Chloe and her friends go to the BWCA

Chloe was the star of the week. Always very enthusiastic, energetic and friendly to everyone. She is skilled at fitting into camp life and loves sitting in anyone's lap. She loved fetching in the water and out. Her only problem was charging after the ball so hard that she sprained her left rear foot. This limited her activity but didn't stop her from enjoying the woods. Pam and Scott found our campsite at about 5 Sunday afternoon. We had paddled 11 miles and did about 350 rods of portaging to get there. It had good rock to sit on near the water. The trees were tall and provided a lot of shade. There was no under brush and very few mosquitoes.

Our trip started with 160 rod portage from the parking lot to the Moose River at 9 am. We paddled in 3 canoes down the Moose River. Pam and Scott in one canoe, Molly and Jenny in another and Jackie paddled bow for me. It was Jackie's first canoe trip. She worked very hard to master the various paddle strokes. She listened to directions and gave the best effort she could. We had lunch on a campsite on Nina Moose Lake where some snakes were spotted. We followed the Moose River north out of Nina Moose Lake crossing 2 portages and several miles of river before we got to Lake Agnes. We then split up and used 2-way radios to coordinate our search for the best site.

While everyone hunted for firewood for the steaks and potatoes I made salads. We were all very worn out from the effort it took to get here but super glad that we found such a nice campsite. After supper the girls made smores which were the perfect sweets to end a great day in the woods. The evening was concluded watching the sunset till the last glowing of the western sky and then watching the stars come out. There was one star in the northern sky that flickered and Jenny said that it was a Pulsar. The lake was perfectly calm and very soothing to the spirit. We felt blessed to have earned such a wonderful piece of realestate.

In the morning Molly helped me make donuts for breakfast. It was a beautiful morning that started in the 40's and warmed up nicely to t-shirt weather. Scott spent the day reading up on the hill. The girls went for a hike. As the day went on a breeze built up. The trees made a loud swooshing sound that was a very mood inspiring in a northwoods way. Pam and Jackie returned and said that the hiking was very rough. They left to paddle over to Molly and Jenny and take them a canoe so they could paddle back. Then they took a paddling tour of our bay and explored an island at the front of the bay. Meanwhile i took a nap full of pleasant dreams. I went for a swim about 4:30. The water was refreshing especially because my tent got very warm towards the end of my nap. Chloe was retrieving a ball like a heat seeking missile. I made some coffee and started getting ready for supper. I also worked on the water filter, it's wrecked. Pumps water but very slowly.

The new day started with planning a trip to Lac La Croix. We also noticed that Chloe's foot was starting to give her trouble. She was fine as long as we didn't let her stress it by playing fetch. As we headed for Lac La Croix we crossed two portages, a 24 and 65. It was 6 1/2 miles to the pictographs. There were hand prints, moose, human figures and other markings. We felt we were a part of the history of the northern wilderness visiting these ancient symbols on a towering cliff in a canoe. We photographed, visited, and left a offering of tobacco on the water. An hour later we were climbing Warrior Hill. It was a misty gray day but the view from the top was huge because we were so high up. The view was an abstract quilt of gray water, light gray rock and green trees made by all the islands and points we could see in every direction. Distant lands were muted by the mist. We took group photos and videos, ate lunch, napped, and absorbed the energy of this magnificent piece of rock that was 200 feet above the water. The wind had become blustery and we were bracing ourselves for a rough ride back to camp. The first crossing of open water was difficult and afterwards we stopped on the lee side of an island to rest. As we paddled towards the first portage out of Lac La Croix the wind let up considerably, but it started to rain more heavily. Hot cocoa was the first thing we made when we got back. Supper was spaghetti and dessert was Cinnamon sugar tortillas. We tried to stay up but the bugs were too bad even with lots of DEET on. It was a great day with everyone really enjoying this wilderness paradise. Chloe was waiting at the tent to go to bed, she had a big day too and I think the mosquitoes were getting her.

