Paddling across the middle of Saganaga Lake went smoothly but there was a little wind which caused only a little extra effort. Molly navigated from point to point to island accurately. Our westward journey took us to Long Island where we had a break, and later past American Point to a campsite that we had hoped for. It was already taken. We pressed on finding 4 more sites taken. Eastbound paddlers let us know that there were no available sites in western Saganaga. We opted for a non-designated site on a point, and by 7pm we had camp set and supper started. Scott started a fire upon which we grilled chicken breasts and baked potatoes. Salads were also eaten by some of us. Everyone's spirits were raised by a good meal. We didn't hang a bear bag because we were only going to be here for about 14 hours. It was a great day inspite of not finding a campsite till late. Good food and a place to rest for the night are very comforting and an actual relief, even a blessed feeling.
I woke up at dawn and had my kit put away shortly after sunrise. Everyone else was out of their tents and ready to go by 8:30. Jenny navigated through the maze of islands, channels, portages, points, and bays that made up far western Saganaga. We traveled efficiently under her guidance. We did Monument Portage in good fashion but it took time. There were a lot of people on the portage plus 3 other dogs, which Chloe got along fine with. Our next stop was Bernie Ambrose's homestead site. We had lunch there and marveled at living here in the woods for 60 plus years, as Bernie did. Jenny continued navigating through the enchanted land along the Canadian border. There were high cliffs topped with pine trees, long distant views to the west and calm waters. Later it rained hard for about 10 minutes, which was forecasted at 30% chance of scattered showers. When we got to the 10 rod portage into Little Knife Lake I decided that we had gone far enough and chose the site adjacent to the portage. It proved to be a good choice with plenty of room, shade, and great swimming and sunning rocks. After camp was made and a short break taken I joined the girls in the lake. I wore a life jacket and put a foam noodle under my knees. It was like sitting in a Lazy-Boy recliner. The water was cool but not uncomfortable. After a fresh set of clothes I was ready to cook supper. We had macaroni with cheese, hamburger and onions. Hot Dogs were grilled over a fire that Scott built and later we had smores while we watched the sun's last rays on the trees across the lake. They literally glowed. We hung the bear bag in the dark using flashlights. A determined bear could have gotten it but we never had a problem.
Our first layover day after 2 days of hard paddling was started by sleeping in til 8am. We had covered 20+ miles to get here. For breakfast we had a pancake feast, complete with bacon, hot chocolate and coffee. The remainder of the afternoon was spent hiking, swimming and sleeping in my hammock. I made spaghetti for supper and Molly baked the garlic bread over an open fire. After supper we all sat together, ate fudge that Pam purchased and told stories about our lives and other camping trips. Towards dusk Molly and I went fishing. I caught 4 Bass while Molly maneuvered us round the outflow of the creek. After everyone went to their tents I looked at the stars, watched the light disappear from the water and marveled and what a wonderful day in the wilderness.
I crawled out of my little tent at dawn and walked around taking photos of the sunrise. I enjoyed the peace and quiet while having breakfast and coffee. When everyone got up we had another pancake feast. The afternoon was spent visiting with guides and their groups as they portaged through. There were two groups from Widgi and another guided by a retired principal from Prescott Wisconsin. Widgi groups treated their canoes with great respect as well as each other. For our afternoon snack we had quesadillas. More swimming followed with great conversations while sitting on the rock. I fixed mashed potatoes and hamburger gravy for supper, it was good. We enjoyed visiting after supper. Chloe cleaned up the plates and pans getting gravy all over her ears. Then she rubbed her face on Molly's leg leaving grass and traces of gravy, we all laughed. At dusk I went fishing off the rocks we swam on earlier in the day. My bobber went down 3 times but only once did I reel in a fish, which was too small to keep. It was almost too dark to see the bobber when I heard a splash. It was Chloe swimming after the bobber, which I quickly reeled in so she wouldn't get tangled in the line and hook. The good thing about all this was she got the gravy washed off her head but the bad thing was she was all wet and it was time to turn in for the day. The next day was a travel day so I did everything I could so there would be less to do in the morning. We wanted to leave early so when we got to western Saganaga Lake we could find a campsite before they were all gone.
