Put in at Mudro Lake, parking at the Chainsaw Sisters’ Saloon. Our route took us from Mudro to Sandpit to Tin Can Mike to Horse Lake. The portage from Mudro to Sandpit Lake was pretty steep and rocky on the backside. I’m glad we weren’t going up the hilly side! Sandpit to TCM is longer but very easy, being an old railroad bed from the logging era. A nice boardwalk keeps you from slogging through the muck on the last bit of the walk.

As we were on the portage in to Horse Lake we noticed a low flying float plane. I thought that curious, as I didn’t think they could fly that low over the BWCAW. As we set out in the canoes on Horse, we could hear aircraft noise, then all of a sudden just clearing the tree tops, a big, yellow water scooper plane rumbled over.

Making our way out into the lake, we watched it make numerous trips – scooping water from the middle of the lake and dumping it on a small fire at the north end of Horse Lake.

We found out later that it was a lightning strike fire that started on Friday night. There is an island with a campsite on the north end of Horse and an adjacent site on the shore. Apparently the fire started about 200 yards in from the shore campsite.

We made camp on the west side of Horse, across from where the Horse River exits. It is a pretty nice site. There was room for 3 tents in the main area and Jesse put his on a point on the back side of the main campsite area.

Saturday evening was a pig out night for dinner. We all had some sort of fresh food to cook. New York strip steaks, brats, venison steaks, baby red potatoes with fresh red and green peppers, cold milk – it made quite a feast! The night was warm and clear with absolutely no bugs! We decided to move our pads and sleeping bags outside and fell asleep watching the stars and the Northern Lights.

A beautiful, quiet, crisp morning greeted us as we emerged from the cozy confines of our Hilleberg tent. Ova-easy eggs, supplemented by rehydrated onions & peppers, provide our breakfast fare. We are in no hurry but, eventually we load up and head out for some relaxing exploration.

Over the years I’d repeatedly heard/read about the splendid attributes of the camp just across the way from our island home. So the first order of business was to paddle over and check and see what all the fuss was about.

There’s a decent landing that leads up to a sprawling expansive site that also offers a top notch kitchen area. Literally, there would be room for 20 people! (If that were legal) It was an absolutely gorgeous site; yet we remained thankful for having claimed ours yesterday, as this one was slightly exposed and wouldn’t have offered the degree of protection we received from yesterday’s strong winds. After our cursory evaluation, we proceeded northwards up the bay to hike the portage trail to Big Moose Lake.

This trail was perhaps the dominate reason why we chose this area for our fall trip. Our last foray across this path led to the creation of many indelible memories that served to draw us back for another look see. Not the least of which was the iconic (at least for us) photo Vickie took of Aurora & I while taking a break along the way.

This time Aurora would be getting herself across the trail. In fact, she insisted on leading the way much of the time. I was also able to better appreciate the surrounding beauty, since this time I was able to leave my canoe helmet behind. Once again there was several rock cairns & unique fungi garnishing the path, and the deciduous trees were beginning to sport their colorful seasonal plumage as we hiked our way across this mammoth portage. I even noted a nice stand of impressive red pines at about the half way point.

In due course, we did make it all the way to Big Moose Lake. While enjoying a snack, we sat on the shores fondly reminiscing and telling Aurora stories of our visit here 4 years ago.

Alas, all good things must end. So, after kicking back and restfully lounging awhile here at the landing, we retraced our route back, once again taking time to fully enjoy and appreciate the wondrous wilderness environment we were passing through. Vickie hoped to capture another unforgettable photo of Aurora & me. I don’t know if it measures up to the picture from 4 years ago? But, I thought it was still a nice picture and certainly provokes warmhearted memories of yet another great day in canoe country.

Paddling back to camp, we noticed a bald eagle was perched atop a tree just north across the narrow channel from our site. That must have been its’ favorite spot, since we would see it there again on a few other occasions. It was reassuring to know we had someone watching over us during our stay here.

While Vickie baked some banana nut (Aurora’s favorite) muffins, Aurora kept herself occupied playing near the tarp; so, since the winds were considerably calmer tonight, I retreated to the hammock for a short siesta. Afterwards, we enjoyed the warmth of a quaint crackling campfire and the indulgence of fresh muffins before retiring for the evening.

Daily travels – 1 portage totaling 620 rods.

Cummings Lake, Big Moose Lake

The rain let up early and we broke camp fairly dry, heading out about 10:00 AM. The first portage out of Horse towards Fourtown was pretty easy, as well as the 2nd one which was only 10 rods long. We were dismayed to find that there was a 3rd and 4th portage that were not marked on the map! I guess in very high water maybe you could line the canoes through. The 3rd is another 10 rodder and the 4th about 5 rods. It was on the 3rd where the rain caught us and really started coming down. We waited it out under tarps and canoes until the thunder and lightning had subsided. We had a quartering tailwind across Fourtown to the Boot Lake portage, so paddling was a breeze. After a brief foray down the wrong path we got on the trail to Boot. By the time we finished the portage the rain was done and it was getting humid. It felt good to shed the hot raingear! We looked at each of the campsites on Boot as we made our way up the lake. There are 5 sites on the lake, the 5th up being occupied at the time. The 1st site would only accommodate two, maybe 3 tents, so that wouldn’t do for us. Site #2 is good for 2 tents; that was out. Site # 3 could squeeze in 4 tents if you had to (and if someone didn't mind sleeping on an ant mound!) but we wanted to check out the 4th site just in case. We were glad we did! Camp was made at 3:30 PM. It is a really nice site on a small bay with easy room for 4 tents and 5 if you needed to. It is spread out so everyone has their own space. There are a couple of trails to hike around to the point and back to a beaver pond – just a very pleasant site!

