As promised, right after breakfast we paddled over to grab Auroras’ coveted walking stick at the landing for the portage to Peter Lake. Of course this was right on our way to our day tripping destination, Little Saganaga Lake (Lil’ Sag’).

Lil’ Sag’ is, without a doubt, truly one of the crown jewels of the BWCA. I know that the portage in from Mora Lake gets all the hype but, for my money, the vertical trail in from Virgin Lake is the best way to unveil Lil’ Sag’ to first timers (like Vickie & Aurora were). And, as if on cue, after cresting the hill - an eagle soaring high over this island studded masterpiece dramatically emphasized the point.

Out on the lake, as we traveled SE towards the scenic Mora Lake portage, I drifted slightly off course. This error afforded us an opportunity to pull off at a very nice campsite to reconnoiter. The elevated vantage provided a clear, expansive view westward across the pine crested islands and beyond. I lounged in the aura of this impressive scene, enjoying a Clif bar while Vickie brought Aurora back to the potty.

Once we re-orientated ourselves, we quickly found our way to the famed Lil’ Sag’ – Mora portage trail.

The water was as high as I’ve seen it while at this portage. And, as one might expect, the rapids and swiftly rushing water did not disappoint. It was Aurora who pointed out some of the less obvious signs of beauty that were also right in front of our noses. This is always one of the most fascinating aspects of tripping with a child. What is gonna trip their trigger? It never ceases to amaze me at how attentive she really is.

Our stomachs were beginning to rumble…. So, after pushing off from the portage landing, we scouted for an accommodating spot (i.e. campsite) to pull off and have lunch. We were hopeful of finding something that also provided Aurora a safe, open area to play. The first few sites we passed didn’t seem to fit the bill for one reason or another. A playful otter family briefly kept us entertained, before we settled on the island site at the entrance to the bay leading to Elm Lake.

In short order Vickie had the tortellini boiling, while I rigged up one of the fishing poles. Vickie told me to keep an eye on lunch while she brought Aurora back to the potty. No sooner had they gotten into the woods when the sky opened up and it started raining. As I stood over our pot & stove, I could see blue sky a short distance away so I wasn’t too concerned. Looking out at the lake, I was perplexed at how it seemed the water looked like it was almost boiling. The light bulb finally went off when I realized it was hailing! I scurried under a nearby spruce tree and waited the storm out.

Vickie & Aurora were doing the same thing a little deeper in the woods. Fortunately, the hail wasn’t much bigger than pea sized & the downfall only lasted 5 minutes or so. But, another shorter blast followed soon after. After the excitement we enjoyed our lunch while keeping a wary eye on the weather. As we headed back the weather was quite fickle, keeping us on edge. [paragraph break]

Thankfully Lil’ Sags’ many islands provided shelter from the unpredictable winds that seemed to whip up without warning. The weather never got really serious, but at one point we did have to scold Aurora about staying seated. This was the first time we needed to be really stern with her. Fortunately this worked out to be an on-the-fly teaching opportunity without a serious consequence.

Although, regarding proper behavior in the canoe & on portages, we vowed to be more proactive, by trying to give her proper instruction before we were in the midst of a situation. We changed it up on the return trip, taking the Rattle Lake route back to Gabi’. The portages were short and straight forward, skirting around a series of cascading rapids.

By the time we finished the 30 rod portage, the wind calmed & blue skies had returned for good. We were even confident enough to try a little fishing. And, circled westward around the large island before returning to camp.[paragraph break]

Up to this point Aurora had been a real trooper. Even when her eye was nearly swollen shut from a bug bite, she never complained. But, tonight she was starting to talk more about her yellow blankie & toys we’d left in the van. Figuring that perhaps we were pushing her a little too hard, we decided to just stay in, or very close to, camp tomorrow & let her recharge a bit.[paragraph break]

Yet again we were treated to a vivid color drenched sunset. Perhaps because we’d already decided that tomorrow would be a lazy day, this wound up being our latest night of the trip. So, after Aurora was asleep, Vickie & I stayed up enjoying the undemanding quiet time together.

Gabimichigami Lake, Peter Lake, Virgin Lake, Little Saganaga Lake, Rattle Lake

Daily travels, 5 portages totaling 254 rods.