The Perfect Trip, August, 2009, from Saganaga to Little Knife

Paddling across the middle of Saganaga Lake went smoothly but there was a little wind which caused only a little extra effort. Molly navigated from point to point to island accurately. Our westward journey took us to Long Island where we had a break, and later past American Point to a campsite that we had hoped for. It was already taken. We pressed on finding 4 more sites taken. Eastbound paddlers let us know that there were no available sites in western Saganaga. We opted for a non-designated site on a point, and by 7pm we had camp set and supper started. Scott started a fire upon which we grilled chicken breasts and baked potatoes. Salads were also eaten by some of us. Everyone's spirits were raised by a good meal. We didn't hang a bear bag because we were only going to be here for about 14 hours. It was a great day inspite of not finding a campsite till late. Good food and a place to rest for the night are very comforting and an actual relief, even a blessed feeling.

I woke up at dawn and had my kit put away shortly after sunrise. Everyone else was out of their tents and ready to go by 8:30. Jenny navigated through the maze of islands, channels, portages, points, and bays that made up far western Saganaga. We traveled efficiently under her guidance. We did Monument Portage in good fashion but it took time. There were a lot of people on the portage plus 3 other dogs, which Chloe got along fine with. Our next stop was Bernie Ambrose's homestead site. We had lunch there and marveled at living here in the woods for 60 plus years, as Bernie did. Jenny continued navigating through the enchanted land along the Canadian border. There were high cliffs topped with pine trees, long distant views to the west and calm waters. Later it rained hard for about 10 minutes, which was forecasted at 30% chance of scattered showers. When we got to the 10 rod portage into Little Knife Lake I decided that we had gone far enough and chose the site adjacent to the portage. It proved to be a good choice with plenty of room, shade, and great swimming and sunning rocks. After camp was made and a short break taken I joined the girls in the lake. I wore a life jacket and put a foam noodle under my knees. It was like sitting in a Lazy-Boy recliner. The water was cool but not uncomfortable. After a fresh set of clothes I was ready to cook supper. We had macaroni with cheese, hamburger and onions. Hot Dogs were grilled over a fire that Scott built and later we had smores while we watched the sun's last rays on the trees across the lake. They literally glowed. We hung the bear bag in the dark using flashlights. A determined bear could have gotten it but we never had a problem.

Our first layover day after 2 days of hard paddling was started by sleeping in til 8am. We had covered 20+ miles to get here. For breakfast we had a pancake feast, complete with bacon, hot chocolate and coffee. The remainder of the afternoon was spent hiking, swimming and sleeping in my hammock. I made spaghetti for supper and Molly baked the garlic bread over an open fire. After supper we all sat together, ate fudge that Pam purchased and told stories about our lives and other camping trips. Towards dusk Molly and I went fishing. I caught 4 Bass while Molly maneuvered us round the outflow of the creek. After everyone went to their tents I looked at the stars, watched the light disappear from the water and marveled and what a wonderful day in the wilderness.

I crawled out of my little tent at dawn and walked around taking photos of the sunrise. I enjoyed the peace and quiet while having breakfast and coffee. When everyone got up we had another pancake feast. The afternoon was spent visiting with guides and their groups as they portaged through. There were two groups from Widgi and another guided by a retired principal from Prescott Wisconsin. Widgi groups treated their canoes with great respect as well as each other. For our afternoon snack we had quesadillas. More swimming followed with great conversations while sitting on the rock. I fixed mashed potatoes and hamburger gravy for supper, it was good. We enjoyed visiting after supper. Chloe cleaned up the plates and pans getting gravy all over her ears. Then she rubbed her face on Molly's leg leaving grass and traces of gravy, we all laughed. At dusk I went fishing off the rocks we swam on earlier in the day. My bobber went down 3 times but only once did I reel in a fish, which was too small to keep. It was almost too dark to see the bobber when I heard a splash. It was Chloe swimming after the bobber, which I quickly reeled in so she wouldn't get tangled in the line and hook. The good thing about all this was she got the gravy washed off her head but the bad thing was she was all wet and it was time to turn in for the day. The next day was a travel day so I did everything I could so there would be less to do in the morning. We wanted to leave early so when we got to western Saganaga Lake we could find a campsite before they were all gone.

