BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
September 15 2024
Entry Point 30 - Lake One
Number of Permits per Day: 13
Elevation: 1230 feet
Latitude: 47.9391
Longitude: -91.4792
My son Remy and I, and my friend Keith and his son Charlie put our canoes into Lake one at 9:30 Monday morning after dropping off a car at the Snowbank Lake landing. Lake One can be tricky to navigate. On our way to Lake Two we turned East too early and ended up paddling about a mile out of our way into a dead-end bay before we realized our mistake. We blamed the fact that Lake One was split between Fisher Maps #10 and #4 for our error. If the entire lake had been visible at once on a single map, we would not have made the wrong turn. Once we got back on course we portaged the 30 rods into a pond and then portaged the 40 rods into Lake Two. The weather was nice, and there was a bit of a tail wind out of the West. We stopped for lunch on the shore of Lake Two. After lunch we canoed through the North end of Lake Three and into Lake Four. We stopped for the night at a campsite on the West shore of Lake Four, just North of the channel heading toward Hudson Lake. We had to battle swarms of mosquitoes as we set up the tents. We then had a nice refreshing swim. Because we had brought steaks along for the first night, we didn't go fishing.
On Tuesday morning we had a bacon and eggs breakfast then packed up camp and headed out in our canoes. As we canoed past our campsite, we realized that Remy & I had left our hammocks pitched between trees. We landed again and quickly packed them up. Once again we had beautiful weather. We paddled East and completed 3 short portages before entering Hudson Lake. The 105 rod portage into Lake Insula was exhausting! Lake Insula is a large gorgeous lake broken up by multiple islands and penninsulas. We had lunch at a campsite on a large island just East of Hudson Lake. It felt like we had a tail wind as we were heading East, and then as we turned North it seemed like the wind shifted and was at our backs once again. We navigated Lake Insula flawlessly and camped for the night on the island just West of Williamson Island. After setting up the tents and a refreshing swim, Remy & I got back into the canoe and tried to catch some fish. We had no luck! At 9PM that night, just as we were going to bed, a thunderstorm rolled through. That night I was awakened several times by the loud croaking of bullfrogs from the shallows around our island. What noisy neighbors!
By Wednesday morning the weather had cleared, but the wind was now coming from the Northwest, pretty much in our faces. We paddled to the North end of Lake Insula and tackled the largest portage of our trip. The 180 rod walk to Kiana Lake actually seemed easier than the 105 rod carry into Lake Insula. We headed onward into Thomas Lake where we really started feeling the headwind. We finally made it to the campsite just Northeast of the portage into Thomas Pond in time for lunch. After lunch we proceeded across Thomas Pond and into Thomas Creek after hiking across the famous Kekekabic Trail. We managed to easily run the rapids in Thomas Creek and avoid the 2 short portages. We camped for the night on Hatchet Lake at the northern campsite. It was cool and windy, so we didn't swim. There was lots of threatening weather going by to the North of us, but we stayed dry. After supper we canoed back to Thomas Creek to fish and look for moose. No luck on either count, but we did see a beaver swimmming.
The weather was nice again Thursday morning, but the wind was out of the West which was the direction we were heading. We portaged into Ima Lake and canoed across it. Before portaging into Jordan Lake, we watched a bald eagle sitting in a tree get harrassed repeatedly by a seagull. The narrow channel leading into Jordan Lake is quite beautiful. It is narrow like a river with big rock outcroppings. We paddled across Jordan, Cattyman, Adventure, and Jitterbug Lakes. We found the Eastern campsite on Ahsub Lake taken, so we camped at the Western campsite which had a great place for swimming in front of it. There was a very brave loon in front of the campsite who didn't seem to mind if we got close to it. We tried our luck at fishing, but only caught 1 smallmouth which was too small to eat. Between 5:00 and 7:30 that evening we saw a number of canoes heading across Ahsub Lake from Disappointment Lake to Jitterbug Lake. We weren't sure where they were planning to camp, but it was getting late.
On Friday we awoke again to good weather. We paddled the length of Disappointment Lake and portaged into to Parent Lake and then on to Snowbank Lake. It was July 4th, and as we entered Snowbank Lake the sounfd of firecrackers reminded us we weren't in the wilderness anaymore. After a brief splash war on our way across Snowbank, we made it to the landing and our car was still there. What a great trip!
Reid’s first trip
Entry Date:
July 31, 2024
Entry Point:
Lake One
Number of Days:
4
Group Size:
2
Day 1. 0430 came early but could hardly sleep anyways. I snuck out got the canoe loaded and float tested. Went back and got Reid up out of bed and we pushed off at 0600. Little bit of a headwind on the way in but nothing terrible.
My goal was to make it through the portages and anything after that was icing on the cake. We made quick work of the portages each doing a double trip and then one of us double checking we didn’t miss anything. We stopped between the portages to let him explore the rapids, I think he could have spent hours there. Shockingly enough never encountered anyone at the portages.
