Boundary Waters Trip Reports, Blog, BWCA, BWCAW, Quetico Park

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December 13 2024

Entry Point 55 - Saganaga Lake

Saganaga Lake entry point allows overnight paddle or motor (25 HP max). This entry point is supported by Gunflint Ranger Station near the city of Grand Marais, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 55 miles. No motors (use or possession) west of American Point. Access to Canada (the Crown land and Quetico Park). Large lake with many campsites and easy access. This area was affected by blowdown in 1999.

Number of Permits per Day: 15
Elevation: 1184 feet
Latitude: 48.1716
Longitude: -90.8868
Saganaga Lake - 55

Dads & Daughters 2016

by mirth
Trip Report

Entry Date: August 06, 2016
Entry Point: Magnetic Lake
Exit Point: Saganaga Lake (55)
Number of Days: 9
Group Size: 4

Trip Introduction:
I've been promising my 11 year old daughter a canoe trip for a couple years now but it kept getting put off and postponed for various reasons. I decided to invite along a friend and his 15 year old daughter to help share in the fun.

Part 1 of 9


Saturday, August 06, 2016

I'm supposed to be picking up Matt & his daughter Grace a little after 4AM so we can start our drive to the Gunflint Trail. Problem is, less than a week ago I was getting home after a 2 week backpacking trek at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Because of this, I wasn't able to get my packing done as orderly as I'd like. Plus I only got some of the food shopping done ahead of time. Needless to say, I texted Matt at 1:30AM once I finally had the car packed & ready to go to let him know it was doubtful I'd make their 4:00 pickup on time.

I ended up picking them up a little after 6AM, and we were on our way to the Gunflint Trail! The drive itself was mostly uneventful. Still tired from my late night the night before, I had Matt drive for a while while we were going through central WI. We arrived at Gunflint Northwoods Outfitters around 5:30PM and were greeted by the one and only Mocha, as she was waiting on us. Much chatting and such ensued, she gave some tips and hints about our first day's paddle while the girls & Matt watched the video.

It was about dinner time so we headed over to the Lodge for an excellent meal & drinks. Evelyn practically fell in love with this coon fur hat they had by the front of the restaurant. She also got a lesson in the value of real furs, however, once the price tag was found and showed to her ($400!). Evie finished her dinner a little early and went outside to enjoy & photograph the sunset. Gunflint Lake

 



Part 2 of 9


Sunday, August 07, 2016

Lakes traveled: Gunflint Lake, Magnetic Lake, Pine River, Clove Lake

We wake early & do a little packing up before heading over to the Lodge for breakfast. We walk in to the restaurant and are literally the first customers for breakfast. About an hour later we're fed and headed back to the outfitter side of the road to get issued the boat, paddles, and PFDs for Matt & Grace. We decide to get a bait bucket and bring along some leeches, too.

Once we have all our gear portaged to GNO's dock we start loading up the canoes and apply some sunscreen before one last photo of us before leaving civilization behind for the next week.

Its sunny & winds are calm, its wonderful to be paddling into canoe country again! Before too long we're across Gunflint & entering Magnetic.

I don't know who was at that last cabin on the island on Magnetic before officially entering the wilderness but they were absolutely blasting some 80s music for everyone to hear. We had a laugh about it and kept going. Before long we encountered the rapids ahead of Little Rock Falls that Mocha had told us about, and knew it was safe to run. So, after pausing for a couple minutes to scope them out and tell Evie what the plan was, we let the current pull us in. A few seconds later we got spit out the other side & Matt and Grace followed.

Minutes later we approached Little Rock Falls & true to Sheryl's advice the portage landing is practically at the precipice of the falls. I would hate to get sucked over them, especially with a boat full of gear!

This being our first portage of the trip, and 3/4 of our group's first portage ever, we were a little slow and disorganized. It was alright though since there was only a husband/wife on a daytrip following us to the falls to take photos. I showed Matt & the girls to look for blueberries and about immediately everyone was rewarded with a treat.

All in all it took us 3 trips to completely portage our gear. By the end of the week we would have figured out a system to get us done in 2 trips.

