Thursday, October 01, 2009 Another frosty morning greets us on this our last travel day. After a quick breakfast we head down Sawbill into a fairly stiff wind and find the portage to Smoke. There are a few more trees down on this portage and for the first time, we share the portage with other paddlers. A pair of fishermen are headed for Burnt and a solo paddler is watching the wind and not making predictions. After Smoke, we portage into Burnt and fight a stiff crosswind to reach the other side. Our final trail lunch is served at the start of the 230 rod portage which takes us about an hour to cross. This will be our last big portage as we complete our loop back to the Temperance River drainage.
The south wind makes it a hard paddle back down Kelly and Peterson. We meet a few moose hunters hauling in gear for the upcoming hunt and we wish them good luck. The canoe pulls into the Baker Lake landing around 3:00 and the Namesake trip is complete. A firm handshake seals the deal between two friends and time well spent in canoe country.
After packing up, I suggest we head up and check out Sawbill campground and Outfitters for future trips and purchase a cold beverage ;) Afterwards, we head back down the Trail to Tofte and we notice that there is quite a bit more color in the Temperance River Valley. I guess we saw Fall arrive. We grab a room at the Americinn and after cleaning up, head out for a bite to eat at the Trestle Inn. Stopping back in Tofte at the Bluefin for a nightcap (we were tired of going to bed at 9:30!), we learn from the barkeep that the windstorm knocked power out for most of Monday in Tofte and other places along 61.