Today was a portage day. The grueling 13 rod portage onto Mountain Lake was only a few hundred yards off and I could see it from camp. Yet, it seemed miles away. I was dreading the double-portage over a trail so lightly used. I doubted it had been used more than once or twice and wondered how many deadfalls lay between this shore and that...OK, I'm KIDDING.

I slept in this morning then packed camp and made the quick hop. I think I took four trips just out of laziness. Rumor is up in Watersmeet that some crazed guy from Wisconsin threw his Igloo cooler the length of the portage, sure it was a new Igloo-toss record.

Mountain lake is a pristine lake with clarity unmatched for this area. I could see an easy 15 feet straight down to the bottom and it was more likely 20 feet.

I found my next campsite without issue and stared up at the switchbacks to get up to the top. Each climb took my breath away, but wasn't a major deal. The landing was ridiculous with muck up to my knees. There was a log thankfully jutting out a ways which made things a bit easier. Not a good landing. The site offered an obstructed view of Mountain Lake and Lilius Lake. The obvious choice for a campsite was occupied Bear-2. That campsite was situated exactly between the two lakes on a knoll with massive trees around and a nice sandy landing. Nice site!

I found my neighbors 100 yards to the east in that campsite to be the quietest I've ever had for “back-country” and don't recall any noise from them.

After setting up camp and getting some wood under my rainfly (weather was changing) I rigged up a portable shelf between two trees and got some things organized. I forgot to take it down when leaving and I wonder if I broke the leave-no-trace ethics by leaving two branches lashed to two trees??? Wait, the USFS left that pesky mil-spec fire pit laying about! I then set to the task of fishing. The lake is basically catch-and-release so I wasn't planning on a fish dinner tonight. I caught numerous smallmouth and largemouth and found the other campsites on the lake to be wonderful. A family was across the lake and had a nice sandy beach and what looked like a very nice camp overall.

I returned to camp early so I could get a bear tree picked out. Mind you, I don't like hanging food and find it bothersome to no end. Especially so after this episode. I found what looked to be the only tree in the area and far enough from my tent. I'm not especially afraid of bears and have gotten extremely close to some old nasty boys in my day (see pictures.) However, there is the occasional bear attack and death in the U.P. And Wisconsin and I am in an area that is well traveled by humans that aren't as careful as the rest of us with food storage. I find hanging food for bears a bit ridiculous. Bears have figured out how to open bear vaults and I've personally seen racoons open Igloo coolers without issue and flip the latch on a Coleman 40qt cooler as if they were were trained to do so. So I find it ridiculous that a learned bear won't bite through a rope or break the limb it's hanging from. Anyways...

I find the perfect tree. It happens to be in a small depression nearly the size of a VW Beetle. The branch is, of course, smack dab in the middle of this depression. Of course, I don't have enough rope along to reach the lofty branch from the bottom of this hole in the ground. I reckon I can get a rock over the branch if I balance myself on one of the edges and tie a few ropes together. I start looking for a rock and can't find one! After a little searching and a some one-on-one time with my compass I return with the roundest rock I've ever seen in the woods. I find it nearly impossible to tie a knot onto this rock without it falling apart, but do so after several tries. I'm positive that up until this point any back-country camper is with me 100%.

I make my first throw and find I have just enough rope, but miss the target. I reel my round rock in and try again. I miss again and the rock falls off...in the bottom of the depression which has now enlarged to the size of a full-size truck. I retrieve the rock and retie it again. This time, my aim is soooo good I hit the branch smack center and the rock comes whipping back at not just me, but my head. I do a quick side-step and realize I could have very well woken up hours from now wondering why I'm flat on my back next to a bear snoring away with bannock-breath.

I do finally get the rock up and over the branch and when the rope comes taught, the rock falls out! Heavens me, what did I do to get myself into this! Of course, I can't reach the opposite end of the rope and fitfully pull the rope back over the branch and try again. And again, and again and again. I'm now working into hour 2 of what has in some circles become, “The Great Bear Tree Foible.”

Finally!! I get the rock over and the rope gets tangled on the branch. I give it a few shakes and the rope gets to close to the trunk of the tree. Try again! Finally, I have success. The pack is tied and the Igloo is D-ringed to the pack. I begin pulling up, but realize the branch is just too wimpy to handle the load!!!

I gave up. I found a tree I could throw a rock at from my tent.

Tonight's fare was penni pasta with some previously frozen meat sauce. I don't recall what else I had. From this night on I planned on freeze-dried food. I enjoy freeze-dried food, but typing it now after recalling meals of steak, Cornish hens and even penni pasta makes me long for fresh food in the bush.

I was down to my last bit of green label Jack and booted my phone up and realized I had a good signal. I sent out an “emergency text” to my friend I was meeting tomorrow to have him bring some more spirits along. I hoped it had gone through and got a response that he was still coming and would bring some more spirits. Cell phone reception was pretty good on this lofty campsite but I didn't make any phone calls.

I give my phone a shot for the weather forecast and get weather.com's mobile site. Heavy winds tomorrow beginning late morning from the NNW followed by some storms. Not good. I have to go meet my friend on Clark Lake tomorrow. He is backpacking down to the south end where we will meet then canoe back to my camp. I decide on an early exit tomorrow and plan for a prolonged stay in the woods if the wind is to high then hit the sack.

Bear "experiences":