Sunday, May 14, 2023

A sunny though cool, crisp morning with only a smattering of wispy clouds in the sky. After a hearty breakfast I load up for my day trip. Conflagration is a word that comes to mind when trying to pithily describe Pietro Lake. There’s clear evidence the forest is coming back but, the number of dead, downed and bleached trees that can be easily contemplated from my vantage point out on the lake is staggering. As I work my way to the Camdre Lake portage I search out the other campsites on the lake. There’s a definite trail where site #1737 is supposed to be but I have my doubts. Walking a short distance into the woods, I soon discover a fire grate but the trees, shrubs & grass are so dense here that I consider this more of an abandoned fire grate than a campsite.

As I close in on the location of the portage, it’s obvious the intensity of the fire must have been at, or near, its peak as it seems even the soil in this area seems to have been burnt. I’m utterly flabbergasted as I paddle past what I presume is a rock cairn; which in fact turns out to be a neat little campsite table. The fire grate is literally a few feet off the lakeshore next to it. (Although, I am here during very high water so presumably some real estate would gain back under normal conditions.) I don’t stop here but, with all the downed timber surrounding this odd couple I cannot fathom where a serviceable tent pad would be.

The landing for the Camdre portage would but all be impossible to spot from any distance out on the lake. It is however within easy eyeshot of the aforementioned camp #1738 - It’s not even obvious once you see the trail but, you need to be close to do have any chance. The re-emerging foliage in this area isn’t sprouting up in thick clusters but rather a tree here a shrub over there etc. Generally speaking, the path is discernible but, I could envision it would currently be easy to wander off without realizing it. I think this affords a unique opportunity to explore off the beaten path (if time allows?) without having to bushwhack as you can freely move about unhindered by tangles of brush & branches – in my experience a rare situation in BWCA. The portage itself is basically an up & over. I won’t say the hill on this portage is too severe but, it is enough to stop me at about mid trail and pull off my wool over-shirt. There is a nice green grassy landing on the Camdre end.

Camdre openly reveals near complete devastation by the fires as well and I just make a beeline to the portage into Clearwater Lake. This landing is near a beaver hut and is another mushy one. This trail surmounts another pretty good hill but, it appears I’m traveling in the right direction so as to avoid the long climb out of Clearwater on a sometimes-wet path. For the time being; there are somewhat decent overlooks of each lake at various points along the way and the Clearwater landing affords a beautiful view of that body of water and the small islands just out from shore. The portages in this loop of lakes are challenging by BWCA standards but, they’re nothing wildly crazy. However, with all due respect to the Black Pearl, I am really beginning to feel the extra burden of the drop seat and muse the possibility of shedding several pounds of unnecessary weight and perhaps one day traveling with a true solo canoe. The spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak. It’s a sobering thought that it appears father time may be catching up to me?

Even though much of it has been burned over, Clearwater still exudes a special beauty. Perhaps just coming in from 2 lakes that absolutely got leveled help to make it seem to shine all the brighter? I also think it gets overlooked; because it is sandwiched a relatively short distance in between 2 exceedingly poplar entry points (Lake One #30 & Little Gabbro #33), one may tend to surmise this area is normally densely populated by mere default traffic funneling in.  However, in addition to the burn, the long difficult portages in/out help give this lake a certain added mystique and a very strong likelihood for solitude. There’s now a bit of a breeze blowing across the water but, it does little to hinder my progress as I paddle to the NE corner of the lake to begin my search for the portage into Judd Lake.

Here on Clearwater Lake, it appears there will be something of a sandy beach (under normal water levels) where straight away I happen upon the landing for the Judd Lake portage, which is right where the maps say it is in the extreme NE corner of the lake.

There’s a diminutive creek to cross near the lakeshore and then a big climb up out of Clearwater – which affords a marginal overlook when gazing back. The exceedingly brushy trail rollicks over bare rock knobs, mud holes, ups, downs, twists, turns etc. There's a nice overlook of Judd Lake at that end but it's kind of deceptive because I think I’m almost there and then the trail keeps switching back and takes longer than I think it should to reach the lakeshore. Basically, it has a little bit of everything that reminds me of a shorter version of the Paulson to Sea Gull portage. Currently, I think the biggest obstacle will be dealing with the continual scratching of branches if bringing a canoe across. For those that might be interested? I shot a video of the entire trail starting at Judd Lake – it's about 20 minutes long.

