Having decided the afternoon before to make it back to an EP today, I knew I had my work cut out for me. Ahead of me were 4 tough portages between Town Lake and Brule Lake, and then 7-8 miles of paddling a lake where winds can be a huge factor. I pushed off early under overcast skies, determined to beat the heat of the day I knew was once again coming. The first portage from Town into Vesper is uphill the entire length, filled with rocks, rocks, and more rocks. It was slippery and slow progress, except the part where the portage went through the most mosquito filled low and wet area in all the world (or so it seemed). In that area I went as quickly as possible! I didn't take many notes about the other portages, but they all had their challenges, mostly related to rocks, poor footing, mud or standing water and narrow or non-existent trails. The portage put-ins and take-outs ranged from boulder strewn to mudholes and often presented some of the biggest challenges of the portages. At some point a light to medium rain began falling and last for quite some time. That didn't help my footing, but it kept the temperatures down so I only had to deal with the 100% humidity. I still ended up being an absolute sweaty mess!

When I finally made it to Brule, I was giddy to see that the lake looked like glass. Does that really happen on a lake this size? Apparently it does! As I progressed east across the lake, time and time again I kept thinking how damn beautiful this lake was. The topography around it, the many islands and points on the west end, the clear water- they all wrapped me up in their beauty and helped push my exhausted self towards an exit. When I got back towards Jack Mock Point, I made what at first felt like a strange decision. I decided to head to EP 40 instead of EP 41 as it was shorter and didn't involve any more portaging. It did mean I had to walk from EP 40 back to my vehicle at Homer Lake, but by then my foot had been through so much that day that adrenaline and nature-infused happiness would be enough to get me through it. The overcast skies broke when I was about 2 miles from the parking area at Brule Lake, and by the time I arrived there, temps were headed up quickly. The landing and parking area were very busy, with several groups getting ready to head out onto the lake, and others packing up their gear to leave.

The walk along the gravel road was about 2 miles and I did run out of water about halfway through my walk, but I had water in the car, so I wasn't concerned. The walk gave me a chance to decompress from the day of portaging and paddling and to think about what I would do different, whether I would ever choose to go on a solo trip again, and what the hell my wife was going to say now that I was coming home 2 days earlier than planned. I can honestly say looking back that I did enjoy this trip, and despite the challenges I faced (some real, some blown way out of proportion by my overly active mind), I will certainly try another solo trip in the future.