I had learned of a blueberry hotspot via the forums while planning the trip, so I had a waypoint marked on my GPS. The tip paid off and after a short break to pick we were on our way towards the Blueberry Portage.

Approaching the Blueberry Portage we got a little turned around and ended up following the right channel into an opening, when we should have actually taken the left. I'll take the blame for misleading us on that one, I had the portage marked in the wrong spot on my GPS. A couple minutes of searching with no result had us paddling back out and around, where the portage landing became pretty apparent. This portage wasn't terribly long but I'd say it was somewhat technical, especially on the Southern side where one has to descend 6' in short time. I don't think either of our canoes escaped getting banged on their sterns by this notch.

Once over and back on the water, the next portage wasn't much more than a float away. The South side landing for this portage had seen some damage this summer from windstorms. The 'new' landing for this portage was pretty darn difficult to walk due to sloped granite and a surface that gets slippery when dampened by wetfooting shoes.

Matt decided to try out carrying two items on this portage. Here he is modeling for all of you:

Way off in the distance here I'm pointing at our desired campsite for the next two nights - the Northern site on Clove, the one with the sandy beach. Mocha at GNO had another customer group planning on Clove as well, and she suggested the West site to them as they were hoping to do lots of fishing. I think she might have also suggested that site to them because she knew we were hoping for this site. Anyhow, we couldn't be for sure from the portage but it sure looked like it was open.... Only way to tell was to get there and find out. If it was taken, all the other sites on Clove were taken so then we'd have to decide between portaging to Larch or pressing on towards the Devil's Elbow.

We paddled quickly up the lake and happily found the site unoccupied and perfectly sized for two tents. We got unloaded, set up camp, then relaxed some. The previous occupant of the site had left some welcome wood for us, but we decided to head out for more as we were going to need a nice supply for dinner plus breakfast in the morning.

No photos, but Evie jumped out to an early lead for fish caught. After dinner I set her up with a lit bobber, split shot, and a hook tipped with a leech. She caught 3 bass before getting the bobber caught up in a tree. Sadly, the bobber contained my only Thill LED and it would be long dead before any hope of getting the bobber back in the morning.

 



Part 3 of 9


Monday, August 08, 2016

Lakes traveled: Clove Lake

I'm the first one up today. Its funny how I can be at home and would sleep until noon if I could, but lately when I'm camping I find myself getting up around 6:30. At Philmont a few weeks ago we were regularly waking up at 4:30-5AM, so maybe there's a little of that hanging around still. Regardless, this is a trend that would play out for the rest of the trip - myself and Matt would generally get up at least a half hour before the girls and get water hot for coffee/cocoa/oatmeal, etc. Once we've had a cup of coffee we would then rouse Evie & Grace and go about our plan for the day.

Today's plan is nothing, except maybe for doing some fishing. The plan for our time in the wilderness is to travel, then layover a day. We'll repeat this two more times before paddling out after a week spent in Canoe Country.

This is our first morning in, however, and right now the world is quiet and still with a thin layer of fog lifting off the lake in the morning sun.

On the way back to camp along the latrine trail I notice a neat looking fungus growing on a stump.

I spend a little time in the light of day figuring out how Evie got her line & my lighted bobber up in the tree and my efforts are rewarded with it popping loose and landing near me. Too bad I won't have the use of the light for the rest of the week but happy to have the tackle back. I spend the next half an hour soaking in the quiet of the world around me and taking in the view of the lake as the fog playfully curled and lifted from its surface. Before long there's a rustling sound behind me & a couple minutes later the sound of zippers announce Matt's exit from his and Grace's tent. Coffee is made and Matt begins to absorb his surroundings.

I get to work breaking down some of the firewood we harvested the evening before. It really is true that if one merely paddles down the shore a couple hundred yards there is nearly an unlimited supply of quality wood for burning. I'm sure its moreso true in the areas affected by the 1999 blowdown than other parts that were spared the various derechos and subsequent fires in recent history, but I've generally found it to be the case anywhere I've visited. This morning I'm using the Sven Saw to take a cedar trunk down to 12-18" long sections so they can be batoned into burning pieces. Its amazing how twisty they get, when examining the grain on the logs to look for natural splits to use to my advantage. Later in the week when both girls learn how to process firewood this will be a valuable teaching point.

