BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
July 28 2025
Entry Point 77 - South Hegman Lake
South Hegman Lake entry point allows overnight paddle only. This entry point is supported by Kawishiwi Ranger Station near the city of Ely, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 16 miles. Access is a 80-rod portage to South Hegman Lake.
Number of Permits per Day: 1.5 (varies by day)
Elevation: 1282 feet
Latitude: 48.0336
Longitude: -91.9250
South Hegman Lake - 77
Number of Permits per Day: 1.5 (varies by day)
Elevation: 1282 feet
Latitude: 48.0336
Longitude: -91.9250
South Hegman Lake - 77
2 old farts pushing their limits
by mmarksnp
Trip Report
Entry Date:
July 10, 2025
Entry Point:
South Hegman Lake
Exit Point:
Mudro Lake (23)
Number of Days:
8
Group Size:
2
Trip Introduction:
Every year my friend of over 50 years do a BWCA trek. We are both seniors over 65 and we do a different route every time and include a reputedly "difficult" portage and try to go remote. We have never thought the so called super hard portages were really that bad. Until this year. Doing difficult portages facilitates limiting human contact. This year's difficult portage was Trease to Angleworm on the way to Bear Trap Lake with entry on S Hegman and exiting at Mudro.
Day 1 of 8
Wednesday, July 9, 2025 Travel Day. I travel from Asheville NC and Kevin from the Charlottesville VA area. Because Delta has cut service to our airport after Hurricane Helene, got up a 0130 to drive to Charlotte for a 6 am non-stop. Traveling with my dog Maisie, I don't like to change planes. Kevin and I met up at MSP and headed out. We used and outfitter this year that we had never used before. This outfitter shall remain un-named to protect the guilty. We arrived and started going over the gear. There are many terms I could use but I will go with disgraceful. I have nothing but good things to say about previous outfitter I have used over the past 15 years but this was not good. They knew our route and we were to older guys who travel light and single portage. First thing out of the bag was the tent--a four person monstrosity of around 10 pounds. We asked for a 3 person. They don't have those so we went with a 2 person. On the trail, this turned out to be entry level cub scout tent with no vestibules which needed some seam sealing. Next out was the cook kit. One pot looked as if someone has used the base for BB gun target practice as it had so many dents. Next was the personal gear bag. It was too small. We asked for a number 4. He went in and came out with a very old cammo bag with no lifting handles and a mis-matched hip belt. He gave us the same bag liner which was for a much smaller bag. We we asked for the right sized liner he had the nerve to say that it was the right size. Really disgusted by this time. Hopped in the car and drove to Spirit of the Wilderness (who we know and love from prior visits) and Steve hooked us up with a brand new Granite Gear Superior 1 (with the correct sized liner) for $42 for the week. Went back and packed. I will say the food was good and appropriate in serving sizes and snacks. Rain report for the preceding week was 2.5 inches which did not bode well for the big portage.
Day 2 of 8
Thursday, July 10, 2025 Woke to moderate rain. After a continental breakfast we headed out. Vert wet. Plan for the day was to do the 85 rod portage in to Hegman, then tge 20 rods into N Hegman, see the pictoglyphs on the north end 
These pictoglyphs are the clearest I have seen. Next up the big portage. This was without a doubt the hardest and most challenging portage BY FAR I have endured in 15 trips. We thought single portaging we could do it in 2 hours or so. HA! It started with the mud. With all the rain it was a nightmare. We had to scout without gear for doable routes through the moose muck. I sunk in twice to over my knee which required using all my strength to extricate myself. I had doubts that I would be able to but did was was exhausted very early on. Here is what the muck looked like: 
After navigating the swamp, we continued most uphill all the way through wet, slick rock gardens on an trail that had not seen much maintenance in some time. By the way, the map on BWCA.com is not accurate. Rather than going straight to home creek, you have to angle NW to intersect the Angleworm trail and then enter the lake from one of the trail campsites. I do NOT recommend the southernmost one. Finally, after not 2, not 4, but 6 hours of torture we emerged on Home Creek/Angleworm. We were toast and wanted the first available site. Fortunately site 1897 is a very decent 3* site with SW exposure on a point was open and there was a nice supply of firewood waiting for us. Fortunately it did stop raining early on during the portage. A nice hot meal of grilled New York Strips and garlic mashed potatoes along with a snort of Makers and to bed we went.
