Brrrrr . . . Not sure how cold it got last night (the watch was in my fanny pack all night) but definitely colder than last night. I had to get out of the tent again not long before daylight and nearly froze. I got in the so-called 30-degree bag last night with socks, my Wickers silk weight long underwear and another polyester top layer. I also wore a makeshift stocking cap made from some old-style thermal underwear, and was fully cocooned in the bag, with a small old nylon fly wrapped around the bag! During the night I added a fleece top, too.

Around 7 AM there was a fog or mist over all the water. I made a fast fire, cheating with some of the abundant birch bark lying around and soon had warmed up with hot oatmeal and tea. The lake was totally calm, the sky was blue so I straightened up a little, grabbed several assorted snack bars and around eight I was off to the east to fish and explore.

Twenty minutes of paddling got me to the south end of the “corridor” between the south and north arms of Cirrus. Not far up the left side were a large beaver lodge and a beaver in the water nearby that dove when I got too close. A little farther on there was another bald eagle. There were no people around. Fishing up the right side of the corridor I caught another pike of around 20+ inches and he had the jig and fluke so far in him I just cut the line off and retied.

Losing interest in fishing and wanting to see what’s up ahead more than I wanted to catch fish, I put the rods down and paddled slowly up to where the north arm opens up, soaking up the beautiful morning like a sponge. As I paddled out into the main arm of Cirrus the water was like a sheet of glass and I stopped to snap picture of the arm seeming to reach the horizon.

Across the arm is an island that Jimbo said had a walleye reef around it. With the low water level and Cirrus being so clear, you could see rock rubble like a skirt flowing out from the shore of the island then disappearing into the depths. I fished part way around the island and caught no walleye and unfortunately hooked a little smallmouth in the eye with a crankbait. (It fought nicely and seemed fine, but when I pulled the hook out of the eye it was as if the shock killed it.)

I needed to stretch my legs so I paddled to the campsite (34Y) on the island to check it out and have a snack break. It appeared to have been little used recently and to me seemed a little claustrophobic. I would have called it a “one-nighter” were it not for being located at this reef and close to other good fishing areas.

At 10 AM sharp a breeze began from the north (as predicted) and I got started back towards the corridor. At the north end there were three loons in a tight little group. As I paddled a couple hundred yards away two of them went into some kind of water ballet I’d never seen before. They were face to face with wings out and maybe “displaying” for each other. Cool.

Near the south end I saw a canoe of two going up the corridor. Again, my lower back was aching so I pulled up to the empty campsite (3F) on the island, grabbed a granola bar and the camera and checked out this site also. This one has a poor landing area and an ugly climb up to the main area where I found what I considered a so-so tent area and fireplace. The view however is outstanding. (Before the trip I had seen that it had been rated a 4-star campsite.)

At 11:30 I was back in camp, the day was getting hot and my back was killing me so I took some medication, had a couple hard-boiled eggs and some cheese and called it lunch. Then got off my feet for a half hour in the shade to see if my back pain would ease up. It did ease up some, so I went back out for another paddle.

I wanted to paddle across to the bluff I could see part of from my camp and also look for the sandy beach I knew was supposed to be over there someplace. The bluff was an easy paddle and had lots of character, with vines hanging down for many feet. I still had not seen any sign of the beach until I paddled a little farther and realized it was tucked away back in the cove past the bluff.

My back was starting to scream again (a chicken neck-wringing grinding sensation) and I hesitated paddling to the beach but I did, and was not disappointed. With high water there would be little or no “beach” just a sandy lake bottom. As it was the beach was probably 50-60 yards long and maybe 12-16 feet wide, tops.

I picked up driftwood for firewood and took one picture, then my camera said my card was full. (I’d have to delete some poorer pictures later and free up space.) The beach had some small whitetail deer tracks and some VERY small tracks I could only guess were mink, weasel or something like that.

From back at my camp it had looked like the “point” camp had been vacated again, so I decided to take a look at it while it’s empty. (I was enjoying what I was finding while exploring much more than what I was finding fishing.) I docked at the point camp (2Z) tied up and got out for a look. One word came to mind: “Wow.”

It was huge to begin with. Many tent options. Two fireplaces, one on the point and a smaller one on the south side with some kind of a lashed together frame structure that I could only think was a “wickiup.” I had seen the high ratings on the PCD before my trip, but I was glad I checked it out myself.

It was time to head back to camp, first stopping to fish around the little island that sits right in front of it. I had fished around it a little before and once again got nothing. I picked up a bag of fresh water and docked the canoe and took another rest. By now it was hot in the sun but cool in the shade. It got very calm again around five and I tried fishing once more near camp – nothing.

Around 6 PM I was having a supper of pasta with foil-packed chicken when I noticed a solo paddler across the lake to the southwest heading west at a fast pace. I decided it must have been someone camped to the west that had been day-tripping and was heading back because it was too late to be looking for a campsite. After dinner and cleanup I had a very small fire, a cigar and some liquid painkiller. Today was a great day and tomorrow is supposed to be clear!

(Throughout the day I was thinking about my original “plan,” my back pain and what might be my best course of action the next day or so. I knew I could stay here another day or two and not fish western Quetico Lake but still head down that way try to meet up with Old Hoosier. What really worried me was that now I was at times feeling an old familiar “grinding” in the spine with each stroke of the paddle. It was hard to get to sleep tonight.)