Winchell Lake, Gaskin Lake. 3.7 miles.

1 portage. 58 rods.

We woke to a breezy sunny morning on Winchell Lake. After pancakes and sausage for breakfast we broke camp and headed out around 9am. We said our goodbyes to Lauren's friend "Buddy". Buddy was a frog who lived in the small pools on the rocks in front of camp.

With a good tail wind, we coasted down Winchell Lake in about a hour to the portage to Gaskin Lake. Most of the camp sites we passed on Winchell look to be rather nice and the lake is lined with huge tress of both sides and the massive cliffs of the Misquah Hills on the south end. Towards the east end of the lake, the Redeye fire of 2006 burned both sides of the lake.

The portage to Gaskin Lake is up and down and not too bad. Parts of it pass through the burn area and the portage landing on Gaskin Lake is very muddy. The portage lands on a shallow, weedy bay on the south end of the lake. Just past this bay, the first really nice camp on a west facing point was taken. The two camps across the way on the north shore were open but not very nice.

The island camp on the east end of the lake was open and we took it. It is an expansive, open site with huge trees and some good shade. The entire camp is rather sloped, so none of the tent pads are the greatest. In some ways the camp is overused, but we were happy to be here. We arrived around noon and after lunch we got camp situated.

We started off the afternoon with a quick swim and then we headed out for some fishing and exploring. We had a nice talk with a gentleman on a solo trip in a white Magic. Another group of 8 boy scouts in tandem canoes also passed by. The fishing was very slow, so we decided to hike the short portage to Jump Lake which follows a small stream between Jump and Gaskin.

As evening set in, the temperature dropped and a good breeze from the west started. We enjoyed another beautiful sunset and a warm fire. Fortunately, the breeze kept the bugs down and we were able to stay up late tonight.