Tuesday, May 26, 2009 Moved on again today. Headed for French. Then to Seahorse and Warclub to the Chub River. Growing up on the Iron Range, I couldn't help but notice the unmistakeable rustic orange hue along the shoreline. The Paulson mine was just north of here and traces of the ore were evident.

The fire hit this area pretty good too. But as I scanned the shoreline I noticed something even blacker than the manycharred stumps scattered about. It was a black bear. He was just minding his own business up on the northern shore of the Chub river. I tried to get a decent picture. I tried several times but don't think I accomplished the task?

There was now a steady driving rain. At the Glee portage, as a bald eagle took off, I pondered heading for Jap lake. Instead I opted for Bingshick. The portage from Glee to Bingshick was also a bear. Most of the problem stemmed from the very wet conditions. The tough initial climb out of Glee couldn't be avoided no matter the weather. After that the trail leveled out, but was very wet and spongy. The portages all along this route intersect with the Kekekabic hiking trail at various points and someone had left ribbons tied to trees every 20 yards or so. I wondered if this was in compliance with the leave no trace ethic? The Bingshick side of the portage was a real challenge. I sank knee deep in muck before catching myself. Thankfully there was a tree that would support my weight nearby. I gathered several downed limbs etc. throwing them down to provided a somewhat firm footing to get across the quagmire to the lake. I felt like Indiana Jones in the last crusade taking that "leap of faith". I sank ankle deep, but it mostly held me up.

I contemplated fishing, but I was cold, wet, and tired. Naturally the wind was right in my face as I had to paddle the length of the lake.

After getting dried out setup and situated. I felt a mid day nap was in order. I was just starting to nod off when I heard someone yelling, "Hello! Hello! Anybody home?" He called a second time so I knew I wasn't dreaming. Turns out it was a man who had hiked the Kekekabic Trail(which intersected with both sites on this lake) all the way from Ely. He had his own website for tracking his progress. (I think he was headed for Wisconsin?) I saw that man .com???? I was too tired to remember. Asked me if I knew where to get a good burger on the Gunflint Trail? A really bizarre ordeal. He left, and I was quickly back to sleep. Powell Lake, French Lake, Seahorse Lake, Warclub Lake, Chub Lake, Fay Lake, Glee Lake, Bingshick Lake

Here's a link to isawtmans blog page. http://sites.google.com/site/isawtman/Home/northern-minnesota-hike-2009