P is for Paddling: Stairway Portage via West Bearskin, Duncan & Rose Lakes

The warm, sweet smell of pine needles inundate my senses.  A robin chirps in the distance.  Old wolf scat and moose droppings flow by along the ground.  There's certainly no irony there.  Today, amongst the norms of our northern reality, my view is shadowed by the hull of a canoe.  It is the first paddle of the season for us.  Most notable, however, is the fact that it is the maiden voyage of our "new to us" Kevlar canoe.  Penelope rides along on Amy's back down the portage trail and on to the next lake.  She bangs her tiny, delicate fists on the blades of the wooden paddles her mother carries.  I stroll a few feet behind- light weight, space-age synthetic canoe on my shoulders and traditional canvas & leather Duluth Pack on back.  A blend of new and old: today we are headed towards the Canadian border.

Canadian hills in the distance, Rose Lake below the palisades...