BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
March 28 2024
Entry Point 35 - Moose Lake
Number of Permits per Day: 27
Elevation: 1356 feet
Latitude: 47.9877
Longitude: -91.4997
Isabella Lake - 35
Kawishiwi lodge
Entry Date:
June 14, 2023
Entry Point:
Crab Lake and Cummings from Burntside Lake
Number of Days:
7
Group Size:
4
It rained steadily for a good part of the night and we ate breakfast under the tarp before packing up camp. The plan was to travel back to Nina Moose Lake for our last night, but we agreed to take what the weather gave us and stop if it stopped raining or travel out if it remained cruddy.
We packed up our wet camp and were greeted to a pause in the rain as we got on the water. The 70 and 20-rod portages to Agnes along the Boulder River were pretty easy and despite some wind, the weather wasn't too bad. Once we got on Agnes, the wind kicked up from the east so we tried to take the southern shore to the west side of Agnes to get back into the Nina Moose River. We saw no one camped on Agnes-definitely weird. By the time we reached the west end of Agnes, the waves were rolling and I was getting nervous about eventually having to turn sideways to the waves to get into the river. I waited as long as possible, preferring to be close to shore if we tipped. A few hairy moments and we were finally into the river safely. I breathed some sighs of relief...and then it started raining harder. Nice. Shortly after, we passed where we had turned off 6 days earlier to head north to Oyster Creek. Despite it being miserable out, I got a little sad thinking back upon our trip which was almost over. We passed a father and son fishing in the river-our first people sighting since Thursday.
We fueled up with some lunch on the 105-rod portage which was beautiful again on the way out. Then we crossed the 80-rod portage. M spotted a bald eagle from a pretty good distance as we paddled toward Nina Moose Lake. The fatigue was palpable as we lifted over the beaver dam north of Nina Moose Lake. I think we were both set on exiting by then given the weather and that the forecast wasn't any better overnight and into the morning, but I had a few second thoughts as we admired the advanced fall colors on Nina Moose Lake. There were a couple groups camped on the lake, but the idea of setting up a wet camp only to pack it up again tomorrow morning didn't seem appetizing so we pressed on. After getting back onto the Nina Moose, we took the quicker route up to the cliff south of Nina Moose to take our last timed picture of the trip. We covered the next three portages easily as it started to rain again before we reached our final portage. As we loaded up for the walk back to the parking lot, I think both of us were sad our trip was ending. I thought back over the trip as I walked up the portage. I thought about our campfires, how funny M's legs looked while carrying the huge green pack (it was the only part of her you could see), and about all our portages, campsites, meals, and day-trips. I smiled as we got close to the parking lot and walked by where the yoke pad had fallen off on the way in.
What a great trip. I felt like M had really loved her first BWCA trip, and she was an awesome trip partner. I was already thinking about where we could go next.
We packed up the car, threw the canoe on top, and changed into dry clothes before driving back to Ely. We were able to stay at my friend's cabin that night, so we stopped by for a shower before heading into Ely for a Bucky Burger and beer at the Ely Steakhouse, followed by Dairy Queen. Then it was back to the cabin for a comfy night of sleep before driving back to the cities Sunday morning.