I woke up with a terrible crick in my neck and a squishy right ear. Both ailments disappeared. This was a dubious start to what turned into a great day of wonder and beauty. We left Little Knife Lake around 9am. After crossing Monument Portage Pam paddled with me and Jackie paddled with Scott. We soon crossed the 5 rod portage and went to a campsite with a huge rock where we enjoyed lunch. Within a few minutes of leaving Jenny spotted a Moose cow in the water eatting aquatic plants. We got our cameras out and paddled closer when the cow had it's head down grazing. We got all kinds of photos and videos as we moved closer and closer. It was a wilderness wonder. Chloe stayed quiet for about 15 minutes as we watched. When Chloe noticed the Moose she started whimpering which made the Moose uncomfortable and it turned and walked up on shore grunting to it's calves hidden in the trees. We all felt we were inhabitants of a wonderful planet. It took another hour to reach our number one campsite choice and it was empty. Soon after we got to camp rumbling thunder told us to put the tarp up and prepare for rain. Rain didn't arrive but we were ready if it did. Saganaga Lake was calm all day and a refreshing swim in it's cool waters was invigorating. Just before we started supper the wind came up and 2 canoes paddled into our bay looking for refuge. As we visited we discovered they were an assortment of college students, law school grads, and computor experts. They appeared to be good friends and it was great visiting with them. After a supper of Griffy's Chicken Delight we hit the cookie pack. We ate a lot of them and I enjoyed them with another cup of coffee. The sun was getting low and we took canoes out to watch from the water. The water was now very smooth and the colors and light of the sky and water put us all into a very mellow mood. We paddled, drank coffee, video recorded, photographed and were astonished by the drama of planetary movement. We returned to camp just before total darkness and cleaned up for the evening. We sat on the beach facing south to watch the stars come out and were treated with fireflies, bats, meteors, and shooting stars. Loons were calling across the lake to let us know all was well in our world on Saganaga Lake.

The mid-morning sun made it too hot to stay in my tent any longer. Tortilla wraps with bacon, egg beaters, and onion made a wonderfull breakfast. A deer swam from American Point to the Canadian shore. We were astonished to see how fast and far it could swim. On our day trip along the border to the islands we saw ducks and ducklings. We also saw an Eagle and it's nest. We could hear it's young's hungry squeals from the nest. From the water we could see several cabins on the Canadian side of the border. They were idilic wilderness abodes that fit into their environment perfectly. There was one on each of 5 islands. They had fantastic views of various parts of the lake and islands. We traveled deeper into the islands to check out my favorite campsites. They were both taken making us glad that we took our first choice last night. We found a campsite to have lunch on and were quite pleased with it's shade and swimming rock. We fed the Gray Jays while eatting lunch, they got close but never landed in our hands. It was a hot day and a cool swim felt totally refreshing. Our return trip to base camp journeyed past the outer edge of the islands with the huge expanse of the lake to the north. It was like being on a benign ocean. It was so calm, reflective and beautiful that it's peace and energy filled our souls. This awesome beauty had an underlying potential. Given certain weather conditions this lake could rise and batter you mercilessly. We gratefully accepted the free pass we recieved. As we crossed the largest expanse of open water we saw several groups of Loons dancing in the middle of the lake. One Loon in particular followed Jen and Molly's canoe for quite a ways. It gave them a show of wild freedom in the life of our state bird. We prolonged our time on the water knowing it could be a long time before we entered the surreal world of Saganaga on a calm day. I made potato soup and Pam fire roasted the last of our hot dogs for supper. Scott told us about VCO looking for some missing paddlers. Chloe didn't get any hot dogs but she did get the last remaining serving of potato soup. I sat in Molly's chair on the west side of camp watching the sunset. I relaxed in it's glow, not taking any photos. The sun shown through a gap between several thunderheads. I stayed there until everything was cool, blue and gray. Smores and popcorn rounded out the evening followed by journalling with help from the girls while sitting on the south facing beach. It was a hot day and the cool breeze felt wonderful plus it kept the mosquitoes away. This was our last night and we cherished the experiences of the last week and sat on the beach for a long time.

