We slept in today until about 0800 and awoke to another beautiful sunny day. Even this early in the morning the sun felt hot. It would be a warm day. The back felt a little better, which was a good thing since we had some exploring to do.

After pancakes and bacon for breakfast we paddled around a point and headed north to explore the channel and bays between the large island and mainland. I decided to do a small loop for our morning paddle. We portaged from one bay of Knife to another (55 rods), paddled some more and then took another portage (39 rods) back to the bay we were camped on. These back bays on Knife are intimate and looked to have several nice campsites. The highlight of the morning was discovering a beaver lodge. We then headed back to camp for lunch and to rest a bit.

Beaver Lodge Video

For the afternoon paddle, we decided to head down to Thunder Point. Paddling felt better on the back than sitting in camp did. Heading out was against a slight breeze down a long channel. About halfway down the channel we skirted through a small channel, so that we could circle "Thunder Point Island". This part of Knife Lake looked to have been burned recently. After coming out of one of the back bays, we were on the large part of Knife Lake. Across the way was Canada and you could see for miles in either direction. We suddenly felt pretty small. Well, at least I did. Lauren enjoyed the view so much that she fell asleep for a while.

Several loons and bald eagles were in the area. We stopped for a rest at the rocky beach landing where a trail leads up to the Thunder Point viewpoint. I did not dare attempt this trail with my back, so we just enjoyed the view from below and had some fun skipping rocks.

Paddling back to camp was with the wind this time, so we took our time and trolled along the way. Not much was biting, but I did manage to catch a decent sized pike.

We were back to camp in time for dinner and had Mac 'n' Cheese. While fixing dinner, Lauren noticed several animals around camp: an owl, a rabbit and a mouse. The rest of the evening was spent sitting out of the rock, fishing and enjoying the sunset. This camp was sure a great spot to catch those rock bass. Like the night before, we caught one after another. It was a very still night with hardly a hint of wind.

Knife Lake Sunset Video

Lakes Traveled: Knife Lake. 10 miles.

3 Portages: 55, 39, and 5 rods.