Falling asleep proved to be quite easy last night. I first awoke at about 5 AM, and my dad coincidentally was awake as well. While it was still dark out, nature called us and we both stepped out to take care of business. There was no frost out at first view, but I was positive it was around 30 F. She was chilly out, but the view was spectacular! The near full-moon dominated the western portion of the sky in its grandeur! Our campsite was the perfect location to witness this amazing lunar event! I went back to bed, and slept in for a couple of more hours. I was pleasantly surprised how well I slept considering the cool conditions. However, as my family and wife can attest, there could be nuclear war going on outside the tent, and I'd still be sleeping through it! :)

We all got up between 6:30-7:30 AM. Dad got the fire going again before any of us got up. One by one, like zombies coming back to life, we began to stumble out of our tents. However, the crisp morning air filling your lungs is an effective way to perk you up so to speak. My brother Jacob had a thermometer with, and at 7 AM it read 28 degrees--sweet!! Despite all of the paddling/portaging we did, and being I haven't done this in over 3 years, my body was primed for anything that came my way. The rest of the party was in high spirits, too. On the menu this morning was pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Again, it was Dad doing the cooking, and we managed to do the eating. We joked again about the wolves, the wrong turns on the way to Ely, and the near-death experiences in the white-caps trying to get to our site! As the rest ate, I took a brief walk to the eastern point of our site. I captured some great photos of the sun rising up over the pine trees and reflecting onto a huge white pine next to me. There was little wind (from the south).

Today was going to be our sight-seeing day. With temperatures forecasted to be around 60 F and sunny skies, we decided this would be the day to go out on an adventure. Our decision? Paddle up the Horse River and fish the Lower Basswood Falls. We quickly cleaned up camp, packed our lunch, took our fishing gear, loaded up the canoe, and shoved off. I was excited to be back in the water. Its nice to be grounded, but Ive always felt that the action of the BWCA is in the water! We left camp at around 9 AM, with the sun starting to creep higher up into the sky.

I was a little nervous about traveling on the Horse River. I'd read a lot about the river levels of the Horse, and most reports said that the river level was low.....well they were right! To get into the river from Horse Lake, we had to pull our canoes through a small channel of submerged rocks...the channel was about three feet widewide enough for one canoe! It was crazy! It was a mix of sun/shade for the first couple of miles of the river. We had to pull over another time in a neat area before the first portage. It was fun trying to maneuver through the rocks, yet a little scary, because getting wet meant an unpleasant day of being cold or worse! Many laughs were shared as we tiptoed the rocks, shimmy-ing the canoes through the light rapids.

There are three actual portages on the Horse River en route to the Falls, and all are easy! On the first portage, a 58-rodder, we saw two freshly-cut deciduous trees downed thanks to beavers! The shavings were everywhere around the tree, and we could hear scurrying in the woodsvery cool! The Horse River is like most rivers in the BWCA....shallow in spots, rocky in othersnot much of a current. We did notice, though, that as we paddled, the river became more shallow. After the 48-rod portage in the middle of the river, we enjoyed a nice, wide stretch of river up to the 73-rod portage. It was there, we saw our first sign of other human life! A man from Maine (I think) was wrapping up week solo trip, returning from the Crooked Lake area! We talked briefly as he was in a hurry to get to South Hegman by tomorrow. Seeing another person out here was fulfilling, because it meant that there are people who share the same desire as the rest of us in being out in this cathedral of nature, deep into October no less!

The end of the 73-rodder was a relief, but the least-enjoyable part of our day was about to begin. About a quarter-mile into the river after the portage, it became so shallow, we had to actually get out and walk our canoes! COLD!!!! WOW!!! The river was sandy in most spots, but mucky/muddy in others. You could easily tell that the rivers level was abnormally low.sand bars extended on both sides of the riverwith everything brown/yellowand seeing all of the sand, it almost looked sort of like being on an African river! I was waiting to see a zebra, wildebeest, or an elephant!! There were several birds, but no signs of moose anywhere. There was about a ½ mile stretch where it was paddle/push, but then, it was over with.

After our trudging, the river opened up and we could hear Lower Basswood Falls! The wind was starting to pick up a tad, and we quickly paddled across the opened stretch of water. We made landfall on the Canadian side on the 12-rod portage around the Falls. As soon as the canoe touched the shoreline, I hopped out of the canoe, pulled Jeff up, and sprinted up the hill to check things out. Even though I've read that the falls havent been as spectacular due to low water levels, I was not disappointed. What an incredible sight! I can't imagine people trying to actually canoe down these things! Why?? We all took in the moment, and we were happy we made the trek to see these falls. We had a nice quick lunch of PB-J sandwiches, summer sausage, granola bars, dried fruit, Pringles, and our specially brewed Kool-Aid! It hit the spot, as that paddling/portaging/sludging worked up an appetite for me. We arrived at around noon, and we discussed the fact that since sunset was at 6:07, we needed to leave no later than 3 PM to get to camp by sunset.