I spent the first 2 hours of the morning under the tarp listening to the radio, looking at my photos, and drinking coffee. Everyone got out of their tents about 8:30 and we had bacon and cheese tortillas for breakfast. We also made cinnamon and sugar tortillas as kind of a breakfast dessert. It was a delicious breakfast under the tarp in the rain. Jackie and Pam read in their tents, Molly and Jenny played kings corner under the tarp and Scott read under the tarp too. I took some time to clean and organize my tent and day pack. While in my tent the mattress was so comfortable to sit on i soon found myself in full recline. It felt good to take the pressure off my back but i never did sleep. After supper Jenny and Molly helped wash dishes. The evening cleared and the girls and I went out in the boats. I fished and the girls paddled me around while rafted up. I didn't catch anything but it was great to be out in the sunshine after 36 hours of clouds and rain. It was a beautiful and calm evening. Later we watched silently as Beavers swam past camp. Chloe has come to accept her limitations as far as jumping up and running around camp. We sat on the rock watching dusk turn in to pure darkness with twinkling stars. As usual Chloe was waiting by the tent at bedtime.

Before we paddled down Lake Agnes to head for Nina Moose Lake we had a photo session out on the water. The weather was perfect and we were all excited about travelling again. Jackie has improved her paddling technique greatly and we kept pace with the others very nicely. While on the Moose River we saw Otters playing by some downed trees and spent some time photographing them. We also saw 2 canoes and 2 kayaks pull their boats upstream instead of doing the 96 rod portage. Very interesting, but we covered the same distance on land in less time and with less wear on our boats. We took a lunch break on the beach at the north end of Nina Moose Lake. There we planned our approach to which campsite we wanted for our last night in the north woods. After searching 4 locations we settled on a point on a peninsula in the middle of the lake that had east, west, and south views of the lake. A little rest, a swim, some gorp and a couple cups of coffee and I was revived and ready to cook supper. We had chicken and noodle casserole and more tortillas. It was a beautiful evening and we all reveled in capturing it in our minds and on our digital cameras. Again a couple Beavers paddled by and Jenny and Molly got good photos of them. Soon after the sunset the moon rose and it was an enchanted evening. It was the last night of the last trip of summer 08. Some of the many things we enjoyed seeing and experiencing were: rain, wind, fog, Red Squirrels, Ground Squirrels, sunshine, gentle breezes, long portages, fireflies, short portages, pictographs, leeches, grouse, high hills, mosquitoes, deer, beaver, otter, turtles, loons, baby loons, humming birds, gray jays, frogs, yellow finches, snakes, great horned owls hooting, wolves howling, jumping fish, shooting stars, and Chloe's love distributed evenly among all of us. She has been in everyone's lap at one time or another. She was friendly to everyone even on the portages, even other dogs. She could trot along but had to be lifted over most inclined obstacles. Serenity and peace surrounded us as we sat in the light of a near full moon and a blanket of stars. The thing we all took back with us is the deep quiet of the north woods. We're keeping it in our hearts to get us by until the next time we can return to the Boundary Waters.

The next morning was as beautiful as any and we paddled out basking in the wonderfulness of a BWCA trip but sad that we now had to head back out to a civilized reality.

The Eleventh Choice

We crossed the last portage and arrived at the southern shores of Lac La Croix at 4:30. We had paddled ten miles and portaged 450 rods in 7 1/2 hours. The trip down the Moose River and across Agnes and Nina Moose lakes had gone very smoothly. Brian and Nic went ahead in the Souris River Wilderness 18 and I followed in my Old Town Penobscot 15. We crossed Boulder Bay and Tiger Bay. We passed 7 campsites but found no open sites, one occupied site was my favorite on the lake. Next we headed East and the North along some islands and those sites were taken. We headed Northwest past Warrior Hill. Campsite choices 8,9, & 10 were also taken. We were weary with fatigue and there was no going back because the last sites we saw open were on Agnes Lake. We headed North looking for an open site. There was also a group of 8 following us looking for a campsite and we felt pressure to keep moving. There was one site left on this part of the lake and we headed there. It was our 11th choice, it was beautiful and it was empty. It had a huge flat rock surrounded by water on 3 sides. It was big enough to catch a breeze from any direction. Camp chores were not started right away and when they were done it was at a slow pace. The guys started a fire to grill the steaks and I made salads and potato soup. After dark I braved the mosquitoes and sat on the point for a couple hours in the breeze and fresh air off the lake. The stars were fantastic and the sound of the gentle waves lapping on the rock made the 15 miles we traveled today all worth it.

