A Week on Knife Lake

Hi everyone..... Our trip from Moose Lake to Knife on Saturday the 18th was a grand adventure. We left the boat landing at 7 am. We started paddling, wading, and portaging our way to knife lake. The first leg of our trip was 10 1/2 miles of paddling to the Carp Lake Portage. There was an east wind but it didn't slow us down much. It took us 3 trips to cross the 40 rod portage with all our gear. We paddled another mile and had to 1/2 unload to pull the canoe up a water deficient rapids. Bob would pull the bow and iI would push in the stern. Partially unloaded, we were made it fairly easy. In about 100 feet we reloaded and were able to pull the whole thing in the slightly deeper water. In about 400 feet we were able to get back in and actully continue paddleing. The second rapids was an S curve. Here again we unloaded partially and carried the packs across the rocks and through the water. Once again we pulled the empty canoe upstream and reloaded it when we arrived at the packs. Back in the canoe again we paddled to the next obstical which was an 8 foot waterfall. Here again we unloaded and carried everything 60 feet across very sharp rocks and rough terrain. As we were portageing a young couple was wading and dragging their kevlar canoe over the rocks and down the water fall. They did it just fine without rolling the whole load into the river but they did have a couple close calls. We paddled another 1/2 mile to a rapids. We got out and started pulling the cannoe upstream through the shallow water. We soon discovered it was easier to pull a few larger rocks from the channel and throw them aside than it was to drag the canoe over them. We slowly made it up the channel and the next, picking rocks and pulling the canoe. Finally we paddled up to the last stretch of rapids which was very low on water too but twice as long as anything we had done. Now I was in the front pulling on the rope and Bob was in the back. This was very strenuous work as we continued to remove rocks from the channel as we went up stream. At 100 feet from Knife Lake it got way too shallow and it was impossible to remove enough rocks to make the channel deeper.... so I portaged 4 loads up to the landing through the water. Bob pulled the unloaded boat upstream. Now we had been portaging, paddling and wading for 4 1/2 hours and were in great need of a rest stop. It was 1pm and lunch was delicious. We had smashed hot dog buns with lunch meat on top. It was so good. We sat and laid there for 1/2 hour. Ahead of us lay 6 1/2 miles of Knife Lake which would take us another 2 1/2 hours of paddling into the wind. The mornings effort had left us sapped and about midway to the camp we had to take another 1/2 hour rest break. the fact that we were so close to our distination made it difficult to stop but it was well worth it. Back paddling again we were glad to get to camp in an hour. It was good to see Ray and his coffee pot. After a lengthy conversation we unpacked and settled in. Supper was spagetti with a special spicy sauce. Delicious! After supper iI washed dishes and then sat up reading till about 10:30. At 7:30 Ray had coffee made and breakfast started. We gathered in the kitchen area for breakfast and conversation. The day was relaxing for me, I read, swam and journaled. Bob found fire wood and fashioned poles to catamaran the canoes together. Because of the severally low water, Ray has decided to paddle out with us on Saturday. Mostly he's thinking that if the water is this low now it's going to be even lower in Sept. Ray has spent 5 weeks alone at camp. While here he has fished, swam, picked blues, hiked, read and hunted mice and squirrels. The story goes like this. The mice have overrun the camp, much like the movie Never Cry Wolf.
