Sunday, October 09, 2005 Missing Link, Snipe Lake, Cross Bay Lake, Rib Lake, Cross Bay, Snipe, Missing Link

Satch is first up and calls to me as I emerge from the Timberline 4 that Jim and I share. “First things first Brooks-I need to visit the thunderbox. Can what it is wait 5 minutes?”

“OK-Hurry up!” Satch says.

So I run up the trail and hurry back as fast as I can-so fast I never flushed. As I return Satch has a surprise to show me. Overnight we had a visitor to our campsite. The visitor decided to steal some of our hard earned water from our bucket. Little did he know that once in the bucket he could not escape and met his maker, similar to how a fly would in a pitcher plant. The mouse was taken out of the bucket by Satch and reverently placed on the kitchen rock for all to see. Pictures were taken and then he was given a burial at sea. God speed camp mouse.

The morning is very foggy and the fog is beginning to lift as we perform the service for the mouse. I like the way fog plays on the lake and the resident beaver movement across the lake with their overnight haul of wood is fun to watch in the mist and fog.

After our morning excitement we made pancakes and bacon. We were supposed to have Sturdiwheat buckwheat pancakes but my local grocer, where I have always gotten it for other trips, was all out. Guess buttermilk will have to do-at least my Vermont connection came through with 100% real Vermont Maple Syrup for on top of them. The practice I had cooking pancakes over the MSR stove in September helped as the pancakes came out much better in appearance then they had then. Sorry HP, Kevin and Ken-but at least the ones we had in September were buckwheat.

After the delicious and filling breakfast Jim, Satch and I head for the portage into Snipe again. Jim and I have decided to do a day trip into Snipe, Cross Bay and Rib Lake and back the same way. We will get to explore the east arm of Snipe, which intrigued us yesterday, as well as 2 new lakes. Satch will join us across the portage again and then spend the day on Missing Link.

Seeing this is the third time across the Snipe portage for Satch and I, we know the drill. Once past the cliff the portage goes quickly and we arrive at Snipe ready for the day. We again have our daypacks with emergency supplies and lunch so we can single portage. The day is much prettier with bright sunshine and light winds. It also seems a touch warmer than yesterday-maybe it’s just the sun.

Snipe is a nice lake and we are able to more easily navigate her today seeing it is now familiar water. We come to where we portaged out to Copper yesterday and start down the east arm. It is everything we had thought it might be. The narrow gorge like area with small bays filled with bogs, tamaracks, pitcher plants etc is a real treat. I take a look at a campsite on the south shore on the point of a small bay. The fisher map has it marked on the western point facing east-but the site is actually on the eastern point facing west. It is not a big site, but would be a great home if you were solo or with a small group. I was pleased to see a nice supply of split wood by the fire grate. My mind wandered to thoughts of an evening spent here in solitude. I enjoyed the moment.

Jim and I were taking lots of time at this end of Snipe. The surroundings were to good to rush past. We finally made it to the portage into Cross Bay Lake. The landing is a bit tougher than we had dealt with to date, but still not too bad. The portage itself was a workout but with single portaging it is not a big deal. The landing onto Cross Bay was a mucky challenge.

Our first view of Cross Bay made us smile. It was more like a river than a lake. Narrow grass, rice and reed lined waterway lead to the opening of the lake. A small beaver dam had to be shot through and pulled over and the tamaracks along the shore were starting to turn the golden color I love. I felt I was in heaven-a bog, a river and a lake all to ourselves.

Jim is a great travel partner. We both enjoy solitude so little is said during travel. We enjoy conversations at portage landings, lunch spots etc-but while on the water we leave each other to our own thoughts. We pass through Cross Bay quietly and reverently and are still amazed that we have seen no one since leaving Gunflint trail back on Friday.

As we continue our paddle Jim is first to hear the sound of a waterfall. The small intimate falls is coming into Cross Bay and easy to get near and to. We tie up our canoes to some trees and go to explore it. It is a series of stair steps that drain a river from above that flows into Cross Bay. We spend a long time here watching the water, taking pictures and enjoying the view. We feel blessed to be here, we are sad that Satch and Larry are not here to enjoy it with us. We will bring back photos and encourage them to visit in the future.

After spending quite a while enjoying the falls we decide to head for the campsite at the far end of Cross Bay and stop for lunch. We also have decided that we will walk the portage into Rib Lake but not launch our canoes. We will set foot into its water so we can say we have been there but only enjoy it from the landing.

