Scott, Pam, Jenny and I arrived at a 5 star campsite with a 300 foot beach after 2 days of paddling and portaging from Lake One. We had crossed 6 portages ranging from 10 to 105 rods. We had also paddled about 14 miles. The heat was bearable with an occasional swim or rest stop. Our first night was on a site that was shaded and breezy. It was a great relief to relax and be cool. We also had about 20 minutes of rain around 10pm that made sleeping comfortable. When we finally settled into our base camp on Lake Insula on the second day we all took a swim. With all our travels and preparations it was wonderfull to be reaping the rewards of all our efforts to be at this wonderful camp. The four of us have traveled in the woods for several years and the comfort we took in the wilderness with the sky, blue water, green trees and rocks was a familiar one. Chloe retrieved several sticks from the lake but in her usual fashion she never brought them right back to me. Which was OK, she never has.
Pam made the following entry in my journal: After a long drive with many detours we reached the backroads "path of gravel" back to find the "wilderness getaway lodge of Guide Bill Griffin and his charming wife Ruth. A great meal of grilled turkey, green beans, corn on the cob, salad & brownies with ice cream. What a feast! Some wonderful conversation, bed, and excitement to start the next morning. Still answering phone messages and relaying directions back home until we reached the put-in. Cell phones off, all work thoughts locked behind in the van. Getting on the water was a feeling of total relaxation, like a step into heaven. Something hard to explain but a memorable feeling you never forget. We made it to Griff's favorite spot on Lake Insula. Sandy beach, Story Point, our own private corner of the world. A refreshing swim and a frisbee game that turned into a frisbee water fight, and exploration of the beach. It has been a time we look forward to every year, getting back to the quiet, serene, relaxing comfort of nature. Listening to the water hit the bow of the canoe as we paddled in sequence across the still water to catch a breath of cool air. This has been the hottest trip we've been on, sweating just standing looking at another portage. We talked with many fellow canoeists waiting our turn at portages. Lots of good fishing. As we passed other canoeists Chloe was a hot topic of conversation.
At 8am it was very quiet on the lake, except for Chloe fetching sticks out of the water. This was our first layover day and it looked wonderfull, but we were a little worried about the heat. We all rested from the hectic civilized life we came here to escape. The most significant sound was the micro-waves on the lake as they massaged the shoreline rocks and our souls at the same time. The cool breeze made our skin feel fresh and alive. There was a high thin overcast that kept the sun from being too hot. An occasional canoe or two would glide by silently in the distance. We were alone on our very own planet. This planet is almost soundless with only sky, water, rocks, trees and us. The girls took the Souris River canoe out to do some exploring, while Scott did some reading. There was a loon out on the lake, a brown bird here on shore near me and a Black Bird talking in the trees behind me. My mind wandered pleasantly through memories, images, conversations, and past adventures. Hourly I donned my life jacket and went out into the lake where my feet couldn't touch the bottom. I floated with my head just above the surface of the lake. My perspective on the lake was at a low angle. The lake looked expansive and the islands towered over the water.
Jenny made the following journal entry: I woke this morning to the pitter patter sound of rain drops hitting the rainfly of my tent. As I emerged from my tent to the gray sky, the buzz of mosquitoes entered my ear. Another unpredictable day in the northwoods. We decided that we got about an inch and a half of rain overnight. The rain stopped enough to make buckwheat pancakes with syrup....yum...they were delicious. After breakfast Griff dug out his fishing gear and we decided to try our luck at fishing. Griff at the bow with pole in hand, Mom in the stern, and Chloe and I in the middle. We set out to catch "the big one" We started in a bay behind our campsite and after hearing and seeing a big one jump we caught a decent sized bass. We tried a while longer there with no luck and then stopped back at camp for a stretch break. After a good stretch and a rest we headed out again. This time to another small bay on the other side of camp. We tried for a while and then it started to rain. Just as Griff was putting on his rain coat his pole began to bend. As he reeled it in the clear water revealed a small bass, one big enough to keep. After the second catch of the day Griff decided to fish for northerns. He cast for a while before deciding to troll. With no luck yet we stopped at an unoccupied campsite to clean the other two fish. After that we headed for the islands in front of camp hoping for some luck there. After an hour and an empty hook we headed back to camp feeling slightly dissappointed about not hooking a northern. Once back in camp everone relaxed for a while. Griff fell asleep in his chair as Chloe tried to get him to toss her beloved stick into the warm, clear lake water. Dad found his favorite spot to read on the shaded rock overlooking the lake. I read for a short while and then Mom and I played a few hands of Kings Corner, 21 and Hearts. A family of ducks swam into our beach and had a feeding frenzy on the small minnows that called the warm water their home. They darted here and there and bobbed up and down to catch the small helpless fish. Their mother soon called and off they all went scooting across the ripply water. A nice breeze finally found it's way into camp and was welcomed by all. The sun was hot as it peeked through the clouds and was absorbed into the hot sand. Griff made a delicious supper, as usual. Fresh bass and rice and we had a half melted hershey bar for dessert. The clouds rolled back in after dinner and felt wonderfull. We finally decided to pitch the tarp today after it had rained over night. It has been such a wonderful day and I'm sad that it is ending! Sometimes I wish I could just bottle this place up and open it when I need it again. Life gets so busy and to me this place is my relaxation. The place I unwind and take in all of the things around me. It gives a new perspective on life and the things that are important. This place still puts me at awe. I just can't believe sometimes that it exists. It's so perfect in so many ways. It's hard to explain it's beauty. It's my little slice of heaven and I'm grateful for all of the opportunities I have to return.
After fishing that afternoon I took a short nap and woke up groggy but soon felt wonderful. After supper there was a northern breeze and because of the previous 3 days heat it felt wonderful. The lake was calm except for a little texture. The mosquitoes made their nightly visit but a coating of deet took care of them. A loons mornful cry reached us from a bay to the north. It is days and nights like this that brought me to the Bounday Waters time after time. I am addicted to the BWCA and need my "fix" in 6 day doses about everyother week. This fix requires paddling and portaging for 2 days so that we get far enough in to find the peace and solitude that I need. This weeks group were veterans of 5 years. They know the challenges and hardships of this kind of vacation have awesome rewards in stress free relaxation deep in the wilderness. As the light got lower and lower the lake became a perfect mirror image of the distant shore line and sky above. In the morning I served bacon and bagels for breakfast and had everyone on the water at 9am. The first portage (105 rods) was a lot easier because we were fresh and it was a lot cooler. After the next 3 shorter portages we stopped for lunch. We passed several good campsites on Lake 4 hoping for something on Lake 3. They were all taken and we moved on to Lake Two. Many were taken and the lake was full of people and canoes. In a last ditch effort we paddled to a southern bay and found an empty site. Low and behold it had a jumping rock which we were enjoying soon after camp was made. We had pizzas for supper and enjoyed a great evening with glassy water, eagles, and calling loons. We did try fishing earlier in the evening and if wishes were fishes I would have caught one. At noon the next day we paddled out, sad it was over but looking forward to the comforts of civilization.
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