Day 2, May 25, 2010: Shade Lake to Yum Yum Lake

Big sausage&egg skillet breakfast (farm fresh, free-range eggs, never washed or refrigerated, which is supposed to help them keep longer), fishing tackle rigged up and away by 8:15. Tough portage from No-Name Lake to Grey Lake: seemed longer than 100 rods. Steep climb from No-Name Lake, hang a right at the intersection, then a bog crossing on random logs, another steep climb and descent to Grey. Hot and sunny but not many mosquitoes. I love the functionality of my Red Rocks double food-barrel Super Pack but it's a killer on long portages, 2 barrels packed with food and miscellaneous gear for 4 guys /10 days. It's comfortable but heavy, 60+ pounds (12 pounds empty). Caught lots of largemouth bass on Grey Lake. Yum Yum Lake by 2PM after fishing Grey for about an hour.



JW caught a big lake trout paddling through the narrows on Yum Yum but the wind, pollen in the water and the fact that it was mid-day and sunny made fishing challenging. Hilltop campsite on a peninsula midway down the lake with spectacular views—poor landing, steep climb and small tent pads though (good for two tents, tight for four). We checked the other sites and this was the best. Yum Yum is densely forested with pines. Intense thunderstorm in the late afternoon—2” in less than an hour with close lightning strikes brought out hordes of mosquitoes but the moisture desperately needed, the forest very dry. Orchids, trout lilies, bunchberry and wild rose blooming.

B&J out fishing the bay behind camp after the rain—topwater smallmouth bass on Rapala Skitter Pops. Cool and foggy at 10PM, frogs and toads singing along with millions of mosquitoes.

Great report, love that last Yum Yum photo.