On the day before our entry, we drove from Duluth to Grand Marais. We grabbed our last few grocery and camping items in town before heading up the Gunflint Trail to Hungry Jack Outfitters (HJO).

When we arrived at HJO at 6:30 pm, Dave greeted us and went over our planned route. Our initial plan was to do a loop heading southeast from East Bearskin to Pine (for Johnson Falls) and heading back west through the Caribous and south through Deer and Moon. Thankfully, Dave had another idea.

He suggested that we choose a base camp and avoid carrying our gear over the Canoe - Pine portage. This would allow us to still enjoy the falls but to also enjoy our days. We found his advice to be sound, so we decided to base camp on Crystal.

After tossing our gear into our bunkroom, we headed down to Trail Center for dinner. It was a fun atmosphere, and some locals taught us how to play cribbage.

Dave brought us a basket of breakfast items at 7 a.m., complete with coffee for me and tea for Teresa. We ate all that was provided and then headed up to the HJO office for the PFDs, paddles, and permit.

Once we had the necessary items from Dave and Nancy, we followed one of the HJO staff over to East Bearskin. The staff member unloaded our canoe (Souris 16) from his van and showed us how to portage it. After unloading our gear and parking the car, we were paddling east towards the southeastern end of East Bearskin for the portage to Alder. 8:52 a.m.

With the CCS Pioneer pack carrying all of our gear (minus food) on my back, I carried the canoe over the portage to Alder. It was not fun for me. The portage itself is quite easy, but this was my first time portaging and the darn pack was too heavy. I let Teresa handle the next two portages.

We saw a solo canoeist as we reloaded the canoe in Alder. He said that the two Crystal sites had been empty the night before and that he hadn't seen many people heading that way. So it sounded like we were in luck.

We paddled across Alder to the portage to Canoe. This short portage was easy for Teresa to handle with the food pack and canoe.

Across Canoe to Crystal. Short paddle followed by 45 rod portage. This carry has a gentle rise, but it still tired Teresa by the end of it. We were both happy to see Crystal Lake.

When we arrived at the eastern campsite on Crystal, we found it unoccupied! The landing is nice and a tree stump helps marks the site. 12:52 p.m. We quickly set up the tent on one of the two pads and hung the CCS 10x10 tarp nearby. Snacks and naps followed.

Nearby noises awoke us at about 2:30. There was a group of two canoes making the portage back from Spaulding to Crystal. Because the portage was not far from our site, we could hear them as they portaged.

An early dinner of burritos followed by s'mores made with vegan marshmallows ended our first day.

I awoke early to filter water and make breakfast. When everything was ready, I woke up Teresa. We ate our cheesy grits and drank our coffee and tea. Then it was time to head to Johnson Falls.

We paddled back to the west end of Crystal for the portage to Canoe. Once in Canoe, it took no time to reach the Pine portage. Instead of carrying the canoe, we stashed it off the right side of the portage and left our paddles and PFDs with it.

Without gear, our hike to Pine took about 20 minutes. Plenty of up and down during the portage, and it felt like some of the steps on the south side required *big* steps. I was happy to not carry the canoe and gear over this.

Once at Pine, we took a left and followed the trail over to Johnson Falls. Due to the recent rains, the beginning of the trail was often covered by 6" of water. We mucked our way through it and were thankful when the trail started climbing in elevation.

We made it to the lower Johnson Falls in just an hour from when we stashed the canoe. It was beautiful and chaotic all at once, and thankfully, we had it all to ourselves.

After a quick stop for a bite to eat at the upper falls, we headed back down to Pine. A mama duck and her babies were at the portage as was a young couple who were debating the portage to Canoe. We gave our opinions and then began our hike back to Canoe. Along the portage, we saw a group of four men making the portage with gear, and they made it seem easy.

We paddled and portaged back to our site on Crystal in time for a later lunch of garlic potatoes (the only meal that was so bad we couldn't eat it). Naps and reading followed.

After a dinner of Indian korma, we took the canoe out to the east end of Crystal to watch the sunset. As we paddled, we saw a few beavers and loons... and of course, a gorgeous sunset.

My ultimate goal was not a trip to Johnson Falls. I was looking for a nice day trip that could be a challange for myself and my family. Johnson Falls was my choice (after some good suggestions) since I was staying in a cabin on E Bearskin Lake. There is a public access point in the camp grounds, the entry point 64 further up the lake. Didn't choose the other day trip options simply because I was trying to save a few $ and not pay the lodge/outfitter to transport the canoe and kayaks to a starting point.

