This was our 3rd annual Labor Day weekend family trip. The trip consisted of me, my husband, and our teenage son. Normally, we are pretty hard core and travel hard everyday. However, this year I broke my ankle 2 weeks before our scheduled leave date and the whole trip was up in the air until my doctor gave me the green light and just said to take it easy. So with an ankle brace snugged firmly around my left ankle, and a son who willingly offered to carry the heaviest pack, we set off.

After work on Friday, we drove from the Twin Cities to Pfeiffer Lake campground. After a hearty breakfast in Cook, we picked up the permit and drove to Moccasin Point on Lake Vermillion. We put on the water at 9:30am Saturday. The weather was beautiful with light winds and sunny skies.

At the 60 rod portage into Portage Bay on Trout Lake, my husband carried the canoe and a pack basket. I carried the lightest pack plus paddles and life jackets, while our son hoofed across with the heaviest pack before coming back and relieving me of my pack. The portage was quite flat and well worn. I just watched my footing extra carefully, but made good time. We still managed to keep our typical pace of 10 rods per minute.

We paddled directly over to the 240 rod portage into Pine Lake. This is also a well traveled portage, though due to its length it certainly travels up and down some hills, through some mud, and has moderate numbers of rocks. Other than the one group doubling back on the portage for the rest of their gear while one of them talked obnoxiously on his cell phone, it was an uneventful crossing.

The island campsites on Pine Lake were already taken so we turned south and headed for the site on the odd boot shaped peninsula. We kept thinking we had missed it, but finally found it. The landing area is small and the site is very hidden by trees and shrubs. What a pleasant surprise to find this site! It was barely used...nothing fresh in the latrine, ground completely covered in a thick layer of pine needles. It was very private, with a decent spot for a 4 person tent up on a bluff overlooking the lake. The fire grate was tucked down lower and was very protected from any wind. We arrived at this site about 1:30pm and quickly set up camp.

Swimming was tough from this site, but once past the large, slippery boulders it was enjoyable. My son and husband set out in the canoe for a late afternoon fishing expedition and came back with the biggest Crappie any of us had ever seen. It pan fried up beautifully and was a welcome addition to our meal of mac/cheese w/ salami.

Due to my ankle feeling pretty tender from the first day of travel, we decided to stay put at our lovely campsite on Sunday. Instead of packing up, we took a day trip to the northern end of Pine Lake and explored Pine Creek as far as the portage to Chad Lake. It was a lovely, winding travel and we kept expecting to see a moose around each corner. There were a couple beaver dams to pull over, and a few rocky areas, but otherwise was an easily passable creek. The portage to Chad Lake has a high bluff off to the left, so we scrambled up there to eat lunch and watch the eagles soaring. Afterwards, we strolled the portage path and found that the industrious beavers had flooded the Chad Lake end requiring extra work for anyone trying to pass through.

We had a quiet evening back at the campsite with wild rice soup and cheesy biscuits. Monday morning, we lazed around before breaking camp and putting on the water at 11:30am. My ankle felt stronger for the return passages across the 2 portages and I concluded that a BWCA trip was worth more than any physical therapy I might have done back in the Cities. We drove out of the parking lot by 4:00 pm and zipped back home by 8:30 that night.

I would love to go back to this area and explore the Little Sioux River or the Chad Lake/Buck Lake area and beyond. I had never been to this end of the BWCAW before. Other than the heavy motor boat traffic on Vermillion, it was a lovely place to visit.