BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
April 17 2024
Entry Point 39 - Baker Lake
Number of Permits per Day: 2
Elevation: 1497 feet
Latitude: 47.8452
Longitude: -90.8169
Summary: A 5-day loop from Baker up the Temperance lakes to Cherokee, and back through Sawbill and Smoke lakes back to Baker. A fairly difficult trip.
Day 0: We drove up from Stillwater in the morning and camped at one of the 5 walk-in campsites at Baker Lake, and it was nice.
Day 1 (Baker to S. Temperance) - A beautiful day, we decided to paddle all the way to South Temperance the first day which was a great paddle with easy portages except for the last one. We picked the campsite on top of a huge rock that was close to the middle of the lake. Tried fishing some but no luck
Day 2 (Rest) - In the night, we encountered the worst storm of the entire season. While we were there 19 people had to be rescued from the BWCA. We had about 50mph straightline winds, and I'm still surprised that the huge tent we had stood up to it. We slept in and took a rest day because of the intense winds. Amazingly beautiful sunset.
Day 3 (S. Temperance to Cherokee) - We left as early as we could to beat the heat, but it was no good. The lengthy, hilly portages were challenging and by the last portage we were pretty beat. We overpacked and single portaged which led us to speedier exhaustion. Still amazing weather. North Temperance was a beaut- I wish we had stayed there instead of South. We took the southeasterly facing campsite on Cherokee on the southeastern skinny island. Neat little site.
Day 4 (Cherokee to Sawbill) - Left a little later in the day but it was ok. We took our time going down the river letting out of the southwest part of Cherokee and it was a great area. BEWARE: The area between Ada and Skoop Lakes appears to be floatable, but a dam built recently has made the portion impossible to float. Be prepared for a long portage through muck and water. A guy that we saw there said he had been going to the BWCA for 40 years at least once per year and it was the worst portage he had ever seen. By the time we got to Sawbill it was pretty hot. We paddled all the way down to the site next to the portage onto Smoke.
Day 5 (Sawbill to Baker) - Cooler, cloudier weather for the first time on the trip. We were pretty hungry (I underpacked food a little and I felt really bad) and we were taunting each other with vivid descriptions of the burgers we were going to eat ASAP after getting out. We paddled back to Baker and returned our gear to Sawtooth outfitters.
Overall great route.
Surrogate Granpa - taking an 8 and 11 yr old for their first BW trip.
Entry Date:
July 18, 2013
Entry Point:
Sawbill Lake
Number of Days:
3
Group Size:
4
Lunch at Grandma's, a stop at Silver Bay Zup's and we finally make it in to site #12 at the Sawbill USFS Campgrounds.
The boys were ready to let off some steam so we went hiking the lake side trail. They loved every footstep and were having the best time. Once, little Nick started to make a hole and I mentioned that we like to leave the area nice for others. Alex then reminded Nick that "Jerry is like Grandpa, whatever he says, we mind him!"
That night Scott (Old Scout) cooked a big birthday brownie in his reflector oven:
and topped the finished product with some patriotic m&ms
The next day saw us do some paddling around Sawbill and a little fishing from the Sawbill fishing dock:
And that night Bill Hansen of Sawbill hosted the 2nd Annual Songwriter's Campfire Jam for the staff and campground guests who were willing to brave the mosquitoes:
That night we had a good rain, but the next day things cleared enough for us to get our permit and put in for the boys first trip to the BW. We hadn't been out for more than a half hour when a very mean black cloud spewed lightning. I had 8yr old Nick in my canoe and all I could think of was his safety, so I hunkered down and in the middle of the torrent I got him to the point just before the BW entry, set up a tarp and got him under it and safe. The storm didn't last long, but we had lost sight of Old Scout and Alex. Personally, I was very concerned. But I kept telling myself that they were wearing PFDs and there were no white caps or windy waters. Only torrential rain. We later found them paddling towards our desired site on the north end of the bay that portages into the Kelso River. A nice little sight with a small swimming beach.
That night was the mother of all storms. Constant thunder and torrential rains. The lake was rising even as we pulled out two days later to find out that Sawbill had received 4 1/3 inches of rain.
The next day everything cleared and Alex helped me make sweet potato hashbrowns with onion, bell pepper and seasoning, topped with fresh eggs over easy. What a tasty way to start!
The boys never tired of swimming at "the beach":
After the swim, we loaded up my SR 17 and took off in search of the Kelso dolman. It was a beautiful day and we found it for a great group photo op:
On the way back, we visited these 4 lovelies who had attended the campfire jam and welcomed us for a visit. They offered us a shot of afternoon whiskey, but since I was the designated paddler in the stern, I reluctantly declined. I didn't get all of their names but they called themselves the "Kelso Sirens". It was great to see a group of women in the BW having such a good time.
That night we finished off the hot chocolate after a dinner of spaghetti.
That night found the temps dipping into the upper 40s. The day was beautiful and the wind behind our back as we paddled to the take out.
The boys were real troopers. Never whined or complained. Were very creative in entertaining themselves and it was fun to be a surrogate grandpa. Thanks, Old Scout for the wonderful opportunity to introduce a couple of next generation paddlers to the place we love.