Monday, June 19, 2023 Peter was up early (6-8) trying to catch the elusive lake trout. We had breakfast and were ready to head out when I saw a canoe coming from Tesaker Lake. It was Egknuti, who seemed really focused on fishing. I would hear later that he caught a Laker within minutes of getting on the lake. Ever since I met Shug on Eagle Mountain, I keep wondering who the next celebrity I meet will be, unfortunately, we took off and I did not get to meet the legendary “Trout Whisperer” Egknuti. Egknuti is my hero, he is always posting pictures of trout and grouse on Facebook – nothing like a catch and shoot trip. Hopefully I can get Peter to take me on a catch and shoot! We got back on LLC, and started east hoping to get to Lady Boot Bay. It looked like about a mile straight shot across the big bay to the islands and our route south. I asked Peter if I should stick to the shoreline and he said yes. Then he asked if I felt comfortable cutting straight across! “I sure am,” and we crossed without any trouble. The wind had picked up slightly and was blowing toward shore, and with all that structure, we couldn’t help but catch fish. We worked around the islands catching walleyes, smallmouth, and pike. I tried to get a head start and hooked something huge, but after about a minute, it broke off. I will always wonder what it was and will never know! As I write this, I am wondering if that was the best day of the trip; but upon further thought, every day up there is the best! We continued our journey, heading for LLC campsite #137. When we got there, the beach was sandy, under all the brush and logs, and we caught bass in the area in front of the campsite, but this site needs extensive cleanup before further use. Really sad to see this site in this condition, but many of the lower elevation sites on LLC probably have had the same experience. Next stop is Lady Boot Bay. Our travel was into the wind, which would be a problem by the time we got to the last stretch before Lady Boot. I was tired and the wind was strong. I decided to pull a cyclops down the west shore, and it probably just sat on the bottom, as I was barely making progress. As I paddled, I was watching a small island ahead and to my right. I kept getting farther away. I finally made it to the shallow island that marks the entry of Lady Boot, and I could see people moving on the campsite, which totally demoralized me and since I was now sheltered from the wind, I just stopped paddling and relaxed in the canoe. Peter came towards me to ask if I was OK and I replied, “I quit, I’m not going any farther today,” which really confused him as I was on the water in my canoe. I think he was getting concerned and I said, “I just need a couple minutes and I’ll be fine.” I started paddling again while he fished the drop off ahead. We eventually made it to campsite #156, the site on the hillside. I was happy just to be someplace, but setting up the hammock was extremely difficult. I eventually got everything good, we ate, and I went to sleep. Peter went fishing till dark; I don’t remember him coming back that night.