Monday, September 01, 2008 We wake up at 5:30AM. I take a quick shower while Jamie gets dressed. We are ready to go by 5:50AM. We head to VNO for our food pack and bait, and John gives us some last minute tips regarding Iron Lake. Our plan is to head to either Agnes or Boulder Bay (Lac La Croix) today and then on to Iron on Tuesday.  As we leave VNO for the entry point, Jamie realizes she is still holding our room key. We make the short drive back to the motel and place the key in the drop slot, then backtrack to the Echo trail. We initially miss the turn-off, but recover quickly and reach the Moose River North entry point at about 7:15AM. By the time we unload our gear and park our vehicle, it’s almost 7:30AM. We planned on starting at 7AM, so we’re a bit behind schedule. We are double portaging and as we start our first trip, another group is unloading their car. We cross paths as we return for our second load. We hit the water close to 8AM. It is a beautiful morning with blue skies, but it’s already starting to get warm…I think it eventually reaches the low 90’s. We’re a bit concerned about traffic, especially groups coming out after the holiday weekend. This is borne out as we pass 11 groups headed out as we head in. We cross 9 beaver dams, although only 5 require “pull-overs”. We stop at a vacant campsite on Nina Moose Lake and use the latrine. We feel fortunate because it is fairly windy and the wind is directly at our backs. The groups exiting are having a tough time paddling directly into the wind. We reach Agnes Lake and paddle towards the north end. We find a beautiful campsite on a high point and decide to stop there for the night. I set up camp and Jamie cooks hotdogs for lunch. By the time we eat it is pushing 2:30PM. Jamie sets up her hammock and takes a nap. I’m anxious to do a bit of fishing, but it’s pretty windy and there are whitecaps on the lake. I fish from shore and catch one bass in about an hour. Eventually I hang the other hammock and stretch out for a while. When Jamie wakes up, we lay in our hammocks and talk for an hour or so. We decide to get up and venture out for some fishing. The wind is blowing directly onto the point we’re camped on and it seems like the perfect place to start. Unfortunately, it’s blowing too hard. We have problems paddling into the wind and keeping the canoe in one place. We get far enough up wind and drop the anchor, but we’re blown off of our spot. Even the anchor won’t hold us in place. We eventually give up and head for the lee side of the point. It’s quiet there and Jamie catches a couple of pike and a bass, but that’s all we get that night. We head back to our campsite and decide to skip supper due to our late lunch. We’re in our tent reading by flashlight before 8:30PM, and both fall asleep within an hour.