The next morning began with rain, thunder and lightening at 5am. I started my morning routine at 6. The tarp nearly collapsed in the downpour and I spent a few minutes readjusting it. We had donuts for breakfast and I as the only coffee drinker had a pot of coffee with mine. It was a laid back day of rest. We all caught northerns, the guys got theirs from shore in camp and I was out in the canoe on a nearby point. I also had a bass on the line but he got away because my net wasn't big enough for me to net it. It was a good thrill though. The afternoon was hot so we all swam for a while. The cool water felt great. This was followed by playing cribbage, Nic won but it was a close game. The evening ended with relaxing on the point.

I had a good nights sleep and awoke with hopes of adventure. At 10 am we headed for Warrior Hill. The canoe handled the waves and wind but not without making it difficult for Nic who paddled in the stern. He worked very hard to keep us on track. We climbed the hill and sat at a good place to see south, east and west. We took many pictures of the maze of islands that we had wove our way through Monday while looking for a campsite. We also had lunch and spent some time visiting. 4 others were climbing the hill so we decided it was time to leave. Chloe barked at them for about a minute and then became friends. Next we headed East and then South to the rangers cabin. It was a well crafted example of hand scribed log construction. It also had a log boat house of the same quality. The whole place was a wilderness oasis for rangers. It was a priceless piece of wilderness property. We had lunch at the picnic table out front of the cabin. There were no rangers around although there was evidence someone was staying there. On the way back I paddled stern, with Nic in the bow and Brian riding duff. It was a grind for 2 miles into the wind. When we turned North to go back to camp we were on the lee side of an island and the paddling was twice as easy. We finished off the afternoon swimming, reading, fishing, watching dark clouds with light showers and drinking coffee. Chloe swam and fetched sticks many times. I really like this dog. She's a perfect canoeing buddy.

I had breakfast while watching the sun rise with Chloe. I was slow to pack and the guys were waiting for me. We left camp at 8:15 am. The paddle across Lac La Croix was beautiful. The water was calm and iridescent. I paddled alone for an hour and a half. The guys were just finishing the first portage when I got there. It was 65 rods with a steep hill. The next short portage brought us to Agnes lake. Half way across the lake we stopped and had a refreshing lunch on a shady rock. We finished crossing Agnes and headed South on the Moose River making two portages, a 96 and 70. Between these portages we got stopped by a ranger. He checked our permit and asked a lot of questions. After the last portage the guys went ahead to find a campsite. We used 2-way radios to co-ordinate our search as we did on Lac La Croix. They couldn't find any open campsites and I found one on the west side of Nina Moose Lake. As I headed toward it I noticed another canoe aimed that direction. I turned on the power and we both got there at the same time and one of his people, I realized, were already on the site. But he let us have it. The guys soon returned from the other side of the lake. We made camp but without the pitching the tarp. It had been a hot day so a swim and a quart of water cooled me very well. The evening ended with more sprinkles and thunder.

On our last morning we enjoyed another sunrise breakfast, packed and were on the water before 8. It took a little over 2 hours to paddle and portage the last 3 miles. This trip was a perfect combination of wilderness workout and peaceful relaxation. We paddled a total of 35 miles and 900 rods of portaging. It never rained during the day. Chloe only got away for about 10 minutes before I found her. Brian and Nic were excellent camping friends.

