Once again was up with the sunrise and enjoyed the fog melting off the water. Everything looks so serene in the golden light. Was hanging out at the end of the peninsula when I saw a beaver head go by. As it turns out, there’s a beaver lodge across the finger on the west side of the site. We watched two beavers frolic in the water for about 30-45 minutes before they opted to head for bed. Breakfast was rehydrated hashbrowns, eggs, and bacon. I’d had problems finding dry hashbrowns at home, so I ended up dehydrating my own. Turned out fairly well, just a little chewy in a few spots. Saw our first canoe of the morning while enjoying breakfast.

The plan for today was to head over to Winchell to see the cliffs. We ran into another group on the portage. Apparently the group before us had seen both a moose and a bear on the trail. No such luck for us, but the portage was a real treat after the previous day. We cruised around the northern finger of Winchell, being entertained by another loon. When we got down to the main body of the lake, the wind was up again. Without all of the gear in the canoe, it felt a bit unstable and we quickly agreed that a short trip on Winchell would be about it. Got to see the cliffs and then headed back to the shelter of the northern finger. Puttered around there again before taking the portage back to Omega.

We then opted to do a loop of Omega. Figured out where our portage was for the next day and otherwise just enjoyed the scenery. I can see why so many folks really like this lake. Headed back to our site for lunch and then just hung out the rest of the day. Had another pair of loons which cruised around in front of the site for an hour or so.

Given how few folks we’d seen previously, we were surprised by the number of canoes out that day. There were several groups that were disappointed to discover our site occupied. Last one was a group of 3 canoes with 6 people who cruised by around 7pm, just as the light was starting to fade. I’m pretty sure Omega was full that night and I would not want to be hunting for a site with that large of a group that late.

The clouds had moved in, so no sunset or stargazing that night. Before we left, we knew there was a chance of rain later in our trip, so we hung the tarp to stash our gear just in case. Turned out to be a good move as it rained lightly overnight.

~Omega Lake, Winchell Lake