Little Indian Sioux Loop Through The Beartracks
by HighPlainsDrifter
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
05/31/2008
Entry & Exit Point:
Little Indian Sioux River (north) (EP 14)
Number of Days:
8
Group Size:
4
Part 7 of 11
Day 5, June 4, 2008
Travel this day was 3.25 miles over Ge-be-on-e-quet,Green and ending at Rocky Lake with 2 portages (205 r). On the water 8:15 AM and stopped for the day at 10:15 AM. Camp was made on the NE end of Rocky Lake.
Weather had been kind to us up to now. Looks like rain, feels like rain, must be rain…. Breakfast was Cache Lake Fryin Pan Bread and the usual slugs of cowboy coffee. This is our first time trying Cache Lake products, and the consensus so far has been good. I like the small no-frill packages. We head off down lake at 8:15 and at about this time I turn to look north. Yup, our neighbors are up and coming down lake.
We meet our neighbors at the portage into Green Lake. “So where you guys headed today”? We respond, “heading to Rocky”. Silence. Hmmm, I think, now what? We were both heading to the one and only site on Rocky. The neighbors turn out to be brothers from different states down south, and great guys to talk to. I think one of the brothers came from Texas. They are on their annual trek, and “been coming up here for years”. There was no way we wanted to race them to Rocky. We travel slowly over the portages. They used a single portage. I shared a little information about Green Lake and the fact that I had read reports of making a simple bushwhack into Pekan Lake from Green for good fishing. These guys must have had a ½ dozen fishing poles in their canoe. Serious about fishing! The information about Pekan Lake got their attention. We waved so long and we bent to the task of portage.
Coming down Green, who do we see at the camp site but our old neighbors from Ge-be. As we pass, I call up “so how does the site look”? They respond, “Hey this is a gem and we decided to stop here….. good luck with Rocky”. We respond with a hearty thanks and life looked good. Once on Rocky, we will be able to position ourselves for a desired stop at Emerald Lake.
On the portage into Rocky we were once again rapidly overtaken by a group of four heading south. They were definitely on a mission, coming over the trail at a trot, and heading to be in position for a take out the following day at Entry 16. This group consisted of “dad” and his three sons. They also single portaged. Dad had the light stuff and walked along at a sprightly gate. The boys were pack mules. We yielded the trail even with our canoes shouldered up. Two of the boys were not only carrying Grumman aluminum canoes, but also bulging portage packs. As they passed they gave us a cheery hello. I guess we might be considered soft in our double portage ways, but we still get to where we are going, albeit slower pace.
The wind was dead calm and clouds were hanging low as we entered Rocky. Rain patted the lake with a sound similar to that of a handful of peas falling to the floor. When suited up, this is my kind of paddling, and Rocky was the perfect small lake for this kind of day. To our relief, the camp was vacant. It was 10:15 as we came ashore. Here was a camp site that was nothing special, but it had character especially the mountain-goat latrine trail. You best not be in a real hurry going to the latrine.
Between lulls in the rain, we set up the tents and figured the day would clear off. Wrong! About noon time, it was obvious that the rain was here to stay. It was time for the CCS tarp. We designed a simple pitch using a ridge pole and existing trees. And under the tarp is where we stayed, till about 5 PM, napping, eating, making coffee, and generally getting a case of “tarp fever”. Finally, the rain let up and we crawled out to scrounge firewood and make a supper of lasagna and chocolate cake. These are the kind of days for calories. The campfire was not real pretty to look at, but it worked. And then, the rain came back. That was it for us; now it was time to hit the tents, and call it a day even though it was still light.
Today we only saw the two groups on the portage trails and one of those groups camped at Green Lake. Thus, we only passed one campsite on Ge-be and we think it was empty.
Pictures: First three at Rocky Lake Camp and fourth Ge-be-on-e-quet Lake
Travel this day was 3.25 miles over Ge-be-on-e-quet,Green and ending at Rocky Lake with 2 portages (205 r). On the water 8:15 AM and stopped for the day at 10:15 AM. Camp was made on the NE end of Rocky Lake.
Weather had been kind to us up to now. Looks like rain, feels like rain, must be rain…. Breakfast was Cache Lake Fryin Pan Bread and the usual slugs of cowboy coffee. This is our first time trying Cache Lake products, and the consensus so far has been good. I like the small no-frill packages. We head off down lake at 8:15 and at about this time I turn to look north. Yup, our neighbors are up and coming down lake.
We meet our neighbors at the portage into Green Lake. “So where you guys headed today”? We respond, “heading to Rocky”. Silence. Hmmm, I think, now what? We were both heading to the one and only site on Rocky. The neighbors turn out to be brothers from different states down south, and great guys to talk to. I think one of the brothers came from Texas. They are on their annual trek, and “been coming up here for years”. There was no way we wanted to race them to Rocky. We travel slowly over the portages. They used a single portage. I shared a little information about Green Lake and the fact that I had read reports of making a simple bushwhack into Pekan Lake from Green for good fishing. These guys must have had a ½ dozen fishing poles in their canoe. Serious about fishing! The information about Pekan Lake got their attention. We waved so long and we bent to the task of portage.
Coming down Green, who do we see at the camp site but our old neighbors from Ge-be. As we pass, I call up “so how does the site look”? They respond, “Hey this is a gem and we decided to stop here….. good luck with Rocky”. We respond with a hearty thanks and life looked good. Once on Rocky, we will be able to position ourselves for a desired stop at Emerald Lake.
On the portage into Rocky we were once again rapidly overtaken by a group of four heading south. They were definitely on a mission, coming over the trail at a trot, and heading to be in position for a take out the following day at Entry 16. This group consisted of “dad” and his three sons. They also single portaged. Dad had the light stuff and walked along at a sprightly gate. The boys were pack mules. We yielded the trail even with our canoes shouldered up. Two of the boys were not only carrying Grumman aluminum canoes, but also bulging portage packs. As they passed they gave us a cheery hello. I guess we might be considered soft in our double portage ways, but we still get to where we are going, albeit slower pace.
The wind was dead calm and clouds were hanging low as we entered Rocky. Rain patted the lake with a sound similar to that of a handful of peas falling to the floor. When suited up, this is my kind of paddling, and Rocky was the perfect small lake for this kind of day. To our relief, the camp was vacant. It was 10:15 as we came ashore. Here was a camp site that was nothing special, but it had character especially the mountain-goat latrine trail. You best not be in a real hurry going to the latrine.
Between lulls in the rain, we set up the tents and figured the day would clear off. Wrong! About noon time, it was obvious that the rain was here to stay. It was time for the CCS tarp. We designed a simple pitch using a ridge pole and existing trees. And under the tarp is where we stayed, till about 5 PM, napping, eating, making coffee, and generally getting a case of “tarp fever”. Finally, the rain let up and we crawled out to scrounge firewood and make a supper of lasagna and chocolate cake. These are the kind of days for calories. The campfire was not real pretty to look at, but it worked. And then, the rain came back. That was it for us; now it was time to hit the tents, and call it a day even though it was still light.
Today we only saw the two groups on the portage trails and one of those groups camped at Green Lake. Thus, we only passed one campsite on Ge-be and we think it was empty.
Pictures: First three at Rocky Lake Camp and fourth Ge-be-on-e-quet Lake
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