Had a rough night trying to sleep, and woke multiple times with sore shoulders and back. I finally got up at sunrise hoping to improve my fishing odds, but still couldn't find much initially. After an unsuccessful hour, I headed back to the cove where I'd caught the bass yesterday, and quickly hooked into some more of them, including a 3 pounder I initially thought must be a pike from how it dove and pulled without head shakes for the initial fight, until it startled me by launching itself out of the lake trying to shake my hook.

The sunrise was beautiful, but the wind picked up again quickly, and I found myself dreading another night in the tent. There were also some regular shotgun blasts across the lake, I suppose from someone grouse hunting. By lunchtime I'd convinced myself that I didn't want to stay overnight again, so I planned to break camp after lunch and head home. The hearty meal helped temper my feelings a bit, but I still carried through and packed everything by 1. I decided to take the longer portage directly to Horseshoe instead of the short steep portages back to Jump and Allen Lakes, partly because I'd stayed on Horseshoe during my very first visit to the BWCA, and thought it would be nice to check out that site again on the way out. After checking in with the family and letting my wife know my plans, I decided I'd also like to check out the ‘honeymoon’ site on Horseshoe, and possibly stay there one more night if it looked nice and truly offered another chance to see Moose.

The portage from Gaskin to Horseshoe proved to be a good choice. Although a bit longer, the elevation changes were more gradual and the trail itself much easier to navigate. I felt like I had plenty of time, so I enjoyed the trail and did not hurry, especially since being out of the wind felt like such a relief. I’d left the canoe on land while I went back for the portage pack, and as I finished the second part of the portage, I saw a canoe approaching on Horseshoe. I waited until the two women in the canoe landed, and chatted for a bit, not sure what they were planning to do. After awhile, I realized they were waiting for ‘the rest of my group’, thinking someone was still portaging with me. I told them I wasn’t in a hurry, but they were just checking out the trail, and one of them waited in the canoe while the other one scouted ‘a few yards’ down the trail to see how easy it was. They had another canoe in their group with three people in it, but that canoe stayed away from the landing, fishing while they waited. I chatted with the remaining woman for awhile, and then we agreed that the first woman must have decided to hike the entire trail to Gaskin, so I started loading and preparing to shove off. It turned out to be a good thing she was there, because the wind was just annoying enough to keep me from being able to load my gear without it drifting quickly away. She held on to it for me so I could get started, and I don’t know how I would have accomplished that task without her help.

There were a few more canoes on Horseshoe, positively crowded compared to the last few days on Gaskin. I made my way past the Southern campsites and around the corner through the weedier section that turns into the Brule River. It took a lot longer than I expected to get to site 676, and I kept stopping to check and see if I’d missed it somehow. The weeds and lily pads contributed to the slowness, as did the wind, but mostly I just wasn’t sure about my location and my arms were getting tired. When I did find it, it looked nice, but I couldn’t find a place to comfortably get out and still hold onto the canoe, as the wind was just strong enough to pull it away from shore, and there were too many rocks at the landing to navigate without scraping or bumping. I also felt a strong sense again of wanting to sleep in a bed instead of on the ground, so I started heading back.

Within a few minutes, I realized it was probably too late to get all the way out and back home at a decent time, so I stopped and tried to calculate my options. I almost went back to 676 to give it another chance, but decided instead to go back to site 675, which was the very first site I ever used on my first trip to the BWCA. I knew no one had taken it yet when I went past on my way to see 676, and decided it would be nicer to be a little bit closer in the morning on the way out. It was still open when I got back to it, so I quickly unloaded and set up camp. The water was significantly lower, over a foot at least, since the last time I was there. I took some pictures of the same places I knew I had previous photos so I could compare them when I got back home. There were also a lot of small squirrels occupying the site, very noisy and constantly moving. They initially weren’t afraid of me at all, but I chased them away if they got close, and made a mental note to make sure I didn’t leave any food or scraps for them. Even so, if I left an area of camp, they would immediately descend on it to see if I’d left anything. So while I set up the tent, they checked out my bags and gear around the fire grate. And as soon as I hurried back to the grate, they would explore the area around the tent. They at least stopped approaching me, but they were so noisy I started to wonder if I’d get any sleep at all. The trees provided excellent relief from the wind, though I could still hear it overhead. I had dinner and relaxed in front of the fire for awhile before decided to try some fishing from shore. A few more canoes went past, but I didn’t see or hear any signs of campers at the nearby sites. There were some shotgun blasts but they were farther away, probably still back near Gaskin, and not as regular. I tried a few different baits without success, but finally started catching walleye just after dusk. As I landed the first one, an eagle landed at the top of a pine tree just across the bay and watched me photograph, measure and release the fish. It stayed and watched me catch a second one, and then flew away in what I imagined to be disgust after I released it as well. Before it got too dark, I explored the site a bit and found what looked like a memorial. I thought about taking it down, since I believed they weren’t permitted, but didn’t feel like touching it, wondering if it was related to the recent death of Dan Cooke of Cooke Custom Sewing. I discovered that the latrine (uncovered) is significantly lower than most, making it feel unbalanced when sitting down, with my knees higher than my hips. I also spooked a grouse while hanging the food bag, but I let it know it was perfectly safe from hunting while I was at the site. There was a nice pile of firewood left by the last group, so I enjoyed a peaceful evening in front of the fire, once again grateful at the lack of bugs, comfortable temperature, and shelter from the wind. The squirrels disappeared and were quiet as soon as it got dark, and even the wind calmed quickly, so it turned out to be a beautiful final night.

~Gaskin Lake, Horseshoe Lake