Malberg Lake, 64 Rods, Kawishiwi River, 60 Rods, Trapline Lake, 35 Rods, Beaver Lake, 74 Rods, Adams Lake, 74 Rods, Beaver Lake, 35 Rods, Trapline Lake, (high water, skipped portage) Kawishiwi River, 64 Rods, Malberg Lake.

I roll out of the sack at 06:30 and get suited up, knowing I have a long day of paddling ahead of me. I push off with the food bag in the bow planning to eat later and with one quart of water for the day; I have two quarts boiled and cooled but want to save one for when I return home. I also bring my medium action trolling rod because other than an hour or so yesterday, I have done no fishing this trip. As I leave camp I come across a group of 3 adults and 4 teens headed for the Louse river portage. I warn them of the conditions and caution them that maybe they should reconsider, or at least camp on Trail lake and cut it into two days for the sake of their kids. I hope they fared well. I troll across the western arm of Malberg with no luck and the portage over to the river is a piece of cake. After exploring the four campsites on this stretch of the river I troll up to Trapline lake. Just before the portage, I hook a nice fat northern, somewhere in the realm of 26-28 inches I would guess. I decide to shore land him because my good sense tells me that I am not stable enough in this unfamiliar boat to land a good size northern without tipping. He is feisty and tipping over with my hand attached to one end of a Rapala Taildancer and his mouth attached to the other end does not sound like fun to me, especially after my discipline revelation last night.

I complete the sixty rods into Trapline and see that I could have paddled it due to high water with absolutely no problems. The Trapline to Beaver portage has two blowdowns, one very large, but other than that is fairly easy. Beaver is a very nice lake and I run into a father and son headed up to Knife lake via Boulder lake. This sure is a great calm day for traveling. I scope the two sites on this beautiful lake and then head up to the portage into Smite lake. As I approach the in-flowing stream I smell that sweet smell that sometimes you get from freshwater lakes and streams and just sit and soak it up for about five minutes. I do not locate the portage to Smite and do not feel like bushwhacking anymore this trip so I paddle down to the portage that goes directly into Adams. This portage is beautifully muddy, what a paradox of nature. I start checking out sites on Adams and a little while later run into another father and son team who come up this way every year. They tell me they have never caught walleye in this lake so I leave them my contoured lake map and wish them well.

I finally finish exploring Adams at 14:00 and finish breakfast/lunch at the same time; I have been gradually nibbling and munching my way around the lake. By this time I am completely out of water and I am hot and thirsty; I should have brought that other quart of water. I knew better this morning, but didn’t do better. I paddle into the middle of Adams and fill my water bottle and gulp it down. I only drink enough to quench my thirst, reasoning that bacteria like to hang out in the bottom of water bottles. Adams to Malberg camp takes three hours flat and I am cooking dinner by 18:00. Long day. (Not bringing two quarts of water was the fourth act of foolishness of the trip and drinking raw lake water was the fifth act of foolishness of the trip, I should have waited until I got back to my clean water at camp.) **I found this tree tipped over and still alive, for now. A good reminder that a lot of trees growing around the campsites do not have optimal root systems anchoring them in because they are growing only inches above solid bedrock.**

While eating dinner I ponder my journey to the outside world tomorrow. It saddens me and excites me at the same time. The first two days in, I felt very uneasy like usual, but yesterday and today I feel very at peace and content to be here alone enjoying nature around me and at natures pace. For that I am sad to exit, but to talk to my family that is far away in Guatemala visiting my wife’s family, I am tremendously excited. It is strange how you miss the things that you thought you needed a break from, when you finally do get that break. I think I will leave no later than 10:00 tomorrow morning and head down to Polly lake and then back to Sawbill via the Phoebe river and the Lady Chain. If I can make Sawbill by 18:00 I will exit. If not, I will camp at 18:00 and exit early Tuesday morning. Either way, I will be home in time, but it would be nice to hear the voices of my wife and 2 year old little boy tomorrow. I lounge around a four hour fire getting water boiled for tomorrow and drinking a six pack of Folgers straight up out of my trusty tin cup after dinner. I relish my last evening at my Malberg site and feel very thankful of the opportunity to be here before heading to bed well after dark.