I got up before sunrise on our last morning at our Lake Agnes camp. The eastern sky was soon ablaze with color -

We were pretty efficient packing up this morning - for us. We hit the water about 9:00 and paddled across the south end of Agnes to the mouth of the Nina Moose River.

Fall colors at the confluence of river and lake -

A little while later we got to the first of the two portages on the way to Nina Moose Lake. This picture looks back downstream from the portage landing -

A view of the river alongside the portage -

A little more paddling brought us to the second portage. The upstream end of this portage is pretty scenic. This is the drop-off in the river where the portage begins -

Looking downstream -

Your correspondent, enjoying the scene -

Piwi looking around -

Along one of these two portages we were passed by a father-and-son duo heading into the wilderness. They were single portaging and moving along at a good clip. But I was content to be heading in the other direction, back home. Based on the weather report before we left, the few days of Indian summer we had enjoyed on this trip were about to come to an abrupt end. We could not have asked for better conditions for an October trip. I was happy to paddle out while the weather was still great.

The wind had been gathering force from the southeast all morning, however, and we still had to paddle into it across Nina Moose Lake. But we were able to stay sheltered most of the way behind the large point that bisects the north half of the lake. As we crossed from the end of the point to the south shore, a solo paddler came into view in the southern lee. He was following the shore fishing, and though our paths almost intersected, they didn't quite. So we just passed nearby in silence, leaving him to his solo world.

A little further on we passed by the solo paddler's campsite, and then headed for another site just west of the mouth of the Portage River for an early lunch. Everyone always says that Nina Moose is an unremarkable lake that you should just hurry through on your way to Agnes and the border lakes. But on this October trip it was a beautiful place to be. I could easily imagine making it a destination for an easy solo this time of year. That solo paddler drifting quietly along shore in the autumn breeze seemed to be onto something.

We took a few pictures from our lunch site. Looking across the mouth of the Portage River -

Autumn grasses -

The western shore -

Piwi -

Looking toward the mouth of the Moose River, where we headed next -

After lunch we made our way back up the Moose River toward the entry point. The wind was really gusting now, so we were glad we had crossed Nina Moose Lake earlier in the day. The last mile on the river seemed to take a long time with all the extra portaging around the obstructions from the burst beaver dam.

Finally we made it to the half-mile portage back to the parking lot. The first part of the portage traveling in this direction goes pretty steadily uphill, but it was a very pleasant autumn walk. On our second trip across with the rest of our gear, we heard shotgun fire from further up the trail. Soon we crossed paths with a grouse hunter working the portage. I told him that Piwi had probably already flushed all the birds further down the trail. But we all agreed that it was a beautiful day to be walking in the woods no matter what.

We finished the last leg of the portage around 2:30, loaded up the Jeep, and headed down the Echo Trail with the windows cracked open and WELY on the radio. Forty-five minutes later, we were home.

That night a front moved through, and temperatures started dropping. We had highs around 70 every day of our trip, with lots of sunshine. Soon after we got back, the highs were in the forties, with lots of rain. A week later, we had our first snow. We were lucky to get out on a short trip during the last warm days before a long cold winter. Now, as I finish this report in early April, there's still several feet of snow on the ground. But the thaw has started. Even if ice-out comes late this year, it's just a few weeks away. I can't wait to go on the next canoe trip.

Distance traveled on Day 4 (including double portages): 12.4 miles.