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 7 of 14
Day 4 Friday August 25, 2006 63 high/55 low
Charm Lake, Ge-be-on-e-quet Lake, Green Lake, Rocky Lake, Oyster Lake, Hustler Lake, Emerald Lake
In the morning, Jeremy spotted a moose on the other side of the lake, who went to the water's edge and swam across to our side, just around the bend upwind of us. We were hoping to see him again a bit later as we headed out, but no such luck. We skipped breakfast that morning, due to the threat of rain coming, and wanting to get the bushwhack out of the way before it hit.
It did start raining on us before we got to Gebe, and although it never got too bad, it did continue for a good part of the day. After we got back to Gebe we saw the folks from Seattle again through Green, Rocky and Oyster. The portages started to get to me a bit and I started double-portaging at the 120 rod portage from Gebe into Green. I believe it got more difficult for me as we went because as we rummaged through the pack and things got packed less carefully (like when we were trying to hurry earlier in the day), the pack got taller, which made the kayak much more awkward to cary, and wore me out more quickly. Funny how a little thing like that can change circumstances. We stopped and checked out the pictographs on Rocky. Not as "impressive" as the ones on LLC, but they sure made us wonder what the purpose of them was. They obviously were there for a reason, even if it wasn't clear to us.
The Seattle group left us to spend the night at Oyster, and we grabbed a lunch of jerky and clif bars before we headed across the 310 rod portage into Hustler. Expecting solitude in that area, I was amazed that another group caught up to us on the portage. Three pretty girls and a guy. One of the girls was from Wyoming, and said the other 3 were from the WI/MN area. They took a site on Hustler, while we headed south across the short 48 rod up and over into Emerald.
Emerald was our favorite spot so far, except that we didn't had any luck fishing there. That doesn't mean the fishing isn't great, but probably that we're not that good at catching them. We decided to take a layover day on Saturday because it was so nice (and because I needed the rest). The campsite is perfect for pitching tent/tarp or hammock. The rock next to the fire grate has nice level places for stove and water bottles, etc. You can cast right out from the site and 2 feet from the shore is likely 10' deep or more. Interestingly, the latrine is labelled #1, so if anyone was wondering where #1 was, now you know. I couldn't think of any reason why they started numbering them there, other than a dart toss at a map, but it was fun to consider.
Dinner was beef stew. One of the things noticeable about Emerald was the quiet. Other than the loons and a few other birds, we heard nothing else although we did see a beaver swim across the lake.
Got a fire going in spite of the wet wood. Someone was kind enough to stock up wood by the fire grate, but it was sopping wet (as were we) so I had to search for some that had been better sheltered from the rain. There was a mouse who oddly enough kept jumping into the rocks by the fire grate, but we didn't see him anywhere else.
With the threat of more rain, we slept in the tent for the first time. Pitched the tarp over it for extra shelter from the wind.
Charm Lake, Ge-be-on-e-quet Lake, Green Lake, Rocky Lake, Oyster Lake, Hustler Lake, Emerald Lake
In the morning, Jeremy spotted a moose on the other side of the lake, who went to the water's edge and swam across to our side, just around the bend upwind of us. We were hoping to see him again a bit later as we headed out, but no such luck. We skipped breakfast that morning, due to the threat of rain coming, and wanting to get the bushwhack out of the way before it hit.
It did start raining on us before we got to Gebe, and although it never got too bad, it did continue for a good part of the day. After we got back to Gebe we saw the folks from Seattle again through Green, Rocky and Oyster. The portages started to get to me a bit and I started double-portaging at the 120 rod portage from Gebe into Green. I believe it got more difficult for me as we went because as we rummaged through the pack and things got packed less carefully (like when we were trying to hurry earlier in the day), the pack got taller, which made the kayak much more awkward to cary, and wore me out more quickly. Funny how a little thing like that can change circumstances. We stopped and checked out the pictographs on Rocky. Not as "impressive" as the ones on LLC, but they sure made us wonder what the purpose of them was. They obviously were there for a reason, even if it wasn't clear to us.
The Seattle group left us to spend the night at Oyster, and we grabbed a lunch of jerky and clif bars before we headed across the 310 rod portage into Hustler. Expecting solitude in that area, I was amazed that another group caught up to us on the portage. Three pretty girls and a guy. One of the girls was from Wyoming, and said the other 3 were from the WI/MN area. They took a site on Hustler, while we headed south across the short 48 rod up and over into Emerald.
Emerald was our favorite spot so far, except that we didn't had any luck fishing there. That doesn't mean the fishing isn't great, but probably that we're not that good at catching them. We decided to take a layover day on Saturday because it was so nice (and because I needed the rest). The campsite is perfect for pitching tent/tarp or hammock. The rock next to the fire grate has nice level places for stove and water bottles, etc. You can cast right out from the site and 2 feet from the shore is likely 10' deep or more. Interestingly, the latrine is labelled #1, so if anyone was wondering where #1 was, now you know. I couldn't think of any reason why they started numbering them there, other than a dart toss at a map, but it was fun to consider.
Dinner was beef stew. One of the things noticeable about Emerald was the quiet. Other than the loons and a few other birds, we heard nothing else although we did see a beaver swim across the lake.
Got a fire going in spite of the wet wood. Someone was kind enough to stock up wood by the fire grate, but it was sopping wet (as were we) so I had to search for some that had been better sheltered from the rain. There was a mouse who oddly enough kept jumping into the rocks by the fire grate, but we didn't see him anywhere else.
With the threat of more rain, we slept in the tent for the first time. Pitched the tarp over it for extra shelter from the wind.
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