Katie’s birthday! As luck would have it, I got just enough phone service to send her a birthday message!
Rain all night long. When we started out for our Pickerel and our next campsite in the morning, it was misty but calm. We paddled and fished.
Eventually the skies cleared up and it was a beautiful day. The wind was at our backs. We had basically all day to reach our destination, so we took our time. I caught a northern and Kos caught a couple of smallmouth. We saw a trumpeter swan pair with six babies puttering along the shore in the distance.
Our destination for the day was a small, unnamed island about half way back from Rawn to Stanton Bay. When I felt like I couldn’t paddle another stroke, we finally made it. The site is primo, a large open area under a canopy of trees with a beautiful stone fireplace and multiple tent sites.
Kos put together a great lunch.
It also features a sandy canoe landing area and a cool stone isthmus from the island to small rock about 50 feet offshore. We waded out to the rock and swam for a long time. Even Mark jumped in. This will be a daily ritual.
(Mark) Nate & Kos went out fishing without success but found a 150’ hole south of Lookout Island with fish deep. Warm and sunny, very still. Walked the island—beautiful site in the west side. Brats, beans and rice. Tried fly fishing—nothing. Fire and stargazing with Nate & Kos until 10:30-they stayed up later for the Milky Way. I got up at 1:30 to pee and the Milky Way was spread across the sky.