Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

Kawnipi thwarted.
by Thwarted

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 05/31/2013
Entry & Exit Point: Quetico
Number of Days: 10
Group Size: 4
Trip Introduction:
This trip was planned like all the others, during the months of December and January, before we had any idea of what the weather would be during the actual trip. The 2012 trip had been stormy and culminated a day before the great washout of Duluth and beyond. I ended that trip report by saying that the Boundary Waters owes me a week of good weather. I am delighted to report in advance that though spring was late in 2013, the weather for the week of June 2-8 was nearly perfect. The cast of characters for this trip were all new paddling partners for me. Sam and I would be the experienced guys while Tim and Don were newbies. We are all past our middle years and that has affected our middles so we are somewhat limited in endurance. Sam is a realtor, Don restores heavy equipment (think tractor trailer rigs, bulldozers, etc) I am a salesman and Tim owns an autobody shop. Our plan was to visit Kawnipi for a couple of days of fishing. We would start at Stanton Bay in the north and drop down to Russell our first day via the Deaux Riveres with a plan to return to Stanton Bay via the B chain. We all got together two months before departure to finalize the schedule, go over lists, planned route, etc. Then we got together the night before departure at Sam’s house to sort, assemble and pack everything.
Day 1 of 10
Friday, May 31, 2013 The next day, Friday May 31, we assembled at Sam’s again and left Grand Rapids at about 11AM. We ended our day at White River, Ontario at about 9:00PM and the thing I remember the most of that day was that there was always a conversation going which was sometimes serious but almost always we were laughing together. Sam, Don and I are leaders in a local Bible Study Fellowship class, and Tim is a friend of Sam’s from church so we are all like minded in that way. You know, “guns and God,” but in our case, “canoeing and God.”