Friday, June 08, 2012 What was unique to us on this trip so far was we were now in our third day in the BW and had not portaged our heavy packs yet! Our campfire talk last night was to cover some ground, see some sights, and still travel light. There was a relatively easy loop that we figured we’d try today. In an attempt to beat the afternoon heat we left camp about 7:30 and set off on a counter-clockwise loop. We found the big part of Brule to once again be a peaceful and welcoming water as we headed east. Quite a distance from shore we were delighted to find mama merganser and 4 ducklings going about their business. Our direction of travel took us past them and she was a little drill sergeant keeping those four in line and ordering changes in their left/right order of march. It made us wonder how often this sight is seen so far from shore and if there had, at one time, been a few more little ones that had now become fish food.

We entered the bay that led to Lilly Lake and proceeded through Mulligan. The portage north brought us to a pretty but shallow and mucky bottomed little water that was a struggle for our lightened canoe to travel through. We left this “mud paddle” and were part of a mosquito feast on a long portage into Wannigan Lake. After a short paddle we headed west portaging into Cliff Lake. It was here that the threatening dark clouds finally chose to let it rain. It became on/off but was the kind that it was a hard enough rain when it came down you needed rain gear or you’d get soaked. For a while it became a costume change with the raingear until it finally passed by us.

Cliff Lake was paddled in a heavier rain. The north wall is certainly a steep rock face. It left me wishing to visit it again on a sunnier day.

The portage into North Cone left me puzzled. My map shows a 147 rd portage but it has to be longer than that. There is considerable up and down travel and footing is tough with the rock lined trail. Maybe it just seems longer because I had to take more care with foot placement. Rocks were still wet and I wasn’t about to take an uncalled for spill and land on my shoulder or crack my head open.

Once we hit North Cone Lake we were done portaging anyway since we were able to canoe into Mid and South Cone Lakes with little problem. We entered Cone Bay greeted by a nice breeze and the rain had now passed by. After about 5 hours we were back in camp for lunch. A great lazy afternoon doing camp chores, reading, resting, and enjoying the breeze to keep the bugs off us.