December 03, 2015 at 06:56PM

We took advantage of the warm, sunny weather by going for a paddle on Knife Lake and checking the ice between Knife and Melon Lake. Most of Seed Lake and the small lakes leading to Melon were frozen enough to walk on the ice along the edge. It felt good to walk along on firm ice. We were not the only ones out and about. We saw a beaver swimming near our campsite on Knife and another sitting on the ice at the edge of open water on Seed Lake. Initially we thought it was a beaver, but as we moved closer and closer it didn’t move a muscle. Eventually we decided it was a log. As soon as we took our eyes off of it, the beaver slipped into the water!
We also found otter tracks frozen into the surface of the lake. A few days ago, when the lake surface was slushy, 6 otters raced down Seed. They were alternating between running and sliding on their bellies. Their paw prints and slide marks are now frozen perfectly into the ice like dinosaur prints fossilized in mud.

At the end of the day we decided to check on Vera Lake. We have been waiting for it to freeze thick enough for us to walk across while pulling our canoe and gear. The ice near the end of the portage is 4 inches thick, but most of the lake is still covered in very thin ice. We poked along the shore for about 1/4 mile and were surprised to see waves off in the distance. The last warm spell reopen the middle section of Vera.
We danced on the thicker ice as the sun set, whirling around and around in circles, laughing and soaking in the warmth from the last of the sun’s rays.

It was dark by the time we got back to our campsite. As we began to prepare dinner, a pack of wolves howled with abandon very close to our tent. They barked and howled for more than a minute and we think they were probably less than 100 yards away.
The Boundary Waters continues to surprise us. Everyday we see and hear something new and we are constantly reminded what a special Wilderness we are immersed in. Please follow @savetheBWCA , sign their petition, and help protect the Boundary Waters from the sulfide-ore copper mines being proposed along the edge of the Wilderness.

#wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #ice #wolves #onlyinMN