July, '08 on Basswood

One of my friends told me that I was looking for trouble if I went on a trip in a canoe with a motor. They were right, I found trouble but averted disaster. There was a low pressure system to the south spinning up wind and rain from the east. We were headed Northeast on the Moose chain. For a while it wasn't bad, just cool, sprinkly and breezy. Then the wind blew in one foot waves from the east. Spray was coming in on the right side. Ron and I had rain suits on but were still getting wet around the edges. Chloe, the Cocker Spaniel, was soaked and shivering. The 19 foot Grumman square stern with a 5 horse handled it just fine, taking in only about an inch of water in the back of the canoe. The 5 horse would drive us forward as fast as we had the capacity to handle the thrill. We did slow down in the real rough, open areas so less spray would blow into the boat. In the excitement of the journey I got turned around 180 degrees. I didn't realize my mistake until I started seeing the cabins of southern Moose Lake again. My original theory was to follow the right shoreline. This wasn't a bad idea but there were many Islands and bays to lead you astray. Well, we laughed and Ron said he thought we had gotten turned around but wasn't sure. I got out my compass, which I should have been using all the time. I also realized that the world looks different coming at you 8 mph instead of 2 mph. A delightful portage operator advised us to hurry because another storm with hail, rain and wind was on the way. Soon a dark cloud appeared and we opted for the first best campsite we could find. We were unloaded and under the lean-to tarp when the first rain and wind hit. After about 20 minutes it really started to blow and we were thankful that we weren't out on the lake. When the rain stopped we finished making camp, took a coffee break and laughed about about how Missy back at La Tourells said "Have a good time, boys!" We felt like boys on a grand adventure. Of course I have to mention the mosquitoes. They were like fly creatures in an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

7-12-08 At dawn the waves were still rolling down the lake. At 10 am we were loaded and moving towards a new, yet to be determined destination. It required all my novice skill to keep the boat going on a safe course. Constant steering corrections were used to avoid broaching sideways to the 2 foot waves. We proceeded slowly to limit the amount of spray blowing into the boat. As we crested each wave the bow would slap the back side of the wave on the way down. It was a very rough ride even though we were going very slow. We decided we couldn't do this for the 2 hours it would take to get to the other end of the lake, plus the winds were getting stronger. We pulled into a much better campsite than the night before and gladly called it home. After camp was made I took a long, refreshing nap. A cool swim followed by hot coffee segued into a relaxing evening in spite of the rain and occasional storm. After supper we played cribbage. Ron won both games. His good fortune was a couple of 16 cribs. We felt we were stranded on the ocean. Basswood is so big that the wind and waves have miles to build. We have been held here since 11am. Camp life has been pleasant, especially with a good tarp to get under every time it rains. Conversations have been good and Ron likes the food. We've contemplated our future and plan to keep track of the forecast. We may leave Monday or Tuesday if the weather isn't good for Wednesday. The Grumman and 5 horse are much better than last years Old Town Discovery 169 and 2 horse. However, the Grumman is still not good enough for this lake in these weather conditions. The high for the day was 58 and a predicted low of 50. It was so cold that long underwear, a stocking cap and 2 jackets barely kept me warm. We felt lucky to have made it this far. We were curious to see what tomorrow would bring. We hoped for fishing and exploring weather.

7-13-08 The wind was still blowing. We had donuts for breakfast with cinnamon, sugar and lots of coffee. Then a storm came through. One tree in the middle of camp blew down but did no damage. It had the tarp tied to it but broke off above the rope. However, the wind pulled loose 4 stakes on the back of the tarp. It sailed like a spinnaker. The storm was short lived. We were very glad we weren't out fishing when it hit. There had to be 40 mph winds with that burst of meteorological mayhem. We continued to be trapped here for fear of being caught in a storm while traveling or out fishing. We made plans to leave tomorrow if the weather settled. We had dealt with the wind and weather for 3 days now and were getting real antsy. I wanted to explore, fish and see new vistas but it was just foolish to to go our in the boat. Ron went for a walk and Chloe was sleeping about 6 feet away from me. She never left my side. Another long nap was relief from the constant pounding waves and buffeting winds. Ron went fishing in a calm bay west of camp and returned in time to eat supper. At 7:30pm the winds died down and then my soul was content again. The peace that comes over you when the wind settles after 3 days of blowing is unbelievable. Ron had a fire going, it was almost dark. Chloe was laying Ron's chair sleeping. It was a beautiful evening. The stars came out about 11pm.

