The Hunt, November, '08

I was hunkered down behind a pond berm with my son-in-law, Dan. His brother, Lucas, was across the field hidden in the woods. Their goal was for me to experience the essence of deer hunting. They had rifles and I had binoculars. The excitement began on the second day. We had been watching the field for over an hour. The light was getting low but we still had 15 minutes of legal hunting time. A ghost of a doe materialized a 100 yards west of the trees. We were 250 yards north of the trees and the doe. She was nearly camoflaged against the brown stubble of a former corn field. We watched the deer move East getting closer to the trees. A nearby car on the road caused the deer to move towards us. Dan took several seconds to evaluate whether he had a safe shot. He squeezed off his first shot and a cloud of dust rose up beyond and below the deer. It jumped and ran into the trees. Then we heard Lucas shoot twice. He was on the edge of the trees. Then we saw a doe trotting East away from us. Dan took 2 shots at it. It didn't go down or jump but stood there for a few seconds and then disappeared. Dan and I walked down to where the second deer disappeared but found no deer or blood trail. I headed for Lucas, who had found the blood trail of the deer he shot. We tracked it across the field and into the trees to the East. The trail continued through the trees and shallow ravine to some deep grass where we found her motionless with her eyes open. Through CSI type analysis we determined that it was Luke's second shot that had gotten this one. Dan and Lucas guided me through the field dressing process. There are several important steps to follow. It was a wonderfull experience for me, however, I'm going to consider becoming a hunter for a few more months before I invest in all the gear it takes to become one.

Lower Pauness Lake Oct. 08

We had a great campsite in the middle of Lower Pauness Lake. Our veiw of the lake from the rock over looking the water makes this a million dollar peice of realestate. At 8:30 BB started a fire that was still going good at 10:45. He started the fire with one match and wet wood. We had a shower during supper. We cooked and ate under the tarp as we usually do when it rains. We discussed the finer points of grandfatherhood. Bill is a great grandfather. Our trip down the Little Souix Indian River this afternoon was beautiful. Many trees still had their color and the pines provided good contrast with their rich greens. We paddled 6 miles and did 3 portages, a 40 rodder to start out and then a 60 and finally a short 8 rod portage. On the second portage we saw a beautiful waterfall and cascade. Wildlife veiwed was a beaver, deer, grouse and many ducks.

After fishing we found a grouse wandering around camp. Truly a wild place and evidence of how the wildlife reclaim their territory in the 8 months of the off season. Later that evening we howled for wolves but got no answer. However, we did hear a rabbit give its death scream followed by a Barred Owl hooting in victory. A beaver swam past camp and slapped his tail in disgust because we invaded his wilderness privacy. As a full moon rose through the trees we talked about how it had been a perfect day. BB was glad to be back in the woods and I was glad for his friendship. The warm campfire, the bright night sky, and the satisfaction of earning another wonderfull day in the woods made it difficult to sign off.

It was 45 degrees in the morning while enjoying bagels and coffee. BB and I watched fish swirling the water out in front of camp. BB started fishing from shore and on the third cast caught a 6 pound Northern. He caught it on a very small red and white spoon. It was too big for my net so I had to gill hook it by hand. We soon had 1/2 of it frying in a pan and made cornbread to go with it. It was super. 4 canoists paddled by on a day trip, and we saw them again later while exploring Devil's Cascade. Devil's Cascade is a beautiful canyon that the water from Lower Pauness flows through to get to Loon Lake on the Canadian border. We also fished while paddling around and had no luck. While I napped, BB fished and caught 2 more small throw back Northerns. After 2 days of gray overcast the sky cleared and the sun gave us a glorious show of color and light. There was an immature Bald Eagle showing interest in the reamins of the Northern. I tried to get a picture of him but the bird was fast and I was slow. Supper was the rest of the Northern and mashed potatoes. Dessert was Trail cookies and decaf tea. Wildlife let us know of their presence during the course of the evening. Owls were hooting and Beavers swam by slapping their tails occasionally. The full moon was rising through the trees and we could hear the distant waterfall. The fire felt especially warm because frost was forming on all our tents and gear.

