I arose early in the morning to brisk air and the sun just peaking over the horizon. A mist over Cherokee was quickly being burned off by the rising sun. I took out my camera and captured a few photos of the scene. It really was beautiful, and I wished that the others had been up to appreciate it too. On this trip, and ever since, I have always felt that the people who sleep in really miss out on the morning magic the boundary waters tend to offer. In my mind, it is the best part of the day.

I tried to catch breakfast from shore again today, but I had no luck. I have heard that Cherokee lake harbors some nice Northerns and Lakers, so I kept my fishing spirits high. I spent most of the morning alone while photographing camp, the woods and the water. When the others awoke, we made breakfast and lounged around camp, resting our sore, bug-bitten bodies. Originally, we had planned to loop down to North and South Temperance Lakes, to Weird and Jack lakes, then to Kelly and back to Sawbill through Burnt and Smoke. On the map, it looked like a tough route, so we decided we would rest today and head out the way we came tomorrow. We didn’t think we had enough time to complete the route and the 240 rod portage from S. Temperance to Weird lake may have killed us. I think we did the smart thing by changing plans.

The rest of the day was spent as we saw fit. I fished from shore, took plenty of photographs and helped with camp chores. Katrina built a fire and showed me how birch bark makes great tinder. TJ slept in, fished, and did some photography as well. Melissa slept in too and relaxed around camp. Her and Katrina also took some lake water away from shore and helped each other wash their hair. Katrina gave TJ and I shoulder rubs, and I believe some Ibuprofen was shared. We were all tired and pretty beat-- the shoulder rub was welcomed and well earned by both TJ and I. We had good weather and enjoyed each others company around the fire. We watched the group camping on the peninsula adjacent from us swim around and sun bathe on a large protruding boulder in front of their camp. It looked like a nice site, better than ours, but we were more than content with what we had. Our bodies and minds received the rest they desperately needed and all was well.

Today was a good day.