BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
June 16 2024
Entry Point 1 - Trout Lake
Number of Permits per Day: 12
Elevation: 1381 feet
Latitude: 47.9144
Longitude: -92.3220
Trout Lake - 1
Mechanic Chain Solo
Entry Date:
September 23, 2019
Entry Point:
Baker Lake
Exit Point:
Baker Lake (39)
Number of Days:
3
Group Size:
1
I left the Twin Cities at 5am, arriving at Sawbill to pick up a solo canoe and my permit about 9:30. A short drive later, I was on the water at the Baker Lake EP around 11 headed north. The weather was in the 60s with a westerly breeze but not too bad. I saw one group camped on Kelly and passed a group of four guys on Jack Lake but otherwise didn't see anyone else until I reached South Temperance Lake. All the portages were in good condition, some slightly muddy. I wanted to camp on South Temperance or the west end of Brule so my travel day Tuesday up to Cherokee was pretty short mileage-wise. The southern site on South Temperance was taken so I decided to keep going to Brule. It was almost 3 when I portaged into Brule so I ate lunch in case I had to paddle around looking for one of the three sites to be open on the western end of Brule. The site in the narrows was taken, but I found the site on the island just to the south open and took it. The site isn't great, but for one night on a solo trip it was just fine. My wife got me an insulated growler for my birthday which I had partially filled so I enjoyed a wilderness happy hour. I ate ramen for dinner, had a campfire and then stayed up until the stars were out since it was likely to be the only clear night of the trip. Headed to bed about 10pm. 
I got out of the tent around 6:30 in time to see the sunrise which was beautiful. It was a perfectly still morning and mist was present toward the southern shore of Brule. After breakfast and coffee I packed up and was on the water about 8:00am. It was sunny and still, with pockets of mist still in the bays. The paddle up to the bay holding the portage to Cam Lake and the rockslide was incredible. Falls colors and mist on a totally still sunny morning. I paddled slowly taking it all in. The portage into Cam Lake was as advertised: very rocky. You really have to think about almost every step and there are numerous hops between boulders surrounded by muddy water. The landing on the Cam side is a boulder field. But Cam is beautiful. I paddled over to the rock slide then continued to the portage into Gasket. This portage was also very rocky and ends at the base of the rock slide on Gasket. You can walk out onto the rock slide right from the portage. There are also some cliffs on the east end of the small lake. The next portage is probably the easiest of the stretch with some stretches that are normal rather than non-stop boulder fields but there is a decent little climb toward Vesper. The portage landing on the Vesper to Town portage was the worst part of this stretch: you enter a rock field with downed trees and its unclear from the water where the portage starts. Once you find a rock to get out on it becomes apparent you need to get to the beaver dam at the very end of the bay, which requires some interesting maneuvering and rock-hopping. From there, the portage literally starts as a boulder field. It continues on a rocky path which perhaps gets gradually better as you get closer to Town. Because of the landing, I'd say this is the hardest of the four portages, with the Brule/Cam portage being the second-hardest.
I took a little breather on Town Lake before heading to Cherokee. In addition to the 10-rod portage, you need to take another few-rod portage to get into Cherokee.
I was aiming for one of the two island sites mid-lake and was happy to find the site facing west open. In all, it took me about 3-3:30 to get from Brule to Cherokee. It stayed sunny until early afternoon, then turned cloudy in the afternoon and finally rained lightly off and on in the evening. I enjoyed the last of the growler for afternoon happy hour, had a taco bowl for dinner and thankfully had stashed some firewood under the tarp so I could have some s'mores for dessert in the rain.
As I got into the tent for the night I thought I heard a wolf howl but it was so distant I wasn't sure if it was a wolf or a loon. About five minutes later I heard an unmistakable wolf howl. 
I left the Twin Cities at 5am, arriving at Sawbill to pick up a solo canoe and my permit about 9:30. A short drive later, I was on the water at the Baker Lake EP around 11 headed north. The weather was in the 60s with a westerly breeze but not too bad. I saw one group camped on Kelly and passed a group of four guys on Jack Lake but otherwise didn't see anyone else until I reached South Temperance Lake. All the portages were in good condition, some slightly muddy. I wanted to camp on South Temperance or the west end of Brule so my travel day Tuesday up to Cherokee was pretty short mileage-wise. The southern site on South Temperance was taken so I decided to keep going to Brule. It was almost 3 when I portaged into Brule so I ate lunch in case I had to paddle around looking for one of the three sites to be open on the western end of Brule. The site in the narrows was taken, but I found the site on the island just to the south open and took it. The site isn't great, but for one night on a solo trip it was just fine. My wife got me an insulated growler for my birthday which I had partially filled so I enjoyed a wilderness happy hour. I ate ramen for dinner, had a campfire and then stayed up until the stars were out since it was likely to be the only clear night of the trip. Headed to bed about 10pm. 
