Bower-Trout to Ram: Cherokee - Vista Loop
by HighPlainsDrifter
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
09/13/2008
Entry Point:
Bower Trout Lake (EP 43)
Exit Point:
Ram Lake (EP 44)
Number of Days:
9
Group Size:
2
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (11 messages)
Part 4 of 11
September 15, Day 3: 3 miles, 4 portages, 330 r of portage trail. Lakes: Brule, Cam, Gasket, Vesper, and Town. Longest portage was 110r. On the water at 8:45 AM and camped at Town Lake at 12:45 PM.
Morning at Brule. Picture of lake looking west from section 17 campsite
We had named the little string of lakes from Brule to Town as the “mechanic series” (with names like Cam and Gasket). These lakes were beautiful and the cliffs on Brule that guard the entrance to the Cam Lake chain are nothing short of phenomenal. On Brule, we could see many trees that were twisted and laid down from the big blow down. Cam Lake was a gem and it reminded me of an alpine lake surrounded with ruggedly steep topography. We should have paddled every nook on Cam Lake.
Pictures show 1) Heading toward Cam Lake portage on Brule Lake, 2) Closer look at the cliff shown in picture #1, and 3) Brule-Cam portage
There are 4 portages from Brule Lake to Town Lake. These trails are not overused. Combined portage distance is 330r, and that is only about 20r more than following South and North Temperance to Cherokee. We paid the dues to get through. It took us 4 hours to travel from the section 17 campsite on Brule to the campsite on Town. Hands down this was the trickiest leg of our loop from Bower-Trout to Ram. The rocks were slippery and each step had to be carefully planned in advance. We could not take our eyes from the trail for a second. One notable time on the entry to Vesper I found myself doing a special little dance while balancing on a boulder and trying to free the bow of the canoe from the grips of a western cedar. Slick dance steps on the portage were common and they took their toll on the body.
Pictures show 1) Cam Lake and 2) North end of Gasket Lake
We figured it could not get any worse after the Brule-Cam portage, actually it did. Once started, we were committed. Following the combined effort of these 4 trails, the notoriously tough portages that lie ahead like Muskeg-Kiskadinna and Misquah-Trout did not seem bad at all. Actually I would prefer a trail like Muskeg-Kiskadinna than the boulder gardens that we traveled between Brule and Town.
Photo shows Town Lake camp site
We nearly paddled past the camp site on Town Lake. This was not a spot that says, hey, camp here, great view. The best part of the camp was that it was ours. After pulling the gear from the canoe and hauling the canoe up, we sat. I popped 2 Aleve in anticipation of the aches on cooling down. The hillside behind this camp was littered with the remains of the blow down. Fire wood within a stones throw was in ample supply, and we split up a bunch for the evening. The rest of the day was spent lazing about.
Matt and I were up at 6 AM and looking forward to the day. We had studied the maps, and we figured today would be an easy day in pretty country. The elevation of Brule Lake is 1834 feet and many of the cliffs that lined the lakes ahead were in excess of 2000 feet. We stoked the boilers with sausage gravy and biscuit, washed it down with coffee, and shoved off for the north at 8:45.
Morning at Brule. Picture of lake looking west from section 17 campsite
We had named the little string of lakes from Brule to Town as the “mechanic series” (with names like Cam and Gasket). These lakes were beautiful and the cliffs on Brule that guard the entrance to the Cam Lake chain are nothing short of phenomenal. On Brule, we could see many trees that were twisted and laid down from the big blow down. Cam Lake was a gem and it reminded me of an alpine lake surrounded with ruggedly steep topography. We should have paddled every nook on Cam Lake.
Pictures show 1) Heading toward Cam Lake portage on Brule Lake, 2) Closer look at the cliff shown in picture #1, and 3) Brule-Cam portage
There are 4 portages from Brule Lake to Town Lake. These trails are not overused. Combined portage distance is 330r, and that is only about 20r more than following South and North Temperance to Cherokee. We paid the dues to get through. It took us 4 hours to travel from the section 17 campsite on Brule to the campsite on Town. Hands down this was the trickiest leg of our loop from Bower-Trout to Ram. The rocks were slippery and each step had to be carefully planned in advance. We could not take our eyes from the trail for a second. One notable time on the entry to Vesper I found myself doing a special little dance while balancing on a boulder and trying to free the bow of the canoe from the grips of a western cedar. Slick dance steps on the portage were common and they took their toll on the body.
Pictures show 1) Cam Lake and 2) North end of Gasket Lake
We figured it could not get any worse after the Brule-Cam portage, actually it did. Once started, we were committed. Following the combined effort of these 4 trails, the notoriously tough portages that lie ahead like Muskeg-Kiskadinna and Misquah-Trout did not seem bad at all. Actually I would prefer a trail like Muskeg-Kiskadinna than the boulder gardens that we traveled between Brule and Town.
Photo shows Town Lake camp site
We nearly paddled past the camp site on Town Lake. This was not a spot that says, hey, camp here, great view. The best part of the camp was that it was ours. After pulling the gear from the canoe and hauling the canoe up, we sat. I popped 2 Aleve in anticipation of the aches on cooling down. The hillside behind this camp was littered with the remains of the blow down. Fire wood within a stones throw was in ample supply, and we split up a bunch for the evening. The rest of the day was spent lazing about.
Today we saw no other people.
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