Saganaga to Knife, June, 09

On Saturday Neil, Mikkel and I left the Trails End Landing and headed North on the Seagull River heading towards Saganaga Lake. I was paddling a WeNoNah Encounter solo canoe and the guys were paddling my Souris River Wilderness 18. It was windy and we stopped before the lake opened up. We took a short break and put on rain gear. There was a dark cloud over the Eastern part of the lake and the rollers were about 2 feet high. We decided to just go to Clark Island. My canoe handled the waves with only a little water coming over the bow. At 200 yards from the island the dark cloud passed to the East and the lake flattened with only 3 inch wavelets. Relieved we turned and headed west across the main part of the lake. We passed Long Island and eventually made our way around American Point. It was 6 pm and we decided to make camp. We found a great site with water on 3 sides and a sand beach. We relaxed for an hour and then got busy with camp chores. For supper we had potato soup mixed with onions and tuna - it was delicious. We went to bed early.

Sunday morning started early for me. I packed my personal gear and carried it all down to the water's edge. I made breakfast and enjoyed the peaceful cool of a beautiful Boundary Waters morning. Just as we were leaving Mark, Marsha, Bill, Greg and couple of Greg's kids paddled by. We talked to Coops for a while and took off. Coop's group went ahead of us but we caught up to them at the Monument Portage. It was a windless, blue sky day and we paddled to our camp in Western Ottertrack in about 5 hours. The remainder of the afternoon was spent drinking coffee, making camp, eating lunch and visiting in the shade. This part of Ottertrack is good fishing and Coops, Mikkel and Bill went fishing. They came back fishless. It was very hot while cooking pizzas. The recipe is sandwich thins, mozzarella cheese, onions and pepperoni. Build the pizza and then toast them in the frypan with the lid on for 2-3 minutes. Tomato sauce can be used also. They were enjoyed. After supper Mikkel and I went fishing for a couple hours. While floating in a nearby channel Chloe swam out to us. I just can't leave her behind. I got her into the boat only to have her snag the hair at the back of her head on a treble hook. I had to cut her hair to get it out. It was a close call but there was no injury. She shivered and was very restless for about a half hour but then settled down. Afterwards I took a swim and went to my tent.

I got a good night's sleep, had breakfast and e were on the water by 9:30. After a few minutes of paddling we were at the first portage of only 10 rods. Mark and Marsha spent a long time talking to a couple camped nearby. We paddled on ahead into the wind. The next 2 hours were a total grind. Just as we slid through the narrows into the North Arm of Knife Lake the wind let up. It was a joy to move forward with half the effort. As we rounded the corner of our destination point we realized that our treasured campsite was empty. For lunch Neil and Mikkel made quesadillas and bean mush. It was an excellent meal after such a grind that morning. Everyone arrived in the next hour and made camp. I showed Mark and Marsha the swimming rock and went back to camp. I fell asleep in my chair and when I woke up everyone was napping except Greg, who was out paddling in the harbor. When Greg returned we visited for a while. Everyone woke up feeling wonderful after such a nice nap on a very beautiful afternoon in the wilderness. Coffee and conversation followed and then supper was started. We had Chicken Delight. Everyone went fishing while I stayed in camp. I did chores and watched the lake and sky. The fishermen had a little luck but threw them back. Coop, Neil and I stayed up late talking around the campfire. I got up early and had a solitary breakfast. Bill, Greg and the kids left to continue their route through Ogishcumuncie and Seagull. Coops accompanied them part way on a fishing expedition. Neil took a morning nap hoping to cure his Black Velvet hangover. Mikkel and I paddled over to Pete's Island and made 3 passes in hopes for Lake Trout. We found none. Then we headed the canoe to a shoreline drop off to try for Bass. Mikkel caught a nice Bass on a Rapala Popper. But no luck after that. Chloe knocked Mikkel's spare rod and reel in the lake. I tried to grab it as it sunk but missed by inches. We went to shore and Mikkel swam back out into the lake to surface dive for it. After 20 minutes of cold water he gave up. We went back to camp and just as we were entering our bay we met Neil paddling my We No Nah. He really liked it and looked good paddling it. Lunch was a bagel and a quart of water while I sat on the ground next to a tree. I had broken my chair last night after only 3 days of using it. Napped and visited the afternoon away and then went fishing at the narrows to Little Knife. We fished unsuccessfully for a half hour and then caught an eater just beyond the main flow of the narrows. In the next half hour we caught 3 more for a total of 4. We all enjoyed a bountiful fish fry as the others had luck too.