However he didn't cook and eat them. He trapped them in an ingeneous contraption. He started with a 2x4 angled up to a 5 gallon pail that was 1/3 full of water. On the inside of the pail was smeared peanut butter. The mice would walk the 2x4 and fall in the water trying to get the peanut butter, The first night of the trap being set, ray caught 20 mice. A few days later there was a squirrel swimming in the pail with no way to get out. Ray took a stick and was going to push him under and drown him. He had the stick on the squirrel and the squirrel junped up on the stick and quickly ran out of the pail and got away... much to Ray's chagrin. Now you may feel dismayed at the homicides and attempted homicides but they are justified. The mice had eatten through a styro cooler, and gotten into food containers and plastic bags while ray was right there cooking. Monday the wind was blowing out of the S.E. quite forcefullywith some white caps n the lake. Slept till Ray had breakfst ready. It was super. Crepes with apple and raisin compote' and Kenya AA coffe. We even made a second pot of coffee. After breakfast we listened to Trader Craig, the weather and the news. 15" of rain in Southeast Minnesota.... but still none here. Bob and Ray have decided to close camp for the season adn leave on Friday. Today they started packing and taking things down. Afternoon drama...at about 12:15 a kevlar canoe was paddling toward us on the lake. We watched it for a while. They were both paddling on the same side paralell to the waves. The lake was all whitecaps. Earlier Bob and Ray went out but soom came back because it was too windy and wavy. As we watched these 2 guys were paddling furiously, the stern paddler was throwing up huge plumes of water at the end of each stroke. We watched knowing they were cheechakos. Eventulaly they flipped and after much discussion we decided they would be o.k. and that we shouldn't risk trying to help them is such horrible conditions. It took them 45 minutes for the wind to blow them to the Canadian shore on the north side of the lake. It appeared that they got all their stuff up on shore and the canoe dummped out. We watched them for a while and then they dissapperared when we were busy in camp. I sure hope their epuipTment was waterproofed. It all apperared to float. I felt guilty not helping them but it could have turned into a very dangerous situation if we had gone out ther in the wind. This afternnoon chores consisted of putting a tarp over my tent so that when it rains it won't leak so bad. Drank another pot of coffee with a few cookies and Bob and Ray are working on supper, salad, and I don't know what. Supper turned out to be alfredo and clams with onions on top of angel hair spagetti. It was super. Dessert was coffee and vanilla pudding with fruit and cinnamon in it. Very good.. Ray is still worried about the 2 guys who tipped over. But we haven't seen them since 2 pm and it's now 6:45. I'm sure they continued eastward. 8/21/07 It's been a good day but let me tell you about whats happening right now. It's about 62 degrees . I've got a long john shirt and rain pants and a rain coat on. The distant western horizon is lighter now after 2 days of clouds. there's a gentle > breezebut's becomming calmer and calmer. The water is making very soothing noises against the rocks in our harbor. I'm sittin on a rock next to a tree about 40 feet from the water. Ray's crepes tasted so good this morning couldn't believe it. Then I washed dishes and laid down in my tent for an hour. After some coffee and gorp we went fishing. We went to the entrance of Knife at about 1pm. The first place we tried was no good. We moved a little north and tried close to shore. At 25 feet away we caught a few little bass. Bob showed me how to fish with the bale open and a hand on the line.. I started catching more fish - great! At one point we drifted out about 50 feet.... Bob caught a big one. We decided to change our strategy and fish out farther. Sure enough we caught more fish and bigger ones. In an hour we had 12 bass. several of good size but the rest were respectable eaters. It was gray and cloudy with low skies. There was breeze out onl the main part of the lake to the west but only a little where we were. We headed back to camp. Ray cleaned the fish. He wrapped some to take home and left the > rest for supper. I went for a swim, the water was cooler than yesterday, I suppose the wind mixed the lake a little and at 62 degrees that probably had to make it feel cool too. Now I'm drinking Kenya AA coffee brewed just right and still sitting down by the lake. Supper was beans , potatoes, salad and bass.....unbelievably good. It's 8 pm now and the clouds have cleared and there's a very nice sunset. Supposed to be warmer the next 2 days. Thursday we pack and Friday we leave. Time to do some chores before it gets dark and then read myself to sleep. 