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UncleBuck	07/26/2018 01:36PM   Friday, July 20th, 2018 -- So after a long 200 rd portage from Cap to Ledge we were disappointed to find that the site on Ledge appeared to be taken. From what we could tell it looked like there were at least two coolers sitting up near the grate but I couldn't see anything else and no people to be found. We then portaged the absolutely grueling 160 rd from Ledge to Vee lake and then into Fee where we were shocked to find a fantastic newer site that wasn't on the map! At that point, that site was truly a gift from God. We still didn't see any people anywhere near the Ledge lake site and I'm wondering if perhaps a party dragged those coolers in and decided that there was just no way to continue carrying them. We saw some other foot prints in the ample mud on the other portages (including what I thought might have been many from a bare foot due to a lost shoe but was probably just someone wearing those toe shoes or something). Any experience with or thoughts on abandoned equipment?
nofish	07/26/2018 03:21PM   Did either of you make note of this with the FS so that someone can go in and investigate and get it cleaned up if need be?
Ausable	07/26/2018 11:15PM   UncleBuck: "We then portaged the absolutely grueling 160 rd from Ledge to Vee lake and then into Fee where we were shocked to find a fantastic newer site that wasn't on the map! At that point, that site was truly a gift from God." Do you have the coordinates of that site? I'd like to mark my map for a future trip.
UncleBuck	07/27/2018 05:52AM   Ausable: "UncleBuck: "We then portaged the absolutely grueling 160 rd from Ledge to Vee lake and then into Fee where we were shocked to find a fantastic newer site that wasn't on the map! At that point, that site was truly a gift from God." Do you have the coordinates of that site? I'd like to mark my map for a future trip." Here are the coordinates of the site on Fee Lake that doesn’t appear on my maps.
mkdixon	07/27/2018 01:03PM   I was through Ledge Lake in early September last year on a solo trip and the coolers were there then. I saw what looked like some folding chairs and various bones and a couple of skulls arranged to be seen from the water. Strangely, there was also a pile of crumpled up toilet paper right at the landing. It hadn't been rained on, so was only a day or 2 old. I had just run into a big black bear on the portage from Cap Lake, so was a little freaked out when I saw this display. It looked like someone definitely didn't want company, so I paddled on and quickly got out of there. I forgot all about this until I saw the title of your post. Mark
Ausable	07/27/2018 10:17AM   Thanks for the coordinates! Because I normally use McKenzie maps (UTM coordinates), I consulted my Nat Geo Trails Illustratd BWCA maps (they use both lat/long and UTM). The Nat Geo map has the Fee Lake campsite at your location.
old_salt	07/27/2018 11:08AM   Sounds like thoughtless campers who considered the coolers ‘disposable’. Hopefully, someone passing through will collect and dispose them.
1bogfrog	07/27/2018 04:11PM   mkdixon: "I was through Ledge Lake in early September last year on a solo trip and the coolers were there then. I saw what looked like some folding chairs and various bones and a couple of skulls arranged to be seen from the water. Strangely, there was also a pile of crumpled up toilet paper right at the landing. It hadn't been rained on, so was only a day or 2 old." We we're through there the last day or so of August and didn't see coolers, so that narrows down the time frame of their appearance. There was a moose skull on a rock by the landing as well as toilet paper at that time too. We stopped to check out the site and the skull just for the heck of it and saw the TP and piles of poop and headed on our way. Shame it was trashed that way, especially considering its the only site on the lake!
DrBobDg	07/27/2018 08:20PM   you go to wonder about some people....... How many people have assumed someone has the site and gone on... dr bob
BWCA Guest	07/26/2018 03:04PM   I traveled through that area the last week of May and saw the coolers at the Ledge campsite also. We hadn't seen any sign of life around, but didn't investigate as it seemed there was more than coolers laying around on the ground. Seemed like too much stuff to be just left behind, we figured someone must be around. We spoke to another party while staying on Makwa - they had investigated the Ledge campsite more thorough than us - they believed based on the condition, the coolers had been there at least through the winter if not longer. I wish we would have known that stuff was abandoned before we made it to Makwa, had we known we would have packed some of the trash out.
UncleBuck	07/26/2018 03:24PM   nofish: "Did either of you make note of this with the FS so that someone can go in and investigate and get it cleaned up if need be?" I mentioned it to the guy at the outfitter we used. Other than that, I couldn't be sure if the owners were in the area or not even though I considered that to be unlikely.
murphylakejim	07/28/2018 09:17AM   plot twist..... the owners got dragged off by a bear
Minnesotian	07/28/2018 10:24AM   Thanks for Fee campsite location. I have updated my Voyageur map.