Devin says the paddle across Farm Lake in the waves and wind was awesome. Jack, Jennifer and I felt it was challenging. The strong northwest winds blew us south of our goal and we ended up on the east side of Farm. Regrouping with a phone call to Kate we adjusted our goal for the day by going to South Farm. Our campsite was a welcome piece of terra firma. We were experiencing occasional showers so the first thing we did was pitch the tarp and tents. Lunch was next, we were very hungry after our extreme effort to get across Farm. The boys kept busy all afternoon fishing from the shore. They also played tic tac toe, found some fish bones, went swimming and spent a lot of time tending the campfire. The following day was easy compared to crossing Farm. We made it to Clear at lunch time with Jennifer especially enjoying the portage. Devin was very pleased with the awesome campsite with it's amplitheater seating lakeside. Devin's response to the afternoons activites are: I like collecting sticks for the fire and I saw a frog. He also goes on to say that the portage was "kinda" fun and a log that had been chewed on by a beaver was facinating. He also "really" liked the Tang orange drink mix. Robert thinks the campfire seating area is great and also likes the many rocks to swim around. He handled the five leeches that attached to his ankle during the portage like he'd done it many times before. Robert got his lure caught on a rock and his mother swam out to set it free. He loved the tuna on tortilla for lunch. He also liked swimming to a far away rock with his mother. He loved the bacon and hot chocolate that he had for breakfast. He liked riding Duff in his mothers canoe. Jennifer thought the Red River hot cereal was really good with the flax seed in it. She agreed with me that there's nothing like a good cup of coffee in a beautiful wilderness. She also enjoyed seeing all the people, kids and dogs on the portage. She enjoyed the physical workout of portaging. She was happy that Devin got a chance to paddle with me from the portage to the camp on Clear Lake.
Some days seem perfect....The winds were at our backs, the sky was blue and the clouds were excellent white fluffs floating across the heavens. Experiencing the wilderness through the eyes of an eight and ten year old is wonderfull with Devin and Robert. The trees, rocks, sky and lake look even more beautiful because of them. Their energy and enthusiasm is exhilarating. I miss the students, church youth groups and Boy Scouts I've camped with in the past. Our layover day started with scrambled eggs and bacon. Robert and I fished the hotspot during the middle of the day and did very good. We had 5 bass, enough for a fish fry. Jack, Jennifer and Devin paddled and fished the northern bay of the lake. It was windy and the anchor proved to be the key to success. After a mid-day shore lunch we swam and watched a doe swim across the lake. It was a wonder of nature that an animal with that small of feet could swim that fast. The pizza for supper was well recieved. The 4 guys took the Seneca for a short fishing expedition while Jennifer stayed in camp. It was a beautiful evening with a 90% full moon rising in a clear sky. We had an evening campfire and I told all my bear stories. Life as a human seems so good in the Boundary Waters..
We started the day early and were on the water by 9am. When we got to the portage Jennifer carried the Champlain across without setting it down once. She also made a 3rd trip for the extra pack. The remainder of the trip out was classic Boundary Waters paddling. Devin slept in my bow seat and his head would roll back and forth with the gentle rocking of the canoe. We had a great lunch on a sunny rock at the 1/2 way point. Robert paddled with me for the rest of the way. Crossing Farm Lake was beautiful, serene and etherial as it seemed we were floating between heaven and earth in a mostly blue and green world. We passed under an Eagle sitting in a tree along shore. We also had a Loon greet us mid-lake and wish us safe travels.
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