The weatherman gets it totally wrong, as the sun is nowhere to be seen. Although disappointed, I keep a positive outlook for the day as I still hope to make it to Adams lake to do some exploring. I head out after a quick bagel & oatmeal breakfast. My Voyageur map showed 2 portages before reaching Adams lake. I am able to paddle through the mine field of submerged boulders just after entering the creek. Since I am heading 'down' river a couple of beaver dams in this upper section are easily paddled over/through. The first, and only, real portage I encounter is a trail that by passes an impassable set of rapids. It drops steeply but, it is quite short and well worn. The downstream landing shows potential to be quite the mudhole but, I am able to hopscotch on some of the protruding boulders and mostly avoid the muck. There is one last larger beaver dam that I pull over before reaching Adams.

After negotiating the preponderance of twists and turns in the tiny bays in the northern section of the lake, I troll down the western edge of the lake. I spy a group of four just vacating the island site and heading for the Beaver Lake portage as I slowly advance to that destination as well. Neither of the two campsites along this shoreline look too impressive from out on the lake, so I paddle past without further investigation. As I turn into the narrow bay leading to the Beaver Lake portage, high rock bluffs begin to accentuate the scenery.

This portage is one of the more famous in the BWCA, and for good reason. I stash the Black Pearl and my gear out of the way before beginning my exploratory trek across this scenic portage. This end of the trail is level and fairly non descript. Near the mid point of the trail the high rock bluffs close in a bit and there are a few spots where snow and ice are still clearly evident. One of the many highlights of this trail is the man made stone steps that drop down towards Beaver lake. Shortly there after, the trail turns sharply left and follows along the high sheer stone wall to the Beaver lake landing. I endeavor to bushwhack to the top of this daunting escarpment. It's a tough but manageable climb. Somewhat surprisingly, there are multiple piles of mooseplums scattered up here as I work my way up to an absolutely breathtaking overlook of Beaver lake. While on this 'mountain' I spend some quality time with God, once again prayerfully reflecting and sharing my thoughts before heading back down.

Once back at the Adams lake landing, I load up the Black Pearl and paddle over to the now vacated island site. This is an idyllic campsite with a nice landing and open shorelines that provide excellent shore fishing opportunities. The fire grate is nestled in a ring of mature trees of different varieties. There are multiple flat tent pads just outside of the fire grate area and some convenient trails for exploration and fire wood gathering. Really a most beautiful site.

Afterwards I paddle northwards to explore the myriad of bays, fingers and channels catching a few fish while doing so. For a brief spell it looks like the sun may actually make an appearance but, that proves to be wishful thinking and the clouds close up the sky yet again.

As I eventually paddle my way back to Boulder lake I am working against a mostly unnoticeable current. For the most part this is a non-issue but, at a few of the small beaver dams I cannot muster the momentum to push past them and need to get out and pull through. The last one before reaching the lake is located along something of a short rock slide. And as I am pulling the canoe through I do a Laurel & Hardyesque flip onto my back side. Fortunately for me I am 'blessed' with ample posterior padding which helps soften the landing. The water is only 8-10" deep but I immediately find out first hand that it is still uncomfortably cold. I am wet, cold and sore but, all things considered I immediately take an attitude of gratitude and thank God as this mishap could've been alot worse. Especially considering how deep into the wilderness I am when this happened. I shudder to consider having to portage my way out from here with a broken bone or even a severe sprain. I take on a new appreciation for being more conscious of safety from here on out.

Another silver lined aspect of my spill is that I am very close to camp so I am able to quickly paddle over and get into dry clothes. The dry warm change of clothes (Under Armor base layers) feels especially indulgent on this cool crisp evening as I take an exploratory hike around the island. For the most part the woods are reasonably easy to walk through and, correspondingly, the back side of the island shows clear evidence that others have been here. On my way back I find a few more prime cedar logs for firewood processing. As I make my cuts, the bark easily peels away revealing some really cool patterns where the bugs have dug in. Maybe its the fact that I'm solo??? But, contemplating these patterns fascinate me more than they probably should. I enjoy the fruits of my labors as evening sets in. Warm fire, cool drink.

~Boulder Lake, Adams Lake, Beaver Lake