BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
April 25 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!
change of plans
Entry Date:
September 23, 2012
Entry Point:
Snowbank Lake
Number of Days:
12
Group Size:
2
Yet another gray morning, although it’s nice to see the wind is calm. Not wanting to paddle all the way around the large peninsula, we opt for the 40 rod portage just NE of our site. There’s a nice beach here and then a narrow (for getting the canoe through) passage through a couple of pine trees before the trail climbs then drops back down to a rocky landing. As we work our way towards Cross Bay Lake, the portages are all fairly short and level but, exceedingly muddy & wet with a few boulders thrown in for good measure . Fortunately Aurora has overcome her fear of puddles and now charges ahead with confidence! The landing on the Rib Lake end of the portage to Cross Bay deserves special mention as a boulder infested mess.
Once on Cross Bay, Vickie checks out the southern site and isn’t overly enthusiastic about it so we paddle on. Along the western shore where the tiny creek comes in from a no name lake, we hear rushing water so we paddle over to investigate. Once we penetrate the initial shrouding brush, a stunning waterfall is revealed. Vickie is particularly enthralled and we linger here basking in this magical atmosphere.
Continuing on up the lake, (actually Cross Bay is more of a river) we spy the next campsite up high on the western shore. The landing is a bit tricky but, there are a couple of nice tent pads and I’m able to situate the tarp so that the hammock is partially underneath it. It’s a bit grassy (buggy) but, does offer a commanding view in both directions. Aurora even has a playmate here as a grouse keeps her occupied while Vickie & I put the finishing touches on getting setup.
Although it has been a short travel day, we don’t stay up too late tonight as the bugs, once again, prove to be a nuisance. Like it had throughout the day, it rains on and off until morning. We hear noises into the night but, rightly figure it’s just the grouse.
Long Island Lake, Karl Lake, Lower George Lake, Rib Lake, Cross Bay Lake
got another early start this morning. not as cold this morning but the winds were still blowing. we bypass the falls at cattyman, figuring we'd see them on the way back. it's beginning to look like rain and the wind is picking up. we portage into jordan and decide to camp instead of attempting ima in the wind. we find a really nice site with a beach. not many miles so far. we laugh and think maybe we should just go a few miles each day. we set up the rain fly anticipating rain, and sure enough, the sun comes out. we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring and lounging around camp in the shade, as it was getting rather warm out. the winds died down and we enjoyed a great afternoon that had us hoping it would be calm tomorrow. we were ready to do some miles and get in the groove.
low 41 high 65 cloudy to sunny moderate winds 
woke up this morning to frost covered campsite. the winds were calm and there was a thick fog over the lake. no high clouds and it was looking like it might be sunny day. we had a quick breakfast and headed out for ima. we paddled off into the fog. the water was like glass and we could faintly see the other shore through the fog. as we approached the portage out we had three otters swimming around the canoe checking us out. of course by the time i got my camera out they swam off. when we got into ima the weather turned cloudy and we started to get some spotty showers. got out our rain gear at the campsite with the big trees just to the left of the portage into ima. got through ima and into fraser without another drop of rain and chose a camp on the north shore. plenty of presplit wood for the fire. somebody was either bored or had just bought a new ax. light snow mixed with rain started coming down about the time we were heading to the tent.
low 31 high 54 cloudy with light winds 
woke up and had another quick breakfast. calm weather and five portages ahead of us. stopped at strup and had lunch. slipped and almost fell in while packing up after lunch. soaked one entire leg. my fellow traveler thought it was quite entertaining and was laughing off and on the rest of the day. got to kekekabic and paddled/drifted for over an hour with a light wind at our backs. we began to smell smoke today from what from what we believed to be the quetico fire. the leaves to the south were beautiful. picked the far north east campsite with the large root wad, but only after paddling to all of the other sites on that end of the lake just to get a look. at dinner we finished the fist 11oz bottle of fuel. after our first ten mile day we also used a good amount of our rationed whiskey. the temperature started to drop and we had a small fire and called it a night.
low 34 high 64 cloudy to sunny light winds 
cold this morning. took awhile to get out of the sleeping bag. left some socks on top of the tent that turned quite frosty. fired up the stove immediately and made breakfast burritos. had a short paddle to the first portage and the seven more after that before we stopped. since we were told the portage into south arm was closed we paddled through eddy and headed into jenny. we found out later when we got back that the closure was probably lifted about the day we passed through. had lunch on jenny with a large swarm of bugs. seemed strange that there were so many considering the temperatures we had been having at night. found a nice site on ogishkemuncie. or as guido called it ogishimefunky. later that night we discovered that the site was overrun with mice. at one point in the evening i shined my headlamp at the boat and saw at least 20 mice scatter. mice ran over the tent and fly all night and left some presents on the barrel for us in the morning. good raise fire area and loons calling to distract us from the infestation. on the west end of the island past the privy there is a nice area to view the sunset and there was a grouse out there enjoying it with us. the short portages and the short paddles made it hard to get into a groove today. even though not many miles it was pretty tiring.