So nice we stayed four days!

We had a nice evening, catching smallies and sunnies from shore after supper. There was a light sprinkling of rain late in the night, but the sun came out before long the next morning.

Gray gloomy clouds once again dominated the morning skies, and did little to motivate us as we lazily ate our blueberry pancake breakfast. (We’d dehydrated some blueberries that we had picked on our July trip to Saganaga Lake). For the second day in a row it looked like it wanted to rain throughout the afternoon. Fortunately no discernible precipitation ever materialized, although everything was saturated from the heavy morning dew. Eventually we would get our act together and got loaded up for our daytrip to Pine Lake.

The portage to Chad Lake was located on the north shore running along the SW side of a large rock outcropping. This trail wasn’t nearly as long as yesterdays trek but, was certainly more technically difficult. While there were no big hills, troublesome rocks & roots plagued this twisting path for the duration of its length. However – they paled in comparison to the boulders located in the charming dried out creek bed that paralleled the mid section.

Chad Lake offered a more expansive feel than Buck Lake and the islands on the western end splendidly enhanced an already eye-catching body of water. As we approached the portage to Pine Creek, a lone snow goose patrolling the shoreline waters provided an unusual (though up close) wildlife sighting. No sooner did we get started portaging, when we ran into a beaver pond that we needed to paddle across. It was quite muddy on the other side but, the trail soon climbs up to firmer footholds. This trail was much the same as our previous portage, with the addition of several muddy sections. Near the Pine creek end there is a nice overlook before the trail drops down to a mushy landing.

Shortly after beginning our paddle to Pine Lake, I decided to take a picture. While verifying the image was acceptable, I also took note of the time. Coupling that information with how long it took us to get here & how far we had yet to go (then multiplying it by 2 for the trip back), I conservatively deduced that we wouldn’t make it back to camp on Buck Lake until nearly sunset tonight. Knowing tomorrow would likely be a long day of portaging, we made the on the fly decision to cut our day trip short and return to Chad Lake to try some fishing and eat our trail dinner there. A reasonably early return to camp; as well as affording us the opportunity to further enjoy the picturesque amenities that Chad Lake offered, was thus insured.

As we paddled through the islands (in route to the campsite near the portage to Buck Lake), I got Aurora setup to fish. Soon she gleefully informed me that she had one! It was a decent sized bass that treated her to a classic battle that they are famous for. To date, it was the largest bass she’d ever caught. The reason I mention it is because, in the future, I don’t know how often she will be able to honestly claim to have caught her personal bests of 3 separate species of fish on the same trip. Beyond the self serving facet of catching these fish, in my opinion, the most important aspect was that she was totally enjoying herself while doing so. I think it’s safe to say she’s now ‘hooked’ on this outdoor activity. The seeds we planted this spring had taken root and really began to sprout here on this trip.

She merrily continued fishing until we pulled up to the campsite. This was a slightly exposed site with a couple decent tent pads and a great view of the lake. There was even a nice point that looked like a promising pier from which to do some shore fishing. Vickie got dinner going while I brought Aurora back to the potty train.

After finishing our chicken alfredo dinner, we loaded up and proceeded back to Buck Lake. Once there, much to Auroras delight, we resumed fishing. As we paddled back to camp, she caught & released a few eater sized walleyes. With a hint of arrogance, she informed Vickie & me that she had caught more fish than either of us. This, of course, signaled her completion of the final prerequisite; having now graduated into a truly savvy angler. Once back at camp we dried out a bit & enjoyed the quiet peacefulness this evening provided. We also tried out the dehydrated rice pudding (Camp Chow from Trail Center) dessert we’d brought along. Aurora didn’t care for it and Vickie & I thought it was just OK. Never the less, we all enjoyed the glowing ambiance and warmth of a nice fire before calling it a night.

Dailey travels – 2 portages totaling 510 rods.

Buck Lake, Chad Lake

Morning was clear and cool until the sun was up over the trees. (That’s when we felt the benefit of a southeast facing campsite!) Breakfast consisted of tuna and mayo on toasted bagels topped with melted cheese – ummm! We decided to head up to Fairly Lake to try for Walleye since we hadn’t caught any in Boot. Met a party of four solo canoes on the portage to Fairy. All we caught on this lake were smallies, sunnies and a few small northern pike. It is a pretty lake though, with two campsites. The site on the west will hold 2 tents. The site on the east is a 2 level affair with room for up to 7 tents! We found some old moose droppings at this site. Came back to camp and caught enough panfish for a fish and potatoes dinner.

