Sawbill to Phoebe
by JGull
We started out at Sawbill Lake, setting off northwest on calm waters from EP#38. We paddled across the lake to the easy 30-rod portage into Alton Lake. We paddled down Alton to descend a comfortable 140-rod portage to Beth Lake. Beth was beautiful with picturesque views all around. We heard there was great fishing to be had there as a fellow paddler reported he caught 100 little bass the day prior. From Beth we embarked on a 285-rod portage to Grace Lake, thankfully this portage was relatively flat and rock free. After catching our breath, we paddled across Grace to a connective stream bringing a series of three short portages and paddles, a couple of which were difficult to find on the way in due to new beaver dams and fallen trees, but thankfully more clear on the way out-mucky appropriately describes this leg of the trip. After a swift 85-rod portage into Phoebe Lake, we began looking for our new home for the next couple nights. We landed a great site on the southwest shore of Phoebe with a view of numerous scenic islands. It was a bit difficult finding a proper tree for the bear pack; we went past the latrine, and with my husband’s skill got the rig setup.