The Last Hurrah

Twenty of us got off the bus at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. There were 16 students, some parents and me. Two parents and their children drove separately. One chaperone drove my truck full of camping gear and food. We got a few of the tents pitched and had a mid-morning snack. Our hike took us to Hidden Falls where we had our first emersion into this great state park. The kids threw rocks, waded in the shallow water and wondered at the beauty of this tranquil spot in the middle of Southeast Minnesota. Then everyone got their drawing pads and found a spot to work from. The key to success was to select the important details from the millions of leaves, branches, trees, and rocks. We had a little art show on the rock outcropping next to the falls. The hike back up the hill to camp was challenging to most of us after months of intown life. Lunch consisted of crystal light, cheese, crackers and chips. We prepared our GPS units for finding a couple geocaches and headed out. I took the girls and Dean took the boys. My group found a wonderful Cache deep in the woods. It was 300 feet off the trail and the complete beauty of these woods was evident as we followed the heading indicated by the GPS. Monica found the cache box after a short all out search by everyone. I signed in and the hikers traded trinkets. We found our way back to the trail and headed back to camp. Freetime followed and parents were soon arriving after their day of work in town. More tents were pitched, and supper preparations were begun. The fire was started and the food was set out. The hot dogs, chicken and hamburger patties were soon grilling over open flames. Conversations were many among the 30 people enjoying this beautiful oasis on this perfect May evening. After lots of help cleaning up it was freetime again. Some went to the playground area and a group of us returned to Hidden Falls. Wading and throwing rocks off the top of the falls as the woods grew darker were the compelling activities. Smores were started when we got back to camp and more conversations were had. Quiet time in my camp was spent sitting by the fire visiting with parents. You could hear the peels of laughter from my students a few campsites down. The ranger told them to save their noise until tommorrow.
In the morning I did my chores and started coffee. Gradually adults wandered into camp and then a few students. The early birds had granola with berries and yogurt while donuts were served to the late sleepers. The morning geocachers were divided into 3 groups. My group took the long way around to Blue Beach Bridge. On the way we ran into Mr. Ryan's group. We talked for a few minutes and soon were on our way. Izzy found the cache which was out in plain site. We took some photos and were on our way. Most of the food left was eatten during our lunch. We also had cake provided by Dean in honor of his 48th birthday. I recieved many well wishes on my June 5th retirement. Camp clean-up, goodbyes and thank-yous were completed by mid-afternoon. It was a great two days, especially with such a wonderful group of kids and parents.

Lake One, Solo

I had a relaxing and restful afternoon in my camp on Lake One. I read, slept, and swam. The swim was really just a quik dip. I didn't want to get chilled to the core in the icy water. Chloe is totally into camp life. She's chased squirrels, taken a short swim, and slept in the sun. There were a few bugs and I had forgotten my bug spray. Camp is spacious for a soloist. There were several good tent sites, lots of good rocks to sit on, an elevated fire grate and shade from perfectly placed trees. There was a gentle breeze that kept away the bugs half of the time. The birds were quiet with no visits by Whiskey Jacks. It was a good afternoon while my I waited for my soul to catch up.

After eatting burned noodles and chicken for supper I picked up camp and went fishing with Chloe. She was kind of nervous at first but settled down after about 20 minutes. I paddled around the big island to the east of camp. I caught a couple rocks but nothing else. It was a great sense of freedom to paddle an empty canoe. I glided effortlessly in the golden glow of the low sun. There were some campers on the south end of the island. They must have come in late last night and couldn't find a legal campsite. It looked very buggy in there. The campers on the island to the south continued to shatter the silence with shouts and screams. Around dusk in camp the Spring Peepers croaked as a large chorus. It was a very cool evening and the bugs disappeared. Chloe was cold and sat by the tent whimpering softly. She always knows when it's time to turn in.