7-14-08 The lake was still calm this morning and we had a lengthy breakfast before we packed to leave. The trip out was smooth and uneventful. It took only 2 hours including a long wait at the portage. We were glad to be heading home after enduring so many storms and raging winds. Later that day more severe weather rolled through the BWCA and we were happy with our decision to leave.

Ogishcumuncie

We arrived at an island on the west end of Seagull Lake about 2:30 in the afternoon. Making camp, conversation, fishing and getting ready for supper took the rest of the afternoon. Supper was steaks, potatoes and salad. In the evening everyone went fishing and i did camp chores. After the sun had set there was a glowing area in the clouds of the western sky. Spring Peepers were sounding off in a near rythmic pattern. Little birds were chirping and White Throated Sparrows sang their melodic series of notes. This soothing orchestra of sounds celebrates the end of another great day on Seagull Lake.

Tuesday was a great day, but not without it's challenges. The wind was blowing out of the west at 20 mph. We had to fight for every mile we gained. there were 4 portages ranging from 105 to 25 rods. When we made it to Ogishcumuncie we made it a mile and everyone stopped to rest on the leeward side of small island. The wind wasn't letting up and forward progess took twice the effort of regular paddling with no wind. We decided that we should take the first good campsite we came to. It was a beauty. It had a flat rock near the lake to sit on and launch boats. there was lots of room for our 5 tents that would sleep the 8 of us. Mark fried a bunch of fish and i made a huge pot of coffee. Everyone's spirits were lifted and the conversations flowed. We all reveled in the beauty of the wilderness we had so deservedly earned. At 5 Derrick, Neil and I went to check out a cliff that looked good for jumping. Derrick and Neil went to the top to find the best spot to jump from. I surface dove below them to check for rocks. Down about 10 feet all i could see was black. I dove again and went farther down. All i could see when i got down there was black all around me and it was very cold, even scary. I headed for the surface as fast as i could. We all made 2 jumps which was nerve wracking, fun and exhilarating all at the same time. 9 kids from minnetonka showed up and we watched them jump for 20 minutes. For our final jump we did a triple, what a hoot. We swam for a little longer and headed back for camp. The first thing we did was make a pot of coffee to warm up. The water was swimmable but after 10-15 minutes we were cold. Everyone went fishing and came back at 10 pm with a stringer of walleyes. It's pure joy to be together in this wilderness with such a talented group of people. We have excellent fishermen, enthusiastic campers, fire makers, cooks, navigators, story tellers, humourists and all of us thoroughly enjoy this wilderness experience.

Wednesday. Some of us got up early while it was just starting to sprinkle and rain. About 1/2 way getting my tarp pitched we had a downpour. Breakfast was blueberry pancakes and homemade dounuts. It was a team effort. Derrick made the pancakes and Neil made dounuts. A couple of us helped with the details. It was a fabulous group breakfast. Mid morning activities included card playing. Next we paddled to the jumping rock. 3 of us jumped many times with a camera crew taking photos. While we were all becoming adrenaline junkies Sandi climbed to the top of the cliff. She spent 15 minutes up there building up her courage. Finally I asked her if there was anything she'd ever done by saying the hell with it and just went and did it. She replied yes! She married Derrick. In about 30 seconds she jumped and made a successful entry into the lake. During a mid afternoon lunch it downpoured again. We all stayed under my tarp eatting fish, hash browns and super coffee. The excitement of rock jumping made us very hungry. Next Neil and I beat Coop and Guy at cribbage. Neil is an excellent player. It had been a hot day and i spent the evening on the rock next to the water cooling off. The sun was getting low over the forest behind camp. The reflection of the sky and distant shoreline looked like the lake was an impressionist's painting shimmering with light and blurred images. The birds are chirping in a serene soundscape. I was relaxed after finally calming down from the rock jumping. It was 25 feet, probably the highest i have ever jumped from. The woodsmoke from Guy's fire is an added pleasing sensation.