The girls are awakened and we go about making a layover breakfast. Today's breakfast consists of scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Start to finish the whole process takes nearly 4 hours and during this happens the calm conditions from earlier has transformed into a constant 10-15mph wind from the South, piling the lake up onto our campsite. Evie wants to fish but soon discovers the futility of trying to cast into the wind and having your bait blown back to shore. She settles for hanging out under the tarp and reading one of the books she brought along. At some point we play a very long game of Uno using one of the canoes as a card table. The boat as a table worked out pretty well once we got it positioned, but we had to constantly be aware of the breeze and not let it take any cards away.

Midafternoon we decide to go out for a paddle and fish the rapids back by the portage into Clove.

The wind's still blowing about the same and we discover that it looked worse from shore than it actually was out on the lake. Both boats make several passes at the rapids and come up empty handed. Evie gets bored and we pull off at a spot that looks almost like a landing and she goes off to explore the rapids. I hang out on shore and fish the rapids a little while longer but there's no interest in whatever I'm casting. I decide to see if I can find some berries or firewood and see what Evie's up to. After I find her by the rapids we decide to go further around the side away from the rapids where it looks like better berry habitat. Along the way we got to see several bits of evidence of nature's power.

Our efforts are rewarded with finding a small patch of berries and after a half hour of picking we've got enough to go around.

Matt and Grace are looking for us now, wondering what happened to us. We return back to the boat and load up the berries and some firewood I grabbed. 5 minutes later we were back at camp and starting to think about that night's dinner.

The fire gets relit, dinner is made. Soft shell tacos are served and they hit the spot. I should try to remember to toss some sauce packets into the kitchen supplies before my next trip.

The wind is still blowing and skies have gone from partly cloudy to overcast with occasional breaks of sky. The weather radio is calling for a chance of rain tonight and rain likely tomorrow. Evie discovers the constant South wind has caused a lot of foam to build up on our beach and everyone goes down to check it out.

We retreat back to the fire to hang out and enjoy each other's company. Well, Evie stayed down by the beach a little while longer to take some more photos of the lake. She also got some pretty cool video of the foamy waves lapping up onto shore.

The girls hit the sack not too long after night has completely fallen. Matt and I stay up a bit longer hanging out by the fire. Tomorrow hopefully we will get to the 1st campsite in the final grouping of 3 on Maraboeuf.

 



Part 4 of 9


Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Lakes traveled: Clove Lake, Granite River, Gneiss Lake, Maraboeuf Lake

The first one up again today. I get right to work setting up the stove and heating up water in the pot for breakfast. Matt joins me a few minutes later and we enjoy a cup of coffee in the peace of the morning before we wake up the girls. Naturally, once they're up and out of the tents the water's gone cold so we need to heat up some more. No worries, though. We've got lots of fuel and its not like we're punching a clock. Everyone goes about their business of getting fed then starts packing up camp. There's still a wind coming from the S-SW, and for much of the day today it'll be on our backs. The forecast calls for increasing chances of rain as the day goes on so I'm hoping we hit the water sooner than later.

Its about 8AM and we're just about ready to leave. Evie wants to wear the GoPro today so all the shots are from her perspective in the bow. Not sure what I was talking to her about here, maybe I was telling her to be careful with the camera. Maybe it was instructions on what to do in the event of capsize, since we'll have wind to contend with. Maybe I was just reminding her that I'd need to call on her for extra assistance in windy conditions. Who knows?

Anyhow, we're on the water now & quickly come to the first portage. Evie usually goes ahead on the portages and takes over our day packs, paddles, and anything else small from our boat. She decided to do a little extra scouting on the far side of this portage from the top of the cliffs. From her perspective I wonder if we could have run the rapids versus taking the portage? I don't regret taking the portage, I'll always choose safety over risk when out canoeing. Especially when its my kids or someone else's kids involved.

