Judy and Souix take a trip to Lake One. 9-22-14

It was my pleasure to guide 2 ladies from Pennsylvania to the boundary waters.  They were retired environmentalists.   They spent a lot of our beautiful days identifying mushrooms, plants and trees, not to mention birds and frogs.  It was our privilege to be camped within eyesight of a nest full of bald eagles.  It was a daily treat as they soared over our part of the lake. We paddled every day under the autumn sun.  I fished for smallies and sunfish with nightcrawlers.  I caught one small fish.  It was a brief return of summer and we felt blessed. 

Norm and Bill on lake three, 9-3-14

We waited at the second portage into lake two while some thundering clouds moved through.  Got to a camp that I've always wanted to stay at about mid day.  It's a huge site with lots of open space and smooth rock to sit on by the shore. we pitched the lean too tarp and got our stuff under it while we waited out a couple passing showers.  We popped up our tents and started a pot of coffee when the rain stopped.  A  little nap followed   all the activity.  Supper was mashed potatoes and tuna mush for me.  I was hungry and it was good.  Norm cast from shore while I watched the best sunset I've every experienced.  The sun had already gone below the western horizon but the clouds to the south were all purple and pink and totally reflected by the calm water. Add to all this a moon rise and some blue sky and I've never been so impressed by a sunset.  Within a few minutes it was gone and the whole world was gray.  Went to bed exhausted.   Ate pancakes for breakfast and watched the stream of canoeists heading east and west through the whipped up lake.  Too windy to paddle, spent the day in camp.  Woke up at 3am and sat under the tarp for a while. Felt good to sit instead of lay. Just as I was headed back to my tent a front blew through and started flapping the tarp. Soon it was all loose.  I re-staked it to the ground.  Back in my tent a few minutes later I could tell it had come undone again.  To tired and just let it blow.  When I looked at it in the morning it was ripped all along one  side.  The sun rot it had suffered through years of use had compromised the strength of the fabric.  I put it in a pack hoping it wouldn't rain again.   Today there were lots of canoeists mostly paddleing east though.  It was another relaxing day with good food and coffee.  In the evening we fished in the sunset.  It was a great experience to be in the glow of mother nature while catching sunnies, smallies and one walleye.   After cleaning the fish I watched the moon rise over a calm lake.  It was a fitting end  to a nice trip.  The paddle back to the landing was smooth and beautiful as any day in the BWCA.

Janice, Dave, Spencer and Susan on lake three, 8-25-14

Lake One and Two were horribly windy, so we stopped on an island to see if it would let up.  It did a little and then we turned east on Lake Three.  We fought our way for half a mile and luckily turned into a camp with out swamping.  Did take on a little water though.  We made camp and had a cup of coffee. Started supper at 5:15, which was sweet corn, potatoes, chicken breasts and salad.  All good except for the potatoes.  Dave and Janice had trouble with their tent pole but got it fixed. Went to my tent at 9pm in a light rain shower. 
Tuesday was a glorious day.  We worked hard to paddle to Lake Four. We caught several bass, a Northern and a few snags.   The return trip was straight into a strong west wind.  We snacked on cheese and crackers and washed it down with tea, coffee and wine.  We had a fish fry with rice, it was almost a perfect supper. Dave caught a smallie and Susan caught a nice Northern.  The girls helped with camp clean up while I washed dishes.  After a busy day everyone went to bed early.   I watched the lake for a while, it was beautiful, and crawled into my tent.  They really appreciate the work I do.  It was a great day to be a guide.  In the early morning hours of the third day my air mattress went flat.  Couldn't go back to sleep so I started making coffee at 6am.  Spencer arrived at

6:30 and we drank coffee and waited for the remainder of the  crew to wander into the main part of camp.  The stove was a little problem but seemed to cure itself.  After breakfast clean up we fished for an hour with no luck.  The day was spent lounging around camp, fishing from shore, snacking and sipping beverages.    Had an early supper of bean and rice burritos with cheese and onion.  Very good.  The early supper facilitated an early start to evening fishing.  We did quite well. Dave and I caught 5 walleyes and earlier Dave and Spencer caught 4 Northerns.  I cleaned them and put them in the cooler pack for tomorrow. Another totally gorgeous day.  Egg McMuffins with coffee for breakfast on  our fourth day.  We paddled out of camp heading for Horseshoe lake to try our luck.  While portaging  we did some exploring looking for foundations to an old logging camp.  We couldn't find them.  After some consideration later, I now know where I'll look next time.  It was a beautiful walk through a cedar forest.  Susan caught the biggest fish (Northern) of the week and a small sunfish.   Janice also caught a good Northern on a jig and leech.  Very good times.  Back in camp we slaked our hunger with oreos, tea and coffee.  That night we had a huge fish fry with wild rice. It was so good.  We all enjoyed great conversations while enjoying camp life.  The next morning we paddled out  in a rain storm. It's been a fine and satisfying week with really nice people.

