The heavy dew from the night before had left everything the following morning soaking wet but the sun that rose into a cloudless sky quickly dried it all and we knew we were in for another great day. During our bacon and eggs breakfast it was decided that our campsite was good enough for another night. That would mean we wouldn't have to strike camp or travel anywhere with loaded canoes this day and could just enjoy the whole day with some fishing, daytrips or just relaxing at camp. Doug, Amanda, Tyler and Macki voted to just hang out at camp and maybe try some fishing nearby while Sarai, Kari, Alex and I decided to daytrip to the waterfalls that were along the long portage on the north side of the Kawishiwi Triangle route. This meant about a 6 to 7 mile round trip so before we set off we were sure to pack a lunch.

As we rounded a bend to start going west towards the falls, we found ourselves paddling into a stiff headwind that was creating a good bit of chop. This meant we were digging in pretty hard for awhile but as we neared the west end of the bay, the fetch of the wind diminished and the waves were a bit easier to negotiate. Eventually, we were at the trail to the falls--a shallow and muddy landing that required us to navigate through some boot-sucking muck before we were on solid ground. About 100 rods down the trail, we saw a path that dropped down to a pond. We could hear rushing water but certainly couldn't see anything that resembled waterfalls and were worried that we were going to miss out due to low water levels. After a lunch break, Alex set off to see if he could locate an actual cascade. After scrambling across a shoreline of boulders, he reported success around a hidden corner and we followed him to find what we'd come for.

I am not as nimble as I used to be so I now try to take my time when hiking across the rock gardens like the one that stood between us and the falls. Even with doing so, a poor choice for planting my feet had me falling into the water after stepping on a slippery rock. I was able to quickly get to my feet again but not until I was reminded that not only are these some of the oldest rocks on earth, they are also some of the HARDEST! The nasty bump on my bum did not feel good but I would have to say that the waterfalls were worth it even though they came with a little soreness to my backside!

After spending a bit of time admiring this beautiful scene we started back to the trail and to our canoes for the paddle back to camp. This was much easier than our earlier paddle as we now had the breeze at our backs and the one short portage on our way could be skipped again with another downstream run of the gentle rapids.

When we arrived back at camp, those that had stayed behind reported no fishing success so that gave me a reason to see if my luck was any better. I quickly hooked into a northern pike that looked to be about two feet long but I was not rigged for northerns so Mr. Esox chewed through my line before I was able to land him. After re-rigging, I did manage to land about a 1-pound smallmouth bass but this fish was quickly put to shame by the beautiful smallie that Macki landed--a fish that was a good 3 to 4 pounds. That turned out to be all we caught for the day so the way these fish found their way to our bellies was as a part of Doug's delicious fish chowder, which complemented our freeze-dried entrees quite nicely. After supper, cigars and a few sips from our flasks around a lovely evening campfire put a nice finish to the second enjoyable day on the water.