Sunday, July 15, 2007 We get up at dawn, do a breakfast at the cabin, and then head up the mostly gravel road to the put in at Brule. Thankfully, the light rain from the night before kept the dust from kicking up along the way. At the landing, we meet some foreign speaking canoers who seem to be waiting for someone to show up with some packs or help, but with their gear strewn all over, we couldn't tell if they were coming out or putting in. One agrees to do a group picture for us and then we are off. Our goal is to make it to Winchell today. The crossing of Brule goes better than we expected. We heard the winds could be nasty. Paddled into Cone Bay, checked out some of the campsites for our return at the end of the week, and then did the quick little portages through the Cone Lakes, getting ready for the big portage into Cliff Lake. This one turned into a pretty gnarly trek, about 200 rods, a twisty, rocky, narrow trail that was mostly uphill. Because we pack comfortably, we got to make the trip twice. Not to mention the fact we will have this same portage again at the end of the week. From there the trip through Wanihigan and into Winchell was pretty, but uneventful. We found a great campsite just north of our entry into Winchell open, and quickly claimed it. All in all, we made pretty good time our first day. Ate a late lunch, finished setting up camp, and then just kicked back. This site had some huge rock outcroppings that made it a great swimming site, yet there was also a sandy bay around the point. Plus it had a great view of the lake and the high hills on the south side of the lake.