I slept till 8am having gotten 10 hours of wonderfull woodland rest. We lingered over breakfast and were on the water at 10 am. A strong breeze was blowing out of the southwest, but because of the protection of the shore and river we didn't have to fight waves, however the wind required us to paddle hard. Even though we were paddling against the wind and current of the river we paddled out in the same amount of time it took us to paddle in. It was a good wilderness workout. We met a couple who were headed in to see Devil's Cascade. They were very glad to be in the BWCA on such a glorious day. On the last portage to the trailhead I had stopped to rest and a moose hunter stopped to talk to me. He had hunted all week with no luck, and was hoping for a chance on the last day or two to bag a moose. In conclusion we enjoyed a great campsite and appreciated the near total isolation. BB's Northern was the highlight of the weekend's food. The deep quiet of the woods was welcome relief from the constant noise of civilization.

Lake Two in October 2008

We arrived at the Lake Two Hilton campsite around noon. This was after the 8 of us paddled for 3 hours from the landing on Lake One. The students responded well to paddling instructions. Some were experienced and the rest had it figured out after a mile or two. Portaging went well, however Tony slipped with a pack on and ended up sitting in a foot of water. He was unhurt but wet. He finished the journey with out changing clothes or getting cold. At camp, pitching tents was an exercize in geometry. Everyone assembled their tents successfully with a little help.
Lunch was served with hot cocoa and coffee. It was a cool and windy day and the food tasted especially good. Freetime passed with wood gathering and conversation. The evening was rounded off with macaroni and cheese, fire roasted hot dogs and smores. Louie's Ipod entertained us with a handfull of songs. Some we sang along with. I told some bear stories and all in all it was an excellent evening. Everyone went to bed at 9.

In the morning it was raining as it did most of the night. By the time we were done eating homemade donuts under the tarp, the rain had stopped. I introduced Jim Brandenberg's "Chasing the Light". We talked about how he took a whole fall season to document photographically the change in the woods. We only have 4 days. So we took all the pictures we could. Trying to make each one worthy for our display board when we got home. After some group and individual pictures we headed for the Rock Island Lake portage. We hiked the trail with Tylor leading most of the way. It was a rugged trail with roots, rocks, water and downed trees. We took some pictures but the sky was gray and the woods weren't very colorful. Everyone enjoyed the challenge of hiking this trail and several of us fell but there were no injuries. Next we headed for the Dangerous Waters portage, with a brief stop at Kincaid's camp. His group was gone and we needed a break. The wind had picked up and when we left the protection of the islands we were hit by it's full force. Once again Ty and Tony lead the way. They are a very strong paddling team. We had lunch on an overlooking rock at the begining of the portage. Afterwards the kids took their cameras and explored all the photo oportunities along the trail. High on a cliff I took many group and individual shots. Kayla was getting very good at operating a single lens reflex camera that I loaned her. At 3pm the kids went back to camp and Sheri and I went to Kincaid's camp for coffee and planning of tommorrows activities. He had some great ideas. When we returned to camp I started cooking Chicken Noodle Delight. We also had cheese and crackers and then smores for dessert. The evening's entertainment was songs, bear stories and hanging the food pack. Louie and Cameron stayed up a little later talking but everyone was in their tent by 10. It was a classic northwoods day with adventures, challenges, fun, relaxation and awe for the beauty we were surrounded by. Twice before midnight we heard wolves. Some of them very close. It was a very wonderfull lullaby after a great day.

In the morning the kids headed for Kincaid's camp to learn about orienteering and visit several educational stations staffed by the seniors. Sheri and I stayed in our camp for a while taking down the tarp (there was no rain in the forecast) and going through the community packs. On our way to see Kincaid we were redirected on a rescue mission to help Tony and Cameron find their first station. However, half way there we realized they got back on track and found the station. At these stations the students were taught about survival, BWCAW history and fire making. All the students enjoyed this activity. Later my students went exploring and Sheri and I went to an archeological dig site at a camp near the entrance to Lake Three. We found evidence of their work very close to the fire grate. The archeologists had been looking for pottery shards and arrowheads. That evening we had potato soup mixed with onions and beef chunks. They ate most of a double batch. Sheri and I did the evening chores and later we sat around the fire making oreo smores, singing songs, and sharing more bear stories. It was a great last evening. Everyone was in their tents by 10.

We were on the water shortly after 9 after a good breakfast and an efficient pack up. Kincaid's group was a half hour ahead of us. We thoroughly enjoyed our paddle out. The water was smooth and the sky was blue. Tylor did most of the navigating on the way out. We cherished all the fall colors and all the sights and sounds of the wilderness.