Back on the crystal-clear waters of the fittingly named Clearwater Lake, I work my way westward along the northern shoreline as the unseasonably warm temperature continues to climb. The 3rd site west of the Judd portage is, in my opinion, the premier site located within the quintet of lakes located NE of Bald Eagle Lake. It is elevated with good views & tent pads and a smooth sitting rock with a nearby sandy area to the west for swimming. There're even some old artifacts propped up as a wind break around the fire grate.

It looks awfully ‘moosey’ as I near the origins of the Pagami Creek fire but, none show themselves here today. The portage into Turtle seems a lot less arduous than others in this immediate vicinity as I don’t notice as much of a gradient along this long path. Still the high midday sun relentlessly beating down uninhibited on my black canoe helmet dishes out a different kind of punishment. Fortunately, there is a wide canopied green cedar tree at the Turtle Lake landing with which to prop myself against and cool off in the luxuriant shade its currently bestowing on this weary traveler. I do battle with a few bugs but, providentially they are not yet at the peak of their powers.

After refreshing myself, I undertake getting out past this landing. It appears the boardwalk is in complete disrepair as I note several planks floating out on the water. Not sure what this will mean once the water level recedes? Endowed with countless islands of various sizes peppered across its waters, Turtle Lake is a site to behold and is the most scenic of the lakes I’ve visited today. Unfortunately, the campsites on the lake don’t offer much in the way of amenities as the Island site appears abandoned and the 2 mid-lake camps are barely adequate for smaller groups. As should be expected, I do happen upon a couple of turtles sunning themselves, and then spot the first person I’ve seen since leaving Bald Eagle Lake the other day; a solo traveler out fishing who appears to be staying at the campsite just off the portage out.

This end of the portage has a neat huge overhanging rock escarpment just off the trail where there is also something of a small cave. It also boasts a large flat sitting rock which would serve well for staging packs too. There’s a steep climb out of Turtle but it’s noticeably shorter than the extensive descent down to Bald Eagle so, I feel I got the better end of the bargain traveling in this direction for this portage as well. Having now completed all the portages in this loop, I feel this one is assuredly the most grueling. (Not factoring in the Judd trail.)

Coming out of the burn zone makes the vibrant green backdrop of Bald Eagle Lake appear to be The Garden of Eden. Speaking of which, I now return to the story of the bald eagle fly by from yesterday. The reason it gave me chills is because part of my motivation for doing this trip was to pay tribute to a departed fellow paddler known as “dicecupmaker” on bwca.com.

A bit about who he was: Anyone who had been a member there prior to his passing certainly knew of Mitch; as I don’t believe any member bled the orange & black of bwca.com as fervently. He graciously donated homemade leather can coolers to the monthly photo winners and made custom leather work for several others too. Not to mention the novel bearpaw awards to those achieving that status. He was most certainly proud of his boys & I had the good fortune to meet his friend CarolynS @ last falls wingnight and learn more about him. One of his sayings was that canoe country “irons out the wrinkles in his soul” (which ties in quite nicely with the spiritual aspects of this trip already mentioned) and that the iconic bald eagle was his favorite symbol of this area.

I don’t believe Mitch ever actually paddled Bald Eagle Lake but, since the bald eagle meant so much to him; apparently some of his ashes were spread in the vicinity of the island near the channel into Gabbro Lake so, seeing that eagle where & when I did seem like way more than just a coincidence. I dutifully paddle over to a convenient landing where it almost seems like this may have been a campsite at one time. I locate a shaded area with a large tree for a back rest and pull out my Saint John Paul II rosary ring. The thought that is put on my heart while praying is that I don’t think any of us fully realize the overflow of love we all unwittingly generate in the world. Not by necessarily doing anything particularly grandiose but, just by simply being ourselves. May God grant eternal rest and allow his perpetual light shine upon you Mitch!

Afterwards, I retrace my route from yesterday back to camp, noting the snow is still precariously hanging on by Pietro Lake. Ironically, shortly after returning to camp I feel something on my hand after sitting down. It’s a mosquito!!! It’s only one and I don’t have further problems with any others, but it still speaks to the hardiness of these perpetual pests with snow literally still on the ground just a few hundred yards away. It’s a noticeably warmer evening tonight as I am also appreciative of another glittering star filled blanket covering the sky.

~Pietro Lake, Camdre Lake, Clearwater Lake, Turtle Lake, Bald Eagle Lake, Gull Lake