After saying goodby to our impromptu visitors we prepared to harness the dogs and head out for a few hours. A mile and a half winter portage connects Tin Can Mike Lake with Four Town Lake. The portage was a mess of downed alders and trees and we spent 4 hours finding, clearing, and packing the trail.
The bogs are still wet and unfrozen in spots and we punched through into muck several times. The deep snow that builds up in the bogs insulates the soupy muck, which is kept relatively warmly by bacterial busy decomposing the rich organic matter down below. Now that the trail has been packed the bog will freeze and the trail should be good all winter.
The bright moon rose in the east as the sun’s final rays painted the tree tops in a faint gold, which slowly faded as we took turns sawing stove length pieces of bone try black spruce. Hold two, cut two, hold two, cut two, we take turns bracing the log and sawing. It’s a nice system, which allows us to rest and take in our surroundings while the other cuts.
Our daily chores remain the same, but today’s is a bit of a milestone. We have spent 122 days in the wilderness, we are 1/3 of the way through our year in the Wilderness to @savetheBWCA. It is amazing how fast time passes and seasons change. The days are getting longer and the sun rises higher in the sky with each passing day. We feel incredibly lucky to be here, bearing witness to the Wilderness and helping to insure it’s protected for future generations. Please help us by signing the petition, follow the link in our bio, share our #wildernessyear and our efforts to protect the our Nation’s most popular Wilderness. #Wilderness #onlyinMN #BoundaryWaters