It was another beautiful evening with a clear, starry sky and bright ¾ moon. The clouds moved in late and we had some light rain. Slept in until 9:30 the next morning!

The morning dawned a bit breezy but it turned partly cloudy by late morning. Breakfast this day was huge flapjacks topped with peanut butter and slathered with maple syrup along with slices of summer sausage shish-ka-bobbed over the fire. Oh so very tasty! Relaxation and exploration were the agenda for the day. We hiked the small trail over to the next campsite. (the last one up the lake) It is a nice site; on a point directly across from tall rock cliffs. This site also spreads out a bit and there is room for 4 or 5 tents. Later we checked out the area to the other side of our campsite. There are a series of beaver dams and ponds leading back to a large flooded swamp where we watched a pair of otters swim and play. We crossed the beaver dam and came out on a peninsula right in front of camp. There we found where a bear had unearthed a nest of turtle eggs. Thursday night was another gorgeous one with the moon nearly full. We slept well and woke to lovely weather the next morning.

The lake was glassy calm this morning, a warm and sunny day. We had a big breakfast of flapjacks and fish.

We had used the “BWCAW Ziploc food storage system” for our fish fillets the night before. This consisted of placing the cleaned fish in a Ziploc bag with a rock in it. A string ran from the bag to an empty pop bottle for a float. We placed it in about 20 feet of water (the fridge) for overnight storage. It sure works well for those fish caught after supper. The fillets were cold and firm for breakfast frying! After breakfast we went for a swim; bobbing around in life jackets.

Dave and Jesse in one canoe, Billy and I in another, we set out to do some exploring. We paddled over to the tall cliffs across from campsite # 5 and climbed up. One can get a great view up and down the lake from here – very pretty!

Next we went south to a boggy area on the lower west side of Boot. There is a small creek coming in from the bog that you can paddle up a short ways. There you can get out and walk on a literally floating grassy bog. There are holes of open water and out of curiosity we stuck a 12’ dead spruce stick into the water. We couldn’t touch bottom! It is awesome – I can only imagine what it would be like under the bog with lights and scuba gear. Well preserved carcasses of unlucky moose and ancient Americans? It’s fun to let the imagination run!

Back at camp we had a late lunch and did some fishing around shore. Dave and Jesse paddled just across the small bay we were on and fished from shore. Just back in the trees they found an old but apparently never used campsite toilet. It looked like it had never been placed on a pit. How it got there is a mystery.

Evening brought a clear sky. The moon was full and oh so bright - and very aptly, we heard the wolves howling again. We fell asleep to the sound of the otters in front of the campsite.

We arose at 6:00 and started breaking camp. Instead of cooking breakfast we opted to just eat a lot of the snack type food that we had left. That would save us some time.

The day was cloudy, but not too hot or windy - good for traveling.

The trip down Boot and portage into Fourtown was uneventful, but we did see a lot of people. Most of the campsites were full. We were glad we had saved the portage from Fourtown to Mudro until last now that our food packs were very light. We call it billy goat portage. Bogwalker gives a good description of this portage. To quote:

“The three portages between Fourtown and Mudro. Each one by themselves is not bad, but they are work as you have only 5 minutes of paddling between the different portages

Coming from Fourtown the first portage is short and is a climb up a steep hill if the water is high or a scramble over rocks if water is low. This is the easiest of the three in my opinion.

Second one is long and hilly and has been called the Mule Trail. You will work hard on this one. This year it ends at a Beaver Dam that actually is a good thing as it makes loading the canoe a piece of cake.

The third one is a boulder field that you can turn ankles on easily so watch your footing especially if it has been raining.”

(Bogs... thanks for the accurate description!)

It is a short paddle across Mudro to the creek leading up to the Chainsaw Sisters Saloon. In high water the creek is easy, but this time there were rocky areas to pull over and you could only paddle about half way up the creek before you bottom out. A portage across a dry swamp brings you to the parking area. I must admit, the soft boggy portage felt good under my feet after the rocky one from Fourtown!

Lessons learned:

-We used tortilla shells instead of bread. The wheat tortillas traveled well. Plain flour shells crumbled.

-Bagels toasted on foil over the fire worked well. English muffins probably would too.

-Bring more bait next time. We were out of live bait before our last day.

-Next time we will pack more toilet paper. Dave brought plenty and was willing to sell us some by the last day – only seventeen dollars! On our way out of Fourtown we heard distant gunshots from hunters. Someone remarked that maybe it was campers fighting over the TP!

-I will put up with the weight and bring more fresh fruit. It is such a nice treat by midweek.

-A loaf of hard French bread and some pizza sauce will come with next year.

- Always bring dry footwear for around camp.

-My off brand Thermarest type pad was OK if the ground was smooth and I was on my back. I tend to sleep on my side though so next year I’ll have to find something thicker.

Perhaps a Big Agnes? We'll see.

All in all it was a very enjoyable trip. This was the 2nd year entering at Mudro. Perhaps next fall we will try an area new to us.