A Nice Trip to the BWCA from July 14-17, 2014

The first day was cloudy, cool and misty until about 1pm.  As we were paddling Lake Three and Four it began to rain steadily.  There was no wind or lightening but it was a soaker of a rain.   Many campsites were already taken but my favorite was still available.  Such good luck.   With portages, lunch and hourly breaks it took us 6 1/2 hours to cover the 8 miles.  Devin, my bowsman was a good paddler but after 4 hours he had spent his all.   During the rain he slept while laid back on a pack. Camp was made and dry clothes changed into.  We also started a pot of coffee and shortly there after started supper.  During the evening the boys fished and landed several blue gills and smallmouth bass.   Our second morning's breakfast was hash browns,eggs and bacon.  The boys loved the hash browns.

  It was too windy to paddle and fish so we stayed in camp and fished from shore.  Luck was good.  That night was our fresh food supper of steak, sweet corn and baked potatoes and salad.  The winds died that evening and the boys fished for a turtle that was near shore,  they had no  luck in landing him.    Our third day started with Sturdiwheat pancakes and bacon.  We ate a lot in preparation for a day trip.  We fished close by from mid morning till late afternoon.  We had a nice lunch at the end of a portage.   During the course of the day we caught several nice smallies and a couple walleye.  That night we had a fish fry served up with calzones.   It was a great next-to-last day.  That evening we played Kick the Can.   As a first time player they modified the rules for me. It was a fun game and much more active than the Cribbage game I taught them.   We watched the sunset knowing I'd be our last BWCA Sunset for a while.  On our paddle out Jennifer did the orienteering and Devin and I followed.   She did very good.  It was a blue sky day with gentle breezes and puffy white clouds.  We cherished our day in the BWCA under the July sun.  I think it was a great week in the woods.

Lake Four with friends, 6-1-14

The four of us paddled to Lake Four without any problems.   Except when we arrived at camp I realized that I left 2 important but small daypacks on the last portage.  Dave was gracious enough to paddle back with me to get them, and luckily they were still there.  It took 3 1/2 hours round trip and made our total mileage for the day  16. The rain prevented us from fire grilling the steaks so I pan fried them and boiled the sweet corn and potatoes.  It rained several times the second day and we spent most of the morning  under the tarp eating pancakes, bacon and eggs.  The third day was very windy and Dave caught a Northern from shore.   We had spaghetti for supper that night.  The next day we day tripped to northern Lake Four.  It was a beautiful boundary waters day with blue skies and gentle breezes.   It was a glorious sense of freedom after being wind bound for a couple days.   The next to last day was fun, we watched beavers swim, loons, humming birds, mallards and generally enjoyed a little fishing and great weather.  On our way home it was another perfect day.  We paddled to the lake one landing in 4 hours   It was a good trip.