In the morning Coops left after breakfast because they had to get back to civilization. Mikkel, Neil and I had a pot of coffee and then left for a possible blueberry island. I found no blueberries but Mikkel was successfull landing a few small bass using his popper. We continued exploring the north shore while Mikkel, riding duff, cast to the shoreline. Neil steered from the stern and I paddled bow amazed by all the fishing action. It was like being in a boat with Bill Dance, a famous fisherman. The scenery was beautiful as we glided between a row of islands and the mainland. There were puffy white clouds blue skies, and a gentle breeze. Mikkel landed several nice bass, one of which was quite big. Back in camp we had a mid-afternoon fish fry served with coffee and quesidillas. Everyone shared in the preparation and clean-up. Naps, reading and journaling rounded out the afternoon. Dim sun shown through a thin overcast. There were gentle breezes and no mosquitoes. Tommorrow will be a traveling day and scattered showers with some severe are predicted. We'll have to be careful.

After many hours of paddling and portaging we found ourselves on American Point. I required a long break due to the fact that we had covered about 13 miles and 3 portages since leaving Knife Lake. We decided to head for the best campsite on the lake, four miles away. The first leg of the journey was a 2 mile open water crossing. This stretch was intensified by several factors. There were waves quartering from the rear as we headed Northeast. There was a wind from the west. And finally a storm cell was approaching and we didn't want to be caught mid-lake with that over us. We paddled hard to out run this situation. As we crossed, the lake turned to shades of blue gray with various degrees of saturation from the overlapping islands and distant shoreline. It was a relief to enter the archepelago after an hour of hard paddling. The Canadian Islands to the North of the international border had idyllic cabins on them, with the wilderness islands of the Boundary Waters to the South. It was like entering an enchanted land of beauty and peace, especially since we had so far successfully outrun the storm. The guys surged ahead to be sure we got our favorite campsite. I orienteered my way through the many islands enjoying the solitude of this paradise. I came around the point of the last island before our campsite and could see no one. I called out and Mikkel answered letting me know that we got the best one. My last couple hundred yards of paddling were lightly salted with rain. When I got to camp I could see they had the tarp pitched and their tent up. We were all very glad that we had accomplished our goal and celebrated with coffee and tobacco. The rain let up after a few minutes and we started a supper of tuna casserole. Mikkel and I tried fishing for Lake Trout at a spot that I had luck a couple years ago. We had no luck. It was a beautiful evening with white clouds, blue-gray clouds, blue sky and shafts of sunlight. I sat, wondered at the beauty of it all and didn't go get my camera. Sometimes it's better to absorb an experience viscerally. During the night it rained and thundered for an hour and a half. One lightening strike was very close but most were a mile or two away.

In the morning I sat on a rock next to shore and marveled at the good string of days we'd had in the wilderness. Mikkel slept till 9:30 and Neil slept till 9. For breakfast we had blueberry frybread and lots of coffee. The guys went to Saganaga Falls and I stayed in camp and watched blue sky replace last nights storm clouds. Chloe and I lounged away the afternoon. Chloe kept the squirrels at bay and napped while I swam to keep cool. Neil and Mikkel returned with a nice bass. Neil went to his tent to read and journal. Mikkel cast from shore. Clouds moved in and threatened rain so we quickly got everything under the tarp while it was sprinkling. The storm cell poured for about 20 minutes totally drenching the ground. The evening was cool and comfortable. It rained during the night but was only partly cloudy in the morning.

We lingered over breakfast bracing ourselves for our re-entry to civilized life in America. We were also relishing our last hours in the Boundary Waters. While heading across the main part of the lake the wind increased the size of the waves the farther south we paddled. The waves were quartering us from behind making it very difficult to stay on course. Great amounts of energy were spent keeping the canoe from broaching in the waves. Finally I reached the protection of the river and paddling became easier, especially with a good tailwind. Mikkel and Neil got to the landing long before I did and were ready to load up. Footnote, Neil did most of the photography, Mikkel and I contributed also.

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.