As we approach the campsite we hear another waterfall that sounds larger than the one we just visited. It is obvious that the portage is there because of the waterfall so we decide to stop and checkout the falls before lunch. The portage landing is not to bad; the portage is a little tougher so we are glad we are only walking it. We scout for a place to get over to see the falls but there is none. We get all the way over to Rib and did not find a way to the falls. We set foot in Rib and enjoy the view before heading back. When we get back we search some more for a place to view the falls and decide they are best viewed from our canoes.

We re-launch and head to the foot of the falls. These falls drain Rib into Cross Bay so we are at the base of the falls. Jim is first there and with the narrow chute to the base we go one at a time. He sits and enjoys the falls taking pictures as I sit out in the lake waiting my turn enjoying the view. Jim finishes and now it is my turn. You can paddle right up to the base of these falls and get some nice pictures.

We enjoy the stop and eventually head for the campsite just north of the portage and falls. We are sure this is the campsite but cannot see the fire grate from the water. I try one landing and Jim tries another. Jim has chosen wisely and finds the site up on the rocks overlooking Cross Bay to the west and in earshot of the falls. I re-launch and paddle to his spot and we all admire the nice big site with pleasing surroundings and the great sounds of a waterfall in the background. We both comment how much Larry would like this campsite with its western and eastern view for both sunrises and sunsets plus it has the added bonus of the waterfall right next door. I leave Nibi’s name in a pine on the point of this campsite. I know he will be back there someday to retrieve it.

The campsite makes a great lunch spot as we sit high above the lake with our feet dangling down the rock face toward the water and the waterfall in the background. This day trip just keeps getting better and better. We linger for quite sometime enjoying our lunch and the sounds and finally decide we should get moving again. Back on Cross Bay we decide to head north to the campsite toward the Cross River EP and check it out on our way back.

We paddle passed the staircase waterfall and head north toward the small river back to the portage. Instead of turning west we go north to the campsite and check it out. Does not look like a bad campsite, but it also does not look great either. We decide to pass on getting out to explore and just check out the bog nearby and all the vegetation. From across the bay I see a large clump of pitcher plant and I go directly over to check it out. A large clump is there and the red of the plant with the brown/tan of the fall grass is striking. Jim sees me spending time at this place and comes to investigate as well. We spend sometime here and then head back to the portage.

Back through Cross Bay, the small beaver dam and the mucky portage landing. Back across the portage into Snipe and once again on Snipe Lake. I will count Snipe Lake and Cross Bay among some of my favorite BWCAW lakes ever visited. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on them. It is sad to say goodbye to them, but we must.

The portage from Snipe to Missing Link is much harder going this way. It seems like it just goes up hill the entire way and then we have the cliff to negotiate. Jim sets his canoe down first and then I come to help him across. Once Jim is across we go back to bring my Prism across. We make it fine and have yet to see Satch, but then we never set a time to meet so no surprise. As I put my canoe down I voice says something-its Satch and he is hiding in the reeds to surprise us. I did not see him and I am surprised. We comment on our days and how no one has seen anyone again today.

The day trip today was much more pleasing than yesterdays and yesterdays was awesome. The portages today although shorter were tougher, but the scenery and surroundings were better. We certainly enjoyed both day trips a lot!

We paddle Missing Link for a few more minutes and then head back for dinner. Tonight it is Hamburger Helper Potato Stroganoff with pudding for dessert. Another great meal prepared by Jim.

The evening is clear again and calm. Missing Link’s water is mirror like. I comment to Jim and Satch on how fun it would be to paddle her and Satch and Jim both say-“So why are you sitting here?” That’s all the encouragement I needed and Liberty and I are quickly out in the twilight and crescent moon enjoying the quiet. I paddle to the far end of Missing Link and turn back able to find my way by the fire Satch and Jim enjoy. By the time I return it is completely dark and Jim comes down to light the landing with his headlamp so I can see the shore and the rocks to avoid.

We spend the rest of the evening enjoying brandy and cider or cocoa and kahlua or both and watch the fire, the stars and the satellites. Tonight is our last night in the BWCAW until next paddling season. We want to enjoy every moment and we do.

