My two oldest daughters came home from college to visit for the summer. On our way to Ely, we stopped at my office so they could see the new desk my Dad built for me. Simply beautiful...the desk too! I think it has a strong connection to the BWCA and other wilderness experiences from my life. Yep, I am a proud father and son. :)

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We continued on to our usual bunkhouse at the Ely Outdoor Company and called it an early night in order to get a sunrise start.

We were out of the bunkhouse at first light and arrived at the landing in time to watch the sunrise.[paragraph break]

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The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed a quiet paddle down the river.[paragraph break]

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I also enjoy seeing swans and this couple showed off their cygnet just before the first portage.[paragraph break]

There is a fake portage landing, as mentioned on the online maps, and it looks very real. The actual portage landing into Clear Lake is a few hundred feet south of where it is shown on the map. The 140-rod portage is straightforward...a very nice walk in the woods.[paragraph break]

We were a little bit worried about finding an open site but decided to pass the first site on Clear Lake. [paragraph break]

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The second site was occupied but we found site 1690 to be available and took it. Nice landing, great fire pit on the water with a view of the lake, and plenty of blueberries! The girls participated in their usual tradition: naps upon arrival to camp! Despite breaking my brand-new St. Croix rod (they replaced it) within the first couple of casts, we had fun catching a few small ones.[paragraph break]

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Melanie is plenty relaxed as we troll around the lake while Natalie chooses to read a book. They both appreciate me being in the back...not only do I function as the motor, they don't have to look at my sun hat![paragraph break]

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We called it a night after a delicious dinner of fajita steak, swiss cheese, onions, and green peppers (only on mine!). What a great day capped off by drifting to sleep as a choir of loons sang their distinct songs.[paragraph break] [paragraph break]

~Farm Lake, Clear Lake

Great night's sleep! Woke up to the feel of rain with strong winds indicating a decent storm was brewing. No worries...I brought Fantastic Mr. Fox, made many years ago by Melanie, and he assures safety on all my trips! :)[paragraph break] [paragraph break]

We figured we had an hour, maybe two, before the storm hit so we enjoyed a breakfast of scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, and hot chocolate. Weeelllll...it just so happens I forgot a convenient piece of gear. We survived by fashioning make-do utensils from sticks. I'm not the handiest person, nor the most artistic, but our devices worked to keep us fed. [paragraph break]

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After cleaning the dishes we gathered firewood to keep it dry during the storm. We also took advantage of the extra time and picked several cups of blueberries.[paragraph break]

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The storm was getting closer and while we waited I tried my hand at some macro photography - just using my cell phone and getting really close to stuff. One pic turned out okay. I did enjoy noticing the details of my surroundings and, many months later, find I like sorting through the close-up photos. It's another perspective to consider, something that is important to me in general.[paragraph break]

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The storm hit suddenly, almost watched the wall of rain approach. You can see in the photo of my daughter taking a video of the lake that the lake is roiled by rain but the ground is still dry. Difficult to describe but a memorable experience. Oh, and a pine beetle sought refuge on the lid of our blue barrel![paragraph break]

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In between storms, we enjoyed a campfire. It was fun to watch the clouds roll through, hear the crackle of the fire, relax, and just enjoy being in the BWCA together.[paragraph break]

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Several storms passed through. We observed strong winds, hail, heavy rain, thunder/lightning, and more. There were also moments of calm, tranquility, and renewal. Prior to an early bedtime, I snapped a pic of a cloud across the lake that had just passed over us, and then a little while later, looking in the opposite direction, I took a photo of a calm lake and clear skies.[paragraph break]

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The girls had already checked into their tent for the evening and I smiled as I sat on the shore listening to the giggles and laughing. I fondly remembered similar trips when they were young children and cherished the good times together, past and present. Perhaps appropriate I finished the day reading a few chapters from William Kent Krueger's book, "This Tender Land". Tomorrow we will move to a new camp.

~Clear Lake

What an absolutely beautiful morning! The sights were stunning. I also recorded some amazing bird songs and noticed how pure the smells were after the storms from the previous day. We packed camp and were on the water by 7 and took an abbreviated loop around the lake to take in all we could before we moved on.[paragraph break]

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We had to paddle out of the early morning sunshine, which felt good after a colder-than-expected night, one of my daughters wanted to remain in the canoe observing the beauty...or wishing she could be back in the sun! The portage holds its own beauty as it meanders through overgrown but open fields and then into the forest. I quickly captured a pic of a dew-covered spider web...and now wish I had taken more time for a few more pics from various angles. [paragraph break]

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Oh, and we invented a new BWCA thing - a portage pack with legs! It looks like it swallowed up my daughter![paragraph break]

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The Kawishiwi River landing was MUDDY and shallow. Before we ventured out, though, two of us made the second portage and found the trail to an alternate landing. Evidently, you can use the one next to the creek, like we did, or use the one located in the little dip a few hundred-ish yards to the northeast. I don't think it makes much of a difference. The one along the stream is in tall grass and we were soaked but in late July it didn't much matter.[paragraph break]