I slept about an hour past sunrise. The best nights sleep I had in a week. As I drank my coffee a wave of well being washed over me. It was so good to be in the woods again. The sky was blue and the breezes were gentle. It was cool until mid-morning and then I put on shorts and sandals. Chloe and I loaded up and headed out for a day trip. We traveled East to the portages that lead to Lake Two. The lake was busy this morning and I had several conversations with other canoeists. At the portage I encountered two canoeists with huge external frame backpacks that didn't fit into their skinny Wenona canoe. The packs rose way above the gunnels and made their canoe very tippy. They portaged these packs while carrying the canoe finlander style. They were both frustrated with the difficulty of this method. I told them Duluth packs are the way to go. On the way back to camp I stopped and fished for a while. I had no luck but it was great to be in the middle of the wilderness surrounded by all the beauty. Just before I got back to camp a flotilla of 10 canoes and kayaks went by. There were 14 people and they were obviously travelling together. They were headed south in front of my camp. A short while later the noisy ones passed by and I mentioned something about too much noise. They were much quieter for the rest of the weekend. Back in camp I had a lunch of cheese, crackers, and coffee. I saw lots of paddlers during the morning but very few in the afternoon. I sat on a shaded rock that faced a quiet bay next to camp. My hope was to see a moose drinking at the waters edge. None appeared but it was like observing a famous painting of the wilderness. Napping, swimming and coffee rounded out the afternoon. After supper I cruised to the south west corner of the lake. Chloe rode in the bow like a queen. Talked to a camper couple that had to drive home tommorrow too. Back in camp it was cool enough that the bugs disappeared and I enjoyed the glowing pine trees across the lake in the suns last rays. As darkness neared I reflected on what a great two days it had been. I had seen Mergansers, Ravens, Sand Pipers, mosquitoes, black flies(I have the wounds to prove it), beavers, loons, kayakers, and canoeists. For most of the weekend I had background music provided by frogs, birds and the breeze in the trees. I've enjoyed the wonderfulness of a complete attitude adjustment facilitated by the surrounding paradise. Loons are calling goodnight from a distant part of the lake. Paddling out in the morning was delight, not because I was leaving but because it was so invigorating. There were many paddleing in the early morning light. We passed under an Eagle perched in a dead tree. He watched us without taking flight or flinching. Everyone was respectfully quiet and softspoken while we absorbed our last minutes in the wilderness.

The Bill Club

After a very easy paddle through a couple snow showers and a half hour of making camp we all sat down for lunch. There were 7 of us, 2 of which arrived on the previous day. We decided to form the "Bill Club". Three of us were named Bill, there was Bill Pfohl, Bill Bremer and me. The other 4, Doug, Mel, Mark, and Brian were inducted as honorary members. We were an experienced group of canoeist, fisherman, and campers. Between us we had 200 years of life in the woods. We shared many tales of adventure. While I was finishing my lunch Bill Bremer went to the eastern rock to fish. He returned with 2 huge lake trout. Mel had also caught one before the Bill Club arrived. At 2 pm everyone went paddling and fishing. Bill B. and I paddled past the rock he caught his first 2 fish. Not having any luck we continued trolling around the eastern bay. Bremer liked fishing from shore so we tried a couple rocky outcroppings. On the second one he pulled in a third huge Lake Trout. We trolled and casted our way back to camp with no further luck. Back in camp I made coffee and enjoyed visiting with everyone as they returned from their excursions out on Seagull Lake. Copious amounts of firewood was hauled out of the forest and fed to a hungry fire. At 8pm the four fish were laced with sweet onions and creamy italian dressing, wrapped in tin foil and placed on a bed of coals. They roasted for an hour and were devoured within minutes. Supremely delicious. The fire was stoked and we spent the next hour absorbing it's warmth. Soon everyone called it a day well done and all went to bed except me. Gentle waves lapped at the sand beach where the canoes were pulled up. Crickets and Spring Peepers provided background melodies. All is well.

I woke up late to the sound of 6 fishermen anxious to hit the water. Finally I offered to stay back and let the other 2 Bills fish together. I did my morning chores and made a pot of coffee. The sky was blue with a light breeze from the south. Camp was very quiet with only the sound of the lake. Gray Jays were flitting around looking for morsels of food and the campfire was still smoldering from the breakfast fire. I could see the bright sun filtered by the upper most branches of a huge white pine. White Throated Sparrows were singing mood altering sonatas and 2 Loons were floating in the bay 30 feet from shore. The serenity of Seagull Lake was filling the empty places in my soul with beauty, peace and contentment. The warmth of the sun was very comforting. When Bremer and Pfohl returned they collaborated on a macaroni, pea, tuna and onion extravaganza. It was delicious and to top it off Bremer shared some of his homemade monster cookies. Starbucks Sumatra coffee provided the liquid refreshment. Shortly after this everyone was fishing the shore East and West of camp. The thermometer said less than 50 but it felt much warmer. It was a wonderfull afternoon. Bill P. and I fished for a couple hours later in the afternoon. We trolled, in a medium breeze, the bays to the West of camp. While crossing a point I got a tap on my line. We turned around and crossed it again and this time an inland lake shark (Northern) took the bait. It was my first fish of the weekend and he put up a good fight. I was now a contributing member of our hunter/gatherer society known as the "Bill Club". We trolled towards camp in the sunshine and breeze. When we got there the evening fire had already been stoked. Coop fried the fish, I made noodles with Pioneer Sauce and Doug served jambalaya. Bill P. pre-cleaned the fry pans, Mel washed dishes and Brian dried. Around the campfire Bill P. shared many Ole and Lena jokes. The rest of us shared experiences from our many years in the woods. It was so good hanging out in the woods with this group that I can't wait till next year when I'm retired and can spend more than 3 days in the woods for opener. The fishing, cooking and camping with this group of experienced outdoorsmen was great.