Kenyon Wanamingo goes to Kawishiwi Lake, October 1, 2013

All of our eager participants helped pitch tents, tarps and tee pee.  Our next task was to gather firewood.  We walked down the road with my pick up following and the kids went into the woods and drug out many branches and logs.  We loaded them up in the truck box and drove back to camp.  We were now set for the week as far as campfires were concerned.  Next we hiked the shoreline and through the woods to a campsite on the Eastern edge of the lake.  It was good to be out in the woods again.  The kids enjoyed it greatly.  Back in camp, we started to prepare Hobo dinners.  All the vegetables were cut and meat prepared and all of this was wrapped in tin foil.  While we were doing this some of the kids used their free time to fish or hike.  Alex caught several Northerns and because they were small he threw them back in the lake.   The fire baked Hobo dinners were devoured by everyone.  Following clean up, with the help of several students, Rich told many stories around the campfire.  He told us about Timothy Treadwell, Glacier National Park, Alaska and the bears of Knife Lake.  We all listened with great interest.  The students went to bed early and the chaperones were left to visit and wonder at the most fantastic Aurora Borealis (northern lights) I've seen in fifteen years.  It was a fitting end to a great day with a group  of great people.  The next morning was pancakes and bacon for breakfast.  Then we all prepared for a paddling day trip.  We started with canoeing lessons.  We worked our way across Kawishiwi Lake learning our paddling strokes. We stopped at several campsites and had lunch at a nice one on Square Lake.  The fall colors were in full bloom and we enjoyed taking many photos as we traveled.  On the return trip most everyone was displaying competent paddling.  It was a beautiful, comfortable day to be in the woods.  We had spaghetti for supper and Priscilla and Alex did the clean up.  Our third day was the Brandenberg photography lesson.  We covered what Brandenberg was motivated by when he put together his book called "Chased by the Light"   We also reviewed basic camera use and composition.  We then headed out in the canoes to see if we could capture some beauty.  We did.  It was a great day of wandering around and seeking the unusual and missed compositions. It was a satisfying experience for all the students.  We had hot dogs and macaroni for supper.  Then everyone went down to the lake to observe its cool, calm and reflective surface.      

Lake Insula, 9-15-2013

Ruth, Norm, and I traveled efficiently through Lake One, Two, Three and Four.  We met some friends from school that had been out for the weekend on the portages between Lake One and Two.  We arrived at a very nice camp on Lake Four at 2:30.  It was good to be in the wilderness and we celebrated with a cup of coffee.   Norm fixed mac, cheese and ham for supper, it was very good.  We went to bed early.  For breakfast the next morning Norm prepared scrambled eggs with bacon and I made some pancakes.  Very filling and delicious.  We were motivated and did the little portages and crossed Hudson quickly but with a couple rest stops.  The last portage of the day was 100 rods and did it in less than an hour.  We paddled across Insula's 4 1/2 miles in an hour.  We wanted to get to camp.  Our favorite island was available and we were delighted that it was ours.  Norm said it was the best campsite he's ever been to.  After camp was pitched and a brief rest period I started supper.  Our meal consisted of chicken noodle delight.  It was filling and tasty.  We pitched the lean too tarp and watched the fabulous clear sky sunset before we called it a day.  In the morning Norm and I drank coffee and watched a full sunrise.  It was inspiring.  Good coffee, friendship and a wilderness phenomenon, it doesn't get any better than that.  Ruth crawled out of our tent later and we started breakfast.  More delicious bacon, eggs and pancakes.   We fished the hot spot from late morning through the afternoon.  Ruth caught a couple bass, one huge. It just about pulled her out of the boat.  I caught an 18" Walleye.  Our return to the island was horrific because of the wind and waves.  My Wenona Seneca at 19 1/2 feet and a wide beam used every inch of it's seaworthy design and our muscle and skill to successfully navigate the mile crossing to the island.  Back in camp I went for a cool swim followed by a refreshing coffee break.  We had a huge fish fry for supper.  Which was a true reward for a week in the woods.  Later that evening we admired a double natural display of beauty.  We watched the sunset on the West side of the island and then on the East side we watched the Moon rise.  Totally fantastic day all the way around.  It was now time to head back to Lake Four.  We covered the portages and mileage on the water in good fashion. It was a cloudy and misty day but no rain.  A good day for paddling and portaging.  Arrived at our new site at 1:15 and went right to work making camp.  We pitched the Lean Too tarp because we were sure it was going to rain.   Coffee, tea and fishing rounded out the afternoon. Ruth tried but had no luck.  Mashed potatoes for supper and Bakepacker muffins for an evening snack finished off the day.  It didn't rain and only sprinkled just before bedtime. While crossing Lake Three in the morning we were forced off the lake by eminent rain and storms.  We spent 1 1/2 hours huddled in a campsite waiting for it to let up.  It stopped raining but the rumbling clouds continued to sweep by.  Against my better judgment we  set out again.  It was cool and comfortable to paddle but the constant thunder from above made me very nervous.  Between the first and second portage we experienced a 5 minute downpour.  Then it let up and the thunder stopped and we paddled the remainder of our route to the Lake One landing.  Ruth's rain suit failed totally and she got a new one after returning to civilization. It was a wonderful week and I can't wait for ice out next spring.