John and Judi to lake four. 7-15-15

John and I paddled to the entrance of lake three.  When we entered the lake Judi joined in to help power us into a stiff east wind.  We had already efficiently done the portage and had a nice lunch on an island.  We were enthused to complete the last hours of our trip and get to lake four.  We found the crossing of Lake Three daunting.  We rested in the channel between Three and Four.  We started fishing as soon as camp was made.  John cast a few times and landed a giant Bass.  He was so happy.  Me too.  We had bass, and steak for supper. We fished after supper from shore catching and  releasing several bass and sunfish.   After breakfast we fished more.  By one pm  we had 5 bass and a northern. John  had caught the two biggest fish.   We fried them up and then took a nap. The afternoon was bright, hot and windy.  At eight pm we loaded the canoe and headed for the channel that went north from camp..   We were hoping for good luck.  We got several hand sized sunfish.  John got one giant bass.  He is the winner of the biggest fish contest.   The bugs drove us off the water and home we went.  As luck would have it we now had to paddle back to lake two in a westerly head wind.  It was work but we did it.   We found one of the last sites available at 12:30 .   The place  was crowded.  At seven pm that night we went fishing again.  There was no luck in lake two.  We fished till nine pm with out a nibble.   We were chased into our tents by mosquitoes.   It was o.k. tho because it had been a long day.    In the morning we paddled in a side wind, not bad but a little difficult.  When we turned north in the middle of the lake we were able to sail with easy paddling.  The weather was decent except for the wind.  Got rained on once  for about ten minutes.  The fishing was great.  The companionship was wonderful.

A nice day trip, 7-10-15

We paddled and portaged the Hegman lakes to my favorite fishing spot.  There we caught several nice bass.  We then headed for the pictographs and were awed by the symbolization the  ancients left on the rock cliff.   We then bounced on the floating bog.  And wondered at the unusualness of the pitcher plants.  We tied up  the canoes and traversed a steep rock to the top of a mossy knoll.  Here we enjoyed a birds eye view of the Boundary Waters.  We fished a little more and caught another keeper bass.  Now it was time to head back.

Pat and Pam to Basswood, 7-12-15

We paddled away from the Fall Lake landing hoping for adventure.  We were chased by thunderstorms the last two miles.  We  felt safe on the portages but the thunder seemed to get closer and closer the farther we paddled.    We got to a nice campsite on the north side of Wegen's point about thirty minutes before it started to rain.  This gave us time to pitch the  tarp and tents.   That afternoon, Pat and I fished far and wide looking for fish.  After struggling with the   wind we found a corner of an island across from camp that yielded some action.   We stopped to go have supper and returned later.  We fished all around the island till ten pm.  We caught 6 bass and 3 walleye.  We threw the small ones back.  In the morning  we had a big breakfast of bacon, eggs and hash browns.  Fished in the morning and only caught one.  Then at one pm we had a fish fry.  When it started to rain Pat and Pam went to their tent to nap and I sat under the tarp watching the misty fjords of

Basswood as the rain and mist moved across the lake.   We fished more that evening but threw them all back.  The next morning Pat and I tried the island once more.   With ten minutes to go before we had to pack to  leave Pat tied into a huge bass.  It made the day for him. We released him.  The paddle out was the best we'd had all weekend.  The sky was blue and the winds were gentle.  We had a nice lunch  between the portages. It was sad to go back to civilization but great to have such a great day to paddle.

Bill, Ruth, Mark and Marsha fishing in Park Lake

We started fishing about 5 pm.   There was a little breeze but not bad.  We paddled to the far end of the lake and took advantage of the breeze to drift the boat through the bay.  We started catching fish immediately.  We fished for 3 hours taking many bass, sunfish and perch but throwing them back in the lake.   While we fished the sunset warmed our skin and the cool breezes kept us comfortable. It was the best that summer has to offer.

Caleb, Ken and Pam to North Hegman, 7-6-15

We made the first  portage in good fashion.  Canoe instruction followed and  a one mile  paddle across South Hegman to the second portage.  I put together all the tackle during our time on the portage.   We paddled into a west wind and ducked into a bay to try fishing without being blown around.   We were in luck. We all caught fish and did very well.  We moved to a second spot and caught a couple more.   We continued our journey to the pictographs.  The wind had let up quite a bit.  We were all inspired by the figures painted high on the cliff next to the water. Next we paddled to the floating bog and looked at the Pitcher plants, there were many of them.  We tied our boats to a tree and scrambled up a rock face to the top of a wooded area.  There we found Pink Showy Lady Slippers that hadn't bloomed yet.   We enjoyed the view of the bog and river channel while munching on a few stray early blueberries.  We paddled back to the last portage with the wind, a relief after struggling with a head wind all the way there.    The uphill grind of the last portage was taxing but we all made it to the top.  Ken did very well with the second canoe.    It was a very nice day with excellent people.

