Friday, August 24, 2018

Jazzywine and I woke up earlier than the other guys so was made the most of the gray morning and went fishing. We trolled along the river to the rapids to the East, and cast into the current from the canoe without much luck. Jazzywine managed to get a small Northern that he released. We headed back to camp to eat breakfast.
After breakfast and some deliberation, we decided to continue with our plan to explore Gabbro Lake. There was some occasional misty rain, but nothing that could put a damper on the day. We took off East and then South from the campsite towards Little Gabbro Lake. Before long we reached the 122 rod portage to Little Gabbro. A family with some young kids was at the portage, going in the same direction we were. They got a head start, so by the time we were unloading they had already disappeared into the trees. There were quite a few bugs on the portage, and I spent the 122 rods trying to smack the bloodsuckers with one hand while holding the canoe with the other. At the South end of the portage I stepped into the water to offload the canoe as I usually do. As I dropped the canoe from my shoulders to the water, I lost my footing and fell in up to my armpits, right in front of the crew and the family, clinging to the gunwales with my arms. With no scrapes or bruises as the dropoff was fairly steep, I burst out laughing and hung on the canoe for a minute, enjoying the feeling of the cool water on my recently acquired mosquito bites.
After spending a few minutes to admire the remains of the dam by the portage, we set off across Little Gabbro. Paddling the narrows between Little Gabbro and Gabbro, I admired the rocky (gabbro) shorelines that seemed unique to this area. The evidence that this lake had once been dammed was clear, with a water line multiple feet of the current water level visible on the taller rocky outcroppings.
Spitting rain and light wind picked up as we moved out into Gabbro. We pushed on, our destination the narrow bay just East of the large peninsula in the middle of Gabbro. Once we turned North into the bay the wind died and cruised up the rapidly narrowing bay, passing rocky bluffs covered in pines. Towards the northern end of the bay we pushed out way through thickening lilly pads in an attempt to get as far off the beaten path as we could. Eventually the waterway opened up, and with paddles resting let the quiet solitude of the Boundary Waters take over.
The quiet was soon disturbed by rustling and splashing. We looked around, and watched a family of otters swim and run along the shoreline next to us. We sat there in our canoes watching them run and play in the water, before disappearing into the reeds.
We explored a bit more back in the bay before heading back south. We stopped at a peninsula on the western side that looked to be a nice spot for lunch. We enjoyed pita with hummus and tuna on the rocks, and watched a bald eagle hanging out in a nearby tree. Despite is being late August, it was clear that fall was already on the way. Here and there, tree were starting their annual change from green to hints of yellow and orange. We trolled out way back through Gabbro without much luck. By 5pm we had made it back to camp.
Not wanting to end the day without a few fish in the boat, Jazzywine, DM, and I left BR behind at the campsite and paddled to the nearby rapids for another go. With lines and leeches in the water, it wasn't long until we finally found a walleye hole and got a couple eaters to supplement the night's dinner. We spent the rest of the evening around the fire until the bugs forced us into the tents. A restful night would be needed for our big push the next day.

Daily Summary:

Lakes traveled: S. Kawishiwi River, Little Gabbro, Gabbro
Distance paddled: 8.12 mi
Distance portaged: .76 mi (244 rods)
Number of portages: 1 portage x 2