After our Chat Room session on Wednesday morning, we took our time packing up. The kind staff of Gunflint Lodge sent us on our way with some homemade sugar cookies to combat the cooler temperatures and strong headwind.

We made our way across Gunflint Lake into Magnetism Lake. As we dreamed of the prospects and possibilities of having our own cabin on an island, we could see wisps of smoke wafting from the trees. At first I dismissed them as low lying clouds, but as we paddled closer, the strong smell of smoke and a blackened tree line were indicative of a recent fire. Tall, black, limbless trees stood like giant tent stakes in a vast and empty field. The fire, which was prescribed and closely monitored by the US Forest Service, had consumed all of the underbrush. The forest floor had become carpeted with only ash and soot.

Fire is a very important part of the forests natural cycle. To a forest, fire is neither destructive nor harmful. In fact, fire is the forests way of re-growing itself. The ash and soot left by a fire provides vital nutrients to the soil and allows new trees to grow and flourish.

We left Magnetism Lake and headed down the Granite River. It was stunning. The shoreline is very exposed, and trees are not as thick as they are in most areas of the boreal forest. Because there are so many exposed rocks, the soil is inhospitable to any but the strongest of plants, mosses, and trees. However, the lack of trees revealed a hilly and quite lumpy landscape that most visitors do not get to see.

Today we left the Granite River for Saganaga Lake. Fire and Windstorms have uprooted many of the trees in the surrounding area. What may appear as a disruption in the forest's life is just another part of the ever-changing wilderness. The open areas allow animals to move more freely, often in search of new feeding grounds, and a new forest begins to grow.

As we paddled across Saganaga Lake this afternoon we spotted this huge nest high in a tree. We paddled over for a closer look, hoping to see the birds that use the nest as a form of shelter where they raise their young. We saw several birds in the area, but none seemed interested in the nest. Do you know what type of bird's nest this is? Post your answers to the message board.

What does wilderness mean to you?

Wilderness, Ahh wilderness. I love the outdoors. I love to explore. Forests and streams. I like to watch animals and bugs. I like looking at all the different kinds of wild flowers. I don't like nature walks, I like to explore where people have not been before!

Kate, 6th Grade

This was Eric's first time over the Height of Land Portage. When crossing this portage, Voyageurs were initiated into the elite group of men who paddled into the Arctic Watershed . After completing the Height of Land Portage, they were know as men of the North! Following tradition, Frosty had to swear to never kiss another voyageur's wife without asking permission, never lie, cheat, or steal from another voyageur, always help another voyageur in need of help, and never let a man cross the height of land without being initiated. The voyageurs would have a party at the portage to celebrate crossing into a new watershed. We munched happily on GORP at the end of the portage, knowing that it is all down hill from here.

Find out what a watershed is, and why they're so important to the earth's balance. What's the largest watershed in the world? Find out what the largest watershed is on each continent. What are some watersheds that Dave and Eric should explore on later learning adventures? Post your responses to the Message Board.

Traveling through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for the past few days has been truly magical. This "old friend" feels like home. I often find my mind wandering back to childhood canoe trips when I was blown away by the magnitude of this great wilderness. No cars or roads, buildings or signs, just miles and miles of lakes, rivers, and forests. I am still often in awe of this great landscape, but now I am totally at home and feel more comfortable here, miles from the nearest road, than I do at any other place on earth. I hope that this irreplaceable resource is never lost.

We must offer a late, but very warm fuzzy to Natasha Warner, proud supporter of the Wilderness Classroom. Without Natasha's help we would have never made it to the start of this adventure. She supplied us with a ride, and will also be picking us up in Winnipeg. Thanks, Tash!

As we walked the portage, which climbs 600 vertical feet in the first 3.5 miles, it was easy to speculate the commotion the many canoe brigades must have caused. I searched for the echoes of their songs for inspiration and motivation to keep going.

We woke on September 21st still on the portage to find a nice, level path that led us to the banks of the Pigeon River. It was the Fall Equinox, and we were excited by the fact that leaves would start to show their full range of colors. Yellowing birch, and reddening moose maple are an exquisitely sharp contrast to the deep, dark greens of the white pine and black spruce.

The Pigeon River's shoreline teemed with wild rice. Although most of the rice had already dropped, it was still fun to paddle through. We shook some of the rice over our canoe, causing it to drop into the bottom, in much the same way that it's been done for thousands of years.

The deep channel of Pigeon River soon gave way to rocky, shallow rapids, slowing our travel. We had to walk up the river, which usually came up no higher than our knees. Sometimes, though, we would sink up to our chests. It was fun, but became quite laborious after hours of repetition on empty bellies.

Over the weekend we definitely did more walking, portaging, bushwhacking, scrambling, crawling, and climbing than paddling, so the larger lakes that lie ahead will be a welcome relief in the days to come.