Seagull Lake and the wind, September 8, 2010

It was an enchanted journey through the islands of eastern Seagull Lake.  We arrived at our favorite campsite in mid-afternoon. Our group consisted of 4 couples who were all friends and relatives.  There was Tom and Melissa, Mark and Marsha, John and Diana and of course Me and Ruth.  We had 4 dogs along, our Chloe the cocker spaniel, Cooper's  Chucky and Eva and John's Winnie, another spaniel.  It was unseasonably cool and that night we all gathered around the fire to absorb it's warmth.  We were all pleased that we had successfully separated from the civilized world, which can be very difficult.  Everyone explored, photographed and thoroughly enjoyed a nice day in the North woods of Minnesota.  Our next days journey started in late morning. It was a beautiful day as we paddled southwest along the northern shore of Seagull lake.  Shortly after we settled into our next campsite the wind picked up and we were very glad to be off the water.  We were on a peninsula with a high rock on the end and several good tent sites.  It was such a big campsite that all our tents were separated by many trees and a lot of space.  We were locked in camp for the remainder of that day and the next because of the wind.  We played lots of cribbage, ate and talked the time away. Finally the wind let up and we were able to fish, paddle and explore.  Ruth and I trolled and blew east down the lake trying to catch a Lake Trout.  When we tried to return at the mid-point of the lake we had a lot of difficulty getting the boat to come around so we could head back.  We trolled and cast the bays on the way back to camp.  It wasn't bad behind the islands.  When we got back to camp Cooper had a 14 pound Northern that he caught in 3 feet of water at the mouth of the river.  Mark cleaned it such that it was boneless and I helped him fry it up. This Northern fed all of us all the fish we could eat. The girls made mac and cheese for the side dish.  The evening was spent around a great fire that Cooper built.  In the morning I made Sturdiwheat pancakes and John fried Zup's bacon for everyone.  It was a good morning.  The wind persisted and the cribbage games continued with the boys ahead most of the time but at the end the girls tied it up.   We tidied up camp for an efficient departure in the morning.  It was a beautiful evening as we all gathered around our last campfire.   Our paddle out was an awesome tour through one of the most beautiful places on earth and quite a bit easier due the the strong tail wind.  In summary we had a very relaxing  week but did have to wear long underwear most of the time. Melissa took lots of beautiful pictures many of which are featured here. Cooper's Northern was a much appreciated treat as were the campfires he tended.  We were all glad to have a week in the fresh wilderness air, where the only sounds were the wind in the trees and waves on the shoreline.