low 25 high 64 sunny light winds 
got up early and had another quick breakfast. not sure why i planned so many hot breakfast when we normally tend to get moving early. the portage into mueller was a killer. i was thinking it was the hardest so far. after a short paddle through mueller we reached what was the hardest portage yet. mueller into agamok. after walking the packs through we scouted some trails that intersected the portage. we found the backpacking camp site and the bridge over the small shut ins. thinking we could save some effort carrying the canoe. we decided to try and paddle through the open water along the portage and avoid the 100 rods into agamok. we bushwhacked through what we thought was an alternate route. walked on large ankle breaking boulders and got into the next pond only to find that it was impassible. on the positive side beautiful and peaceful area that i'm sure not many people get to experience. we turned around to go back to the actual portage and almost lost the canoe as it slid into the lake while we unloaded. luckily guido jumped for it and saved it from blowing across the lake. he was a little wet but we had the canoe. two hours later we get to agamok exhausted. we sat in the sun and had some lunch. gabimichigami was extremely still. that along with the burnt landscape created a surreal atmosphere. two years prior we had paddled this section and it seemed that very little had changed. couple more portages and we were in little saganaga. found a great beach site on the south side of the peninsula on the west end of the lake. high camp overlooking the south and a zen garden like area on the east side. it was so nice we decided that we would stay two nights and take a day off to search for the ruins of the abandoned trappers cabin on crooked. that night we heard a moose bugling and then the sound of it crashing through the woods behind camp.
low 35 high 65 clear to cloudy calm winds 
slept in a little this morning of our day off. at this point it had been three days since we had seen any other people. after breakfast we started on our day trip to find the trappers cabin. no wind at all on little saganaga. saw two groups of people.... three day streak broken. nice shut ins area along portage going into mora. tarry was badly burnt with a couple of step overs. as we approached the portage to crooked we spooked a large black bear. i walked back after portage hoping to get a photo of the bear but he was long gone. our first bear sighting in the bwca. after lunch on crooked we set out to find the cabin. not hard to find considering it was right on the portage. the paddle back was hot and tiring. after a six hour twelve mile round trip we were back in camp. ate dinner and had a small fire. there was a rabbit running around our site after dark with a full moon. we had heard that rabbits go crazy in full moons and this one surely was.
low 43 high 70 sunny calm 
broke camp and headed into makwa. a large snowshoe rabbit ran right through camp. it was starting to turn white on its feet. i've never seen that before. weather was windy and it was a good day to stop early and relax in camp. had time to try out my new solar charger and got everything charged up. probably an unnecessary item but i love trying out gear. that evening we had quite the celestial display. first the sun and the moon aligned on the horizon causing the moon to turn red. then later that evening we had an intense display of northern lights. a first for both of us. we checked the weather radio and heard that a winter storm was moving in later in the week. at this point we decided to adjust our route again and begin to head east through the small lakes back toward sagana and fraser instead of continuing south down the kawishisi. this way we'd be closer to ending if weather turned bad and avoid a couple large lakes(alice and insula). we finished off the last of the whiskey and called it a night with 380 rods of portage planned first thing tomorrow.
low 34 high 65 clear moderate winds 
woke up to clear skies which quickly turned to rain after breakfast. we hustled and packed up the gear and headed out. the 100 rod into hoe wasn't bad at all. the 80 rod into vee was a swamp with large wolf and moose prints. the site on fee had a tarp hanging by only two grommets with what appeared to be a cut hang line for food. we paddled by and saw no signs of anyone around. couldn't quite figure out whether someone abandoned camp quickly or left so no one would camp there? finished the day with a long 160 rod into ledge. had a couple of rain showers. got out the rain gear and set up the tarp but again it cleared up by afternoon. it was an early night with 410 waiting for us tomorrow. little did we know it would be more!
low 37 high 59 spotty showers to clear moderate winds 
cold and windy this morning. packed up quickly and got moving. 200 rod portage to start. had breakfast on cap. as we got into sagus the winds started to become a problem. had lunch on shepo and discussed the wind on fraser and thomas. the winds were pretty bad but mostly at our backs. we managed to get some shelter most of the way through fraser and into thomas. after a short ferry across the winds we were able to turn our backs to it and surf into the triple portage into hatchet. exhausted we chose the northern site on the east bank. this was a very nice site with a great view and some shelter from the wind. the winds continued to blow and the weather radio was calling for some nasty weather for late wednesday and into thursday. we decided that we needed to get close to the take out and possibly cut the trip short by a day.
low 27 high 54 clear moderate to gusty 
got up early to get a jump on the weather. portaged out to ima to find it perfectly still. we go all the way through into disappointment...also completely still. the calm before the storm? we paddle onto the southern end of disappointment and stay at the camp nearest to the portage so we have a quick out if needed. we relax in camp about mid day and scrounged through the remants of the food barrel. we listen to the weather radio which is now calling for 4-6 inches of snow and strong winds starting the next day. we begin to see and smell a hazy smoke from what we later find out to be a large fire northwest of us in minnesota. last trip we stayed at this site and watched a large plane dump water on a controlled burn on the north side of snowbank all afternoon. we decided to go through with our plans to cut the trip short and get out the next morning. after sunset three waves of ducks landed on the lake. before we headed into the tent we heard lots of gunfire coming from the camp up the lake. they must have had an infestation of mice.
low 32 high 68 clear to hazy calm 
up early to the sound of the wind. we get up and head out through parent into snowbank. the wind was blowing from the east on both lakes as we paddle out. we get to the landing and are told by a usfs worker that the bans were lifted a day or two after we started. by the time we get back to ely the snow and winds were blowing cold from the northwest. we think we made the right choice. on one hand it would have been nice to stay out in the snowy conditions... but then again...steaks and drinks at the ely steakhouse after 12 days was pretty nice also 