration much easier. Still the humidity wears us 'older' folks down rather quickly.

We spend the remainder of our last evening relaxing and soaking in the relatively quiet peacefulness of our surroundings. The only real excitement of the evening comes when a pair of bald eagles perch just across the small bay and fight over a fish. At least someone had some luck fishing on Ram Lake this weekend.

As evening falls, Aurora has thoughtfully taken the time to create an early Father's Day card for me; using the resources we had gathered from the forest earlier today.

Another exceedingly warm day. Since we only have one portage today, we are in no hurry. The portage out affords a breathtaking view of Lima Mountain off in the distance, as the full splendor of the Misquah hills are unveiled across this rolling landscape. It's picturesque scenes like this that make this area so visually appealing, yet, also contributes to why so many people stay away - due to the steep terrain/difficulty of the portages.

Vickie & Aurora both grab a few more rocks before loading up. We use the south Brule road to hook back up with the Gunflint Trail. From there we head to Sven & Ole's for pizza & cold drinks. And since it's still quite early, much to the girls delight, we spend some time in Grand Marais shopping and browsing at some of the craft stores.

Another favorite post trip stop for me is Caribou Falls (just south of Schroeder). The parking lot has just been enlarged and improved with pavement and a pit toilet. The trails have also been widened. Usually this falls has been largely overlooked, since it's not in a State Park but, I suspect these new improvements will add to it's popularity.

Obviously the weather was a quite a bit warmer than we would have hoped for on a spring trip and, we didn't get to camp on Little Trout Lake. But, I think we still managed to make the most of the cards we were dealt and I thank God for allowing me to spend some quality time with the people I love most in the area (BWCAW) I love most. Although...., I'm still intrigued by the trail cut through the woods on Ram Lake.