8/22/07 - awoke to another huge stack of crepes and good coffee... washed dishes and hung around camp reading and talking. Bob and I were going fishing but the wind cam up and blew hard all day till about 8 pm. I've had a lot of coffee today but didn't have any at supper hoping I could go to sleep early. For supper it was spaghetti with meat sauce ... very good.. bob cooked tonight. Today I swam from the west rock and after supper I went back there to read in the sunset. I was reading Silence of the Loons. It's a collection of 13 short stories written by Minnesotans. It started slow but each mystery got better and better. The last few were excellent. The wind had died down and the lapping waves on shore were very soothing. the few clouds to the west were aflame with the suns last rays. I finished my book and headed back to camp thinking it was sad that I only had one day left. Apricots were the bedtime snack with more conversation and watching the pink and orange clouds above the horizon. I was in my tent before 9pm. I've been journaling and listening to WELY with my ear buds... it comes in better with them on. Ray said this place is like one of his friends said about marriage. The best thing that every happened to him was when he got married. the second best thing was when he got divorced. Rays says that's how it is with the Knife Lake area... at the beginning of summer he's so glad to get here and now on Friday he's very glad to be going home to Ely. He's looking forward to good food, sleeping in a bed, going to town, calling all his friends. What I want to do is go see ken. 8/23/07 . camp is cleaned up for the most part. I've taken a swim, cleaned up and organized the inside of the tent and my packs. It's sprinkling lightly and there's a lot of wind on the lake. we've spent the day getting ready except for Bob and I going fishing for 3 hours. He caught 8 fish and I caught 4. For lunch we had Alfredo, fish, potatoes, spaghetti, and salad. Well every thing is put away and we're going to have coffee in the morning and then Bob and Ray are going to catamaran the canoes and hopefully be across knife before the midday winds. It sounds like if it isn't too windy we'll be to the landing between 7-8pm Friday night. If I'm not too tired I'd like to go to the steam bath, then back to Bob's Friday night and home on Saturday. I wish I had about 3 more days here. I can't believe I've been here for 6 days. I sat on the rock watching a double sunset. At 7:30 a cloud bank was approaching and so the sun set prematurely behind the cloud. It was a good enough sunset and I went back to reading while I sat on the west rocks. The sun, now below the horizon, shined up underneath the cloud bank, very beautiful. The sky above the horizon shown brightly orange and the clouds were purple and pink. This was a fitting goodbye for the last trip of the summer '07.
8/24/07 Didn't sleep soundly. woke up at 5 am and laid in bed til 6. Had to use a headlamp to start packing. made coffee while taking down the tarp and tent. The tent i was in didn't roll small enough to fit in it's bag.... what a pain. I check camp and carried all the stuff down to the ocean. I saw a pine martin run through camp. Then a few minutes later while up on the east hillside of camp a jack rabbit went by. Then the pine martin went by seemingly to follow the rabbit. They went by a second time. The rabbit wasn't really running for his life but the pine martin was definitely
following him. The forecast is for nw winds at 5-15 and a high of 69. It's not that windy now so it looks like we're going to get across Knife without a problem. Bob lashed the canoes together with 2 - 9 foot poles and we were loaded and on the water at 9am. We crossed the lake in 2 hours of hard paddling. Ray was in a 17 foot Grumman standard solo with about 7 Duluth packs. Bob and I were 1/2 loaded. when we got to the dam we had lunch while Bob took the catamaraned canoes apart. We used 4 inch diameter poles to place over the rocks then we slid the canoes down stream. My job was to push Bob's boat forward and then walk back to Ray's and pull his boat over the same spot. We spent the afternoon pulling canoes by lifting them an inch or two and dragging them forward a foot or two. We got to the Carp Lake portage at 3:30 . We did the portage to Birch and had a quick lunch while Bob lashed the canoes together again. I made 3 1/2 trips across the portage, one carrying Ray's Grumman and the other guys made 3 trips. It took us 1 1/2 hours to paddle to Sucker Lake. It was extremely exhausting after everything else we had done. We got to the landing at 7:40 and unloaded. Ray had car trouble but we got it solved and that made it 9pm by the time we got to Bobs. He fixed us stuffed peppers for supper.... they were good.