Tomorrow we will get up, pack up and head home. We want to get an early start as Jim and Satch especially have long drives tomorrow. We get some packing and organizing done before we hit our beds. The beavers are starting to gnaw and drop trees across the bay as we get to bed. We will all sleep well tonight.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 Breakfast is toasted egg, bacon and cheese sandwiches. Try some fishing from the bank, and can only get a walleye to hit a couple times and follow the lure to shore and stare at me. We get on the water about 8:30 am headed for Ogishkemuncie. Wind is light and in our favor. Temps are cool, but not cold, maybe high 40’s.

We try fishing across Little Sag, but nothing is hitting. We try deep, we try shallow, we try the bank and we try trolling….. nothing. Navigation is a little tricky with all the islands and coves. Make one wrong turn up a cove and can’t tell if narrow ways on the map are passable on the water. No problems, plenty of scenery. Have brought the compass and the GPS, but map alone is sufficient for now. We see a campsite occupied and see one canoe across the lake on the water. Forgot to mention that on Monday we saw no canoes until we were in camp about 8 pm. We get to the day’s first portage of 30 rods at Rattle Lake.

Next portage is 25 rods into Gabimichigami. The portage is quite wet, but short. We actually see fresh moose tracks where the moose came down the trail and went back. We stop on the Gabi side of the portage where it is wide and decide to eat lunch here as there is no traffic evident today. Krista filters water for black bean soup. She also picks several ticks off her. None for me. The weather is warm and sunny with a little breeze. Boy, that would change quickly for the worse by the time we get across Gabi and onto Agamok.

After lunch, we get on the open part of Gabi with a stiff breeze behind us from the southwest. Much better than the day before on Tuscarora. As the afternoon progresses, the sky gets cloudier and the breeze picks up. The temperature seems to drop too, or maybe it’s just the wind chill factor??? We make the portage from Agamok to Mueller and the sky is still cloudy, but no thought of rain is on my mind. Our plan is to make our first portage, with canoe and food pack, across to Mueller and stop at the Agamok bridge on the Kekekabic Trail on the way back to take pictures from the bridge of the falls. Good idea, bad timing! We leave the two gear packs sitting beside the portage on Agamok, uncovered. We leave our raingear in the packs as it is not raining. Before we get to Mueller, the rain starts. We drop the canoe and food pack at Mueller and make our way back. We decide to make the side trip to the bridge and take pictures in the rain. Moose droppings, tracks and wild geologic formations in the rock. What’s with all the triangles in the rock? Aliens?

[paragraph break] The rain steadily picks up as does the wind. When we make it back to our packs, the back of my hands are cold and wet. We get our raingear and gloves out and make haste for the end of the portage. Hiking with full packs warms us up and we get on the water and make way for the next portage to Ogish. Even with the wind at our backs, I am getting cold and start considering options for making camp early. We pass the eastern campsite on Mueller and I start seriously thinking we need to stop at the western site close to the portage to Ogish. I’m worried the weather will worsen and we will get chilled to the bone. Krista says she thinks the weather will pass. With her willing to press on, we continue to the portage and make our way to Ogish. There is some old wolf (???) scat on the ground near Mueller, but I don’t want to stop to take pictures with the rain. Sure enough, we reach Ogish and the rain breaks. We go back for the packs and I get pictures of the scat. I may be wrong, but feel sure it is wolf, but old.

We make our way to the first campsite (#785) on Ogish and hope it is empty. It is empty, but the site to the northeast is occupied. We make camp around 4 pm and none too soon as we are hungry, cold and wet. The wind is still blowing and setting up the tarp is a challenge. The clothesline is filled with wet clothes and we are changed into dry ones. Dinner is good with 3-cheese lasagna. After dinner, I explore the island and get some sunset pictures from the high rock. Later that night, I got up to go to the bathroom and the northern sky was literally aglow with lightening from east to west. INCREDIBLE!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Wednesday morning is absolutely beautiful at 5 am. Cold, but beautiful! Make some hot water for coffee and go fishing from the bank. Catch a northern on a Johnson silver spoon. Krista is sleeping in after a long two days.

Today will be a day of rest and relaxation. We plan to stay another night and go day tripping for smallies and northern and walleyes. We get breakfast and clean up around camp and make preparations for our daytrip. Boy, do things (weather) change quickly in the BW. We never even get into the canoe before the wind picks up from the southwest. Exactly the direction we were planning to head into. Oh well, we make do on the island and fish from the bank. No luck. It keeps getting warmer and before long, Krista is in shorts, and I’m peeling my shirt off. Finally, I get the idea to take a plunge in Ogish. My feet are numb, but it feels good to break the heat. Time to eat lunch.

