Today’s destination was Sock Lake. I slept in until 6:30 — yikes! But the guys were in no hurry to head out, so we went about our chores and hit the trail at 8:30.
The first several miles were just as the Alaska couple told us they’d be. First, we had lots of mud and mosquitoes, but then we hit this lovely stretch called “The Longest Portage.” It’s a two-mile (3-km) canoe portage that is flat and easy walking. Yes!
Heading for Sock Lake
After that, the trail quickly devolved into its normal self: overgrown, super hilly, full of downed trees. Just one tough SOB.
Luckily, we enjoyed several beautiful vistas that made up for the misery and pain, including the waterfall at Stairway Portage. It was stunning.
Oh, I must note that the weather today was mostly perfect in that it didn’t rain and we finally had a tiny breeze. It was also sunny. The 
downside was that it got into the low 70s F (low 20s C), which is hot for backpacking. Plus, I’d worn this warm, long-sleeved shirt. I drank about 80 ounces (2.4 liters) of water before I finally had to pee.
Sock Lake campsite nice
We’re camped at Sock Lake tonight. It’s lovely, although Tom said when he went in the lake to bathe, a leech got in him. Ick!! I just wet a cloth after hearing that.
Oh, and the breeze was strong at our site, so I hung up all my wet and damp clothes and almost everything dried completely.
The only thing that would have made a perfect ending to the day would have been an ice cold beer. Or two!
Snowshoe
BRT/MN NCT miles today: 14.3 (23 km)
Total BRT miles: 49 (79 km)
Total BRT miles to go: 16 (26 km)
MN NCT miles to date: 369.7 (595 km)
Total NCT miles to date: 656.1 (1,056 km)
Total NCT miles to go: 3,943.9 (6,347 km)