Our route for the day trip was paddle to the S Eastern corner of East Bearskin Lake, portage to Alder Lake, about 2/3 down the north shore to the portage to Canoe Lake. North East corner then the 232 rod portage to Pine Lake (up hill, down hill, back up hill... you get the picture). Then about a mile hike through the trees to Johnson Falls. Still early in the season and the trail was a bit overgrown. [paragraph break]

We were a group of fairly inexperienced paddlers. Most of my canoeing has been on rivers and streams in the Midwest. My children have less experience, usually on trips I dragged them on. In the morning the weather was looking decent. Some clouds with a chance of rain. We decided to go for it. What made the day difficult was the weather was threatening and windy. At one point it started raining when we were at the falls.

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East Bearskin is a long lake but fairly narrow. Sheltered pretty good from the wind. This lake allows motors on boats so there were a few groups fishing. The portage to Alder was easy to find it was 48 rods but fairly easy. This was a new experience for my children, my son (engineering student) wanted us to try reinvent portaging. Tried his idea on the return trip, didn’t work very well.

Alder lake was also fairly sheltered but I felt we were in a head wind when we were going through the more open area in the middle. I thought this was a good bonding experience except the two kayaks kept going off on their own. I couldn’t get them to realize the importance of staying together in case one of us went in. The water temp was cold and we had dry clothes but I was concerned I would be the one that went in for a swim. The portage to Canoe Lake was only 22 rods.

Canoe lake was small but the portage from Canoe Lake to Pine Lake was tough. We left our canoe and kayaks at the take out point at the start of the portage. This was my first time in BWCA and I am not use to trusting strangers with my gear (with a back ground in the military you never left anything unsecured). Learning to trust strangers is a good thing. For us the portage was just a hike. The hike was a long hike but we handled it. (Not bragging, I am over weight and out of shape and my oldest daughter on the trip was 7 months pregnant).

After the portage you followed a path that was unmarked but easy enough to spot. My guess the hike was probably a mile but seemed like a couple. The reward for our efforts was the falls. We ate lunch at the base of the falls. It was also suggested to swim in the water at the base but it was too cold that day. The air was not too cold but the water was.

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The return trip was a little more difficult. We were tired and the wind picked up. The return trip on Alder was into a head wind. A couple times the wind caught the canoe just right (or wrong) and I thought we were going in. We stayed dry and kept pushing. By the time we reached E. Bearskin I was ready to call it a day. We even discussed the two kayaks going back to the lodge and getting a tow. We encouraged each other to continue to push it. My son and I were in the canoe and we made a good team. A couple times the wind pushed us 180 degrees. When we finished we were proud of ourselves.

[paragraph break] We were there early June so bugs were not bad. A few at the start of each portage but nothing for us. My youngest was bit a few times on her face (she is always bit). Could have been avoided with some bug spray at the beginning.

I had two regrets for the day. First I carried my DSLR in an old ammo can to keep it water tight. Didn't take it out at any time to take pictures except at the falls. My son brought his point and shoot in a pelican case and had it out all the time taking pictures. I should have done the same thing. Not push so hard and take more pictures. The second, I should have planned to make this an overnight trip. We were exhausted fighting the wind. If the weather would have cooperated, would have been a bit more enjoyable. But still a long day.

East Bearskin Lake, Alder Lake, Canoe Lake East Bearskin Lake, Alder Lake, Canoe Lake, Pine Lake East Bearskin Lake, Alder Lake, Canoe Lake

Kayak - Perception Sound 10.5ft (45 lbs with nothing in it) Bags - 60L sea to summit Dry bag - This was tied to the back of my Kayak which has a nice cut out square area in the back which it fit into nicely. - 25 L Day pack - Put between my feet in the front of the Kayak - 20 L Food pack. - Placed behind my Kayak seat. - 2 Fishing Poles tucked on the insides of my kayak - 1 spare paddle also tucked on the inside of my Kayak. - Spill Bag - dry bag with rain gear and dry clothes incase of a capsize.

