Wednesday, June 13, 2007 The End is Near

I didn’t wake up as early as I would of liked to but I am on vacation. I break camp at 8:15 AM and a few minutes later I am on the portage to Misquah Lake. The landing is tricky but the walk is easy. Misquah reminds me of a crater lake surrounded by hills. On the northwest end a fire had burned off the larger trees and exposed a lot of rock outcrops.

The challenging 190r into Little Trout seems longer, but has something to do with the two hills that have to be climbed up then walked back down. It really is an interesting portage with a beautiful view of Little Trout and a variety of terrain. It is made up of large boulder fields, a wooded swamp boardwalk, old growth timber, and a hillside that is regenerating nicely from an old forest fire. The landing on Misquah is a boulder field.

Up the trail I came across a large pile of bear spore and there is a lot of moose sign on the path. I ran into a Mad Mother Grouse. One of her chicks nearly got stepped on and she jumped out in front of me making a great display, then as I closed the gap she played injured and escorted me down the trail away from her chicks. The trail ends in another boulder field. Little Trout Lake is a beautiful spot and the island campsite looks like a comfortable place to stay. I wish I had another day so I could try for a grand slam and get a Laker for supper.

I was not expecting another steep hill on the portage to Rum.

It is only 60r but the climb was fun. Rum Lake is nothing to write home about. On the flat 55r portage to Kroft a young couple from Rochester, MN were on their way into Little Trout. They had nice new Duluth packs, fancy paddles and an aluminum canoe. I would like to try out the Duluth Packs and the fancy paddles but they can keep the Al can. They are only the second group of people I have crossed on a portage and the first people I have seen since Horseshoe Lake. Kroft Lake is nothing to get excited about and the 80r portage to Ram is nothing tough. Ram Lake is a pretty lake and a nice way to end the trip. As I was unloading the canoe I heard what sounded like two gunshots coming from the west. My previous experiences have told me that what sounds like gunshots are the dropping of aluminum canoes on the rocks. I am guessing the young couple made it to Little Trout Lake.

The hike to the truck is up then down. It does have a nice view of some high hills to the east. My first trip to the truck was at 12:20 AM and I was on the road driving away at 1:10 PM. I stopped for a soda in Tofte as I was driving a little tired. In Two Harbors I hit the Culvers drive through and had a Snickers Concrete Malt and Cheese Curds. I was back in the driveway by 5:25 PM.

My first solo trip was exhausting but it is a really great feeling. I will be doing more solo trips. The route I took was awesome. It has a lot of areas to explore and could be stretched into a longer trip that could be more challenging or easier with scenic day loops. It is a beautiful part of the BWCAW that I don’t hear a lot about. I am actually apprehensive to post this report. I would hate to see this area over used and abused. I will be back to fish more of these lakes and enjoy area.