Found a campsite that was suitable for Reid and I with 3 trees perfect to put our hammocks in and be close to each other. Also had fresh moose tracks in it. Reid took a cat nap to test his hammock out. We got camp all set up. (I mean I did, he fished) I can still hear the whopper plopper plopping in my head right now. Maybe tomorrow I’ll teach him a walk the dog bait. I will say it’s crazy seeing smallies in 30 ft of water come screaming up to whack it. Safe to say he’s in love with topwater fishing
Later on before coming in for dinner we found a school of big bluegills out in the main basin. We did some swimming and floating then got a fire going and made the customary ribeyes on the first night. Took care of the dishes, did another swim, we got a great little beach on the campsight. Over by where our hammocks are situated on a rock face that drops into 20 ft of water. So I rigged a few lighted slip bobbers up and we sat on the rock and went through a couple dozen leeches in a few hours shockingly enough I got outfished by the boy so now I owe him a pocket knife. He also wants walleye for breakfast so we got a couple nice ones on a 25 ft rope sitting out in the deep water. I’m curious and will be shocked if a turtle doesn’t find them by morning. But I can also say I’ve never had a stringer tied to a hammock before i can feel them still pulling on it haha.
Was a little nervous about him sleeping in a hammock alone, but he’s sawing logs pretty good over there. I’m excited to see how well we sleep and feel tomorrow but so far these things are way better than a tent.
The one on one time and the heart to heart conversations have been worth it alone. 
Reid called it the bad luck day. Had a great nights rest until 345 when Reid woke up and forgot where he was. So I crawled into his hammock. Wasn’t very much later and the bottom of the hammock split right down the middle. Dumping both of us onto the ground. So I got up and decided to try to nap in the chair for a little bit longer and put reid in the other hammock. He went back to snoozing until like 8:30. I went through a quick dozen leeches. Added a few nice ones to the stringer. Kinda nice having a long stringer and access to deep water to keep em alive until you want to clean them.
Reid and I went out on main lake structure pitching finishers and had a pretty good couple of hours. Then the wind came and we were pretty much shore bound the rest of the day. So we relaxed and chatted and read books and went swimming. Went to go grab a couple walleyes off the stringer. Damn this feels really heavy. Yep, big old snapper was having his own meal of our fish. So we went and soaked some leeches again off the rock and picked up dinner.
We re did the hammock in hopes that we can both sleep in it tonight. We took a half hour cat nap and I think we can make the most of it. Otherwise I’m sitting in the chair or sleeping on a rock.
The only thing I can think of is that the hammock caught an edge of a sharp rock and that’s what did it. 500 pound weight capacity so it wasn’t that, or it was just a defect. I spent months researching which one to get and asked tons of questions. Anywho, I didn’t think the company would do anything for me, but I went through the warranty process while having oatmeal. While I was making pizzas at lunch I had gotten an email apologizing for it and it happening in the middle of no where. (Yet we could watch Netflix out here if we wanted) They said they were going to replace but thought that I should have the next model up that’s a bit thicker. By dinner I had the shipping information. Just unreal to me. All in all a simple but great day 2.
Reid is already writing down the plans for 2025 and that we need to bring Henry with but we need to get him in a canoe at home to practice. 
End of Day 3.
“Now it might work out that you don't turn out anything like me, but I'll love whoever you turn out to be.”
Had a great nights sleep doubling up in the hammock. Honestly think going forward we could make this be just fine and not need two. Reid says I don’t need to buy another one for next year, he and Henry can share.
Pretty typical morning, oatmeal for me and banana bread and an apple for Reid. I let Reid snooze since we are on vacation. Went through a dozen leeches, and a box of crawlers from shore mainly all walleyes and one or two smallies and pike mixed in waiting for him to wake up.
We set out towards my favorite spots for smallmouth which was across the lake, but stopped along the way to pitch finishers and scope tgs with swim baits the Megabass Haze dongs being the best out on the main lake. Mapping the lake as we go, I gotta tell ya, there is something about finding something in the middle of the lake that no one else knows about, unless they do the same thing we do. Made it past the third island and saw the “wind” in clouds and decided it was best to head back to camp. We got back to camp and had about a half hour to make sure we were storm ready. Thanks to Reid’s ingenuity we got a nice rain fly set up and kept everything dry. Reid decided to get some “shut eye” as I unpacked and repacked everything up. It ended up raining and storming until 1830 tonight. We had a a dinner of “must gos” which consisted of pizzas, pasta, wasabi almonds and venison sticks.
Reid wanted to fish off the “rock” and so we did. Adding pretty much everything that swims to the list, walleyes, bluegills, smallmouth and pike. He even found out we didn’t even need to cast. Could just drop straight off the rock and get bit. We played war and go fish in between bites. I beat him in war and lost in go fish.
Camp is 90% packed up and ready to go. We have a half day paddle ahead of us, then I am taking a wenonah for a test drive, pit stop in Ely and lunch somewhere along the way home and back in time for dinner.
We are tucked in the hammock listening to the rumbles of thunder and wolves howling.
Couple of quick one liners from Reid:
When can we bring everyone else up here.
Why can’t we stay longer?
The waves crashing on the rocks is better than any of the sounds on the sound machine.
Also for the final fishing tally….Reid wins day one and day 3. (It helps when the trolling motor tells him where to cast)
So he will be the proud new of a Swiss Army knife he’ll never use until the next trip.
Sunday we paddled out.
Home.
Had nearly everything packed up last night and ready to go. I finished the odds and ends this morning. Got him up and into the canoe. He really didn’t help me much paddling on the way in. I thought there was something wrong. There was, he just didn’t want to leave.
He said we were going for 15 days next summer, I said 5 and we bring Henry. So into the planning we go.
In the car on the ride home I asked him what his best part of the trip was, he said just being with you. God the kid can know how to make it hurt.
43 days until I’m back up there again for a fins and feathers solo trip. I am not counting or anything.