These pictoglyphs are the clearest I have seen. Next up the big portage. This was without a doubt the hardest and most challenging portage BY FAR I have endured in 15 trips. We thought single portaging we could do it in 2 hours or so. HA! It started with the mud. With all the rain it was a nightmare. We had to scout without gear for doable routes through the moose muck. I sunk in twice to over my knee which required using all my strength to extricate myself. I had doubts that I would be able to but did was was exhausted very early on. Here is what the muck looked like: After navigating the swamp, we continued most uphill all the way through wet, slick rock gardens on an trail that had not seen much maintenance in some time. By the way, the map on BWCA.com is not accurate. Rather than going straight to home creek, you have to angle NW to intersect the Angleworm trail and then enter the lake from one of the trail campsites. I do NOT recommend the southernmost one. Finally, after not 2, not 4, but 6 hours of torture we emerged on Home Creek/Angleworm. We were toast and wanted the first available site. Fortunately site 1897 is a very decent 3* site with SW exposure on a point was open and there was a nice supply of firewood waiting for us. Fortunately it did stop raining early on during the portage. A nice hot meal of grilled New York Strips and garlic mashed potatoes along with a snort of Makers and to bed we went.
Day 3 of 8
Friday, July 11, 2025 Awoke to every muscle in body in protest. Coffee, breakfast and we hoped to make it to Beartrap for a 2 night stay. This would mean a 63 rod portage to Home and then a 272 rod to Gull, then turn north for a the 43 to Mudhole and 60 to Thunder. Well, still half dead from the preceding day, we finished the 272 into Gull, needing to not go on and it looked like a storm was threatening. Lake was empty save for us and we crossed over to campsite 1888. This is a lovely 4 star facing south. Multiple tent pads, no widow makers, and fairly well protected from wind. With weather evidently on the way, we set up camp and had and early dinner. Did make a fire and were relaxing when the storm came at about 530 pm. We retreated into our tent (which still had no vestibules and strung a tarp tightly down over us. It was a severe and long storm and we did not emerge from our tent until almost 630 am to a beautiful day. PIc is the storm coming in
Day 4 of 8
Saturday July,12and Sunday July 13 Broke camp on Gu ll and took the short portage to Mudhole. Now Mudhole is a small, nearly featureless round lake. Portage out is due north and a maybe 7 minute paddle directly across this little lake traveling north. Did we look at the map? Yes. Did we orient the map? No, why? no need. Did we check the compass? No. We paddled directly across the lake and saw no portage. We slowly headed west along the shore expecting the portage to appear any second. Nope. So we decided to turn back to the start and be smart. We paddled maybe 25 yards and boom, a portage. We thought we were facing south but this was not the trail we entered on. Took out compass and it was pointing due north. Our hopes were to get the lone site on Beartrap but if not available to take the peninsula site on Thunder and if that was not available to take the portage site. As we emerged onto Thunder we were dismayed to see the peninsula site was taken which did not bode well. We paddled over and started talking to this really nice group. I thought we were crazy for taking the 468 rod portage but these maniacs came in via the 700+ rods from EP 20. This was about 9 am and they told us they had arrived the day before also hoping for the Beartrap site. There was a group there who had been for several days and was due to leave this morning. They had not seen then leave. Hmm. We then headed up to the portage site and took a quick look. Not great but doable but not what we wanted for 2 nights. We walked the short portage and were dismayed to see a major headwind with whitecaps. Now, you cannot see the camp site from the portage and you have to paddle SW around 2 points to find it. Nothing from nothing leaves nothing, so we decided to try it and maybe get an time of departure. Much to our delight, as we rounded the last point, there was the site and it was vacant! We would not have gotten it if we had kept to our original schedule. This is a nice little site. Likely a 3 elsewhere but +1 for the solitude making it a 4. Fishing was good. I caught the nicest walleye I have ever landed AFTER dinner and so released him. 2 nights and days of relaxation, good fishing and good swimming. Nice fish fry on night 2. Maisie the dog caught a fish. While in the canoe fishing, I caught a keeper walleye and tossed it over here head to middle of the boat. She jumped up and caught it on the fly with it a perfect 90 degrees with tail to left and head to right of her mouth. Spines were facing out and no damage done. Never have you seen a prouder pup.
