The trip of a lifetime!
by WaterBadger
“We Got This”
“Day 2 morning”……. Started a little later for some of us. Zach was up first around 7/7:30am and roamed the campsite until the rest of us started stirring about 2 hours later. Apparently, we were all tired from the day before. Zach was to be our chef this morning and made us a breakfast of egg sandwiches on bagels with cheese and sausage washed down with a bit of coffee. Food seems to taste so much better in the wilds! It was still overcast but not raining so we took the time to explore the campsite a little more and do some fishing. Zach was after the BWCA grand slam and was eager to get started. The water off the campsite was a promising mix of deeper water, bays and rip rap. Artificial and leeches on slip bobbers were tried but to no avail, the first fish of the trip would have to wait. We started packing up camp around 10:30 and were back on the water around noon. Pairings were Eric and Nate, Nate in the bow. Tony and Zach, Zach in the bow. We had a shorter day planned and only wanted to get to South Arm Knife Lake, approximately 6 miles. The day started out smooth enough as we paddled the rest of Ogish although it rained off and on but nothing like the day before. Next stop, Annie Lake. The portage was a short 15 rods and was done in no time. Annie is a small lake and we were across in less than thirty minutes and after another short 15 rod portage we were on Jenny Lake. On Jenny Lake we ran across our first friendly loon. We had been seeing them fly by as we paddled throughout our trip so far but had not encountered one on the water. We slowed down and got to within 20 feet or so for some good pictures before it had enough of us and disappeared under the water. Off to Eddy lake. The portage was another 15 rods. Eddy is another smaller lake and we were across in no time. At the portage landing we had to wait a short while for a boy scout troop to arrange their gear out of the way before they went to visit Eddy Falls. Once this was done, we started the 25 rod portage to South Arm Knife Lake. The portage started out flat but then dropped off into a steep decline as you got closer to South Arm Knife. There was a large tree that fell across the trail but was still high enough where you could squeak under it with the canoe in the portage position. Once we finished the portage and arranged our gear so it was out of the way, we went to visit Eddy Falls. It is a short hike off the portage trail and totally worth it. Not the most beautiful waterfall we would see on our trip but impressive nonetheless. We took some pictures and returned to the portage landing, loaded up and were on our way. At this point we noticed the wind was starting to pick up. It really is amazing how the smaller water protects you from the wind compared to the larger water. We paddled along the southern shore to another campsite Andy had circled on our map. We arrived at the site around 4pm.
Site # 2037, the landing is a narrow stretch of beach that was probably 15 feet across and comprised of smaller gravel rock. There is a short trail that leads up to the campsite, the USFS fire grate is in a small opening and had a few “windows” to the lake below. There were two tent pads that we could see and a few places to hang a hammock. There was a good place to hang the bear rope a short way off and ample places to fish from shore. The latrine is about 75 yards behind the campsite and has a small “window” through the trees to the lake, you can see out but you can’t see in. If you have a north or west wind it can get through and keeps the bugs down. We dubbed it the “serene latrine”. The site is more compressed than the others we saw but overall not too bad. I would give this campsite 3 stars.
Working off the lessons learned from the previous day, the tarp was set up first and then immediately afterwards the tents and hammock. All this in the daylight. It is amazing how much easier it is to set things up when it is light out, and dry for that matter. We stretched ropes and hung everything up to dry and set to the task of finding and cutting firewood. Dinner was steaks over the campfire, mashed potatoes and green beans. After dinner was consumed and dishes washed, we had the chance to relax a little and do some fishing. Tony set up his lounging hammock and Zach broke the 0’fer by catching the first fish of the trip, a decent sized smallmouth bass! Nate and Zach fished for some time using slip bobbers and leeches and added a few more smallmouth to the count. Zach then switched to the “pike slayer” and started on his search for the second leg of his quest for the BWCA grand slam. During the fishing excitement, Nate got snagged on a rock and decided that instead of losing the jig and leech he was going to paddle around and free himself. Well…… due to there being no weight in the canoe and only one man paddling the wind took hold and he could not get back. So, we had to execute a rescue operation. There was really no danger to anyone, just another lesson learned about canoes and how they operate. We had some sprinkles off and on that evening before the clouds started to break up and we were excited at the possibility of seeing our first BWCA sunset. Unfortunately, the clouds did not fully cooperate and we only got a fleeting glimpse of what might have been. Still we got some decent pictures. The night was ended around the campfire drinking hot cocoa and talking. We made progress today, things started to dry out and our spirits were lifting. We had been through the worst of it, nothing but downhill from here…. Or so we thought.
Distance traveled: 5 miles (0.22 miles portage) ~Ogishkemuncie Lake, Annie Lake, Jenny Lake, Eddy Lake, South Arm Knife Lake
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