Thursday. It was a day a voyager could be proud of. It was 6 hours of paddling including 5 portages. We covered a total of 11 miles. When Neil and i left Ogish we headed northwest to Knife lake. The others returned to seagull where we started. The day was breezy and 80. We stopped at Eddy falls. My first time there even though i had passed by many times. It was outstandingly sublime. I sat in the mist of the falls bathed in the cool moist air and sunshine. Rejuvinated by this break in the work of canoe travel i was ready to do the last 5 miles. By the time we got to the middle arm of Knife we were looking forward to a nice cool camp. The one we wanted was taken and rather than back track we pressed onward. After 2 more miles we found a small camp that faced the west. In the next 2 hours we swam, drank coffe and talked. Now refreshed we started a 3 course supper. The first course was cheese and onion quesadilla's, made over the fire by neil. Next we had chicken noodle casserole and beef soup. As darkness fell i contemplated another great day tommorrow. We have decided to take our layover day saturday on western Saganaga and travel there tommorrow.

Friday. Packed and ready except for eatting breakfast by 7 am. It's cool and cloudy as Neil and i eat bagels and drink coffee. Bass are taking bugs off the surface of the lake. While watching we notice that it has started to sprinkle. Before we turned to go east we paddled to the canandian shorelin. To answer a point of discussion from the previous evening we went to see if there were people camped over there or if it was rocks and shadows that we saw. When there we could see nothing that resembled people. Neil says they were never there. I said they were but have now gone. I contended they were at least spirits of the boundary waters. We headed down little knife lake to a 5 rod portage that took us into Ottertrack lake. We paddled another 4 miles to Benny Ambrose's former homestead. It had lots of flowers and an overlook of ottertrack lake where we had a snack. On our way through this area we saw several Eagles. One of them sat in his tree and watched us paddle below, the others flew right over us. This place along the canadian border is a true wilderness. We saw no other canoeists or cammpers for 5 hours. Monument portage (76rods), is noteworthy because of the 3 monuments that mark the border. It was a long steep hill and we were very glad to be out on the cool water afterwards. The next couple miles were where two maps join. We decided there was a mile of lake travel missing between the 2. It was confusing and frustrating trying to figure out which bay to paddle through to find the channel to Saganaga. Another 2 miles brought us to american point where we found all the campsites unacceptable or taken. We pressed onward lapping past several islands that had less than perfect campsites. We then decide to paddle to Horseshoe island 3 miles away. When we got there our two favorite campsites were taken. We continued north and found a very large campsite that faced east. It had a good sitting rock out front and an open but shaded camp. We had been in a downpour off american point and were afraid it was going to rain hard again so we first pitched the tarp. For 2 hours we did camp chores, drank coffee and visited. For supper neil showed me how to make quesadillas. He made mac and cheese on his stove. Next was more camp chores and then neil went to bed. I stayed up to watch it get dark. We labeled this day the eagle day. In the cool misty weather we did 15 miles.

Saturday. We slept till 8:30 a welcome rest after 2 big mileage days. We fished the islands for lake trout with no luck. The one hot spot was too rough to comfortably fish. After lunch we trolled for lake trout on our way to Saganaga Falls. There we fished for bass. Neil caught a nice one and we headed back to camp. It took an hour to paddle back to camp making the daily total 6 miles. We were tired. Coffee first and relaxin on the rock. We were going to have suupper on the rock but the weather switched from mist to rain. We moved to the tarp and had fish, chicken caserole, and quesidillas. After chores were done we critiqued our camp equipment. Basically i brought too much stuff. However the food was good and plentiful. We did a total of 55 miles in 7 days with 2 layover days. Tonight we are looking forward to civilization and making contact with our friends.

Sunday. To start the morning off Neil fed the Canadian Jays peanuts. We surfed across the lake on 2 foot rollers caused by a strong north wind. A thrilling experience. Neil was in the stern keeping the boat under control at all times. Our now light load prevented us from taking on water. Because of the wind it only took an hour and a half to get to the landing 6 miles away.