BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
July 07 2024
Entry Point 39 - Baker Lake
Number of Permits per Day: 2
Elevation: 1497 feet
Latitude: 47.8452
Longitude: -90.8169
Summary: A 5-day loop from Baker up the Temperance lakes to Cherokee, and back through Sawbill and Smoke lakes back to Baker. A fairly difficult trip.
Day 0: We drove up from Stillwater in the morning and camped at one of the 5 walk-in campsites at Baker Lake, and it was nice.
Day 1 (Baker to S. Temperance) - A beautiful day, we decided to paddle all the way to South Temperance the first day which was a great paddle with easy portages except for the last one. We picked the campsite on top of a huge rock that was close to the middle of the lake. Tried fishing some but no luck
Day 2 (Rest) - In the night, we encountered the worst storm of the entire season. While we were there 19 people had to be rescued from the BWCA. We had about 50mph straightline winds, and I'm still surprised that the huge tent we had stood up to it. We slept in and took a rest day because of the intense winds. Amazingly beautiful sunset.
Day 3 (S. Temperance to Cherokee) - We left as early as we could to beat the heat, but it was no good. The lengthy, hilly portages were challenging and by the last portage we were pretty beat. We overpacked and single portaged which led us to speedier exhaustion. Still amazing weather. North Temperance was a beaut- I wish we had stayed there instead of South. We took the southeasterly facing campsite on Cherokee on the southeastern skinny island. Neat little site.
Day 4 (Cherokee to Sawbill) - Left a little later in the day but it was ok. We took our time going down the river letting out of the southwest part of Cherokee and it was a great area. BEWARE: The area between Ada and Skoop Lakes appears to be floatable, but a dam built recently has made the portion impossible to float. Be prepared for a long portage through muck and water. A guy that we saw there said he had been going to the BWCA for 40 years at least once per year and it was the worst portage he had ever seen. By the time we got to Sawbill it was pretty hot. We paddled all the way down to the site next to the portage onto Smoke.
Day 5 (Sawbill to Baker) - Cooler, cloudier weather for the first time on the trip. We were pretty hungry (I underpacked food a little and I felt really bad) and we were taunting each other with vivid descriptions of the burgers we were going to eat ASAP after getting out. We paddled back to Baker and returned our gear to Sawtooth outfitters.
Overall great route.
The mullet calls
Entry Date:
June 29, 2024
Entry Point:
Sawbill Lake
Number of Days:
5
Group Size:
4
===Story Time===
Coming in we had heavy winds that produced decent waves 1 to 2 feet high. That doesn't seem like much until you're in a canoe loaded to the gills and a heavier-than-last-year linebacker named Ethan. Took on about 5 gallons of water. Many things got wet. Do better with dry sacks the mullet says, as it drips on the nape.
EthanB burned himself three separate times in the same night. He shall now be called "hot-things optimism" (Taylor Swift has already asked for rights to use that as a song title). The next night in an attempt to dry his shoes he melted them. Learned later those shoes were from the 8th grade. The mullet commends the use of something equal to six mullet life spans; if you're on the mullet-a-year plan.
Cliff jumping on Beth Lake was excellent and squeal-y . We did the highest jump multiple times (16 feet ?). Then we swam to a campground that almost vanquished the mullet's host. Nobody really knows if there is a mullet afterlife.
The host found a tick in the mullet while canoeing. That was a first for the host. It was a first for the mullet. The mullet told the tick he understands parasitism.
A lot of time was spent around the campfire with the three young men having many conversations full of inside stories and laughter. The old'ish man (the mullet's host) enjoyed observing life-long friendships continue on their journey and looks forward to the suggestion of bringing the other fathers next year.
One of the campers had never had PB&J sandwiches or tuna from a packet. Another had never had peanut butter on a stick of celery. The mullet kept its strands out of all food all trip and was rewarded with a degreasing in the outfitter shower named "Birchwood".
All young-adult campers had extremely little concern over using unwashed dishes. Ramen on that cup from last night? No worries, load in some oatmeal for this morning and then mix some tuna for lunch. The mullet likens this to sharing a comb with another mullet known for frequenting the "lice alleys".
One camper donated his rod/reel and sunglasses to the lake. When the host shook his head the mullet flapped side to side with the resulting wind causing a slight disturbance to a nearby butterfly. That's nature.
Saw five loons all together at the same time. The mullet doesn't say "wow" but it knows it was cool.
===New Gear/Ideas===
Used a 2" diameter by 9" long black PVC tube as a "case" for my collapsible fishing rod in my backpack. The piece of duct tape on the button kept it stuck to the bottom so it didn't slide out. Worked really well. Now I just need to find a squash-proof transport mechanism for my reel. Recommendations?
Added a pre-filter on the gravity water filtration system. It was made from a 3" PVC elbow with a piece of sheer curtain rubber-banded over the end and placed in the top of the "dirty water" bag. This was a game changer because it meant I didn't need to backflush until I packed the Sawyer filter five days later. Previously I would need to backflush around twice a day. The mullet made some comment about being comfortable resting on a red neck.
Sawbill Outfitters has an area in the back of their store with used equipment (who knew!). I scored three Ranger X paddles for $20/ea. They retail for $150/ea. As Karl Malone once said, "The mullet know how to grease the wheel".
Brought a stainless coffee percolator for heating water over the fire for the first time. Thanks Knuter for introducing me to this cool idea. The handle was melt-able plastic so I manufactured a replacement from a 2x6 and that worked great.
Bought a Menards medium duty camo tarp for over the fire. Another idea I stole from Knuter (or maybe he willingly is letting me borrow it?). This is so incredibly nice for rainy days so you can still enjoy the fire and have a commons area. In related news, we borrowed Knuter's screened tarp and that was a life-saver for Tuesday as it was rainy and buggy. I highly recommend it so you can have reprieve from the skeeters and play some cards.
Bought a Shelta Seahawk hat. It took three trips to Scheels for me to pull the trigger because I've never spent $54 on a hat before (yikes!) but it was a sure winner this past trip. Its brim is stiff like a baseball cap so it doesn't flap in your eyes in high wind. There is both an elastic cinch and neck cord for variances of keeping it tight. And there is a place to hood the chin strap in the back so it's not constantly dangling on your mullet - NICE! A review by an acquaintance finally convinced me: https://manmakesfire.com/shelta-hats-review-seahawk.../
With my Christmas money I bought a Kershaw pocket knife. I went this smaller form route because I found I rarely needed the bigger Morakniv which was constantly getting caught on things. This knife clips nicely in my pocket and could even cut a lock of mullet if somebody asked for one.
===Next Trip=== My next BWCA trip is in late August with Hosanna church of Mankato, where the Bartells have been attending since Easter. I know exactly no one that is going on the trip and I couldn't be more excited (a couple years ago I self-diagnosed as an extrovert). Hosanna is organizing the trip and I just show up with my own personal items and hop in a van. This will be a new experience for me because usually my mullet and I plan all the deets. Maybe it's a trip about fasting and praying and there's no food. That would certainly surprise my impacted colon and the mullet would have to find other means for nutrients.
Till next time.
Aaron "a rat tail is a compromised mullet" Bartell