Eagle siting. We placed a pike carcass on a rock away from camp (yes yes I know) for eagles or otters. We watched a bald eagle come swooping down from the island in from of the camp and snatch pike remains and fly back to the island. He/She was joined by a juvenile eagle who was not chased off, so we assumed offspring. Eventually he returned to the rock for the remainder and stayed there for a while eating while the sun was setting. He flew off across from us showing off or perhaps in thanks with his reflection in dead calm water across a beautiful dusk sunset as a loon called out. It just doesn't get any better. Here is a link to that video https://youtu.be/6D-wxergBgI 
Day 5 of 8
Monday, July 14, 2025 Day 5 and time to start homeward. Plan was to paddle down to Boot, find a decent site and then out to Mudro the next day. After a casual breakfast and relaxed breaking of camp we had an uneventful trip out. As we approached Fairy, it looked like some serious weather was coming in. We hoped to get the eastern site with western exposure but someone just beat us to it. We took the site on the portage and much to our pleasant surprise, this is an under rated site. 1 great tent pad, I decent pad with southern on a point facing south with 250 degrees of views. Good fishing from shore. Set up camp quickly, and did a quick boil water and pour into pouch freeze dried meal. It was Kung Pao chicken and maybe the best one of those meals I have ever had. At about 630, the worst storm I have ever experienced in the BWCA came in. I am closing in on 100 days on the water and it was special. Non stop lightning and thunder and heavy rain for 10 hours. I did mention a great tent pad. This pad could take a 4 person, it was level, not lumpy, and did not collect water. No widow makers or dead trees. So we hunkered down in our tent all night for the second time with the pup wedged tightly between us. Got out to an overcast but improving day and headed out.
Day 6 of 8
Tuesday, July 15, 2025 Packed up for the 7.5 miles to Mudro trip. Weather initially overcast but improved. Portages were WET and slick but we negotiated them without incident. Crossed paths with a Scouting group out of Houston on day 3 of 9. It was great to see and they seemed very happy. One of the Scouts asked me if the next portage was up or down. I replied yes. Pic from southern Boot 
Arrived at Mudro entry an hour early for our pickup. So like Merry and Pippen in the ruins of Isengard, we sat down and made a pot of coffee and took a load off.
Returned to the outfitters and as we disembarked from the van, we were abruptly told that the rules for pets had changed and that they really weren't allowed in the Bunkhouse. Unbelievable. So I called up Spirit of the Wilderness and one of their bunkhouses was available. We did not complain, yell, or badmouth, we just left. I hate to end on a negative so I won't. Despite a crappy outfittter, rain 3 out of 6 days including 2 major storms, THe worst mosquito year ever, the PORTAGE FROM HELL it was a great experience as it is every year. It was a sore test for these 2 Old Farts as we did single portage every time. A week later and I am still a little sore. Can't wait for next year. Here is the author on day 6. 
Day 7 of 8
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 Breakfast in Virgina as is our tradition and then to MSP. Maisie and I made it home uneventfully. Keven had to spend the night in O'hare.
Day 8 of 8
Thursday, July 17, 2025
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