7 lakes, 5 portages

We kept dry and warm all night, but there was a "hill" under my back and that, combined with morning dampness, resulted in a morning backache.

We were up at 6:10, had a quick oatmeal breakfast, and broke camp. Sometime in the night it quit blowing, although we had misty rain upon rising. The water was very calm and the wind just began to pick up as we were leaving. We paddled across Brule Lake in medium to medium-heavy chop, swells 6-12 inches.

Paddled through a lovely stream to South Cone Lake, and took the 25-rod portage to Mid-Cone, where we saw our first strawberries in bloom, and also elderberry bushes at the start of the rocky carry. The portage from Mid-Cone to North Cone is NOT 5 rods, as the map says, but more like one and a half. Still, it was a challenge, as there was no good place to get back in! North Cone is a pretty lake and needs a campsite. We saw a likely spot!

The 160-rod portage to Cliff Lake was rocky and muddy, with many places where the trees hung with moss. I had never seen this in the BWCA, so I needed to take a picture! When I had just finished up a roll of film photographing such a tree, Neil called to me that he had seen a grouse with chicks on the trail. Again, no photo! [In later years he took his own camera, and that missed photo might not have happened.]

Cliff Lake is scenic. It is well-named, with high cliffs on two sides, but especially to the north.

The 14-rod portage to Wanihigan is very rocky and has a nice little rapids at the end.

The next portage, a 14-rod one to Winchell, is also rocky.

We blew along Winchell with considerable wind-assist (the wind was now from the west) to the eighth campsite, the one on the point. It is a lovely site overlooking the 300 foot high Misquah Hills, and with a private bay out back. There seemed to be a resident loon, also. The weather was trying to clear when we stopped. There was a couple with a friendly yellow lab at the site when we arrived, but they explained that they were camped back on the other end of the lake and just taking a break, so we stayed and set up camp. They continued to paddle down to the end of the lake and then paddled all the way back on the cliff side. I photographed them under the cliff to give some idea of the massive hill in our view.

Our packs were hung on a huge widow-maker tree, and we watched the sun play on the hills and turn the trees varying shades of green as sunset approached. Of course we had high hopes that all of the bad weather was behind us! The sky still looked very "iffy".