We woke up early today at 0600 to pack up camp and head towards Knife Lake. We hoped to find a good site in the South Arm of Knife Lake. Poptarts and breakfast bars were for breakfast and by 0730 we had camp packed up and were heading over to the first portage to Annie Lake. It was a sunny morning with temperatures in the 60's and just a breath of wind.

The first portage to Annie Lake (16 rods) is flat and easy. Similarly, so is the portage (14 rods) from Annie Lake to Jenny Lake. If you had to rate them, the 17 rod portage from Jenny to Eddy was probably the hardest only because it is a steep down hill. All three of these lakes were quick paddles and very pretty. We saw one party ahead us briefly along the way. They were heading to Kekekabic Lake.

We always double portage, so the deal I made with Lauren was if she carried her backpack the first trip and just walked the second trip, I would carry her on my shoulders for the trip back for the 2nd load. Lauren continued to be a good trooper on the portages and ended up walking all of them today and insisted that she was "a big girl and could do it all by herself".

That was an enormous help to me as I twisted my back lifting a pack on the portage from Jenny to Eddy and began having back spasms off and on again for the remainder of the trip.

The portage from Eddy Lake to Knife Lake (30 rods) is supposed to be the hardest of the four today and I suppose it is if you are going the uphill direction. It is steep the whole way. We were thankfully headed downhill and the portage was not bad at all.

With the series of small lakes behind us, we looked upon the South Arm of Knife and it looked huge. Figures the wind would be blowing from the direction we were headed. We took a short break to rest my back and allow Lauren some kid time. Amazing how kids adapt to having no toys in the wilderness and make use rocks and sticks to entertain themselves.

Knife Lake Video

Before heading out to find a campsite we checked out Eddy Falls. Because the waves were crashing hard on the rocky landing for the short trail that leads to the falls, I decided to be content with a brief distant view rather than risk having the canoe slammed against the rocks. The wind was really picking up as the afternoon approached. It made crossing the large expanse unsettling for me. But we took one paddle stroke at a time and slowly made our way across. It really was not so bad as long as I kept the canoe pointed straight into the wind and did short, frequent strokes rather than longer ones.

After crossing the large expanse we arrived at an area of the South Arm where several campsites exist. I chose to focus on this area because of its reputation as a good fishing area with many good campsites. The first two sites to the north and south of the narrows were occupied, so we turned to the north around a large island and headed for the next one on the map. This camp was open and was very nice. We arrived at camp around 1100. It had a huge rock beach for a front porch with a 270 degree view. The fire pit and tent pads were down a short path in a grassy area tucked in the trees. A very nice spot to spend a couple nights.

After having some lunch I struggled to set up camp. I guess my back was worse than I thought. While sitting in the canoe and paddling it did not really bother me, but with the walking, bending, and reaching required to set up camp I really noticed the pain. It would just spasm at almost any movement. Realizing that there was not much I could do about it and not wanting to Lauren to sense my stress, I decided to spend the afternoon in camp relaxing on the rock face and enjoying the view of the water while Lauren played and explored. I prayed that my back would be heal enough allow me get me and my daughter out safely in a couple days. The realization that her fate and mine rested literally on my bad back was a huge mental stress for me.

Later on we fished from shore catching several rock bass with the good old leeches and bobber presentation. I noted how different the rock bass are than a smallmouth in appearance. They have a lighter green coloration and reddish eyes. They are just as much fun to catch as a smallie!

That evening we had Cache Lake spaghetti and Italian fry pan bread for dinner. Both were very good. Despite my efforts to conceal my back problems, Lauren seemed to sense something was up and was very helpful in drying the dishes and picking up camp. I was very proud of her and having a good afternoon together helped take some of the stress away. Staying positive and relishing the good aspects of the moment really helped my outlook on the situation.

We spent the rest of the evening perched on our rocky front porch and enjoyed the breeze, the view and the fishing. We probably caught 15-20 bass that night. It was another fabulous night in the boundary waters. It had been a challenging, yet rewarding day. Calling the wife on the satellite phone helped reassure me that things would be all right. She gave me some back stretches and exercises to try. They did help. However, note to self--bring some good prescription drugs along next time!

Lakes Traveled: Ogishkemuncie, Annie, Jenny, Eddy, and Knife. 7 miles.

4 Portages: 16, 14, 17, and 30 rods.