Sunday broke the clearest and calmest I have ever seen the BWCA. We ate oatmeal, GORP and cereal bars for breakfast before packing up our camp and setting out. I snapped some pictures of the area just off of our camp because the water was so calm that it was reflecting the trees like a mirror. When we hit Knife Lake, however, we realized that it was not as calm as we thought; just sheltered. The wind on Knife Lake was coming straight at us and we had to paddle the length of the lake to get to our next site.

The going was slow but we made a good time of it. Gopher had us traveling the American shore in order to keep out of the majority of the wind. After a short time paddling Matt, with his apparently “Eagle Vision”, spotted a moose in a bay across the lake. How he saw it I don’t know but it was too far away (and crossing a large body of rough water) to get any good photographs. Two years of BW trips and already three moose under our belt.

We stopped shortly after that for a quick break in order to get out of the wind and to visit one of the toilets (the chili deciding to revisit us) at a remote campsite. This would end up starting an idea in my mind. From this point on out I made it a goal to take as many pictures of the BWCA Wilderness Toilets as I could; a weird but unique goal. It is amazing how many things I have remembered just based on the location of a toilet.

We continued on into the heavy headwind, crossing some areas of water that were a bit sketchy for us. We were still in the process of remembering how to keep our narrow canoe from tipping over and the wind was not helping our situation. After only a few more miles we decided to get out of the wind and take our lunch break at a slightly sheltered camp site on Knife Lake.

The site we stopped at was very unique. Small bluffs on three sides of the side made for a natural watershed where you would pitch your tent. It would be a great site in good weather, but if it rained you would end up taking a bath. The toilet was a surprise as well. Placed on top of one of the small bluffs it offered a view over a huge bay and was decorated with an R.I.P. notice. I took many photographs of it before putting it to good use (“Damn Good Chili”, it was noted, should never again come with us on a trip). We explored the point for 30-minutes or so before pushing off and continuing on our way.

We pushed on, still into the wind, for another hour or more before we finally rounded Thunder Point. My research for the trip had noted that there was a trail leading up the point to an overlook area that offered a fantastic view of the southwestern half of Knife Lake. When we finally found the path the wind was bashing our canoe onto the shore so we had to be careful with our landing. The hike up the hill was loose and unstable in spots but well worth it for the view from the top. We took many pictures before heading back down to the canoe. It was not late in the day but due to the wind we sat on the beach, pulled out the map, and figured that we should choose our campsite for the night.

I wanted to visit Robbins Island (on the south side of Knife Lake) badly in order to see any remains of the “Root Beer Lady’s” cabin but the wind was howling far too much to make the two and a half mile trip (into the wind) worth the effort. We rounded the point, putting us in the beginning of South Arm Knife Lake, and paddled to the first site we came across; which was taking the full brunt of the wind. We pushed on only a few hundred yard to the next site, which was sheltered from the wind, and parked the canoe.

It was a long day (due to paddling against the wind), but still not much past mid-day, so setting up camp was not a priority for us. Gopher plopped down on the rocky ground, pulled his hoodie up and decided to take a nap while Matt and I cast a few lines looking for dinner. It was only an hour or so when gopher jumped up and danced around while yelling, “Tornado of Feet, Tornado of Feet”! Shocked, Matt and I looked on with wonder before Gopher explained that a mouse had jumped into his hoodie and was running around on his face. Matt and I laughed so hard tears were rolling down our faces.

We didn’t catch any fish that night so we ate noodles and rice along with GORP and snacks. The tent pads were stable and free of lumps, but, due to the nature of the site, slanted down hill, which made sleeping (for me anyway uncomfortable. The brightness of the moon also did not help me. Not that I am complaining.