We all got up together and had conversations on a variety of topics while eatting breakfast. The funniest was when they were teasing me about my hat. It has a nylon exterior with a Goretex laminate and a fleece lining. The brim is like a baseball cap only a little smaller. Cooper said I look like a Conehead from Saturday Night Live. Bremer said he had a brown one just like it but never wore it. He went on to say that he gave it to the Salvation Army and they gave it back. Then he tried to give it to a homeless man in St. Paul and he refused it. Somebody said I looked like Homer Simpson. I've included a photo of the hat so you'll have to be the judge. I think they all have hat envy. The morning continued with more merriment. Mel and Doug left for civilization around 12pm. The sky was mostly blue and there were light breezes. It didn't warm up much until afternoon. Coop and Pfohl went fishing for a couple hours and came back with a trout. While everyone was napping I refamiliarized myself with my GPS. As the afternoon warmed up I decided to take a splash in the lake. The water was hypothermic so I didn't completely submerge. I lathered up on shore and rinsed with a bucket so as not to get soap in the lake. This totally energized me. Bremer actually took a swim and felt that I gave him a great idea. Supper was garlic mashed potatoes and tuna. It was very good but I think mostly because I was starving. I put away a lot of stuff and pre-organized my equipment for an efficient pack up in the morning. The tarp was left up so everything would stay dry and so that we would have a place to eat breakfast if it was raining. BP and I went fishing at 6pm and it was my first time in a boat that day. I was very glad to be on the water. It was still breezy but sunny. We made it around the bays to the west of camp and then some. After several snags and no fish we headed back to camp. As we neared the shore we could see Coop sitting in a chair with a line out and a cup of wine. He looked very content sitting at the waters edge. It was a 5 star May evening. I climbed the rock next to camp and spent an hour absorbing the sun's last rays and listening to the lake below. From my vantage point I could see all four directions. To the North and West was the forest roof, to the South and East was the island studded lake. The evening birds were calling back and forth. I am overwhelmed by the unique gift the Boundary Waters has to offer the human species.

It rained in the early morning hours and a couple times on the way out. I am looking forward to many more trips like this in the coming years.

Duncan Lake and trout fishing, March '09

We left the trailhead at 2:30. The snow was frozen and crusted 90% of the way to the campsite. Sadie and I pulled the sled with ease. We made it to the top of the hill on the portage with a couple brief rest stops. Once at the top I took a 10 minute break and sat on my tobaggan. I had been breathing pretty hard. I felt a great sense of accomplishment for Sadie and myself after pulling my 160 pound sled up that hill. Cooper didn't have to help at all. The snow was hard packed, which made pulling the sled much easier. Going down the otherside of the hill was an excersize in control. I had to keep the sled from going off the trail and running over Sadie. The trick was to keep my footing while controlling everything else. I did slip once and was drug down the trail for about 10 feet before I got the sled stopped. Towards the bottom of the hill was a curve and a steeper part that slanted so that the sled went off the trail and sideways into the trees. I worked hard to get it back on the trail and then the sled tipped over. I got it turned back over and was soon at the lake. Coop, meanwhile was waiting at the top while I made my way down. First he walked down with the bait bucket so it wouldn't tip over in the steep parts of the trail. Then he went back up to get the rest of his stuff. Once on the lake he followed a frozen slush trail of a previous winter traveler. Soon his sled tipped and spilled the minnow's water out into the snow. He quickly found some slushy water under the snow crust and put that in the bucket saving the minnows. We were both in camp about 3:30. The wind blew hard all afternoon. It was 24 degrees but felt much colder. After pitching our tents we layered up the clothing and were still chilly around the edges. I hadn't brought ultra warm clothing, however, the temperature was supposed to warm up as the weekend progressed. To warm up more we made a trip into the woods to collect fire wood. We found a downed cedar tree and broke off and sawed a sled full of wood. My new buck saw worked great. It was too windy for a fire so we saved the wood for the next day. Supper was mashed potatoes and tuna. The hot food tasted great and warmed me nicely on such a cold and windy night. We had pitched the tarp vertically as a wind break and sat behind it most of the evening sharing wolf stories from our many travels. I boiled a pot of water to fill my Nalgene and put in my sleeping bag to take the chill off when I crawled in. It was great to be snuggled into my sleeping bag and out of the wind. It was great to be back in the BWCA.