Like her dad, once Evie knows how to identify fruit she's like a bloodhound. Apparently she found a little snack & I remember her bringing a couple to me.

This was a pretty muddy portage, albeit short. The put in on the far side of the rapids was right at the chute and only had room to load one canoe, so we got ours floated first and cleared out for Matt & Grace.

Once everyone was back in the canoes it was a short paddle to get to the Swamp Portage. The portage itself wasn't much to write home about, except for several longish boardwalk sections.

In Granite Bay we came upon a group of 7 college age adults in 3 canoes waiting a good distance offshore for us to clear the portage. We approached & exchanged pleasantries. They were essentially doing the same route as us except in reverse. We swapped some intel about the areas where we had come from & some of the girls in their group seemed absolutely stoked to be included in our GoPro footage so here they are.

A few paddle strokes later we were at the Granite River portage, and there weren't any photos from here it was so unremarkable. Well, except for this photo. Not sure what I was doing other than maybe adjusting the angle of the GoPro.

One portage left for the day! Evie decided in order to better see the map she needed to remove it from the clear map case I had it in.

I won't post any photos of it, but the landing of the Gneiss Lake portage on the Granite River side is a little bouldery and technical. Evie lost her footing & ended up landing on her butt in the water. I laughed at the silliness of it, but she got mad at me for laughing at her misfortunes. Photographs of her in the water and/or me chuckling at her may or may not exist. Shhh.... they do. I met up with her later on the portage trail and talked to her about laughing at situations versus people, then I gave her a peace offering of some raspberries. She eventually forgave me.

The rest of the portage went smoothly. I guess no shots of it got captured by the GoPro & I must not have taken out my phone to get any, but I was awed by the destruction on the Gneiss side of the portage landing from recent windstorms. The portage itself was perfectly fine for using, but earlier in the summer some pretty massive pines had been taken down by winds. It would have sucked trying to go through this portage in the aftermath of the storm.

Once we were on Gneiss we were in campsite hunt mode. Our first target was the 5* campsite on the island, the only one in the area. From several hundred yards out I could tell it was occupied, and maybe only recently judging by the state of camp setup they were in. It was OK with me that we didn't get the island, as all of us wanted to push a little farther towards the Devil's Elbow area. At the northern part of Gneiss, where it turns West towards the Elbow we really encountered our first 'issues' with the wind because it narrows and channels the wind. Evie & I did OK but Matt & Grace got weathervaned at one point and had to swing around for a second attempt.

This next photo is right after we've passed through the narrows of the Devil's Elbow. At its widest spot it is maybe 20' across. Canada is the shore off my right shoulder and the USA is my left.

We battled the wind all the way across Maraboeuf and were rewarded with our desired site being available. On the map it looks like there are 3 sites all on the same bay & the reality of it is there are 2 sites on a bay and then around the northern side there's a little bay that is covered by the campsite dot on the map. That's where this site is located. The landing was a little tricky, we essentially had to land and unload one boat at a time, but we got it done.

Evie kept wearing the GoPro while we were setting up camp. This was a very intimate campsite... There was 1 really good tent pad and another that would have better suited a smaller tent than the 3 man I had for us. In the end some creative staking and bungee dealie bobs saved the day.

After tents were set up and our gear stowed inside Evie decided to wet a line.

There was some wood at the site however much of it was green or half dried smaller branches from trees that had been blown down earlier in the season. Matt & I took a paddle out to the rocky slope past our campsite to go harvest more cedar. Our efforts were rewarded very well and we even found a really awesome blueberry hotspot. Pancakes were on the menu for the morning so I declared that after we got back to camp from getting wood I'd go back out with the girls to get some berries. Less than an hour of picking yielded this:

Dinner got made, dehydrated beef stroganoff. It got eaten & declared yummy. We then decided to turn our attention to the fruits of our fishing ladies' efforts from earlier - two smallies on the stringer and needing to be butchered. Evie was very curious about filleting the fish and only showed a little bit of concern for the fish themselves.