I woke up with a terrible crick in my neck and a squishy right ear. Both ailments disappeared. This was a dubious start to what turned into a great day of wonder and beauty. We left Little Knife Lake around 9am. After crossing Monument Portage Pam paddled with me and Jackie paddled with Scott. We soon crossed the 5 rod portage and went to a campsite with a huge rock where we enjoyed lunch. Within a few minutes of leaving Jenny spotted a Moose cow in the water eatting aquatic plants. We got our cameras out and paddled closer when the cow had it's head down grazing. We got all kinds of photos and videos as we moved closer and closer. It was a wilderness wonder. Chloe stayed quiet for about 15 minutes as we watched. When Chloe noticed the Moose she started whimpering which made the Moose uncomfortable and it turned and walked up on shore grunting to it's calves hidden in the trees. We all felt we were inhabitants of a wonderful planet. It took another hour to reach our number one campsite choice and it was empty. Soon after we got to camp rumbling thunder told us to put the tarp up and prepare for rain. Rain didn't arrive but we were ready if it did. Saganaga Lake was calm all day and a refreshing swim in it's cool waters was invigorating. Just before we started supper the wind came up and 2 canoes paddled into our bay looking for refuge. As we visited we discovered they were an assortment of college students, law school grads, and computor experts. They appeared to be good friends and it was great visiting with them. After a supper of Griffy's Chicken Delight we hit the cookie pack. We ate a lot of them and I enjoyed them with another cup of coffee. The sun was getting low and we took canoes out to watch from the water. The water was now very smooth and the colors and light of the sky and water put us all into a very mellow mood. We paddled, drank coffee, video recorded, photographed and were astonished by the drama of planetary movement. We returned to camp just before total darkness and cleaned up for the evening. We sat on the beach facing south to watch the stars come out and were treated with fireflies, bats, meteors, and shooting stars. Loons were calling across the lake to let us know all was well in our world on Saganaga Lake.
The mid-morning sun made it too hot to stay in my tent any longer. Tortilla wraps with bacon, egg beaters, and onion made a wonderfull breakfast. A deer swam from American Point to the Canadian shore. We were astonished to see how fast and far it could swim. On our day trip along the border to the islands we saw ducks and ducklings. We also saw an Eagle and it's nest. We could hear it's young's hungry squeals from the nest. From the water we could see several cabins on the Canadian side of the border. They were idilic wilderness abodes that fit into their environment perfectly. There was one on each of 5 islands. They had fantastic views of various parts of the lake and islands. We traveled deeper into the islands to check out my favorite campsites. They were both taken making us glad that we took our first choice last night. We found a campsite to have lunch on and were quite pleased with it's shade and swimming rock. We fed the Gray Jays while eatting lunch, they got close but never landed in our hands. It was a hot day and a cool swim felt totally refreshing. Our return trip to base camp journeyed past the outer edge of the islands with the huge expanse of the lake to the north. It was like being on a benign ocean. It was so calm, reflective and beautiful that it's peace and energy filled our souls. This awesome beauty had an underlying potential. Given certain weather conditions this lake could rise and batter you mercilessly. We gratefully accepted the free pass we recieved. As we crossed the largest expanse of open water we saw several groups of Loons dancing in the middle of the lake. One Loon in particular followed Jen and Molly's canoe for quite a ways. It gave them a show of wild freedom in the life of our state bird. We prolonged our time on the water knowing it could be a long time before we entered the surreal world of Saganaga on a calm day. I made potato soup and Pam fire roasted the last of our hot dogs for supper. Scott told us about VCO looking for some missing paddlers. Chloe didn't get any hot dogs but she did get the last remaining serving of potato soup. I sat in Molly's chair on the west side of camp watching the sunset. I relaxed in it's glow, not taking any photos. The sun shown through a gap between several thunderheads. I stayed there until everything was cool, blue and gray. Smores and popcorn rounded out the evening followed by journalling with help from the girls while sitting on the south facing beach. It was a hot day and the cool breeze felt wonderful plus it kept the mosquitoes away. This was our last night and we cherished the experiences of the last week and sat on the beach for a long time.
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