2021 BWCA Wildfires Force a Sylvania Trip
by Ausable
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
08/22/2021
Entry & Exit Point:
Other
Number of Days:
9
Group Size:
2
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (4 messages)
Day 7 of 9
Saturday, August 28, 2021
The rain had stopped by the morning. We packed up our wet gear and set out for our next camp on High Lake. We traveled through West Bear Lake and small Kerr Lake before arriving at High Lake. Yes, we had to climb upward to get to High Lake.
We saw and photographed a pair of Trumpeter Swans on West Bear Lake. Finding the portage from WBL to Kerr was tricky. We paddled along the shore investigating several possibilities before we finally found it. I was carrying the canoe over that 97 rod portage without incident until I encountered a large tree that had fallen across the trail. I had to step off the trail to lessen the distance over which I had to climb and then I had to step over the tree sideways. Fortunately, I neither fell nor did I have to set the canoe down.
We arrived at the Raccoon campsite on High Lake around 1:15 PM. The landing is mucky and the site is located up a hill, of course. A bonus of this campsite is that just at the landing there is a lovely peninsula covered by a Hemlock grove with a tiny sand beach located at the tip of the peninsula. The area is lovely for sitting and gazing at the water and enjoying the breeze. Swimming off the point was delightful, too.
We saw an intracloud lightning show around 7 PM from the peninsula. Jim made another campfire and we saw stars from the campsite. This site had the least tree cover over the campfire area of any of our 4 campsites. It was a great day, overall. I was tired, sore, and happy to have had a dry day. Rain was predicted for overnight.
The rain had stopped by the morning. We packed up our wet gear and set out for our next camp on High Lake. We traveled through West Bear Lake and small Kerr Lake before arriving at High Lake. Yes, we had to climb upward to get to High Lake.
We saw and photographed a pair of Trumpeter Swans on West Bear Lake. Finding the portage from WBL to Kerr was tricky. We paddled along the shore investigating several possibilities before we finally found it. I was carrying the canoe over that 97 rod portage without incident until I encountered a large tree that had fallen across the trail. I had to step off the trail to lessen the distance over which I had to climb and then I had to step over the tree sideways. Fortunately, I neither fell nor did I have to set the canoe down.
We arrived at the Raccoon campsite on High Lake around 1:15 PM. The landing is mucky and the site is located up a hill, of course. A bonus of this campsite is that just at the landing there is a lovely peninsula covered by a Hemlock grove with a tiny sand beach located at the tip of the peninsula. The area is lovely for sitting and gazing at the water and enjoying the breeze. Swimming off the point was delightful, too.
We saw an intracloud lightning show around 7 PM from the peninsula. Jim made another campfire and we saw stars from the campsite. This site had the least tree cover over the campfire area of any of our 4 campsites. It was a great day, overall. I was tired, sore, and happy to have had a dry day. Rain was predicted for overnight.
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