Access Point #7 is on Source Lake, at the end of a 1.5 kilometer gravel road, north of Highway 60 between Canoe and Cache Lakes. Just after I arrived there around noon, a large truck arrived at the parking lot. The pontoon barge for Camp Pathfinder soon pulled up at the dock. It was a week before the beginning of summer camp season and supplies were being stocked up.
	I paddled across to the north side of Source Lake and portaged the 540 meters to Bruce Lake. The put-in has a proper little dock. My campsite was the only one on the lake ... just a short paddle around the nearby point.
	By mid-afternoon I'd finished setting up camp. The site's small, only having enough flat area for a pair of small tents. It's exposed to the northwest, so I strung-up my tarp quite low to my tent.
	After cooking up a late lunch of soup, I headed out in the canoe to explore Bruce Lake's shoreline. The lake narrows to a southwest bay, where I saw this loon a few yards ahead on her nest. I glided by with camera at the ready. As I floated by ... snap!
	The bay finally narrowed down to where a log blocked the outflowing creek. An old beaver lodge, a short distance beyond, provided a subject for this somewhat somber photo. After returning to camp I enjoyed a sunny break that lasted all of an hour. I then cooked up a late supper and ate it while sitting on rocks overlooking the lake, while the weather went cloudy and cool.
	I woke up at sunrise, boiled the day's water, had breakfast and broke camp. Crossing Bruce Lake took a leisurely 10 minutes. The portage to Raven Lake took a good hour. The waves were already starting out on Raven Lake, on account of its length being aligned with the wind out of the southwest.
	The previous day's forecast had said the wind would be up to 40kph by the afternoon. It was up to that by mid-morning, blowing me to the next portage landing faster than I cared for. Here's the canoe pulled well up from the shore ... looking back upwind.
	The 550m portage to Owl Lake was somewhat rough. When I got to the end, the wind was even stronger .. up to around 60kph. Pine cones were raining down into the water from the big white pines by the put-in. The sound of trees crashing down came from across the bay. With the wind so high, I decided to head straight to the first campsite. It was a 'tip'.
	Amidst the swishing treetops and crashing trees, I could hear a different sound ... a cracking in the bush behind my tent ... a moose! She paced around and chewed at some twigs. She finally headed off to the west, by way of the shoreline.
	It was a cool night. I woke up shortly after sunrise to glorious sunshine! With everything packed and the canoe loaded, I walked east to get this picture of the site's landing and the west end of the lake where the portage from Raven Lake ends.
	I took my time along the north shore of Owl Lake, checking out the pair of campsites located a third of the way along. This is the westmost of the pair.
	Here's the eastmost of the campsites. Its rocky point is a great sunning spot, with a 180 degree southerly exposure. However, the other site would definitely impact on this one's privacy.
	I cruised along at a lazy pace, arriving at the 1315m portage to Linda Lake by mid-morning. Small branches downed by the previous day's winds littered the way. About a third of the way along the portage, I crossed the Minnesing Mountain Bike Trail. This picture is of a stretch of the bike trail south of that crossing.
	Just a short distance further along the portage, the wind had brought down this pair of trees right across a boggy wet spot. There was no leaving the boardwalk, so I had to break off the offending branches and haul the canoe over top.
	Portages provide opportunities to see life deep within the forest. Being particularly curious about plants and fungi, I often set down my load to get a close look at interesting specimens. I couldn't resist this triple-layered polypore fungus.
	I finally got to Linda Lake early in the afternoon. The bright overhead sun created dark shadows at the put-in, but I averaged the two extremes' light readings and took this shot.
	Of the four campsites on Linda Lake, I chose to head straight for the one on the point directly across from the portage. I figured why not go for the best. It had a great afternoon and evening view. After a couple of hours I'd pitched camp, had lunch and set off to explore the lake.
	My first stop was the campsite located immediately north of the portage from Owl Lake. As you can see, it has a large open grassy area. However, since it faces east, it unfortunately doesn't enjoy a sunny afternoon exposure. My campsite is just visible on the right side of the distant point.
	The next stop was at the campsite located on the island at the north end of the lake. While it has a super view on all sides, it is well worn from heavy use. Its rocky landing area faces due west into the afternoon sunshine.
	From the northwest corner of the lake, shallow Linda Creek flows on its way to Burnt Island Lake. This long boardwalk carries the Minnesing Mountain Bike Trail over the creek valley.
	Paddling back along the west bay's gravelly north shore, I came across this patch of Sheep Laurel in bloom, at the water's edge. This plant is known to be poisonous to sheep and cattle.
	This is the campsite at the mouth of Linda Lake's northeast bay. It has plenty of tentsites, making it ideal for a large group. The portage to Iris Lake is located further east into the bay, behind the campsite's rocky point. The balance of the day was back at camp, with supper cooked over a fire and a restful evening spent watching the sun set.
	The next day took me back to Raven Lake's westmost campsite within site of the portage to Bruce Lake. The sky had hazed over through the day, until by supper time it was fully clouded. With the smell of threatening rain in the cooling air, I pitched camp and prepared for another campfire supper. The rain held off and supper went well. I made sure that the plastic sheet under my tent was properly recessed in from the walls' bottoms and had its edges raised with forest debri, to ensure all runoff would go under the sheet. I elevated my pack on branches to keep it off the ground and secured a plastic sheet over it.
	I was woke up around midnight by the loud pounding of rain. It was the heaviest and longest downpour I've ever experienced in a tent. After a while I adjusted and went back to sleep. When I awoke again, it was well past sunrise, the rain was still pouring and it was dim from the dense cloud cover. I took this picture from inside my tent, relying on the flash to light up the darkness. I occuppied myself with a pocket book for a good hour, hoping the rain would ease up. Resigned to the rain, I got up, waddled about under the tarp, got a high-energy cold breakfast and packed up. Finally, with my heavy poncho on, I brought down the tarp, loaded the canoe and paddled over to the portage to Bruce Lake. And, still the rain poured!
	The rain kept coming down. The need for the boardwalks was quite evident now. Where empty mud holes had been only days before, there were now deep pools of water. Hours of rain had thoroughly penetrated the boards, making them extremely slimey. Each step had to be measured to avoid ending up calf-deep or face-first in the muck. This spot was halfway between Raven and Bruce Lakes. Just for a moment it looked like the sun might break through.
	With my brimmed hat crammed down over my poncho's hood, I was able to keep my glasses dry. I maintained a moderate pace so as to not start sweating under the poncho's vinyl. I nibbled on jelly beans to keep up my energy level. I was able to hold a comfortable balance between the cold wet air and the heat I was generating. Having taken my pack halfway to Source Lake, I doubled back to get my canoe. The sight of rain falling on Bruce Lake and its little dock prompted me to snap this shot.
	When I arrived at the put-in on Source Lake, I was surprised to see waves being whipped up by a wind blowing down its length. I propped the canoe up against a tree and took a short rest underneath, topping up on water and raisins. After changing into my wool sweater and light poncho, I got back at it. Once out in the open, the waves and cold wind were quite strong. The wool against my chest kept me warm, as I let the wind help me get to the access point's dock while keeping the waves at 45 degrees from the rear. As luck would have it, I got to the dock only to have both the wind and rain stop, as if right on que. It'd been twelve hours of the heaviest rain I'd ever been out in. And now it stopped!