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 6 of 7
Thursday, August 12, 2010
We are up before the rooster crows, eager to start our last adventure for this trip. It is already a warm day. Since this is the first day we travel with less than full gear (just the fishing poles plus the cooking supplies we hope we will need) getting organized is a breeze at the large Sawbill landing. Max entertains a couple of little kids and their Mom for a few minutes and then he jumps into his spot in the canoe as we each slip in. We get a few strokes from shore before I realize we forgot the fillet knife so we turn back and Patrick makes a run to camp to get it.
We quickly cross Sawbill and find the portage into Alton. There are lots of people about now and we have to wait at the portage as a group of nine men cross from Alton into Sawbill. I had heard that there was good fishing off the point that leads out into Alton right from the portage so we break out the portable depth finder and try for some Walleye without luck.
As we paddle towards the portage from Alton to Kelso, we spy the site that Patrick and I stayed at in 2007 and snap a picture of it with its current occupants. It is a beauty with an elevated open area for multiple tents and a sandy beach off the west side.
The portage into Kelso is so short and flat that we just grab each end of the canoe and carry it over. Paddling smoothly, we pass the entrance to the Kelso river and glide north for the furthest bay. The last site on Kelso is empty and we drop Patrick and Max with the gear so they can collect wood and prep the fire grate. Ethan and I begin fishing under the watchful eye of Max who doesn't seem to like being left out of the canoe.
We are deep in the little cove and in no time we have a couple of small Northerns on the stringer. As we move out of the cove we hook a couple more - larger this time - and paddle over to shore to start lunch.
All week we have been eating dehydrated food and and most of it wasn't bad but this lunch is special. None of us had been looking forward to a lunch of just the parmesan noodles that I brought along but with the filleted, breaded and pan-fried fish as an entre, they are now declared 'Victory Noodles'.
Once we clean up, we pack up and paddle towards the Kelso river while taking nips from the Vodka as we glide along. The Kelso River is mostly a wetlands, rich in wildlife. All of the BWCA that I have seen is beautiful but this really feels like canoe country to me - like we are a part of it, not just spectators. We three paddle in alternating unison, confident in our measure. Silently passing a small flock of geese, they seem to accept our presence as if they can read my thoughts.
Further on, there is a giant boulder that we couldn't resist getting a photo of.
From there it is a short portage back into Sawbill and then an easy paddle to the big landing, completing the circuit by 5:00 pm. After we pack up, we check in with the Outfitter to return the canoe and grab some showers before making camp for our last night. The card game, music from the mp3 player still surprisingly alive, and cigars were great!
We are up before the rooster crows, eager to start our last adventure for this trip. It is already a warm day. Since this is the first day we travel with less than full gear (just the fishing poles plus the cooking supplies we hope we will need) getting organized is a breeze at the large Sawbill landing. Max entertains a couple of little kids and their Mom for a few minutes and then he jumps into his spot in the canoe as we each slip in. We get a few strokes from shore before I realize we forgot the fillet knife so we turn back and Patrick makes a run to camp to get it.
We quickly cross Sawbill and find the portage into Alton. There are lots of people about now and we have to wait at the portage as a group of nine men cross from Alton into Sawbill. I had heard that there was good fishing off the point that leads out into Alton right from the portage so we break out the portable depth finder and try for some Walleye without luck.
As we paddle towards the portage from Alton to Kelso, we spy the site that Patrick and I stayed at in 2007 and snap a picture of it with its current occupants. It is a beauty with an elevated open area for multiple tents and a sandy beach off the west side.
The portage into Kelso is so short and flat that we just grab each end of the canoe and carry it over. Paddling smoothly, we pass the entrance to the Kelso river and glide north for the furthest bay. The last site on Kelso is empty and we drop Patrick and Max with the gear so they can collect wood and prep the fire grate. Ethan and I begin fishing under the watchful eye of Max who doesn't seem to like being left out of the canoe.
We are deep in the little cove and in no time we have a couple of small Northerns on the stringer. As we move out of the cove we hook a couple more - larger this time - and paddle over to shore to start lunch.
Once we clean up, we pack up and paddle towards the Kelso river while taking nips from the Vodka as we glide along. The Kelso River is mostly a wetlands, rich in wildlife. All of the BWCA that I have seen is beautiful but this really feels like canoe country to me - like we are a part of it, not just spectators. We three paddle in alternating unison, confident in our measure. Silently passing a small flock of geese, they seem to accept our presence as if they can read my thoughts.
Further on, there is a giant boulder that we couldn't resist getting a photo of.
From there it is a short portage back into Sawbill and then an easy paddle to the big landing, completing the circuit by 5:00 pm. After we pack up, we check in with the Outfitter to return the canoe and grab some showers before making camp for our last night. The card game, music from the mp3 player still surprisingly alive, and cigars were great!
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