We no more than got the canoe loaded up and it started sprinkling. We knew weather was coming and were trying to beat it. As we paddled through McFarland, the rain picked up and soon came down in buckets. Being soaked by this point, I jumped in and literally dragged the canoe through the icy-cold channel to Pine Lake. And because the rain wasn't challenging enough, we also had the joy of fighting mighty gusts on Pine Lake, which is known for it's wind. Good times. We took the first site we came upon, which was #734, and had no choice but to set up in the rain. It was the storm that wouldn't end. We were in our tents for FIVE long days while it rained and rained and rained. Finally, when the sun broke, we were able to do some fishing and I caught my first ever Lake Trout, which was also the first fish of the week. We also caught some nice walleyes and ate well. The campsite was nestled in a grove of cedar trees and was really quite nice. The fire grate is out front with a great view of the east and west sides of the lake and one cool cedar tree growing out of the rocks. We both agreed that we would stay at this site again. One day, we ventured across to the opposite side of the lake to see if we could find Vale Lake. It took us a while to find the trail up the hill, but we managed to locate it. My buddy cursed me halfway up the hill because it was almost more than he could take (the trail became nearly vertical near the end). But after the arduous climb, it was worth it. The trout pond was filled with very large tadpoles and we casted from shore in a few different spots but didn't catch anything. One afternoon we paddled westward and checked out some other sites and did a bit of fishing there and back and managed to reel in some bass. Once the rain finally ended, we had a great trip.
