It’s a gray morning and the air is thick and heavy. At this point I would consider some rain a most welcome relief for a couple of reasons. First, while I feel blessed to have had such a long stretch of idyllic paddling conditions, it’s beyond obvious that the area could use some moisture. Secondly, it would help take the edge off and cool things down a bit. But, while it certainly looks and feels like rain is eminent, I get camp packed away and loaded up with unavoidable perspiration being the lone reason attributed to my soggy countenance.

While the gray skies provide a dreary looking canopy, the paddling conditions continue to be optimal. In my pre-trip research, I had read several dramatic accounts of the Ashdick – Swamp portage. A few even commented that they would never undertake this portage again. Perhaps I have something of a sadistic streak but, my interest had been piqued and I resolved to tackle this monster head on. First, I had to get across Ester and Ashdick which really wasn’t an issue as the portage from Ester into Ashdick is located a stone’s throw south of a nearby campsite located in the shallow little bay located there; and was easily spotted from out on the lake. The 55-rod portage was pretty straight-forward with the usual assortment of roots, rock and mud.

This end of Ashdick Lake is quite shallow and low lying. The campsite located in this lobe is a last resort type of site but, does have a neat little island out in front of it. It still hasn’t started raining as I pull into the northern site to take a quick break and grab a snack before tackling the beastly portage.

This is a much nicer site than its southern counterpart. It’s agreeably elevated with an excellent view south down the main body of the lake, and there are some decent tent pads back in the woods. However, whomever set up the fire grates on Ashdick really dropped the ball, as both are situated about as inconveniently as possible. This one is right on the edge of the steep rock slope and, for some reason that I can’t grasp, is not facing out to the lake. Still, this is the site you’ll want if spending a night on Ashdick.

As I am pulling into the nice landing to the now infamous portage; a good, hard steady rain finally begins to fall. With the recent long stretch of very humid weather, this welcome precipitation actually feels quite refreshing and I briefly consider not pulling out my rain gear. However, I do eventually don my jacket but, forego the pants.

Shortly after leaving the lakeshore the trail climbs steeply up to an area that has extensive wind damage and blow downs. The trail then morphs into a long succession of mud holes as it follows just under a high, but not always readily noticeable, ridge. The mud here is nothing too serious, maybe 3-4 inches in the worst spots but there is usually a boulder or log nearby to assist me from having to step in the deepest spots. Eventually the trail starts dropping incrementally as I near the Swamp Lake end with a few smaller pockets of mud still present. Finally, there is a decent landing on the Swamp end. All in all, I don’t consider this portage anything like what I read. Don’t get me wrong, it is a challenging portage; especially with the tough initial climb when traveling in the direction I did; but, for the most part, it’s a pretty level trail. The sense I got from the commentators is that they got muddy and that was why they had such negative things to say about this portage. And, to be fair, there’s no getting around the fact that you will almost certainly get muddy on this trail but, I didn’t see anywhere that had waist, knee deep or even boot sucking muck holes. Although, I will add that considering how dry it had been before the rains today, that perhaps the mud holes could be substantially worse.

As I push off into Swamp the rain has stopped. I am back on familiar waters and my next portage isn’t that far away. Having pulled my packs out of the Black Pearl, the front end is no longer weighted down and an unexpected gust of wind grabs her and pushes her out into the lake. It’s a comical scene as I haphazardly run along the thickly brushed shoreline and dive into the lake to grab my ride before it completely gets away on me. Not the way I wanted to discover it for myself but, I find out firsthand that the folks I met yesterday on Ottertrack were right; the water temperature really isn’t that cold.

Zephyr Lake is my hopeful destination but, that just isn’t in the cards today so, I press on eastward down the succession of bays and narrow waterways of Saganaga Lake. I’m hopeful to grab one of the sites located prior to the lake really broadening at Cache bay.

The site located at the head of the bay is vacant and doesn’t look too bad from out on the lake. However, camping so close to a heavily used portage is personally a bit off putting and I decide to try for something else. I soon discover the next site is occupied and am forced to continue eastward. The next site is open, so I pull in and check it out. It’s an “ok” site but it looks very buggy and I’m hoping for something better. The next site is just across the bay and, I’ll retreat to this one if the other’s not a better site.

Upon arrival, it doesn’t take me long to determine that this site is a winner. The landing is a little bumpy but, mostly decent. The site is elevated with excellent log seating, a couple of flat sheltered tent pads, good canoe storage and a nice mix of trees and openness with a good supply of welcome wood to boot. On the downside, there isn’t a good view of the lake from the fire grate but, all in all, this is a very nice site and I’m happy to call it home for the last couple days of my trip.

While I have taken the time to set up my CCS tarp at a couple of my previous camps, I didn’t get too concerned with how well they were anchored. The weather had been phenomenal throughout and it was more to provide shade than anything else. However, while it currently isn’t raining here, the clouds are beginning to look ever more ominous; so, I take the time to make sure I’ve got my tarp secured. And, boy I’m glad I did! About 7:00 p.m. things really get wild as strong gusts of wind and torrential rains mercilessly pound my site. As I look out from under the sanctuary of my CCS tarp, it’s raining so hard that I can’t even see the lake which is a mere 10 yards away.

Throughout the 30-40 minute onslaught I never even feel the need to put on my raingear. While rare, moments like these are the reason I choose to invest in proven names like Cooke Custom Sewing & Hilleberg. As I watch the water puddle up and nearby treetops sway to and fro, both my tent and tarp are rock solid during the maelstrom, giving me a real sense of confidence and reassurance that I, and my gear, will stay comfortable and dry.

As quickly as it started, the storm moves on and I stroll about camp to access any damage. There doesn’t appear to be anything noteworthy to report other than the bewildering preponderance of earthworms strewn about the surface of the ground. The birds and chipmunks are back wreaking havoc, so I presume the worst is over. After, I lay down for the night the rain returns but, it is just a slow soothing soaker that continues for the better portion of the twilight hours.

~Ester Lake, Ashdick Lake, Swamp Lake, Zephyr Lake, Saganaga Lake