Tuesday, June 24, 2008 This morning I awake at 6:00 am again and make coffee and just enjoy the sounds of morning waiting for the others to awaken. Once they are up we have a breakfast of grilled Bagels with strawberry cream cheese and strawberry jam. Today we have a short paddle to Pocket Lake. We are in no rush this morning so it is again around 9:00 when we start paddling the short distance to the portage into Little Bear Track. Again the portage trail has a lot of wolf scat on it. We see no one as we pass through Little Bear Track, Bear Track, Thumb or Finger Lakes. The 200 rod portage from Bear Track was flat and easy with some great wildflower photo opportunities along the way on the 2nd trip across. The portage along Finger Creek is also beautiful. Only thing that marred its beauty was that someone had dropped 3 eggs in the middle of the portage trail and had not removed them. The water in Finger Creek was low only being 6-8 inches deep in many places. Also along the way we see lily pad roots which look like they have been pulled up and chewed on. It is not until we reach Pocket Lake that we see people and of course they are camped at the site we wanted. So after checking the site on the island it is decided we will paddle on to Gebe-on-e-quet. We run the rapids into Pocket Creek, or rather coast through the rapids into Pocket Creek and head to Gebe-on-e-quet Creek. Once there the creek narrows and shallows and is supposed to have a big beaver dam on it keeping it deep enough to paddle. When we reach the beaver dam we find part of it has been removed and the water behind it is shallow. When I step out of the canoe to help pull it through I sink up to mid thigh in muck washed out from the beaver dam! It was tough getting out, I had to hold on to the canoe and use it as a support to pull myself out. We are able to paddle up Gebe Creek dragging bottom in a few places and avoiding rocks with the lead canoe pointing them out for the second canoe because when they paddled it muddy up the water everywhere.

We finally get to the short and steep 39 rods portage and enter into Gebe-on-e-quet into a head wind of course! The first site is taken as well as the 2nd and 3rd… we reach site #116 heading toward the portage into Green is open but not suitable for us, so Heath and I head to the recliner site across the lake and leave Charlie and Dave to hold the other site just in case. Luckily for us the recliner site is open. All I can say is that someone spent a lot of time placing the rocks that are all over that site. From the fire pit, to the table nearby, to the recliners themselves and the table in front of it… a lot of time, work, and rocks moved! It is decided that we will have a layover day here. We have traveled 26 miles in 3 days and double portaged almost 11 miles… also I want the opportunity to do a little fishing on Gebe which is supposed to have good fishing in it. The recliner site has two good tent pads near the fire pit and others on the hill above it near the recliners. Time is about 3:00 when we get camp set, so we lounge around for a while doing a little fishing from shore with leeches on slip bobbers and manage to catch a few small smallmouth. About 6:00 I prepare a dinner of Fettucini Alfredo with chicken and fresh mushrooms, dessert was chocolate pudding. Being stuffed from dinner we all retire to the recliners to relax and watch the sun go down. Heath and Charlie go to bed early, Dave and I decide to see if we can see the northern lights so we stay up with strong coffee until 10:30 and then I decide I am going to sleep.