We started day 3 with another gorgeous, sunny morning and a sky that had a few puffy clouds reflecting onto still, blue water. Adding to the scene was just a hint of fog that hung on before the day warmed and brightened. This was the perfect backdrop for enjoying a leisurely pancake breakfast before striking camp, loading up and heading off towards our entry point, which is where we would also exit after one more night in the woods.

One could hardly imagine a better day for paddling with pleasant temperatures, calm waters and the perfect mix of blue sky and white, cottony clouds. Again, since we were headed downstream, were able to run the easy rapids around two of the three portages we encountered this day. Our goal was to get within a mile or two of our exit point so we would have a quick and easy paddle out the following morning.

We got to this area just in time for a later lunch, which was delayed just a bit more when the initial campsites we checked out were either not acceptable or already taken. We did find an awesome open site (#1699) near the portage that goes from this section of the Kawishiwi River over to Bruin Lake. This site had everything we needed with lots of room for a large group, several flat tent pads, a great landing for multiple canoes, a good fire grate area with ample sitting logs, and lots of open and elevated shore-line rock for sunning or enjoying the stunning views. This site was a winner and once we finally got there our hungry tummies made lunch priority number one!

Next, our team once again went into high gear to get camp set up, after which most of us were eager to try some more fishing. Sarai and I decided to go out in the canoe to try our luck at a spot that looked promising. Indeed, we had barely arrived before she hooked into a nice-sized smallmouth bass. This fish gave her quite the fight but she did manage to successfully get it into the canoe and onto the stringer. This was not quite as big as Macki's catch from the day before but was still an admirable fish that went at least a couple of pounds. We were very encouraged at this point that we'd be feeding the group a supper of fish fillets but after that initial bite, we were not able to get even another nibble for the next hour or two! When we returned to camp, Tyler reported that he'd hooked into one from shore but was not able to land it and all anyone else was able to do was a small rock bass that Doug caught and released. Sarai's one fish was it for supper! Kari proposed that we chop this one up to mix in with our freeze-dried broccoli and cheese. This turned out to be an excellent idea and once again, the perfect compliment to the rest of our freeze-dried menu.

After supper we decided to take advantage of the fantastic fire area at this site and soon had some nice crackling flames around which we all sat mesmerized, staring at the fire in silence. After being further relaxed by a few sips from our flasks, Amanda pointed out how brilliant the Milky Way was becoming along with all of the other bright stars that were now showing themselves after the western horizon had lost it's last hint of light. We figured it would be hard to top this moment to end the day so about that time everyone turned in to the tents for our last night in the wilderness.