Day 6: 2 Miles, 1 Portage (12 Rods) 1 River, 1 Lake

~Crooked Lake, Basswood River

We haven't used our layover/rain day yet, so I opt for a new campsite and a trip up the Basswood River to see Basswood Falls and glimpse Basswood Lake. We pack up, hit the portage, and find the open campsite in the back of the bay straight across from the Lower Basswood Falls Portage.It is a good campsite, but I have a feeling it is used least of any in the vicinity of the Falls. There must have been some high winds 'round these parts within the last year. Lost of small trees snapped off 1-4 feet off the ground. The site has a great latrine path with a newer latrine. Fine open area out front, and nicely shaded in back. There is a nice waterfront trail going toward the back of the bay with a large rock that could be used as an elevated tent pad if one wanted supreme privacy. There was something about that rock.. Familiar? Like there was a presence there. I saw the trail widen and keep going. I think an old portage that would exit near the Horse River, but I never found out. There was a foul smell, so I stopped walking. It was a dead crow in the trail. It felt like a barrier. I know it sounds odd, but after the feeling I got at the rock, the dead crow in the path could have been predicted. Especially after visiting the pictographs the day before.

The power in the waters of the Basswood River is not to be taken lightly. There is an extremely powerful current here. We never made it to Wheelbarrow Portage. We were too uncomfortable with the boiling current here. We saw 4 canoes go upriver and never return, so it must be passable. We didn't want to risk it. I would consider going downstream in the future, but that was the end of the line on this journey.

Back at camp, the first thing you may notice about this site, if you've been here in the past is the lawn furniture around the fire grate. It looks like a 30 year old rotted pile of rubbish. I saw some straight Jack Pine laying on the ground by the Mystic Rock. I'm going to improve this site! I cut a 10" diameter log about 10 feet long and got it to camp by flipping it the long way, over and over. The second log was only about 8" diameter and I shouldered that 10 footer back to camp. I saw a 12+" diameter Jack standing dead, so I pushed it over and cut off a couple of 2' chunks for end risers. I notched a riser and set up 2 old bench logs on it. Perfect fit. A little low, but an improvement from the last benches. Now for the second bench. I set up the second riser and test fitted the two 10' logs I cut. Notched them and set it back in place for the perfect BW double log bench. We thought we could do better with the rocks around the grate, but.... Well, I sure hope there's someone out there that is as good with rock as I am with logs! We did our best.

A nice fire from the pyro team to break it all in, and off to bed for a big day tomorrow. Noises in the night... Squeaky chewing noises by the stashed Seal Line food pack made me think of a bear chewing into the rubber pack. Something slaps the water the full length of the bay. At the end, a loon reveals itself with an eerie call. Twigs snapping in the woods. An enlongated splash at the camp landing. Something getting out of the water. That was a strange night for wilderness noises.