Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

Hanging out north of the South Arm
by TuscaroraBorealis

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 05/18/2020
Entry & Exit Point: Saganaga Lake (EP 55)
Number of Days: 11
Group Size: 1
Day 6 of 11
Saturday, May 23, 2020

It starts out as a cloudy morning. The humidity is still stubbornly hanging on as well. After an oatmeal & bagel breakfast I efficiently get camp packed away and I’m on the water. Crossing paths with a loaded canoe I exchange hello’s and begin to retrace my route from yesterday.

After finishing up the portage from Amoeber, I notice a dead mud turtle at the Knife lake landing. I briefly flirt with the idea of bringing it back for Aurora but, it is not fully decomposed; and the unmistakable smell of decaying flesh is overpowering. Besides, she already has one my brother Clay found for her on Quadga lake a few years ago. I set it on a nearby protruding boulder to be more prominently displayed. I veer off my previous route after I get to Knife lake and decide to take the 55-rod portage just east of the 39-rodder I took yesterday; passing a few living mud turtles along the way. Perhaps they’re relatives of the deceased?

The 55-rod portage has a nice landing in shallow water. The trail is mostly level but, does have a few twists and turns before ending at a grassy/sandy beach on the South Arm. While neither are anything to get concerned about, and since they both get a person in/out of the same area, it’s worth mentioning that I do prefer this path to the 39-rod trail just to the SW.

I am beginning to get worried. The South Arm is yet again a paddler’s paradise of glass smooth water. Sooner or later things are gonna have to equal out (weather wise) and I hope I don’t get caught out in the middle of it. Relatively speaking; the South Arm is like an amusement park today. I can see people in all directions and as I close in on Eddy Falls I can see no less than 7 canoes just out from where the river washes out into the South Arm. I pull into the vacant campsite just west of the falls to wait them out.

You don’t need to be an expert cartographer or seasoned canoe tripper to understand that the shortest distance from Amoeber to Ester Lake (my hopeful destination) would have been through Topaz, Cherry & Hanson. There are a few reasons why I chose this route. First, and perhaps most importantly, is the phenomenal weather. I certainly didn’t want to battle wind and waves on this behemoth and, as mentioned, South Arm is still sound asleep. Secondly, I want to check out Eddy Falls. After about 10-15 minutes I poke my head out and notice all the canoes are still there. I get back on the water and slowly advance on them. I soon realize that they are all just fishing; and quite successfully at that. So, I pull up to the portage landing and walk back to the falls for a few minutes of enjoying the scene.

The third primary reason for choosing this route is that I would then get the privilege of doing “The Enchanted Forest” portage. This is the portage between the South Arm and Hanson Lake. This is, without a doubt, one of the most scenic portages in the BWCA. It starts out on a pebble/sand beach. The trail initially climbs before turning and then dropping down in an obviously improved area. It then passes by an absolutely breathtaking area of huge cedars and a magical waterfall. The iconic V’d cedar, just below the falls, has got to be one of the oldest in the state; as it is on par with the venerable sentinels located on Basswood, below Johnson Falls and French lake at the end of the portage from Sea Horse. The portage then climbs steeply, levels out, passes by the edge of a tempting early put in (don’t do it!) climbs again before dropping steeply down to a bizarrely unique cedar root ball landing on the Hanson end. I said unique – not convenient.

With the cloud cover today, its hard to determine how late it is. I paddle past 3 vacant sites on Hanson before reaching the narrows into Ester. (Good to know if I must backtrack.) As I round the bend; the southern island site comes into view. It sure does look inviting but, unfortunately, it is occupied. I soon find out that all the ‘fab four’ sites here in the SE end of Ester are occupied. Retreating to Hanson, I claim the northern most site (#324) there.

I am sufficiently exhausted that I don’t want to split hairs choosing a campsite at this point. I know none of the vacant sites I passed earlier are anything too spectacular, so I resolve to take this one. It is mostly situated on a sloping rock face and the landing is a tight balancing act on a narrow rock shelf. Fortunately, there is a decent sized cedar tree there to lean/grab on to. By no means is this the worst campsite I’ve ever stayed at. Marginal sites on Banadad, Carl & Insula all quickly come to mind. However, I soon discover there is a scattered pile of empty pistachio shells at one of the tent pads, the log seating around the fire grate is disheveled with a broken glass bottle shattered just in front. Further exploration reveals a pile of what I can only presume is puke between the fire grate and the tent pads, and some other garbage back away from the kitchen area.

I have certainly seen (Gadwall, Tuscarora #517), and even stayed (Alice # 1170 just last year) at, sites that has substantially more trash than this one is. But I can’t recall being this disgusted about those. Don’t get me wrong, those sites were trashed, and I consider each of those instances a disgusting tragedy. So, after getting camp setup I spend the better part of the evening processing why this bothers me so much more. I think the heart of my problem is this: of all the other trashed sites, while disgusting, I could relate, at least on some level, to the people (whomever they may have been) who left those messes. I mean, I can understand why someone would want to have a bunch of items stashed away at a camp. Carrying a tarp, fry pan, stove, extra rope etc. etc. is hard work. And, I can understand that, even though its clearly against the rules, most people would want to avoid that if possible.

I don’t claim to follow every LNT requirement to the letter of the law 100% of the time but, one of the rules that I think resonates most with me is – NO GLASS. A little plastic or paper garbage is one thing, but having shattered glass around not only leaves an eyesore; it also makes a serious cut eminently possible. The thing about the mess at this site is; I can’t understand the reason why someone would do the things that were done. There is/was no potential future benefit like at the other sites? The site just seems to have been trashed only for the sake of trashing it. Truly tragic that someone would come all this way if that was their primary objective as this seems to have been. I’ve already said too much and I don’t want to dwell on the topic; tomorrow’s another day.

Some dark clouds ominously roll by before the sun sets this evening, but the system produces no severe weather; only some brief, very light rain after dark.

~Amoeber Lake, South Arm Knife Lake, Hanson Lake, Ester Lake