No worry, it's just a squall line with a very small amount of wind and heavy rain. Was interesting to hear it coming from so far away. It does rain very hard though, and we cant' hear each other from tent-to-tent and it's only 20ish feet. I find a good sized stream running under my tent between my footprint and the floor. Not much can be done. I'm on top my Thermarest and my pack is inside it's duck's back. The tent is definitely wet inside and out in the morning though.

The weather is nice and everything dries out well. Wood is still dry from being under the rainfly if someone is camping here tonight.

We get packed up and head over to Crooked Lake. We make the decision to paddle up Crooked Lake back to my truck and drive over to Clark Lake. John hasn't seen Crooked Lake and I haven't seen High Lake so we decide to paddle north and park the boat at the High Lake portage to go take a look. Nice lake! No photos.

I can almost taste the steak and cold beer after being in the wilderness for what is now my 5th day.

The Crooked Lake landing is busy, but everyone is polite and talk comes easy. I retrieve the truck and jack the A/C on. We load up without opening any packs and hi-tail it over to Clark Lake. I already have the site reserved so we re- enter and paddle down to the campsite. On another hill. We take the two choice tent pads, which we come to regret.

John gets a text that his cousin and cousin's girlfriend are at the portage. Girlfriend's get to come along if a buddy backs out (not my rules.) We help load them up and take some stuff in our canoe (not packed for canoeing, they are packed for camping. He politely advises he brought hot-dogs and brats since it's too difficult to eat a steak on paper plates. WHAT??? Who says you have to eat steak with a plate???? And didn't bring enough beer (plastic bottles) for the trip. At least it was cold, and my truck is a 5 minute paddle away or a 10 minute walk...

I build a roaring fire and we collect firewood. John's cousin puts their tent on a rocky outcrop complete with roots jutting about. I laugh a little, wondering how they will sleep. We all take swim but the day has cooled off and you can “feel” the storm coming.

We can see the western sky and its getting cloudly. I turn my back for a few minutes and hear a thunder clap. Three minutes later it's raining so hard I wonder if you would be able to breathe if you looked straight up. The wind wasn't too bad but lightning was intense. Nothing like watching people in aluminum canoes going for broke out on an open lake when you can see bolts of lightning coming down around them. I was concerned for them. I guess I don't get people like this. Your already wet?

It rains hard enough that the fire pit gets flooded. Big bummer. Then the puddle becomes a pond and starts encroaching on John and I's tents. We furiously dig some trenches to keep the worst from happening and are successful.

It stops raining as fast as it started and we watch the water level in the fire pit go down slowly. John wants to start a fire with wet wood and I tell him to go nuts. He tries the paper plate method and fails. Then the “emergency” cedar sticks you shave off. Yea, right. The other emergency stuff he has such as cotton balls drenched with oil, etc. aren't working either. I reluctantly get my birch bark and make a tinder ball then pack the dry wood up and get things started. No problem, roaring fire.

John and I kill all the hot dogs and the brats and then each have a freeze-dried meal. No steaks, no kidding.

Photo: Portage from Crooked to High