I slept luxuriously till 8am. We had a morning fire with coffee and bagels made over the XGK EX. We were on the ice at 9:30 and found the hotspot with the gps. We drilled several holes and started fishing at 20-25 feet. We fished with no immediate luck. At 10 am a couple teachers from Anoka stopped by to tell us that they had 36 seniors coming to the area to winter camp. We had a very pleasant conversation and told them we were sorry we took their favorite campsite. They traveled to a bay several hundred yards to the west of us and made camp. Later we saw them pass our camp on the way to the Bearskin portage and we didn't see them come back before dark. Bremer showed up about 11am and we all began to fish seriously. At about noon I hooked a big one which took line out as fast as I could reel it in. My pole was bent over and I thought this would be the biggest Lake Trout I had ever caught. I had heard there were some big ones in Duncan. As I reeled in I looked down the hole to see if it were coming through. At the bottom edge of the hole was my lure hooked to the ice and no fish. I don't know if there ever was a fish or if the lure was hooked to the bottom of the hole all along. We fished a dozen holes around the hotspot and would lose bait occasionally. Bremer caught the first one around 1 pm. It was a nice one. We were all energized with the thoughts of now they're now biting. However, we never saw another fish until we moved to spot 100 yards from camp. Cooper caught one shortly after we got there. Then Bremer had a bite but couldn't get him on the ice. Next Cooper had a fish on but all we saw was his nose and he slipped back into the depths of Duncan. At 6:30 I went back to camp to start supper before it got dark. Cooper fried the fish over the campfire and I ate it with mashed potates. The fish was fried to perfection with Shorelunch and lemon pepper. I did camp chores and then sat by the fire with the other two. This afternoon it was above freezing for a few hours with blue sky and sunshine. It was a great day and catching fish was no small part of it. When I went to bed at 10 it was 12 degrees.

The day dawned with blue sky and sunshine. We had coffee and made our way to the new hotspot. Cooper and Bremer caught the first few fish. Around noon gray clouds filled the sky and released an occasional snowflake. By the end of the afternoon I had pulled two trout through the ice. I had finally relearned the technique of hooking a Lake Trout. Cooper and Bremer also pulled 4 trout out of the lake, making our total for the day 6, which is the limit. Snow showers salted the evening while we tended the fire and cooked supper. We decided to take our fish home instead of eatting them. After a pleasant evening of conversation around the campfire we turned in early so we could rise at first light.

Breakfast was a granola bar and a pint of water. We were on the trail at 8am. An inch of fresh snow didn't impede our journey out. Returning to the trailhead on the last day is fun. We soaked all the sights into our minds and hearts too hold us till the next time we could come here. To have a dog and a toboggan carrying all the essentials of life is very satisfying. We were looking forward to the comforts of civilization but I secretly wished I could have spent a couple more days in the Boundary Water's frozen paradise.

Rainbow Wilderness Area, January '09

When we headed down the trail it had been dark for hours. Sadie pulled the tobaggan with a lot help from me, I had a harness too. Sadie and I broke trail ahead of Norm. It wasn't bad though. Someone else had traveled this way with a sled in the previous days. Soon the trail of the unknown person turned towards the lake and we continued onward to the west, now in full trail blazing effort. The snow was 18 inches deep and we left a 6 inch furow as we moved forward to our destination. It was zero degrees with a 20 mph wind from the south. This wind was a major factor in our decision to camp in the woods to the north of the trail instead of on a hill next to the lake. It was wonderfull to be in the snow and cold air once again. We made camp efficiently but it was early Saturday morning by the time we were snug in our sleeping bags. Sunrise occurred long before we were out of our tents. It's fabulous sleeping in the northern woods with all the highly oxygenated air. After a breakfast of fried bagels, we hiked around the area. It was a beautiful day but it only got up to 12 degrees. Light snow was reflecting an occasional sunbeam. The afternoon consisted of rice for lunch, hiking, cribbage and a one hour nap in my luxurious chair. We took another hike before supper. We appreciated the fact that we were totally alone in these woods. I don't think people get out in the winter much anymore. Other than an airplane motor in the distance we heard no other sounds of civilization. After supper we took another hike. It was a good way to make sure we were warm before we crawled into our tents. Another long night of dreams and pondering the imponderable left us fresh and ready to face the world.