Milestones in the BWCA
by patatcso
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
08/07/2010
Entry & Exit Point:
Brule Lake (EP 41)
Number of Days:
7
Group Size:
3
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (10 messages)
Day 5 of 7
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Mrs. Swanson's little boy Patrick turns 50 today! Once we begin to rouse, it starts to rain off and on. We have covered our gear and the woodpile by throwing the rain fly over them but now we decide to hang the fly over the fire area and move everything under it. By the time we rig the main tarp, it is raining pretty steady. We take down the hammocks - this goes very quick due to the Hennessy snake skins - and tie the hammock flys just under our main fly edges to increase our dry real estate. It works pretty good and insures that we have a dry wood pile and some dry seats. I take my time making breakfast and linger over the coffee, listening to the music from the mp3 player until shortly before noon. The rain slows, almost stops and we make a break for it, gathering our gear and stowing it quickly into the canoe. We portage and paddle south into Winchell as the day gets warmer and brighter. It must be close to 80 degrees now. Our luck is unbelievable. Ethan has spied a 25 foot cliff perfect for novices so we paddle to the lee of the cliff. Patrick agrees to man the canoe with Max as Ethan and I find a side way up the small cliff. Ethan is very patient with me - explaining the rigging and the fail-safes. Plus, he rappels down ahead of me to hold the line just in case I get nervous and do something stupid. This little cliff is nothing for him but my heart is pounding like a drum as I lean backwards over the ledge. 50 might be my last birthday!
Of course, after I do it I love it!
Now it is on to Wanihigan and into Cliff for Ethan's big climb/rappel on the monster we saw on the way in. His longest rope is 200 feet but he needs to double it to rappel down giving him 100 feet of usable rope leaving him to climb freestyle down the final 50 feet or so.
We continue on, easily paddling and portaging through the Cones. It is late in the day now as we look for sites in Brule's Cone Bay but the only open site is small and buggy. Paddling east, each new occupied site we encounter adds to our apprehension. We take a quick canoe poll and come upon the idea that if no sites on the way to the entry point are open we will return to EP 41 and load up for a return to Sawbill. Brule's eastern half is studded with island sites but unfortunately, all we cross are taken. At the entry point, we beach, load up, tie down the canoe and drive to Sawbill.
Once we arrive at Sawbill Outfitters, we ask them about fishing in Sawbill since our permit lists Brule as our entry point. Fortunately, there are daily use permits that are free at the the put in point at the end of the road. So as long as we continue to camp at the campgrounds, we can canoe from Sawbill anywhere we like. Happily, we pick up a six pack and head to our campsite. It is a glorious night at the camp. We finally have some stars but our site is too heavily treed to bring out the telescope. By the firelight, we scour our maps and decide on a plan to complete the Kelso loop (Sawbill, Alton, Kelso, Kelso River, Sawbill) tomorrow with a long fishing break at the north end of Kelso where we hope to catch some Northern Pike for lunch.
Mrs. Swanson's little boy Patrick turns 50 today! Once we begin to rouse, it starts to rain off and on. We have covered our gear and the woodpile by throwing the rain fly over them but now we decide to hang the fly over the fire area and move everything under it. By the time we rig the main tarp, it is raining pretty steady. We take down the hammocks - this goes very quick due to the Hennessy snake skins - and tie the hammock flys just under our main fly edges to increase our dry real estate. It works pretty good and insures that we have a dry wood pile and some dry seats. I take my time making breakfast and linger over the coffee, listening to the music from the mp3 player until shortly before noon. The rain slows, almost stops and we make a break for it, gathering our gear and stowing it quickly into the canoe. We portage and paddle south into Winchell as the day gets warmer and brighter. It must be close to 80 degrees now. Our luck is unbelievable. Ethan has spied a 25 foot cliff perfect for novices so we paddle to the lee of the cliff. Patrick agrees to man the canoe with Max as Ethan and I find a side way up the small cliff. Ethan is very patient with me - explaining the rigging and the fail-safes. Plus, he rappels down ahead of me to hold the line just in case I get nervous and do something stupid. This little cliff is nothing for him but my heart is pounding like a drum as I lean backwards over the ledge. 50 might be my last birthday!
Now it is on to Wanihigan and into Cliff for Ethan's big climb/rappel on the monster we saw on the way in. His longest rope is 200 feet but he needs to double it to rappel down giving him 100 feet of usable rope leaving him to climb freestyle down the final 50 feet or so.
We continue on, easily paddling and portaging through the Cones. It is late in the day now as we look for sites in Brule's Cone Bay but the only open site is small and buggy. Paddling east, each new occupied site we encounter adds to our apprehension. We take a quick canoe poll and come upon the idea that if no sites on the way to the entry point are open we will return to EP 41 and load up for a return to Sawbill. Brule's eastern half is studded with island sites but unfortunately, all we cross are taken. At the entry point, we beach, load up, tie down the canoe and drive to Sawbill.
Once we arrive at Sawbill Outfitters, we ask them about fishing in Sawbill since our permit lists Brule as our entry point. Fortunately, there are daily use permits that are free at the the put in point at the end of the road. So as long as we continue to camp at the campgrounds, we can canoe from Sawbill anywhere we like. Happily, we pick up a six pack and head to our campsite. It is a glorious night at the camp. We finally have some stars but our site is too heavily treed to bring out the telescope. By the firelight, we scour our maps and decide on a plan to complete the Kelso loop (Sawbill, Alton, Kelso, Kelso River, Sawbill) tomorrow with a long fishing break at the north end of Kelso where we hope to catch some Northern Pike for lunch.
Max wandered around camp a little bit and at one point edged into the next camp without me noticing. When I heard the other campers comment, "Look, it is a little bear." I called him back and gave him a little attention. In two minutes he was asleep under a hammock. I guess we were all tired.
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