Another exceedingly warm day. Since we only have one portage today, we are in no hurry. The portage out affords a breathtaking view of Lima Mountain off in the distance, as the full splendor of the Misquah hills are unveiled across this rolling landscape. It's picturesque scenes like this that make this area so visually appealing, yet, also contributes to why so many people stay away - due to the steep terrain/difficulty of the portages.

Vickie & Aurora both grab a few more rocks before loading up. We use the south Brule road to hook back up with the Gunflint Trail. From there we head to Sven & Ole's for pizza & cold drinks. And since it's still quite early, much to the girls delight, we spend some time in Grand Marais shopping and browsing at some of the craft stores.

Another favorite post trip stop for me is Caribou Falls (just south of Schroeder). The parking lot has just been enlarged and improved with pavement and a pit toilet. The trails have also been widened. Usually this falls has been largely overlooked, since it's not in a State Park but, I suspect these new improvements will add to it's popularity.

Obviously the weather was a quite a bit warmer than we would have hoped for on a spring trip and, we didn't get to camp on Little Trout Lake. But, I think we still managed to make the most of the cards we were dealt and I thank God for allowing me to spend some quality time with the people I love most in the area (BWCAW) I love most. Although...., I'm still intrigued by the trail cut through the woods on Ram Lake.