I pulled into the parking lot midway through the afternoon. I would be entering by myself, catching up to the majority of the group already set up on Swamp Lake. We were parking our cars at Nor'Wester lodge, which was a perfect launching off point on Poplar Lake. I had a new sled setup this year: a toboggan with plastic runners used on dogsleds. There was little snow this year, so I debated bringing both usual pairs of snowshoes (a set of classics for the lakes and moderns for the portages). I strapped them and all of my gear on the sled and pulled down to the lake. The windswept snow on the ice surface was hard-packed: I wouldn't need snowshoes yet. My friends' tracks were just barely visible in the snow, vanishing in the numerous patches of bare ice. I followed them along down the lake, into the back bay, and to the portage into Swamp. The sun was setting as I made my way across, and I got into camp just before dark. The tent was well set, and the home fire was burning. It was a lovely conclusion to the first day of another winter adventure.~Poplar Lake, Swamp Lake