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I did find another spider web, a different variety, and my daughter covered every inch of her skin because of the hordes of mosquitos![paragraph break]

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We just lazily paddled along the river, enjoying the sites, and chatting about anything and everything. Portages all went well. Lots of campsites were taken and there were plenty of people through the southernmost area of our trip. Once we started heading north, we didn't see very many people at all until after the 16-rod portage when you have to choose to go east or west. All six of the campsites were occupied so we headed west. We hoped one of the two campsites before the 200+ rod portage would be open...and they both were![paragraph break]

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We decided to stay at site 1142 even though it was a little smaller and probably not quite as "nice". All in all, though, we enjoyed the site. Beautiful view, elevated fire, two good tent spots, and a decent landing.[paragraph break]

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As you can see in the last photo, the clouds were closing in and it wasn't long before another thunder and lightning storm dumped buckets of water on us. Fortunately, we had already set up camp and we enjoyed watching it rain from the comfort of our tarp. My daughters made dinner for me and cleaned up everything - much appreciated![paragraph break]

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We enjoyed a short evening paddle up the river as far as we could go - yep, one daughter fishing and the other one reading a book! It was nice to watch the sunset, especially observing my daughters taking photos to enjoy later. Good day. In fact, a great day.[paragraph break]

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~Clear Lake, Kawishiwi River

It rained most of the day and into the morning so we didn't rush anything. I read my book for a while in the tent while they slept in late in their own tent. I enjoy hearing the rain...but when you pitch your tent under the trees you can never tell by sound when the rain ends as it continues dripping off the trees. :)[paragraph break]

We eventually merged at the tarp for a meal - tortillas, tuna fish, fresh carrots, and green peppers. The fresh veggies were a treat! We played several rounds of hearts and even had a tiny friend hop into the game! It appeared the clouds were settling in for the day. [paragraph break]

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We were grateful when the clouds parted and decided to gamble heading to nearby Conchu Lake.[paragraph break] [paragraph break] The portage was very short and easy but by the end of it, it was raining hard again![paragraph break] [paragraph break] We didn't let the rain dampen our spirits but we did find refuge under an overhanging tree on the opposite side of the lake. Earlier in the trip we watched the rain come to us. This time, floating in our canoe under the branches of a tree, we watched the rain end as it passed through. It was really cool! [paragraph break] [paragraph break]

With yet another major cloud threatening us, we decided to head back to camp but not before snapping a pic of the lone campground on Conchu. A very small site that would require a tiny tent but you'd have the lake to yourself.[paragraph break]

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The next storm was preceded by a big drop in temperature and unleashed hail and rain. We waited out the hail under the canoe then made a break for it in the cold rain. The storm didn't last too long but the colder temperatures did. We built a fire to warm up and passed the evening recounting the adventures of the trip.[paragraph break]

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Oh, I did find an unwanted visitor in my tent and helped it escape back to the wild where it belongs.[paragraph break]

~Conchu Lake, Kawishiwi River

This would be our last full day in the BWCA. We decided to explore the long portage. It was a beautiful walk through the woods! The waterfalls were flowing fast and furious too. We had lunch at the large pond just past the midpoint of the portage. I tried some fly-fishing and had several good strikes when I floated the dragonfly pattern...but I couldn't get any hookups. Fun morning exploring along the river![paragraph break]

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We explored the tiny outlet from Conchu and found a gorgeous pond complete with a small waterfall feature. It was very peaceful back there... until a pike erupted on my dragonfly! We decided to head back to Conchu to see if we could find the trout that supposedly live in the lake. There was also a blueberry patch we hhoped would fill a couple of water bottles. No trout but plenty of blueberries![paragraph break]

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The blueberries would later become a cobbler! Too many blueberries??? Not possible! [paragraph break]

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We did learn why there are no trout in the lake...big bass and lots of them! My daughter caught several and I managed to land one too. Two good-sized bass worked well enough for our last night's fish fry.[paragraph break]

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The calm evening brought out the mosquitos so we called it a night. Good night, BWCA.[paragraph break]

We woke up before sunrise, packed up camp, and enjoyed the fog before the sun peaked over the horizon. It was great to be on the water early as we encountered pretty stiff winds later on in the day crossing Farm Lake. The fog and sunrise...very grateful for the beauty.[paragraph break]

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The portage was thick with mosquitos so no skin was accessible.[paragraph break] [paragraph break]

Before finishing the trip, the cloud formations and clear sky presented a few more photo ops and we took advantage. [paragraph break]

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Besides forgetting the utensils, I didn't remember to take a group photo when we got back to the truck. Oh well...it was an awesome trip! I really appreciate being in the wilderness with my daughters. I love them dearly and hope they enjoyed the experiences we shared as much as I did. Can't wait to go back...[paragraph break]

Well-worn portage shoes!