Sawbear Lake, July, 09

We pulled into the Forest Service multiple unit campground at Sawbill Lake around 4:30. There was Tom, Terri, Kate, Kenny, Em, and Bell in Tom's crew cab monster truck. Ruth, Sadie, Chloe and I followed in my compact extended cab pick up. Tom had reserved a site during the winter and when we got there we decided it was too small for all of us. We went around the campground to find an open site we could call our own and found one right next door. The previous occupants left a day early. After a supper of sweet corn and beans there was a brief shower. We spent the rest of the evening at Tom's camp watching them cook supper over an open fire. It was great to be in the woods again even though we weren't in the wilderness yet. When we got back to our camp the rear hatch to our topper was open and as I walked closer we could hear something growl inside. I sent Ruth back to Tom's camp and the dogs and I immediately got into the cab of the truck. I wanted to play it safe. Once inside the cab I realized I needed to get the bear out of there. I started the engine and reved it while shifting from drive to reverse. The violent jerking back and forth soon convinced the bear to leave and he ran across the road and immediately got into the neighbors cooler - devouring their butter and cheese. Kenny witnessed this as he walked up to our camp. We cleaned up the back of the truck and inventoried the damaged and lost food. We found bisquit powder all over, the hamburger was eaten and the bear left scraps of raw meat on everything. Our other sealed meats were gone along with our Tobies' Carmel Rolls that we were planning to eat for breakfast. We spent 30 minutes talking to Tom and Kenny and the neighbors and then went to bed. We were just about asleep when we heard Kate banging pots and pans together and then Kenny shout "Go Away Bear". Kenny saw the bear 2 feet away from the tent but wouldn't let Kate look. Well, the next thing we heard was the door handles on the topper hatch rattling. We got up and hollered at it and the bear went away. I now locked the back of the topper in hopes this would prevent the bear from entering the topper again. When I did this I found slobber all over the right handle. We debated whether we should sleep in the cab of the pick up or go back to the tent. We opted for the tent considering that the it would be the best sleep on such a short night as it was now well after midnight. At 4:30 we awoke to the sound of the topper hatch being opened. I got up armed with a coffee pot and banged on the side glass of the topper. The bear let out a very fierce growl and I immediately got into the cab of the pick up where the dogs had been silently cowering all night. I did the rev and jerk method of bear removal again. Ruth and the neighbors saw the bear fall out of the truck while I was doing this. He immediately ran under a pop up camper next door and hid there growling. It was getting light now and hoping that bears were truly nocturnal we decided to stay up and cook breakfast. We broke camp and went to the outfitters little store. We found that we were missing 3 suppers and some breakfast items.

At 8:50 we were on the water and heading north on Sawbill Lake. We were totally relieved to be away from that bear and at the same time hoping that we didn't see him again. The wind was straight out of the north and made progress slow. However, we got to camp in less than 2 hours. Tom and all of us were glad that we got the best campsite on the lake. Soon 3 tents and 3 tarps were pitched. After a little lunch we all took a nap that was pure heaven after such a short night. We had a quick and simple supper but were delighted when Tom shared some of his fireroasted steak and potatoes with us. Best steak I've ever had. It was cornfed Iowa beef. The next morning we slept in a little. The morning was spent drinking coffee. The remaider of the day was spent basking in the luxury of a northwoods camping trip. It was cool but comfortable. We did some paddling and fishing but with no luck. Kenny and Kate were really enjoying their first Boundary Waters canoe trip.

We awoke to mist, rain and dark clouds the next morning. We sat under the tarp making Sturdiwheat pancakes and drinking coffee. Kenny brought along "Griffin Pancake Syrup". It was a wonderfull social event that made the gloominess of the day melt away. It didn't stop raining all day and we had many conversations under the tarp. On one occasion Kate laughed until she cried. We did get out for a paddle later in the evening. It was a pure sense of freedom after being confined under a green tarp in camp all day.

Again we slept late and had a good morning in camp. It was mostly sunny with a northern breeze. At noon we headed out on a day trip to Smoke Lake. It was about 2 miles away with a 100 rod portage to the east. It was Kenny's first portage and because there were many using the portage I wasn't able to help him with his first try to lift and portage a canoe. Some other paddler helped him lift the 1oo pound Old Town Discovery. I felt bad for not helping him. When we got to the other side we had to wait for a group of girls clear the long boardwalk across a marshy area. We toured the whole lake looking for a campsite to have lunch on. We finally found a very good site with a sitting rock out front. After lunch Terri and Em were exploring around the camp as a prospective future destination. They came back to get me to check something out. They had found a huge bear poop with tinfoil in it. We were glad we didn't camp there. The paddle and portage back to camp was wonderfull. It was so nice to be travelling in the BWCA. Good weather seems fantastic after a day of rain. We worried about the north wind on our return trip but it had all but died down. 4:00-o'clock coffee was a delight while sitting on the rock with Kenny and Kate. Tom, Terri, and Em stayed out longer and fished. They brought home nothing. Supper was potato soup with onions. It was very easy and delicious. We paddled and fished during the evening watching the sunset and the woods grow quiet and dark. Later we had a great campfire with lots of conversation about next years trip. We're thinking of something a little more remote with a couple easy portages. There were a lot of canoeists on this lake.

We got up early after a restless night and had coffee on the rock. It was very foggy and beautiful as we watched a silent solo canoist paddle by. The swoosh of his paddle in the water was a great sound. He was a vision of serenity in our misty world. We were loaded up and on the water shortly after breakfast. Our paddle out was cool and calm but just as we got to the Forest Service landing it began to rain steadily. Thus ended a great trip.

