Day 7. Sunday, August 20 The Day of the Headwind Poohbah to Tanner-11.78 miles/3 portages (45R, 35R, 81R) and a stream walk

We woke up at 530am to a pink sky.

The wind started at 600am and blew in our faces all day hard until it died around 500pm. We had Ova eggs with garlic and shallots and summer sausage for breakfast. Ova eggs are very good, better than any others we have tried. Really, give it a shot. We paddled out of camp at around 815am into a stiff headwind (Did I already say that?) and back down the windy marsh of Poohbah Creek, reversing our route along the portages and streams. It was more straight forward this time, given we knew were the challenges were. We hit the Maligne at noon and paddled in to a full-on headwind with waves. We lunched on a midriver island with an eagle entertaining us overhead, then headed to Tanner Lake to find a camp. It took us 1.5 hours to go three miles in the wind. We landed at a camp near the dam and unloaded the boats, but after exploring for a bit and being absolutely swarmed by mosquitoes midday, in a stiff wind we decided to fish for a while and then check out a different camp on a nearby island. I caught several nice bass in the pools below the dam and kept the smallest one for dinner. We shot over to the nearby island and found a delightful, grassy south facing camp with very few mosquitoes, so we set up in the shade and cooked a coffee cake in preparation for breakfast, while the wind slowly lessened. A boat with three guys paddled by and then turned behind the island toward the Eat ‘em up portage. This had been the original next step in the plan for us until the rangers warned us off by saying the portage crew had just been through and reported there were long sections with knee to waist deep mud, so we decided to paddle round to Darkwater Lake through Minn but it’s added a day to our trip. Tony thinks we can make it in one day but I am doubtful or I am at least doubtful that I want to. . .Anyway, we went for swim and had an excellent dinner of Pad Thai noodles with pan fried bass. Scrumptious! After dinner, I caught three bass from shore and then we went for an evening fish-about but there were very few takers, just a few medium sized bass, one walleye, and a pike. The wind died and the sky cleared as we raced the mosquitoes to the tent at 830pm for reading and crosswords. Tony and I agreed it was a perfect day of some paddling, some portaging, some fishing, a swim, a pleasant camp, and dinner. A nice balanced day in the Quetico, without the wind that is.

Day 8. Monday, August 21 Tanner to Minn to Darkwater-16.05 miles/9 portages (20R-15R-15R-15R-53R-80R-39R-68R57R) and 3 river walks

We woke up at 645am to a full on white-out of mist.

We had hot drinks and coffeecake for breakfast and launched at 900am after the mist lifted and things had damp-dried. We headed down to Tanner rapids which was not much of a portage, more of a hop around. I caught a large pike below the rapids but it snapped my line and swam off with my hula. I always feel bad when that happens, for the fish that is. . . We paddled in the dead calm to the start of the Darkwater River and over 3-4 successive beaver bog hops, (I lost count) finally getting to where we could paddle a bit. There was lots of loading and unloading the boat, for the little mucky, mosquito infested progress. It surely doesn’t appear that this route is well traveled and while it was a pain-in-the-butt, it was very beautiful, lots of lily pads and water flowers. We saw an eagle, geese, ducks, lots of frogs, small and large, two ubiquitous beavers, and one large wolf scat in the middle of the portage. We had lunch on Minn Lake at around 130pm and then pushed onward up the river. We walked up the first portage and then it appeared the second two were combined. Regardless, we moved on to more marsh paddling and nine portages in total, the second to the last, though short required us to pass the boat down a step section and then walk up a small rapid. The final portage before Darkwater Lake was a tired but lovely walk along the river, as it rushed by, tumbling over rocks and downed trees. (Sorry not to be exact but there were so many in hindsight they blended together.) We saw lots of bass in the river before it started to rain (400pm). We paddled on from the last portage to lake in a light to medium rain and looked around for a camp. The first we explored, was on the top of a knob, and was too exposed for the weather so we grabbed a large island site with a view in both directions. We were feeling a little wet, tired, and cold as we set up the fly. The rain stopped long enough for us to pitch the tent and make dinner. ChiliMac made more palatable by a baked apple cobbler chaser. We had a cup of tea and hit the tent at dark with a little rain spitting at us. It was a long but satisfying day of travel.

Day 9. Tuesday, August 22 Darkwater to Brent 8.38 miles-3 portages (26R/191R/20R) and a pond paddle

There was one loud crack of thunder in the night but very little rain. We broke our damp camp with hot drinks and oatmeal.

We heading off down the lake (with a worrisome tailwind and clear skies) in search of the reported Best Pictographs in the Quetico. I was resistant to the windy side trip and am reported to have stated vehemently, “I’m here to fish!” A tense statement for sure, that I am still kidded about months later. . .So, we first found pictograph and moved upwind to the site with the moose, little canoes, and sun. Pretty cool. By the time we turned around at 1000am, we got to retrace our steps into a stiff headwind complete with whitecaps forming on the lake and clouds blowing overhead madly. We were relieved to turn into the Darkwater River and ease up on paddling as the wind blew us down to the first portage, not much more than a pop around a rapid. Sun and no wind greeted us on the other side as we made the pond paddle to the next portage. By now the dark clouds were blowing ominously overhead. The portage was long but kinda average Quetico fare, mostly walking, mingled with some muddy sections, some rocky sections, and the occasional nice view of falls and ponds. Saw a large moose track in the mud and another wolf scat on the trail. It rained on us a bit but blew through. We paddled the pond to the last short portage and spent a few minutes catching small bass in the hole below the rapid. It was quite entertaining as they would go for just about anything and you could see them hitting the plastics in the clear water. We made the portage to the other side just as the next storm hit, so we sat nestled under a large pine and had lunch while it blew on through. The sun came out again and we loaded our boat and fished the inlet. Tony was killing it with white flukes, and caught several large bass while I grabbed a couple of smaller versions. Really dark clouds were moving overhead now, so we turned and started stroking hard for the closest camp across the lake, pausing first to put on our raingear as the first drops turned into a windy deluge. Stroking hard now we turned toward the peninsula camp and simultaneously saw a boat approaching from down lake. Not knowing if they were headed for the same spot we agreed we’d invite them in or if they were already camped there hoped they’d be willing to let us wait out the storm with them. As we landed we saw the camp was empty but it was raining so hard and blowing through the camp that we had to wait it out huddled together in our raingear until there was a lull long enough for us to erect the fly. We never saw the other boat after we turned toward camp. I took a quick walk to the point to try to wave them in but I’m not sure if they continued on or turned back to another camp? After a bit, the sky cleared again and we set up the tarp and brewed up a cup of hot chocolate as the next storm blew in with more wind and rain. This pattern continued until around 500pm when there was enough calm to set up the tent. Wearing our hats and puffy jackets and raingear to stay warm, we made BBQ chicken pizza for dinner and finished up the last of the apple cobbler from last night. We watched the sunset and went to bed around 830 to read, write, and warm up. We’re feeling pretty damp and hoping we can dry out tomorrow. The weather seems more stable at the moment