After a quick check to confirm we were still all-in, maybe half hoping someone would argue for the turn back option, we set off on day 2 with hopes of skirting the border, avoiding daily rations of maple syrup locked up in a Canadian immigration jail, and getting through Knife and on to Ottertrack Lake, beyond the halfway point in the crossing. Snow overnight was light but continued to fall as we packed up and reluctantly pushed off. Was it this island or that one where Dorothy doled out the root beer? Knowing we had a long day and little or no sled dog trails to guide us, we looked, but kept moving. Between the new snow and no dog track pack, we met tough going that actually got worse as the day drug on. Since we’d made 14-16 miles the day before, we were willing to stop at 8, 3PM either way. Let’s tell it like it is, Knife is a big lake. A 9 AM start and 6 hours on the ice and we were struggling as we crossed. By 3 PM, we could see the shores closing together from either side but were nearin total exhaustion, the kind were you see stars and feel faint. A shallow bay to the portage seemed to go on forever and required refueling stops to get to the end. Wet snow made the skis basically long snowshoes with great brakes. As soon as we’d crossed to Ottertrack, it was clear that we had no more gas in the tank, so we set up camp between the portage and campsite once we had crossed over. Getting set up and making water for supper was all we could manage. Again, we agreed to rest our aging bodies and make the big decision in the morning, based on the snow that continued to dust our tents. ~Knife Lake, Ottertrack Lake