Wednesday, December 23, 2026 When we planned this trip we realized that base camping on Canoe Lake would present us with some interesting day trips and today was perfect for one of them. The winds had died away, the blue sky was laced puffy clouds and the temperature hovered in the mid-60s. In other words, a perfect day for paddling and hiking. We paddled to the northeastern corner of Canoe Lake and left our canoes at the portage into Pine Lake, carrying only our lunch and Nalgene water bottles along the grueling 202 rods to Pine Lake. Once we reached Pine Lake we continued along the path to Johnson Falls, which was well worth the effort. My nephew is an avid hiker and recently completed the entire Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the California/Mexico border to the border between Washington State and Canada. He basically skipped along the portage to Pine and path to Johnson Falls. His father and other uncle moved at a pretty good pace for guys in their mid-60s. I arrived at Johnson Falls a little later than they did without incident. There were three other people swimming in the pool at the base of the Falls when we arrived, so we had our lunch at a discrete distance until they finished, got dressed and left. The other three guys swam in the pool and also bushwhacked their way to the upper falls. Knowing my limits, I chose to remain at the main falls lost in the serenity of the setting. We hiked back to our canoes at Canoe Lake, each at his own pace, and we met a couple of burly guys from the Twin Cities who had portaged their canoes and gear over the 202 rods from Pine. They looked pretty wiped out by the experience and we expressed our admiration for their feat. Father and son did some fishing on the way back to camp, again with little luck. The two uncles continued into Paddle Lake from the western end of Canoe. The passage between these two lakes is very easy. Requiring you to float the canoe once through a shallow passage. Paddle Lake is quite small, has no campsites and is pristinely beautiful. I recommend it to anyone who is even passing through Canoe Lake. ~Pine Lake, Paddle Lake