Day 7, Friday, September 4, 2026. Malberg, Kawishiwi River, River L, Fishdance L, no-name, Alice L, and Cacabic L. 6 portages, 10.9 miles (9.7 paddling, 1.2 portaging).

Last night's rain stopped around 11 PM and for a little while the sky cleared enough to see the moon, but then we had another session of hard rain. We awoke to gray skies and a wet camp; the lake was like glass. We had our breakfast of coffee and gallo pinto with ham, packed up wet gear, and moved on. Our first portage, Malberg Lake to Kawishiwi River, looked very inviting, then routed us through a boggy area in the middle. We stopped long enough for a couple photos, finished the portage, and launched into the long, narrow Kawishiwi River.

As we entered River Lake, we spoke briefly with three anglers who asked if we were headed for the pictographs on Fishdance Lake. Our maps didn't show a picto location, but the fishermen thought they were near the portage, so we paid close attention to cliffs near the portage to the no-name and Alice. We didn't find the pictographs and later learned that they are further down Fishdance than we traveled.

Alice Lake might be rough paddling on windy days, but our day was calm and gray. We paddled north on the main body of the lake, then stopped for lunch at a low rocky finger between two campsites. From our lunch stop we continued north in a narrow channel to the short portage into Cacabic. From Cacabic into Thomas the portage is 205 rods (just over a kilometer); we discussed stopping roughly halfway through the portage for a rest break. The portage started with nicely maintained causeway and boardwalk sections, then turned into a more typical portage with gentle climbs to dry ground followed by descents to wetter areas. The entire length of the portage had excellent footing, so we walked its full length without stopping.

On Thomas Lake we moved north to the end of a point, then looped around the point to check out the first available site in our travel direction. It was a nice site (#1186) with a sandy landing, a pretty cooking area, an easy bear hang, and a large flat tent site, so we were set for the night. We hoped to dry the tent fly, but the damp, cloudy day and the light mist didn't cooperate. We had cups of ramen to warm our bodies and spirits. Over the cooking area I put up a ridgeline for our rain fly so we could quickly erect it if weather turned into more than a mist. Dinner was Suwannee Stew, a recipe we have used on a couple river trips. While cooking dinner, a bald eagle landed just across the inlet, and later we heard a wolf howl. We've never seen a wolf on our BWCA/Q trips, and only once before heard wolves. When we mentioned the howl to our outfitter, she told us that in 2025 a wolf was photographed in front of Ely Memorial High School, whose mascot is the Timberwolves!