We left camp today around 9am and took our time paddling over to Monument Portage. The portage was a little harder than we expected with a pretty good climb at the start. On the other end is Swamp Lake and as you guessed it, the landing is swampy. Thus, the dock at the landing since this is a heavily used portage. The portage follows the International Border with monolithic type markers found along the way.

Swamp Lake was a quick paddle. The 5 rod portage into Saganaga Lake was not necessary due to the high water, so we just paddled on through. This part of Saganaga is very pretty. It is smaller water and consists of several small bays connected by a channel of water.

We planned to paddle on into Cache Bay to stop and see Janice at the Ranger Station. Since Janice has a radio, we wanted to confirm our tow pick time and place with Seagull Outfitters for the next day.

It was very windy (as usual for this trip) and Saganaga was starting to get angry. We hugged the shore and took our time. As we rounded the corner into Cache Bay we saw a Beaver out of Atikokan land and head for the ranger's dock.

We arrived at the dock ourselves shortly thereafter. It turns out that the plane was dropping supplies and a young lady to work with Janice for the summer. We read through some of the "Camper Journals" that Janice had as we waited. Over the years many of the paddlers that have entered through Cache Bay have written down well wishes and stories of their travels. We watched the plane take off. The power of those planes is amazing. It took off directly into the wind and was probably up in the air in less than 100 yards.

From past experience I know that Janice is quite the talker and this time was no different. We heard stories of rescuing paddlers from overturned canoes, raising her kids on the island, and how she is the longest serving active ranger in the park. She has seen a lot over the years. She laughs that being isolated on that island and listening to the wind day after day hasn't driven her crazy, yet. She makes sure all of her guests understand and appreciate the dangers of the big waters around her. Janice took care of our tow arrangements for the next day over the radio and we were on our way. It was an enjoyable visit. She is a neat lady. You can tell she loves her job.

The wind was getting worse and so were the waves. Once we got out of Cache Bay we headed for the American shoreline and then hugged it closely on the way to American Point. We took the western most site on the point this time. The site is very open and huge. You could literally set up a carnival tent around the fire pit. A large beach area is on the west side of the point. With summer water levels it would be a fantastic swimming spot. Since it was around lunchtime, so we took our time setting up camp and relaxing. We all took naps. Kyle must have found the rocks too uncomfortable since he eventually set up his hammock and slept there. Jan rested in this tent. I found a warm rock in the sun to lie on.

The lake remained windy all afternoon. No one would be getting into Cache Bay today with a strong northwest wind and those white caps. The point in the distance (one mile away) is Cache Point with Cache Bay behind it.

By evening the wind had stopped and Saganaga seemed ready to rest. It was another evening of sporadic rain and a nice sunset. Jan and I fished a little with no luck. Can you believe he asked me to help him finish off the last of his Everclear tonight? Sadly, it merely a sign the trip was ending tomorrow.