I make my way to the tent, and see food and wrappers scattered everywhere. What is it? A bear? A skunk? I look up and 10 feet above me is a seagull circling the camp. Bagels are missing, biscuits are missing, the pita bread is partially eaten and the popcorn oil is eaten. What a mess. Even some PBJ is gone. Eat lunch and take pictures of the whitecaps to the southwest. Later do some more fishing and take another dip in the lake. This time fully clothed. Want to see how fast my clothes dry with the wind having to be in the 40 mph plus range.

After our tarp bungee straps are ripped apart in wild wind gusts, I tie the ropes directly to the plastic tarp connectors. They hold the rest of the day in spite of the gusts. I am happy with the tyvek tarp the entire trip. 10’ wide would have been a little better than the 9’ wide piece we had. It was 9x14. After dinner, we go fishing once the wind dies down. We get into a cove and go up it to the falls coming from Mueller. We see two guys in a canoe in the fast water. These are the same two guys who stopped in at our camp at lunchtime. They were coming from the west with the wind behind their back. Even still the water was rough. I was sitting behind some bushes waiting for the seagull to return to grab more of our food. While I was quietly sitting, I keep thinking I hear voices coming off the water, but the winds are so loud the voices are muffled. Eventually, I see a canoe pull up to shore with two guys in it. They are getting out and start walking around and finally notice our canoe behind the trees. I think they are a little embarrassed and get back in their canoe and shove off while apologizing. I tell them, “No problem” and they are on their way. I tell them the next site is occupied as well. Anyway, back to fishing. We don’t get any bites and neither do they, so we move over to the inlet in front of the Mueller portage. Krista has a leech about 6-8’ under a bobber and she gets a strike while it is drizzling from the sky. She lands a smallmouth about 3 pounds. It is definitely fatter and longer than one she catches later in the trip that weighed 2 pounds on our scale. Rain keeps sputtering and we catch nothing more. As it gets dark, we paddle back to camp and get in the tent, and then it rains harder most of the night.

Thursday, May 21, 2009 Temp this morning is in low 50’s, much more comfortable than the 80’s yesterday. Today, we break camp and head out for Seagull by 8 am after breakfast of buttermilk pancakes and sausage links. Slight breeze out of the WSW, behind us and to the left of us. Quite the pleasant morning.

Breeze picks up by the time we make Kingfisher, but it is to our back so we make good time. By the time we get across Kingfisher to the take out to Jasper, the wind is stiff and makes unloading the canoe a chore. Shouldering the canoe is a task as well. Onto Jasper and the wind picks up more. We hardly paddle a stroke. I do need to be vigilant on the rudder as the wind wants to turn us sideways. I troll across the lake with no results. We get to the Alpine portage and there are two canoes and four people with a small space for us to take out. We make our first trip and by the time we finish on the Alpine side, there is a father and two daughters taking out. They are starting their trip in the opposite direction into the wind. I feel for them on Jasper as the wind is funneled down the lake. There is certainly quite a bit of burn area as we progress. Jasper was burnt on both sides. The only green was at the campsites. We still enjoy the scenery.

[paragraph break] We get on Alpine and the wind is even worse. It is coming from our left flank and when we get in open water, it is challenging to say the least. We press on and make the last portage of our trip, 109 rods into Seagull. The wind is battering us on the shore and the canoe bobs all over the place. We get about our business and Krista starts counting ticks. We stop on the Seagull side of the portage for lunch as there is plenty of room. One other couple heads our way and we talk about the weather and campsites. They highly recommend a site on the north end of Seagull. He caught a nice laker right from shore. We decide to give it a try as there is a lot of open water to cover to make the site and the wind just gets worse and worse, but still not a bad as Wednesday. The campsite we are aiming to get to is #472. It is to the Northeast of Miles Island. We figure the island will help protect us from the wind. There is still fire damage all around us. Navigating is difficult because we are traveling so fast due to the wind, and my mind is focused on staying upright in the water. We have some serious back chop when we get near islands and make turns. I am not exactly sure where we are on the map, but know we will eventually end up on the north end, so I am not overly concerned about knowing exactly where we are on the map.