Day 1 - Tuesday - 4/27 - Picked up Permit from Ranger Station in Cook - Drove to Moccasin Point on Lake Vermillion Parked Car and dropped in to paddle across the lake. Took me about an 1 hour to paddle in my kayak from Moccasin Point to EP. 1. Just over 3 miles. When you arrive to EP. 1 you are greeted by a beautiful waterfall and an old submerged dock. - The Portage was short and a little up hill with one downed tree that I was able to step over comfortably. A few rocks but overall a very smooth portage. I did this it 2 trips. One with my 2 packs and 1 with my kayak and paddles. - From Portage Bay on Trout Lake I paddled about another 3 miles to an island Camp Site right off of Norway Point which I base camped from for the duration of the trip. One of the things I loved most was it had a great Fire pit area with several great sitting logs as well as a huge rock front porch that sloped down into the lake which was great for views and drying off on after a dip in the lake. All said and done it took me about 3.5 hours to get to my campsite from where I dropped in on Vermillion.

The Campsite also had a Latrine with a lid! The entry for canoes and kayaks was very nice just on the back south east side of the island. It also had a nice calm back bay to fish. If the wind was up and the waves were rolling on the main Trout Lake this would still be an okay spot to fish. Really enjoyed this campsite. Definitely room for 2, 2-3 person tents maybe more. Had a tough time finding trees to hang my food pack from but managed. I had a 50 ft rope that I ended up tying a rock to and throwing up and over a couple of branches and made it work.

Day 2 and 3 - Spent the days trolling, jigging, and casting spoons for lake trout. Unfortunately I struck out on this trip. It goes without saying that Trout lake is HUGE. I did have success with small mouth bass right off the back side of my campsite in the back bay area I mentioned above. Rocky bottoms and lots of cover from overhanging branches, bushes, and trees.

I also took breaks looking for lake trout and scouted some of the other campsites on trout lake for future trips.

Norway Point - Right behind my campsite and to the north around the point if you follow the coast line of Trout Lake there will be another campsite. It has a gravel driveway like entrance which made exiting my water craft super easy. Probably the best one I found on the lake that week. It was like someone built a gravel driveway for Canoes and kayaks. From there a trail leads to the left to an elevated camp area which is surrounded by tall trees. You still had some views but it definitely felt insulated from the wind. The bathroom was standard. Wouldn't mind staying here for future trips.

Sioux Pine Island I stopped at the southern most and northern most campsites on the Sioux pine island and would have stayed at either. Lots of room and maybe better trees for hanging food packs. Decent landings for Canoes or Kayaks as well. Okay latrines. Great Views. I would imagine the north site would have some decent fishing.

Cramer Island - on the East bay of the lake is Cramer Island. I stopped for a snack break here and scouted it out. It's on an exposed point with gorgeous views. Bathroom is okay. Small trails around part of the island with rocky shores that could be nice to fish from. The Fire pit area was okay, several downed trees from years past. Definitely wouldn't mind staying here if I had to. The views alone would make it a good stay. But the other sites I think would be more comfortable being less exposed.

Day 4 - Paddling out from Trout Lake - This was the roughest weather day where I experience the most chop of the entire week. It definitely required all of my focus paddling out. Once I reached the portage bay the water was MUCH calmer the rest of the way.

It was a Friday so Vermillion was MUCH busier that when I had entered. I stuck to the shore line and most boats steered clear of me once they saw me.

I definitely would go explore trout lake again. It is a big body of water and involved LOTS of paddling which I expected. Next trip I'd like to make it to the North arm of Trout lake and maybe 1 or 2 of the surrounding lakes like Orinack and Little Trout Lake for day trips. It is a lake which allows motor boats, but it never really bothered me or made it feel any less like the Boundary Waters to me. I only saw 2 other paddling groups from a distance the entire week.

I followed my routine on the last morning in the BWCAW. Our breakfast of warm trail mix cereal, coffee, and tea was ready when I woke up Teresa at 6 a.m.

Our site was packed and we were on the water by 7 a.m. As we paddled west on Alder, a bald eagle flew over us and landed on the northern shore. What a great way to end our trip!

We made the portage to East Bearskin quickly and easily. Finally, we knew how to handle that process.

By about 9 a.m., we had landed at the boat access at East Bearskin. I pulled the car up to the access, and we loaded the gear into it. Then we - for the first time in our lives - tied the canoe onto the car. I think we did a nice job of it.

We made it back to HJO by about 10 and quickly headed to the showers. Once we were clean, we chatted with Dave about our experience. He told us it is rare to see a wolf at this time of the season. And when we asked about next year, he said that we were ready for the Ham to Poplar route. So we'll be headed there in a year!

Quite simply, this was the best vacation I have ever had, and I cannot wait until next July.