After we were done filleting them she went out with me to dispose of the remains. The fishes' existences were still on her mind and we discussed the nature of things and said a word of thanks to the fish for giving themselves to us to help replenish our strength and nourishment. Back at camp, we set up an assembly line with Grace managing the breading of the pieces and me doing the frying. The fish was consumed in short order and declared very delicious. After everyone got used to the initial bite of Shore Lunch Cajun breading it was agreed it was a great product.

Before the sun completely set we were given a treat of a rainbow (don't think it rained on us this day) and just nice, peaceful views of the lake from our campsite. We saw no one on the lake after we passed the island on Gneiss, it really felt like the lake was for us only and no one else.

Once it got completely dark the mosquitos came out. They weren't too bad, about what I would consider average for August. Our site on Clove we didn't see a single mosquito around, even on the latrine trail. Grace decided it was full bug protection time and busted out the head net. I got out the Ultrathon and smeared on a little lotion.

The weather radio is making it sound like rain is almost a certainty for tomorrow so we try to leave the fire pit as best staged for rain as we can. I'm happy to have my Guide Gear tarp along, I should have bought two of them when I did... such a good value for $20.

 



Part 5 of 9


Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Lakes traveled: Maraboeuf Lake

Awakened by rumbles of thunder & the sound of rain hitting the tent about 1AM. I usually don't mind sleeping when its raining or storming but the especially rough summer they've had up in this area has me spooked. I can't get back to sleep so I write in my journal for the next hour or so before I realize my eyelids are getting droopy again.

Wake up again about 7AM. Today's plan is somewhat of a repeat from a few days ago - layover, maybe do some fishing later. While I'm waiting for Matt to get up I survey my tarp rigging & the aftermath of last night's rain on its pitch. I make some adjustments, and a good thing too because shortly after Matt gets up it starts raining for the next hour.

Breakfast takes its customary 3-4 hours to complete and today's pancakes are augmented by the blueberries we picked yesterday afternoon. Evie seems to have taken a shining to being the pancake maker and Grace is pitching in by being the berry spreader. In the end its a good arrangement and they turn out some good cakes.

Apparently I didn't take any photos later in the day, and the GoPro didn't take a charge so we didn't have it along for automated photo capturing. Here's a couple other random shots from around camp.

The tarp setup:

Grace and her entirely too large raingear:

Our fishing target for the day, and island with an offshore hump that is reportedly good for eyes. We went out and fished around it a while, but lack of anchor plus South winds made it hard to effectively fish with the near constant need to correct the boat's drift.

Eventually both boats decided to work the area in the bay to the South of the peninsula we were camped on, back towards the other two sites. I eventually hooked up with a small eater sized smallie, almost got another with a plastic worm rigged weedless back in the lilies but it didn't work out. We met back up with Grace & Matt further up the bay and we all agreed it was time to head in. We'd have the fish as an appetizer for pizzas!

Back at camp the fish was quickly filleted and Matt & I disposed of the remains. The fish was delicious as ever and soon we were preparing our pizzas. I wish I had a photo of the pizzas on the grate because they turned out really awesome. I ended up trading with Grace, however - Right before they got taken off the fire I lifted hers to check doneness on the crust and it slipped off the spatula and ruined the topping. I gave her mine as a mea culpa for dropping her pizza. Ah well...

Coffee and cocoa were had, dishes got done. Tomorrow we're paddling back almost all the way back to civilization. Our plan is to camp somewhere on Sag around the corridor so our exit on Saturday is easier.

 



Part 6 of 9


Thursday, August 11, 2016

Lakes traveled: Maraboeuf Lake, Lake Saganaga

We don't have far to travel today. Maybe 4-5 miles and most of it is on the water, the last two portages of the trip. I think it started raining again last night after I got into the tent, and no matter what we'll be packing up at least slightly wet. Ah well.

The usual routine ensues. Me & Matt are up about 45 minutes before we get the girls up so we can have coffee and oatmeal done before they get out of the tents. Evie is doing a better job about waking up when I go to rouse her and not too much longer after I've gone to wake her up I can hear the sounds of her packing up in the tent.