Well, on top of all this stress, guess what I see up in front or the canoe on the water? A snake making his way to the east on our right side. I am not sure what he is, but he appears to be 3 feet long or more. I don’t say a word as Krista is not a snake’s biggest fan, and we are doing enough rocking and rolling in the water without her excitement. As soon as we get along side, the snake decides to reverse course and hitch a free ride on our canoe. He lifts his head and gets within a foot of the side when I decide to take matters into my own hands. Krista is still unaware there is an attempted hijacking taking place. I paid good money for this Kevlar canoe, and I’ll be durned if a freeloader is getting on board this train. Well, I am not the most deft paddler to begin with, and when it comes to snakes and canoes, I leave much more to be desired. Krista half turns around and wants to know what the heck am I doing back there? I don’t know where the snake went, but he did not get in. Now, Krista keeps looking back to see if Mr. Snake is following us. Needless to say, no pictures were taken of this serpent encounter. This is the second time this has happened to me. The first was a water moccasin nearly thirty years ago.

We make the campsite around 2:30 pm, our earliest arrival at camp all week. I am relieved to get off the lake with all the wind. The site is as nice as the couple said it was. There are tent pads galore. The latrine is well hidden up high and takes some navigating to get back. Our last night out is a memorable one. After dinner, we try bank fishing and Krista hooks into a northern. It looks to be about 4 pounds and she is grinning from ear to ear. She caught it on a blade dancer by Berkley, in ¼ oz Perch body. I get something too, but it gets off. After the wind dies down, we get in the canoe and try our luck. Krista gets into a 2 lb smallmouth just below the rock face to the east of camp. She hooks and loses some more. She has a couple really strip the line and go deep before they get off. One finally broke her line. I’m just playing photographer as I am getting no action. After she loses my only perch blade dancer, we get no hits. We fish til dark and Krista hits the sack.

I stay up and catch a satellite streaking across the sky. This is the only cloudless night we have. Stars are abundant and bright. I finally call it quits around midnight. Many memories to cherish.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Last morning comes fast enough. I slept in until 6 am today. Latest I’ve gotten up all week. I get up and go down to the water after making coffee. The wind is still. UNBELIEVABLE!!! The only time all week there is no air movement at all. The lake is pure glass. Absolutely stunning. But it only lasts a short while, because as soon as we get breakfast and make plans to fish, the wind picks up. At least I got the camera and took lots of pictures so we could remember there really was a short period of time with no wind in the BW that week.

We take our time around camp as we do not need to make the takeout on Seagull until after 11 am. We leave about 10 am and have some chop to deal with until we make it to more protected waters. The best is saved for last on the open water to the landing. The northern end of Seagull has little fire damage. There are relatively few campsites and we have seen no one since the first camp coming from Alpine yesterday. Once we hit the motorized waters, we start seeing canoes, kayaks and motorboats. Back to civilization. The last stretch of open water has a stiff breeze from the southeast and we have to modify our course to keep from waves coming over the side. We make landfall and get unloaded. Krista goes to the payphone to let Tuscarora Outfitters know we are ready for our pickup. I’m hoping Andy sends lilcowdoc as we have conversed online about the BW. Sure enough, Lindsay shows up in a Suburban to take us back to our car and a hot shower. Andy, I am sorry about the hot water. It wasn’t me. It was Krista. She goes to the shower while I unload and reload the compact car for our return home. It takes me, I know a half hour. Then I go get my shower and worry Krista will think the car is locked and I have the keys. Not to worry. When I get out of the shower room, Krista is only now emerging from her watery cave. Post-Trip Assessment What went well? What went poorly? What would we do different next time? There was very little that went poorly other than the weather, and let me tell you, the weather, as bad as it was, was not the worst we’ve experienced. We were well-prepared for the weather we encountered. We were hit with rain unexpectedly in the middle of our portage to Mueller with all our rain gear still in our packs on the wrong end of the portage. The first day was longer than we anticipated with the headwind, and there was little time to relax fishing. Krista put up well with the ticks and we could have had bigger problems with the seagull on Ogish robbing us of some of our food. I will be more vigilant with keeping our food put away. I wish I had spent time teaching Krista map and compass. I wish I had spent more time talking with her about her and less about the trip in general. I feel we handled the 428 rod Missing Link-Tuscarora portage well for first timers in the BW. I could have prepared better physically for it though. I actually lost 5 pounds that week, in spite of all the good food we ate. I definitely took way too much fishing tackle. I’ll know better next time, even with more time for fishing. I would also take more pictures. Of food we ate, of each portage, of the night sky. And I would take more video clips. The clockwise course over five days of travel worked very well for us in light of the wind speed and direction. In the future, I’d like to do a west to east course with a sail and never have to lift a paddle. ?