6-18-2015, Ralph and I to Insula lake.

We paddled steadily to site three on Lake Three.  There we took a break, drinking water and eating snacks.  In a little over an hour we reached campsite choice number one.  We were very fortunate to find this one open after paddling by so many sites already taken.   Camp chores, relaxing and a coffee break followed our arrival.  Ralph made a fire and grilled the steaks while I made a salad and mashed potatoes.  It was a great first evening on Lake Four as we made our way to Insula.   As Ralph fished we watched a great clear sky sunset while looking across the lake.   In the morning I cooked scrambled eggs, spam and bagels for breakfast.  It was a necessary meal considering the hard day we had ahead of us.  The first portage was no problem,  However, the second one was muddy with many obstacles and extremely rough landings.  The third one was only ten rods but had equally rough landings.   We took a break afterwards and prepared for the long paddle across Hudson Lake.  While resting we noticed that the Jack Pines were two feet tall. A nice recovery after the fire four years ago. The landings are real nice sand beaches on the 105 rod portage to Insula Lake.  We took our time and rested after every crossing of the portage.  We were triple portaging. After 1 1/2 hours of hard work we continued across Insula lake for another 2 1/4 hours and arrived at Williamson Island overjoyed to see that it was available.  It was threatening rain so I put up the tarp and tent immediately.  Within 10 minutes it was raining.   It also was blowing and I rigged the tarp as a wind block too. Ralph cooked a nice supper and we talked for a while and went to our tents at 8:30.   We had pancakes (Sturdiwheats) and bacon with lots of strong coffee for breakfast.  That morning, between rain showers, Ralph fished and I journaled.   The wind died down and the tarp was readjusted to allow a view of the lake.   While fishing that evening I got a nice Walleye on the line.  But, because my drag was set too tight it broke off as it got close to shore.  We fished till 11:15 and had one more unsuccessful bite.   In the morning I got up early and started to fish.  Ralph prepared biscuits and gravy for breakfast.  Took a nap in my chair during the late morning.  We fished from the canoe for a couple hours that afternoon with no luck.  Back in camp I took a swim and made coffee.   The warm drink and fresh clothes felt wonderful.  It's such a luxury to be so comfortable in the wilderness.  That night I had another big walleye break my line.  Decided to call it quits and put everything away and went to bed early because tomorrow was going to be another big day.   It took three hours to paddle and portage out of Insula Lake.  Once on Hudson we decide to turn north into a narrow bay that led to Fire Lake.   The narrows was a beautiful canyon with fabulous rocks and trees. It was out of the burn.   It was a short portage into Fire but once again with rough landings.  Showers threatened and we pitched the tarp immediately.  That afternoon Ralph caught a big bass.  It was delicious with rice and onions.   Our last day started out beautiful but after lunch we paddled into a25 mph head wind for 4 hours. We simply put our heads down a just ground away.  When we got to the Lake One portages the wind calmed and we were able to cruise the last 4 miles to the landing.  

June 4th, 2015, Bill, Ruth and Rich to Lake Four.

We were on the waters of Lake One at 8:30 am.  Rich steered from the stern and I was in the bow.  Ruth paddled from the middle.  We took a lunch break on Lake Two and then continued on through Lake Three and Four.  We took one of my favorite sites at the north end of Lake Four.  After camp was made we went to the rapids to fish. I was in the middle and it was uncomfortable to paddle from there. Exhausting even.  Ruth caught a big Bass that we cooked for supper.  It was fabulous.  That evening we went out again.  We all had a little luck and each caught one small throw back walleye.  We stayed in camp  fishing from shore for most of the next day.  Ruth continued to catch lots of bass.   I caught 2 and Rich caught none.  It was cool, overcast and breezy. The leeches worked real good.   We spent another day fishing from shore and Ruth was the most successful.  She caught 12 fish over the course of the weekend.  During dusk that evening we were looking across the lake and saw a moose walking in the water.  It made it's way up onto the shore and walked parallel to shore for a while before turning and disappearing into the dense forest.  It was a grand sight.  The second moose I've seen this spring.  The last day was a relaxing and beautiful paddle back to civilization.