Saganaga Lake was fairly smooth and we got to camp about 1:30. There was no rain forecasted for the next few days so we didn't pitch the tarp. While I made coffee Matt caught a real nice Northern from the drop off near camp. We saved it for breakfast because we were fire grilling steak, potatoes, and sweet corn. The ribeyes from Meatheads butcher shop were really good. We also had a salad and beer to compliment the meal. Nic and I had a brownie from Diana for dessert and Matt and Brian saved their's for tommorrow. It was a great day, no wind, no rain, no mosquitoes and good stories.
I got up early and watched the sunrise while drinking coffee. The guys got up at 7 am and I fried the Northern. It was delicious. The day on the water started at 9am and we crossed the first 5 rod portage without any difficulties. Everyone helped each other and we also took a little break. We arrived at Monument portage after 30 minutes of paddling. As usual it was not too difficult at 80 rods, however it did take time. Matt carried my canoe, God bless him, it was an arduous task. While passing through Benny Ambrose's part of Ottertrack Lake Chloe fell out of the canoe and as she floated by I tried to grab her, I missed and almost dumped the canoe over. She soon swam around and up to the boat and I hauled her in. A lesson re-learned. The foolish thing about this incident was we were next to a cliff and it would have been a quarter mile swim pulling the canoe to shallow water. After all this excitement we noticed plaque on the cliff with Benny's face and numbers carved in it. As we approached the west end of Ottertrack we became concerned because all the campsites were reported taken by an Eastbound canoe of 3. Onward we pushed fearing another 2 hours paddling into strong winds. We did find one open but pressed on to the portage into Little Knife where we hoped to find my favorite site vacant. It was open and I was very glad. We settled into camp life with swimming, coffee and snacks. For supper we had roasted hot dogs and potato soup. The evening was spent near the fire looking at maps and talking about next year. Nic and Brian want to bring their girlfriends. Our plans included staying nearer to Saganaga and Seagull. We watched the fire fade and the light on the lake dissappear until it was time to turn in.
The next morning I had two hours of watching the sun gradually illuminate the world while I relaxed and sipped coffee. It's facinating to watch this sanctuary for the soul change from night to day. Matt built a fire and fried the bacon on tin foil while I made Sturdiwheat pancakes. It was a great breakfast. Soon the clouds moved away and were replaced by blue sky and puffy fairweather clouds. Brian called me over to his fishing rock were we swam the night before. He had cast his Mepps out as far as he could and let it sink for 45 seconds, approximately 45 feet. He soon had a couple taps and thought it was a small bass. As he reeled it in closer the fish took a run that made his drag buzz. He knew he had something big. It was a 7 pound Lake Trout. We saved it for supper. We spent the remaider of the afternoon swimming and fishing. We baked the Trout over coals in the fire. We served it with macaroni and cheese and the fish was supreme. Brian and I beat Nic and Matt at 500. It was an ill gotten win as it was Matt's first time playing the game. I went to bed at dark.
Unbelievablely I slept till 8. We had bacon, cheese and onion tortillas for breakfast, easy and neat. Matt also fried an onion slice on the fire and it turned out real good. After breakfast it got hot so we all went swimming. It cooled off so I made coffee and had a snack. Supper was spaghetti with garlic bread, which Matt toasted over an open fire. Forgot the parmesan cheese which would have made it perfect. Nic and Matt won the evenings 500 match. Now we're tied 1-1. We watched the moon set and the stars come out while talking about jobs, dogs, and life.
We were on the water by 9:30 after an efficient breakfast. It was a beautiful day. We made Monument portage landing by 11 and were across in less than an hour. Nic carried my battery across, I think it would be easier to carry in a pack, however I appreciated it greatly. We crossed the next very short portage and were on beautiful Saganaga Lake headed towards our favorite campsite. We covered the last of the days 13 miles and were in camp by 1:30. At about 4 it started to sprinkle so we pitched the tarp. I was soon in the lake swimming even though it was cool and rainy. The water was warmer than the air. Took a coffee break and then started supper. We had Griffy's Chicken Delight. After supper the guys fished and I looked at the lake, it was so serene, calm and cool. It's tranquility goes into you and soothes your heart and brain. In the morning we had cinnamon, sugar tortillas and cheese and onion tortillas. Everything was wet from the storms during the night and it continued to rain most of the three hours it took us to paddle out. There was a northeast wind which didn't ease until we were near the eastern side of the lake. It was a relief to turn south onto the Seagull River. It was a great trip.
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