Bright warm sunshine wakes us today! Although, we make a startling discovery upon exiting our now grotesquely bug covered tent. Finally having an idyllic weather day motivates us to get out of camp early. Vickie, Aurora & I paddle back over to the Isabella River portage to explore & play in the rapids on the other side. We also check out the portage trail on the south side of the river. It has a pretty decent hill & is slightly overgrown but, we are rewarded for our efforts with ripe red strawberries & the occasional raspberry that are peppered along the path. From there we hopscotch down along the large shoreline boulders to find a nice spot to lounge in these tumbling rapids while a cedar waxwing provides free entertainment fluttering to 'n' fro in the nearby cedar trees.

On our way back to camp Aurora & I harvest the bountiful strawberries on the Quadga portage. Of course non of them actually make it back to camp. Fishing continues to be exceedingly rewarding on the return paddle as well. Uncle Clay & Dan are still out on the lake, so we have camp to ourselves upon our return; and we take full advantage of the empty hammocks.

After Uncle Clay & Dan return it's time to try swimming. Aurora does pretty well, although she doesn't quite completely trust that her PFD will keep her afloat. Never the less she has a grand (although relatively brief) time frolicking in the water. Afterwards she even thanks Dan for helping her by letting him nap with her little stuffed black bear. If it accomplishes nothing else, at least this nap gives his damp sleeping bag a chance to air/dry out.

After supper, as evening draws near, we all head out for a leisurely paddle. This time we locate the closed site just to our NE. While the closed site we seen yesterday looks like it could re-open soon, this site appears to be doomed; as it was almost impossible to locate and leaves little hope of reclamation. Yet again excellent fishing keeps us from making steady progress on our exploratory paddle. (Not a bad problem to have.) Eventually we do pull up to the NW site. Harebells with a tasteful intermingling of daisies cloak the grassy shoreline. While the best landing area is a bit west of the fire grate area, this site is expansive and provides direct access to the Pow Wow Hiking Trail. We attempt to hike a short distance but the bugs chase us back towards the lake & windier locales. They have been bad enough at our rocky site, we dare not imagine what they would be like had we stayed at this swampy grassy plot. There is, however, a neatly sawed log seat here & the nicest allotment of (still) living trees at any site on this lake. Overall it's a pretty decent site but, overall we still prefer ours.

We soak up the quiet ambiance of Quadga Lake on our last night. Fortunately, the bugs aren't nearly as bad as the previous evening, so Vickie is able to do a little baking and we have a tasty evening snack before calling it a night. No rain tonight so Uncle Clay & Dan can sleep easy.

It's still overcast & gray this morning but, there's no rain. After a hearty breakfast Dan & Uncle Clay try to dry things out as best they can while also re configuring their tent. meanwhile Vickie, Aurora & I hit the water. Paddling counter clock wise around the lake, we hit something of a hot spot (fishing wise) near the northern most site. Everyone gets in on the action as both bass & northern are easy to come by. We also notice a posted sign indicating that this site is still closed. As we're returning to camp, we notice Uncle Clay & Dan also having success fishing in the nearby bay and, the sky is beginning to open up.

Back in camp, it's hard to discern what the weather wants to do. Brief rain showers are intermittent throughout the afternoon as, most of the time, we lounge beneath the relative safety of our CCS tarp. In between we gather firewood, as there is an abundance of premium dead & downed trees in every direction. We keep busy processing the spoils of the Pagami Creek fire.

Later we all head out for an evening paddle. Uncle Clay & Dan stay out until nearly dark. Upon returning, they report that, once again, fishing was awesome. Clay even pulled in (what they estimated to be) a 10-12 lb. northern pike. They said the loons serenading nearby made it a magical experience & making it tough to leave. Not bringing bug spray with was what ultimately forces them back to camp. Although, there's little reprieve here as the bugs & mosquitoes are particularly ravenous this evening compelling us all to retreat to the sanctuary of our tents.

