BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
October 31 2024
Entry Point 40 - Homer Lake
Number of Permits per Day: 2
Elevation: 1825 feet
Latitude: 47.9043
Longitude: -90.6605
Homer Lake - 40
Sawbill Paddleboard Day Trip
Entry Date:
September 14, 2020
Entry Point:
Sawbill Lake
Number of Days:
1
Group Size:
1
I've done a fair amount of paddling on my SUP, which is a Surftech Generator 11'6" "all around" model. I did one 17 mile paddle last summer on the Saint Louis River, some paddling on Lake Superior, and a couple other lakes around Duluth and NE MN.
I am a big fan of long days and big miles, having completed a handful of ultramarathon runs, 100k+ gravel bike rides and races, a speed-hike of the Superior Hiking Trail, so my goal was speed and distance, but also to see some sweet lakes and get a taste for paddleboarding in the BWCA.
I initially wanted to go today, as I write this, because of a brief warm spell, but decided to go back one day because the wind forecast was much more favorable. I think it was a good idea.
I plotted a loop from Sawbill, north to Ada Lake, Cherokee Creek, across Cherokee Lake, through Town Lake to Gasket and Cam Lakes, then the very northwest corner of Brule Lake, onto S Temperance Lake, snaking south to Kelly Lake, then back northwest through Burnt and Smoke Lakes. Back to Sawbill and I was home!
My GPS plotted 30 miles with the paddling and portaging all in one. It took me 12 hours and I barely made it with the daylight available. The distance was really difficult, plus I had my 70lb dog Diamond with me on my board the whole time!
Given that I don't have much canoe experience, I am looking forward to trying an overnight trip on my paddleboard. It is definitely do-able to paddle big miles and portage on a stand up paddleboard. If I did some grip strength training, the portages would be substantially easier, and my hand/forearm burning on the portages was the hardest physical challenge, I think.
Luckily I didn't experience too much wind. Based on my estimates, and historical weather data, I think I dealt with a few hours of 7-10mph winds, and that made paddling in a direct headwind fairly difficult. Really, not that bad, but to check my map or briefly stop would cause me to float backwards.
All in all, I averaged 2.5 miles per hour. Here is my GPS data: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/5538267919. I'll post a full trip recap with pics on my blog site: www.mikeward.cool/blog.
~Sawbill Lake, Ada Lake, Skoop Lake, Cherokee Creek, Cherokee Lake, Town Lake, Vesper Lake, Gasket Lake, Cam Lake, Brule Lake, South Temperance Lake, Temperance River, Weird Lake, Jack Lake, Kelly Lake, Burnt Lake, Smoke Lake.