Day 6: T 9/18- Fish Fry!!!

We got up early the next morning, made a little fire to take the chill off and make coffee. We headed up the rest of the east shore, which took a couple of hours. Finally we reached the north end of the lake which started us along the longest stretch of the lake. We ate our lunch snack, hard boiled eggs and honey sandwiches, on a little peninsula formed between Lake Winnibigoshish and Cutfoot Sioux Lake.
After lunch we started heading into the big west bay of Lake Winnie. At this point our arms were tired from battling the wind, and when we came upon a shallow area in the lake; we decided to get out and pull/push the canoe for a quarter mile. This also gave Maggie and I the chance to bathe, as we were beginning to smell less than fresh.
Coming back South in the bay was difficult because the winds had shifted against us, but we pushed through.
The portage was right on the side of the dam which made Maggie nervous. We first landed a hundred feet shy and checked to see if that was really the correct spot before getting so close to dam. The portage path ran straight up a steep incline which took both of us to get the canoe up. Lily didn't help much. While I finished pushing the canoe and the gear over, Maggie ran ahead to start charging the phones at an outlet under a pavilion on the other side.
While we were waiting for the phones to charge a guy from a charter fishing group came over to ask us how far we were planing on going. We started talking to him (Dick) and his son (Alex) about our trip and they invited us to join them for their fish fry dinner. It was really nice being able to chat with them, and the fish fry dinner was an amazing treat after a long day on Lake Winnie. Charlie, the fishing captain, had some amazing culinary skills as well. He first seasoned some potatoes and onions in a big fry pan which we all started snacking on while he perfectly fried up over a dozen fillets. We all ate till we were content and at the end they put all the leftover fried potatoes into a bag for us to take with us. The meal and the company made for a very memorable reward for our efforts.
We didn't want to camp there, so a little behind schedule we headed back out. The river opened up into Little Winnibigoshish in about a mile. A much smaller lake that we paddled through just the south-east end. Another four miles through a pleasant twisting river put us at our camp for the night. Crazy James Point was a pretty little campsite set on a high bank overlooking a bend in the river. Lily had a blast chasing the numerous frogs, while we enjoyed our evening without without having to make dinner. A delicious snack of leftover potatoes by the campfire was enjoyed before turning in for the night.