Expedition to Ross Lake

It was Saturday, August 8th. We decided to head out for a litttle paddle to the north end of the lake. I wanted to see the progress on the lots that had sold in the narows since I was last there about two years ago. The weather was fair, not too hot, about 23 degrees. We stopped along the way to talk to Beverly and Warren, who told us about Ross Lake. It's an adjoining lake you can access by portaging around a beaver dam. I had seen it on the map, but didn't know how to get to it. Now they told us where to look for the beaver dam on the west side of the lake in the narrows, just past the last cottage on the east shore. It is very small, maybe three quarters of a kilometer long and half a kilometer wide. But it is completely unspoiled. We portaged around the dam and paddled to the north end where there is a small beach. We found deer and other animal tracks in the sand and evidence of a feast of mussels by one of the locals. On our way there, we saw a huge bird soaring overhead. I think it was a hawk and we took some pictures. The trip back was against the wind, as it always seems to be. It made for a pleasant outing and a good workout. I estimate the return trip was about 12 kilometers. If you can identify this bird, let me know.