Friends and Fruit on the Trail - NORTHERN LIGHT LAKE - Day Twenty

Waking up to an absolute down-pour there is not much that could make you happier than knowing that a 1.5 hour paddle down the lake lies a lodge serving hot breakfast. We threw camp into our packs and barrels and booked it through the rain to Gunflint Lodge for the best mocha and eggs of all time. By the time we had ventured back out the sun was in the sky and we set off across the waves.

With a number of portages ahead (10 in the next two days) we discovered that berry season is just beginning. While one trail today contained blueberries AND raspberries AND strawberries (the hours this morning disappeared for us) we have found that the less traveled areas are much more plentiful. The most lucrative location yet was when we couldn't find our portage trail so pulled the boat down some wrong channel and found the mother load of unpicked berries. They are the plumpest ones of all time, perhaps due to the vast amount of rain we've experienced.

Last night we were lucky to cross paths with Dave and Amy Freeman. They're an incredible couple spending a year in the wilderness to raise awareness about the fight against a proposed sulphide-ore copper mine to be developed directly beside the boundary waters. As one of the harshest and most toxic types of mines, any leaks from the mine would end up polluting the national and state forests of the Boundary Waters, as well as Quetico Provincial Park. For more information on this cause and for their blog about a year in the wilderness, we highly encourage you to check out www.savetheboundarywaters.com

When they pulled up to the campsite, we were on day 19 and they were on day 291. We had a great time camping together and hearing about their last year and other inspiring adventures around the world. They provided us with some coffee and chocolate that we had been craving over the past three weeks and we had some bacon to offer - which they hadn't eaten since last fall.

We ended up wind bound today for the afternoon but we won't complain about a chance to read our books in a hammock that is swaying in the breeze or catching some pickerel or making some delicious brownies before bed.