A little light rain fell on our tents in the wee hours of the morning. But by the time we got up, the sky was blue again. This picture looks down the little bay where our campsite was hidden on Sawbill -

With just a couple miles to paddle out to our cars, we were in no hurry this morning,. We had coffee and breakfast, and Piwi and I went exploring along the bay shore. Here's a scene from our kitchen area -

By and by we got on the water and paddled south down the lake. Conditions were much more benign than yesterday afternoon. The birches on the shore told us summer was ending -

A final picture of me with my trusty stern companion -

And Neil and Lynda -

In short order we were back at Sawbill Campground. It was a hub of activity, with groups starting and ending trips.

The four of us had decided that we would finish our own trip with a lunch at the Trestle Inn. If you have never been there, it is an unlikely spot in the middle of nowhere (even by the standards of this remote region) on the network of gravel "highways" between Lake Superior and the Boundary Waters. We loaded up the cars and got underway, cruising down the back roads and kicking up clouds of dust. But when we made the final turn onto Lake County Highway 7, we promptly ran into a "Road Closed" sign. We couldn't get to the Trestle Inn from here. At least not directly.

We conferred and figured we could still get there via a lengthy detour over other back roads. Since we had our hearts set on it, and there was not really any other option before we parted ways with the Spartans heading down to the North Shore and us going back to Ely, we decided the detour was a worth it. Somewhat later than anticpated, we arrived at our destination, where we enjoyed some nice cold beers with our hamburgers.

Over lunch we thought back over our trip. It had been a good journey. David and I really enjoyed getting to know Neil and Lynda better and sharing this experience with them. Piwi obviously did too - the Spartans showed so much sweet affection for her. It was too bad that our friends did not get to stay at the Twin Points campsite again. Instead they had some adventures they hadn't counted on when the trip began. But I think we all agreed, that's what canoeing in the wilderness is all about.

Total distance paddled Day 7: 2.4 miles.