13 August 2017, Sunday

Pocket Lake to Finger L, Thumb L, Bear Paw, Little Bear Paw, Eugene

We wake at 6 am today hoping for an early start. Sunrise on Pocket Lake is golden. We are greeted just before rising by an owl calling, “Who cooks for you?” As we prepare breakfast, we can hear the coyote choir again and deeper voices that perhaps sound like wolves. We are on the water before 9 am, paddling west into Pocket Creek. Once again we see an otter, perhaps the same one that was fishing near our campsite yesterday. It dives when it sees us, and I catch a mere glimpse of him as he disappears into the tall river grass. Above us a dark brown buteo with banded tail swoops. We paddle and portage from Pocket to Finger Lake, to Thumb Lake, to Bear Paw, to Little Bear Paw and finally into Eugene Lake. Our last portage of 200 rods (1 km) or greater is from Thumb to Bear Paw. If it were not for the heavy portage packs and the canoe, it would have been a pleasant walk in the woods. I hear warblers and woodpeckers as we walk. I turn around near the end of our second carry over the trail. O has a walking stick but no paddle. He always carries his paddle on the second trip. “Where is your paddle?” I ask. O had not seen it at the take out and assumed I had carried it on the first trip across. He puts his pack down and heads back for the paddle. I finish my carry and go back for O’s pack. It is a short walk. We were almost done when I noticed the missing paddle. Back at the put-in, I load the canoe, refill O’s water bottle and head back up the trail to meet him. We meet up unexpectedly close to the end of the portage. I comment that O apparently has more than his usual two walking speeds: slow and stopped. “Yes,” he says. “Slow, stopped, and embarrassed!” A couple of grouse entertain us, as we walk, thundering off through the woods as we near the trail’s end.

Today we have passed several parties going in the opposite direction. Today is Sunday so it is not surprising there is more traffic going into the Boundary Waters.

Camp is quickly set up, supper is cooked and eaten, and dishes are tidied up. We are both ready for an early bedtime once again. The tarp is up and ready for tonight’s 50% chance of rain.