Day two dawned gloomy & cool – no sun-dappled Saturday for us. We pushed off late, as is our habit, because we’re lazy. We paddled Lake Four & jumped the first of two quick portages into Hudson. Here a note about high water. That first 25 rod portage empties just above the head of a rapids flowing into Four, & with the fierce rains that inundated the BWCA in September 2007, the rapids were pounding hard. The launch was about three feet from the start of the riffles. We managed not to slip or drop a paddle. It was good. A thunderboomer caught us just as we unloaded for the “long” portage into Insula, so we stopped & caught a few smallies at the bottom of the rapids. It, too, was good.

Insula’s a beautiful lake, all bays & islands & big water, which we were reminded of by the stiff wind springing up in the wake of the thunderboomer. We decided on the second campsite on the south side of Insula & went wave-crashing, underestimating them as always. But we made it.

The campsite was, again, worn, but beautiful. And another goal – a real, live sand beach in the BWCA – greeted us. It was kind of surreal. We spent a little time wading & digging our toes into the sand before setting camp, making dinner, & doing just a touch of fishing. We went to sleep happy in our sandy paradise & realized we’d only seen one other canoe the entire day.