Jim unloading gear at the head of the portage.
Matt Smith is getting ready to haul another load across the portage.
Matt and Jim work to unload the truck and get it down to the lake.
It always seems like the pile of stuff awaiting portage never gets smaller.
Jim motors away from the landing late in the afternoon of Monday, June 11. Earlier that morning, David had delivered Rick and Ryan to the landing to start their trip back to North Platte. David fished below the rapids after that, waiting for Jim to arrive at about 5:30PM.
Abby (Brittany’s college roommate) is enjoying the ride.
Brittany is looking forward to some quality fishing and cabin time.
Jim pushes on, there are still 17 miles left to get to the island. It’s a bit chilly after the sun goes down, like 42 degrees.
David and Matt are in this boat towing the canoe. Matt looks a bit chilly.
We are always thankful for calm water when crossing the lake. Whatever discomfort these folks were feeling, it was much less than what it would have been with a high wind and waves.
The canoe is carrying the new minnow box, coolers of food, gasoline and all the usual gear and supplies.
David and a nice Northern Pike. The temperature high was 57 degrees today.
David enjoys fishing about as much as Grandpa Don enjoys being at his cabin,
Davis shows the catch of walleye that are destined for the frying pan.
Beautiful walleyes.
Abby caught a rare white fish while fishing in the intrim lake while Brittany looks on.
Matt caught a small norther.
This Northern, like almost all of them will be thrown back into the lake and allowed to grow much larger.
Abby has caught a small Northern too.
David, Matt, Brittany and Jim carry their fishing gear back to the main lake from the Intrim Lake where we keep a small fishing boat.
David hugs a large quaking aspen that is about to be cut down. This is the same tree that Don is pictured hugging in photo 41 of 1992.
This tree turned out to be 100 years old.
David and Jim standing by a quaking aspen that is relatively rare this far north. They are found in well watered valleys that tend to get missed by the many forest fires.
These four, eight foot segments were debarked and left to dry before bringing them back to the cabin. The bark came off the tree in a whole section and was brought back to the cabin. My guess is that this bark was used as roof covering in frontier days.
The logs were too heavy to haul out of the woods. It is hoped that they will get more manageable after a year of drying out in the woods. The better part of a day was required to do this work.
David keeps catching Northerns.
The secondary rapids enters the intrim lake in this picture. As the year advances, the water level normally lowers and this secondary rapids drys up.
Jim and his small Northern. Davis already has another fish on his pole.
David removes a lure from his fish. The fish’s mouth is held open with a spreader tool and the hook is removed with what we call a “brontosaurus”. These tools dramatically reduce the stress experienced by caught fish.
Matt holds a nice walleye he caught
David and his walleye.
Matt shows a string of nice walleyes.
Matt and Jim with the walleyes that are soon going home to North Platte.
Jim and Don with the walleyes.
