Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

Mudro to Friday Bay and Back Again
by GutRooster

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 06/04/2014
Entry & Exit Point: Mudro Lake (restricted--no camping on Horse Lake) (EP 22)
Number of Days: 5
Group Size: 9
Trip Introduction:
Our group left from Helenville, WI around 6pm on Monday the 2nd. Our goal was Ashland, WI as a member of our group works with the WDNR on contaminated soils and had a project there. The drive was uneventful and we arrived in Ashland around 1am. We all enjoyed an anticipatory lunch at the local Perkins and pushed on to Ely. Upon arriving in Ely we checking in with Voyageur North Outfitters and got the run down of the current conditions on our route. We were traveling from Mudro through Sandpit and Tin Can Mike into Horse Lake and eventually Lower Basswood falls via the Horse River. Then from the falls into Friday Bay. We planned a two night stay in either Gun Lake or Moosecamp, then a paddle back out to Mudro. We received good info from the outfitter and hit the hay early for a 6am start.
Day 1 of 5
Wednesday, June 04, 2014 We were all up early and on the road with the sunrise. The group was in it’s Minnesota III’s by 6:40am. The morning started foggy and enchanting. We didn’t get any pictures, but I will always remember the image of fellow group members paddling ahead, disappearing into the misty morning backlight fog of Mudro Lake. What a start! What no one mentioned to us was that the creek leading into Mudro Lake was a bit tricky, we hit a few rocks on the way out. Don’t tell anyone. Once into Mudro it was smooth sailing all the way into Horse. Portages were a little wet, but nothing unexpected. By the time we were in Horse the fog had burned off. The Horse River was a blast. 3 or 4 fun rapids awaited us and we picked our way up the river, expertly or luckily, not hitting many rocks. “Many” being the key word of that last sentence. We got a nice campsite below the falls and enjoyed a few small walleye before drifting to bed to the sound of Lower Basswood Falls.