Following lunch, it was time to FISH! We were all optimistic because wed heard so much about the fishing here. However, we were greatly saddened as NOBODY caught a single thing! It didnt matter, though, because we enjoyed the time there! Ben, Chris, and Jeff took a canoe out beyond the base of the falls, while Jacob, Dad, and I cast our lines from shore...didn't even get a nibble all afternoon. Dad and Jacob took quick cat-naps, as the temps soared! It got up to 62 F that day....a real treat...so much in fact, Dad decided to take advantage of the heat wave by taking a dip in the southern end of Crooked Lake, just a few feet beyond the base of the falls. Not originally knowing for sure if he was serious, Dad stripped down to his boxers and scouted the scene to find the perfect diving rock/lake area to dive into. At first, he had second thoughts of this venture, as he debated whether or not this would be a wise decision on his part. After about 10 minutes of deep thinking, he took the bull by the horns and dove right in! Unbelievable! A WHOO could be heard for miles I'm sure, as my dad responded to the cooler-than-average human swimming water he just dove into! We all laughed as he splashed around like a child in a bathtub, but he made it out of the water, dried off, and said he didn't regret doing it! Thats my dad!

After all of the commotion, seeing the sights around the Falls, and the time spent fishing, we lost track of the time. We looked at the time. YIKES...3:15 PM. We quickly packed up our stuff. Right before we left, we took some photos with the falls in the background. I so want to stay in this area somedaymaybe with my family....maybe with my son someday....such an exciting part of the BWCA! I love the sound of rapids! As I took my last photo, I paused to think of all of the people who've passed through this point....the BWCA cancers...the DNR/Forest Rangers....the traders....the Indians....a pretty historic place left as it has been for centuries!.You don't get that anywhere else in Minnesota outside of the BWCA!

We frantically paddled away from the falls and returned to the mucky-portion of the Horse River. This was the first time on the whole trip that I started to not enjoy it! I was sore, tired, and I didnt want to paddle/drag the canoe through much. Since Jeff carried the canoe all of the time and kindly pulled the canoe most of the time on the way to the falls, I did the pulling in the muck on the way back to camp. YUCK....what a mess...but the worst part was just the cold water...it felt like a thousand pins pricking your feet all at once. Ben and Chris were having a hard time getting through the shallow part of the river.I had hoped this part of the day didnt ruin their whole experience....the BWCA really tests your patience and attitude sometimes.this was one of those times!

As we got past the first of our three portages, the wind would pick up and die down out of the south. The sun was still in our favor about halfway to camp. After the middle portage, it became tricky to see sometimes because the sun at times was behind trees, creating really difficult shadows upon the river, making submerged logs/rocks hard to see. We all got hung up a few times, but had no close calls or anything. Going in a southwesterly direction, we, at times, faced directly into the sun, which is not easy either when youre on the water. However, at about 5 PM, the wind suddenly died, and it again became warm! We even saw water beetles/gnats/mosquitoes that were thick as thieves for the last two miles of the Horse River. CRAZY! We did the final portage and the pullovers with relative ease. I snapped many photos during this stretch, because the sights were fantastic! I wanted to capture this moment and keep it forever.....is there anything better than being out on BWCA water to see the moments prior to a sunset?? Ill never forget that two mile stretch of paddling!

When we made it to Horse Lake after the final slim-channeled pullover, it was a few minutes before 6 PM! We made it before the official sunset. Jeff and I cast a few lines into the lake on our way back to camp, but had no success. When we all arrived at camp, we quickly got things set up for supper. We hauled up the table canoe to set things up therefired up the fire, and Dad opened up his fine-dining establishment once again. On the menu tonight were brats, au-gratin potatoes, and chocolate pudding. It was good filler food, and the potatoes really hit the spot.againI never eat those unless we are in the BWCA.weird!

As the sky quickly went from bright, to semi-light, to dark, we did our chores, cleaned things up, built a toasty fire, and again sipped hot cocoa, ate smores, and told more stories. We briefly complained of not catching any fish, but soon laughed at the fact that we spent the entire day paddling/pushing canoes/fishing without catching fish....and that we could be doing far WORSE things....we had a lot to be thankful for. The weather was sunny and warm all day. I think it made some people in the group sleep a little easier!!!

Tonight, I brought some hand warmer packets into my sleeping bag just in case I needed them. Dad and I talked briefly before I passed out. It was all that I hoped for in a day in the BWCA with my family, especially on our way back to camp. Seeing insects again was a sign that an Indian Summer was trying to become a reality. The actual full moon was in full force later in the evening. We awaited the chorus of wolves, but they must have had a concert at a lake not adjacent to ours. Oh well...beggars can't be choosers.