Yesterday while we were out fishing we scoped out the surface of the island that we were fishing around & it looks like its covered in berries. If we're able to break camp quickly enough we will stop there so at least Evie can get out and do some picking. Naturally, we're done 'quickly enough' and after we've shoved off its a brief paddle over to the island and a rocky spot where its ok for Ev to get out. Even though she's wearing the GoPro it's not taking images & as a result only she will ever know just how teeming with blueberries the island was. While she was picking it gave me an opportunity to study the sky a little & I realized we were going to get rained on, so I had a chance to put on my rain coat. After she offered some of the fruits of her labors to the other canoe & got back in ours I had her don her raingear too.

It was a good thing, too. By the time we got to the Horsetail Rapids portage it had rained on us and it gave me a chance to check on the GoPro.

With the time lapse turned back on it was time to do the portage. On our first trip across we decided to do this portage in stages. Matt & I would take the canoes to the halfway mark where there seemed to be a natural pool between a couple sets of rapids and we'd take the gear all the way across to the end. Once all the gear is across we'll float and walk the empty boats through the second riffle to the other side of the portage. The reason for this decision is this sloped granite face and generally treacherous when wet finish to the portage:

Our plan worked well, here I am guiding my canoe through the riffle. I'm curious how people going upstream would handle this portage...

Its maybe a 5-10 minute paddle from Horsetail Rapids to Sag Falls. The landing again was a sloped granite face, thankfully this one wasn't so slippery. We make quick work of the portage and take a few minutes to take in the scenery.

And just like that we're done with portages for the rest of the trip & we're on our destination lake for the day's travels. Now, on to the campsite search. We decided to pass on the two sites on the island right after the falls and spend the next hour slowly heading West towards Horseshoe Island and either find the sites we're targeting occupied or we're unable to locate the site. Ultimately we circle back some and end up taking the single site on the island between Horseshoe and the mainland. This would prove to be good for us as shortly after we land we discover that the island is a blueberry and raspberry hotspot!

It doesn't take too long until we've got enough for tomorrow's final layover pancake breakfast. The rest of the day is spent hanging out around camp. Evie fishes a little but the landing keeps eating hooks and jig heads but not before she's managed to get a nice bass on the stringer. We eventually decide to leave the fish in the water for the night to try to add to it tomorrow during our final layover day.

I got to practice my tarp rigging skills and pitched my best tarp setup to date. Instead of a ridgeline rope I was able to throw the main line high over a branch and tied off to the center loop on the tarp, then stretched it out to nearby trees. It affords almost complete coverage for the fire pit and the best part is not having to duck at all underneath.

The rest of the evening is spent again drinking coffee & cocoa. This would have been the night we planned to stay up as late as possible for Perseids, however nature isn't cooperating and instead its overcast. Darn. Matt & I drown our sorrows of not seeing stars in the bourbon, it helps.

Once we're all in bed I manage to freak out Evie by hearing what turned out to be Matt in his tent, maybe rustling the ground cloth inside his tent. It sounded like something was maybe messing with our stuff around the fire pit and I rather rapidly and inexplicably opened the tent door to peer out with my headlamp. After seeing the expression on her face I apologized for scaring her and we talked about what it probably was, then got back to the business of going to sleep.

 



Part 7 of 9


Friday, August 12, 2016

Lakes traveled: Lake Saganaga

Our final layover day of the trip and our final full day in the wilderness. Same routine as other mornings, essentially the same breakfast too. The sound of me breaking down firewood for breakfast gets the girls up and moving, and by 10:30 we've got breakfast going in full swing. The food is mostly prepared in shifts, however Evie and Grace are working together well making the pancakes with Evie handling the pouring and cooking and Grace loading them up with berries.

I get to sample one of the pancakes while I'm involved with cooking the hash browns and bacon.

Unlike the rest of us weirdos that devour the pieces of breakfast as they become ready, Grace decides she would be more civilized and wait for her entire portion to be plated. I think she was pleased with the outcome.

After breakfast Matt & Grace enjoy a little time together while looking out over the lake. Matt will come to believe our campsite is possibly the past site of maybe a cabin based on the terracing he sees in the rocks leading up to the firegrate area. I'm unsure about this since there's no other evidence of a structure here in the past, but who knows?

