With our plans altered and another night on Cherokee ahead, we slept in, loafed around, drank a lot more coffee and headed toward North Temperance for lunch.

The portage from Cherokee was backed up and we had to wait a half hour for The Yeti Boys to get off the landing and head east. During that time, a solo paddler zipped in ahead of us, crowded onto the landing and pushed through The Yeti Boys. After we finally got up the stairs, we started picking up various items like a net, a glove, a bandana. The Yeti Boys were unloading into Sitka and were glad to receive their gear again. Following these guys through the woods wouldn't be hard, but it would be frustrating.

The portage from Cherokee to Sitka isn't easy, but it's also not nearly as bad as some have made it out to be, especially when you're not carrying gear. We made it onto N. Temperance, passing a few other folks, including one elderly couple struggling to move that I was seriously concerned about.

N. Temperance was packed. Every site full, canoes roaming around like it was central park. The Temperances are beautiful lakes, but when they're full, it's just not the same. We found an island in the north of the lake, had lunch, and then headed back to Cherokee.

I went back into the woods to gather firewood after we returned to camp. I've never had so many gnats around me. The swamp behind our campsite was a breeding ground. Thankfully, the hill our fire grate was on provided a nice breeze that kept the buggers in the woods.

The lake calmed down to glass that evening as we enjoyed a lazy evening at camp.

~Cherokee Lake, North Temperance Lake