Paddling Pageant and the Sioux Hustler portage
by Benutzer
Trip Type:
Paddling Kayak
Entry Date:
08/22/2006
Entry Point:
Moose/Portage River (north) (EP 16)
Exit Point:
Little Indian Sioux River (north) (EP 14)
Number of Days:
10
Group Size:
2
Part 11 of 14
Day 8 Tuesday August 29, 2006 70 high/48 low
Range Line Lake, Pageant Lake
In the morning, we hiked over to see the 3 Sentinels, which are a set of 3 white pines along the S-H Trail that are over 200 years old. They were about 1.5 miles from the campsite on Rangeline. The Sentinels were the biggest I think, but there were quite a number of trees on the way there that were pretty close in size. The trail itself was worth the walk as well. Jeremy was pretty impressed with it and thought he might like to come back just to hike the trail. This part of it was nicer than the part over by Emerald, although we only saw a small portion near Emerald so maybe I'm not doing it justice.
So now that we had a 3 mile hike in, we did the portage to Pageant Lake. We decided to use the S-H Trail for sure now that we'd seen how nice it was. Would be a longer portage that way, but a pretty one, and Jeremy said he'd do the kayaks if I did the packs and I jumped on that offer, because carrying my kayak long distances had been hurting my neck. I'll have to sit down and really calculate the distance sometime, but if I remember right, it was about 2 miles between the 2 lakes, and we double carried, so that was 6 miles, or 9 miles walked for the day, with 4 miles under load, before the boats ever touched water.
We'd thought there was a possibility that Pageant Creek would be navigable to Pageant Lake, but it was dry and bony (as we pretty much expected), so we did the carry all the way to the campsite at the far side of the lake. It was a LONG carry, but I must say we didn't really mind all that much because this portion of the S-H Trail was just absolutely gorgeous. Some places were just stunning. I'd seen in the brochure that the overlooks were very scenic, but we found the trail itself to be just incredible.
Funny how father and son can sometimes be on so much the same wavelength. I hadn't seen much of Jeremy in the past 3 and a half years since he'd joined the Marines, but when he commented that he half expected a unicorn to step out from behind a tree, I laughed, because I'd been just about to say the exact same thing. There were places on that trail that were so surrealistic and beautiful that if you looked up and saw a mythical creature, you wouldn't have been a bit surprised.
When we reached the Pageant Lake campsite, we were stunned by how gorgeous it was. As you come down the spur trail from the S-H Trail into the campsite, you can see that the site is just about totally covered in moss. Some of the soil appears to be peat, and with the moss on top of it you sink ankle deep into it everywhere. With the weather still cooperating, we laid our sleeping bags on our ground cloth over the moss, and erected the tarp over that for our shelter. It was one of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in.
With the carpet of moss covering everything and softening the sounds, it made the campsite so quiet it was almost surreal. There were some mournful loons in the distance, and the ever present squirrel, but aside from that, it was a soft, comfortable silence. The Pageant Lake campsite is one of those places where you automatically speak in a whisper because it almost seems a sacrilege to talk loudly.
Tried fishing for a bit with no luck, but mostly we just relaxed and enjoyed the peace and beauty of the site. Dinner was Chicken Teriyaki with Rice again, and when it got dark, we laid down on that soft cushion of moss and happily sank into it.
Range Line Lake, Pageant Lake
In the morning, we hiked over to see the 3 Sentinels, which are a set of 3 white pines along the S-H Trail that are over 200 years old. They were about 1.5 miles from the campsite on Rangeline. The Sentinels were the biggest I think, but there were quite a number of trees on the way there that were pretty close in size. The trail itself was worth the walk as well. Jeremy was pretty impressed with it and thought he might like to come back just to hike the trail. This part of it was nicer than the part over by Emerald, although we only saw a small portion near Emerald so maybe I'm not doing it justice.
So now that we had a 3 mile hike in, we did the portage to Pageant Lake. We decided to use the S-H Trail for sure now that we'd seen how nice it was. Would be a longer portage that way, but a pretty one, and Jeremy said he'd do the kayaks if I did the packs and I jumped on that offer, because carrying my kayak long distances had been hurting my neck. I'll have to sit down and really calculate the distance sometime, but if I remember right, it was about 2 miles between the 2 lakes, and we double carried, so that was 6 miles, or 9 miles walked for the day, with 4 miles under load, before the boats ever touched water.
We'd thought there was a possibility that Pageant Creek would be navigable to Pageant Lake, but it was dry and bony (as we pretty much expected), so we did the carry all the way to the campsite at the far side of the lake. It was a LONG carry, but I must say we didn't really mind all that much because this portion of the S-H Trail was just absolutely gorgeous. Some places were just stunning. I'd seen in the brochure that the overlooks were very scenic, but we found the trail itself to be just incredible.
Funny how father and son can sometimes be on so much the same wavelength. I hadn't seen much of Jeremy in the past 3 and a half years since he'd joined the Marines, but when he commented that he half expected a unicorn to step out from behind a tree, I laughed, because I'd been just about to say the exact same thing. There were places on that trail that were so surrealistic and beautiful that if you looked up and saw a mythical creature, you wouldn't have been a bit surprised.
When we reached the Pageant Lake campsite, we were stunned by how gorgeous it was. As you come down the spur trail from the S-H Trail into the campsite, you can see that the site is just about totally covered in moss. Some of the soil appears to be peat, and with the moss on top of it you sink ankle deep into it everywhere. With the weather still cooperating, we laid our sleeping bags on our ground cloth over the moss, and erected the tarp over that for our shelter. It was one of the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in.
With the carpet of moss covering everything and softening the sounds, it made the campsite so quiet it was almost surreal. There were some mournful loons in the distance, and the ever present squirrel, but aside from that, it was a soft, comfortable silence. The Pageant Lake campsite is one of those places where you automatically speak in a whisper because it almost seems a sacrilege to talk loudly.
Tried fishing for a bit with no luck, but mostly we just relaxed and enjoyed the peace and beauty of the site. Dinner was Chicken Teriyaki with Rice again, and when it got dark, we laid down on that soft cushion of moss and happily sank into it.
Donate - BWCA.com