Bright warm sunshine wakes us today! Although, we make a startling discovery upon exiting our now grotesquely bug covered tent. Finally having an idyllic weather day motivates us to get out of camp early. Vickie, Aurora & I paddle back over to the Isabella River portage to explore & play in the rapids on the other side. We also check out the portage trail on the south side of the river. It has a pretty decent hill & is slightly overgrown but, we are rewarded for our efforts with ripe red strawberries & the occasional raspberry that are peppered along the path. From there we hopscotch down along the large shoreline boulders to find a nice spot to lounge in these tumbling rapids while a cedar waxwing provides free entertainment fluttering to 'n' fro in the nearby cedar trees.

On our way back to camp Aurora & I harvest the bountiful strawberries on the Quadga portage. Of course non of them actually make it back to camp. Fishing continues to be exceedingly rewarding on the return paddle as well. Uncle Clay & Dan are still out on the lake, so we have camp to ourselves upon our return; and we take full advantage of the empty hammocks.

After Uncle Clay & Dan return it's time to try swimming. Aurora does pretty well, although she doesn't quite completely trust that her PFD will keep her afloat. Never the less she has a grand (although relatively brief) time frolicking in the water. Afterwards she even thanks Dan for helping her by letting him nap with her little stuffed black bear. If it accomplishes nothing else, at least this nap gives his damp sleeping bag a chance to air/dry out.

After supper, as evening draws near, we all head out for a leisurely paddle. This time we locate the closed site just to our NE. While the closed site we seen yesterday looks like it could re-open soon, this site appears to be doomed; as it was almost impossible to locate and leaves little hope of reclamation. Yet again excellent fishing keeps us from making steady progress on our exploratory paddle. (Not a bad problem to have.) Eventually we do pull up to the NW site. Harebells with a tasteful intermingling of daisies cloak the grassy shoreline. While the best landing area is a bit west of the fire grate area, this site is expansive and provides direct access to the Pow Wow Hiking Trail. We attempt to hike a short distance but the bugs chase us back towards the lake & windier locales. They have been bad enough at our rocky site, we dare not imagine what they would be like had we stayed at this swampy grassy plot. There is, however, a neatly sawed log seat here & the nicest allotment of (still) living trees at any site on this lake. Overall it's a pretty decent site but, overall we still prefer ours.

We soak up the quiet ambiance of Quadga Lake on our last night. Fortunately, the bugs aren't nearly as bad as the previous evening, so Vickie is able to do a little baking and we have a tasty evening snack before calling it a night. No rain tonight so Uncle Clay & Dan can sleep easy.

Gray overcast skies rejoin us yet again this morning. Fortunately we are able to get breakfast in and camp packed away dry. As we work our way back to the EP, the sky slowly begins to open up and let some sunshine through. Once back on the Little Isabella River, just as we are finishing the 16 rod portage, we encounter the first people we'd seen in 4 days. There aren't really any surprises on the way back, just had to quickly pull through a couple of the beaver dams we had easily paddled over on our way in. Back at the parking area, we load up and drive to the Ely Steakhouse for burgers & drinks. Afterwards, we stop in Virginia and visit Grandma at the nursing home. Aurora proudly gives her a copy of the latest issue of the 'Boundary Waters Journal' which features a story (w/photos) of her catching her first fish.

Of course Dan needs a new tent, at least if he wants Clay to camp with him again! Thankfully we didn't get heavy, soaking rains or there may have been a mutiny. As it was, they got a little damp and only had one tough night of sleep; it certainly could've been a lot worse. We brought the turtle shell home and varnished it up for a nice keepsake. I know we were a little early but, I was hoping we'd run into some ripe blueberries - unfortunately we didn't find any substantial quantities. While we didn't catch any walleye, fishing was absolutely fantastic for bass & northern. Considering we visited this area on what was essentially a Fourth of July weekend, we were all ecstatic to have a BWCAW lake entirely to ourselves for 4 days. Especially when you consider the relative ease from which Quadga can be accessed via the Little Isabella River EP. While the fire damage is extensive, there was enough foliage & green trees around to give the woodsy feel. And, obviously, that will only improve with time.