Lake Two, July '09

My dogs Chloe and Sadie were along on this trip. Sadie rode in the bow infront of Ruth and Chloe sat on the packs in the middle. Sadie at 60 pounds had to be stabilized in front so that she didn't rock the boat. Chloe enjoyed the freedom of walking around, sleeping and sitting anywhere she wanted in the middle. Our paddle to the first portage was cool and comfortable in the mist and rain that the North country had experienced for the previous 3 days. Chloe had one little mishap a half mile from the portage. She either fell asleep or slipped and landed on the gunnel behind

Ruth's left side. She laid on the gunnel momentarily and then wriggled to regain her feet thus sliding over the edge and falling into the lake on her back. I grabbed her leash as she was passing the canoe. I pulled her in as a fisherman might hand over hand pull in a big fish. I got her in the boat and she immediately started to shiver. Her short hair and skinny body didn't keep her very warm. Ruth dried her off with a towel when we got to the portage. At the end of the portage we met Don and Andrea from the forest service. They checked our permit and chatted for a few minutes. They had been into Insula for 6 days the last 3 of which were total rain. We all had on appropriate rain gear and felt warm and dry on the inside. We agreed that it was good canoing weather, not too hot, no bugs, no sweating, and no dehydration. These rangers were very cheerfull. They were good representatives of the Forest Service. At the end of the second portage we talked to a canoist that said the rollers on Lake Two were very big. Considering this serious information we headed for the first campsite in the islands. We put up the lean-to tarp and made coffee. It was a pretty good campsite but not perfect. Supper was a prime example of poor nutrition. We had hot dogs and potatoe salad. After dark we played cribbage in the tent, each of us winning one game.

I slept till 8 the next morning and Ruth wasn't out of the tent until after 10. It was a comfortably cool and breezy morning with no bugs. Our afternoon tour of the area took us to Lady Boot campsite and found that it was occupied. We continued on to the Rock Island Lake portage. It was beautiful. It was 120 rods of rocks, roots, deadfalls, and water. It was challenging but an enjoyable workout for us and the dogs. The afternoon and evening were spent journalling, reading, talking and observing the wilderness from our rocky perch.

I slept till 8 again the next morning, I was really getting into vacation mode. At 10:30 we once again headed for the Lady Boot campsite and found it empty. We left a pack and a chair on shore and rushed back to camp to get the rest of our stuff. Kincaid and his group stopped by having seen us loading up. We talked for a while and invited them for coffee later in the afternoon at our new camp. On the way to Lady Boot we saw people walking on the site. We were very concerned that there would be a confrontation about who's campsite it was. As we neared we could see that there was a red canoe and a green canoe. At this point we were pretty sure it was Kincaid's group. We had coffee on the West rock and visited for a couple hours. It was great to see Kincaid. After they left we got busy making camp comfortable for our 4 day stay. The lean-to tarp was pitched almost perfectly and the tent was placed back in the shade of the forest. Supper was Chicken Delight on the North rock. It took me 7 throws to get the bear bag rope over a tree branch, after that everything went well. The remainder of the evening was spent on the West rock watching the last edge of the of our cloudy weather pull away from the sun and horizon. The low sun manifested many different colors and phenomenon. We saw pink and purple clouds, yellow sky and golden water bouncing the suns rays into our campsite. The water was quiet for the first time in days. The loons were singing good night and the mosquitoes were flying around like minature buzzing vampires. Ruth was enveloped in mosquito netting watching the meteorological drama of our first sunset in a week.

Our fourth day was total relaxation. I read "Deep Survival" and Ruth read "The Shell Seekers." It was a beautiful day with gentle breezes, and small white clouds drifting through a blue sky. Our campsite offered many areas to sit depending on the sun, wind, and temperature. We sat on the North rock in the sun eatting breakfast, while the it's rays warmed the rock after a cool night. In the afternoon we moved to the beach to swim and be cooled by the breeze off the lake. After pizza for supper we watched the sky from the West rock. The sunset was beautiful and the reflection of the last light on the water was a fitting end to a very pleasant day. We spent the last of the evening listening to the Twins lose in 16 innings.

I woke up early and it was a beautiful cool morning with squirrels and birds heralding a new day. Sadie and Chloe were very interested in all the animal life but soon realized that they were uncatchable. Talk radio, polka music, bagels and strong coffee rounded out the morning. We fished while on our way to Dangerous Waters. Didn't have any luck. We had lunch on a rock near the landing. Back at camp Ruth napped in the hammock and I sat on the North rock. For supper we had potatoe soup with mozzarilla cheese and onions mixed in. It was delicious. Ruth ate all the MM's out of the gorp mix for dessert. We listened to the Twins win while we watched another fantastic sunset.

Our plan for this day was to paddle to the Pow Wow trail and hike. By the time we were ready our forecasted "Breeze" had whipped the lake into rows of whitecaps. We decided it was a day for R and R in camp. I fished from the North rock, played cribbage with Ruth, I won, and took a nap. Supper was tuna caserole. We packed away most of our stuff so we could make an early departure hopefully leaving before the winds got strong. We watched our last wilderness sunset and turned in.

We woke up before dawn after a restless night. Our paddle out was good and the breeze wasn't too bad. We met the Forest Service at the landing, it was Don and another ranger. They were on a day trip patrol through Lake One and Two.