The Boundary Waters - Part 4

Well, eventually, we had to leave our very awesome campsite on Cherokee Lake, and make our way back home.  That meant we had to go through the same tough portages as we did on Day #2.  It was easier, slightly, because we knew what to expect.

Floating down the Cherokee Creek to our first portage in the morning.  I found a frog in my canoe, and handed it over to Kiddo #3 in the Blue Canoe eventually.

See that big pack in the front of my canoe - in front of Kiddo #2?  That is a heavy pack to add to the 59 pounds of Kiddo #2.  

I discovered trim is very important in a canoe.

Beaver dam - You gotta get out of the boat, stand on the dam,

and lug the canoe up and over.  

Usually, they are pretty shallow and easy.

Once on the other side, make sure 

everybody is on board before paddling away.

Here's a few pictures of our final campsite - our 5th night.  It was pretty rocky all over.  I think mountain goats would have a tough time traversing this site.  

There were only 2 good tent pads, so we set up my tent on the far outskirts of the lower tent pad.  I was sleeping on a few pretty big rocks for the night.  It wasn't too bad, because when you're tired enough, you can sleep anywhere.

This site did have some great views though.

 And the next day, we worked on paddling out of the wilderness.

Only 5 miles or so to go in the morning, and it was a nice morning with only a little breeze.

Here's the ol' Blue Canoe coming into Sawbill Landing.  By this time, Kiddo #1 up front was pretty tired, so they were slow going.  A well earned rest ahead.

One more trip post to make - the trip home.