A little while later the dishes are done and we're starting to switch into fishing mode. We'd like to find at least another bass to augment the one still on the stringer, so we start getting the boats prepped to launch.

The general plan is to fish around the island we're camped on. There's a couple mounds poking up from the water across from our site and it looks like it could be interesting structure for fish. We spend the next couple hours going in a slow circle around our island. Evie and I both get fish on the line which subsequently are able to get off the hook.

When we're across from our site Evie decides to try a different kind of bait so I set her up with a white jighead tipped with a black twisty tail. I drop it in to the water to demonstrate to her how to jig and immediately get a fish on. Poor thing, I really wanted her to catch the fish today and I caught it using her gear! My stringer is back at camp, though. Luckily Matt isn't too far away and lends me his. Later he'd regret loaning me his stringer as in a little bit he'll have a 20" pike flopping around inside his boat....

A while later Evie gets bored with fishing and wants to head back to camp to continue picking berries. I'm OK with that too, especially since Matt & Grace have already headed in. Back ashore there's now 3 fish to be filleted & Matt goes first breaking down his pike then me with my two bass.

Before long we have a very nice sized fry going on. Happy to say that we had so much fish that it replaced the dinner that was planned for that evening. Well, except for the Cheddar Bay biscuits. I didn't carry the remainder of the shredded cheddar for the whole trip to not make them, dammit!

With dinner done and no future needs for the large pot, Evie goes off to pick more blueberries. Her exploring of the patch yesterday and earlier today revealed it to be never ending as it curled clockwise towards the North around the island. These berries were different than other ones we encountered on the trip. Other blues were small and the plants lowish to the ground. These berries were occasionally twice the size, nearly grocery store sized, and some of the plants were knee height. Also other plants earlier in the week would have a berry here and there, maybe two or three to a cluster. These plants were heavy with fruit and many were found in bunches of a half dozen or more per cluster. Every time I would turn and look a different direction I'd see a plant covered with fruit. Evie picked until nearly dark, occasionally with help from me or Matt or Grace. Ev decides that we're going to bring her bounty home, so we seal up the pot with its lid & use the bucket that serves as the outer shell for the cook kit to keep the lid secure.

Everyone lingers around the campfire tonight as we pack up as best as we can for the night. There's rain again in the forecast for overnight and it sounds like it might be a wet paddle out tomorrow. We're maybe 4 miles from the landing and it's a straight shot down the corridor. As long as there isn't a terrible wind from the South or West we should be just fine.

One by one people head off to tents. First Evie then Grace, leaving me & Matt to sip our waning bourbon supply and watch the fire burn down. Then, Matt turns in and it's only me & the fire left to contemplate the experience of the last week and the memories which I hope will remain long after I've left. This is a special place for me, the area we've come to refer to as Canoe Country or the Boundary Waters. For me, the closest thing to a holy shrine or site to which pilgrims travel from far lengths to pay their respects. I am one of those pilgrims - the wilderness is my church.

My heart and soul replenished, I douse the remains of the fire and hit the sack.

 



Part 8 of 9


Saturday, August 13, 2016

Lakes traveled: Lake Saganaga

The alarm goes off at 6 and I'm out of the tent maybe 15 minutes later after getting dressed and packing up some. We were set up on what turned out to be my least favorite tent pad of the trip. It was slightly sloped and the tent barely fit. Plus we couldn't use the doors on the tent the way its designed due to dense brush immediately next to one door. The other door wasn't much better because of a big boulder which took up a fair amount of the square footage of the vestibule. We made do, but it was just a pain. In its defense, the boulder did make a decent place for sitting to take off shoes before entering the tent.

I go about the usual early morning chore of heating water for coffee and oatmeal, plus spend some time writing in my journal as I dozed off mid sentence the night before. Within a half hour Matt is out of his tent, too. Coffee is consumed in relative silence as we observe the skies above and listen to the updated forecast. The weather I've used as a predictor for our weather this trip has been Ely and there's rain falling there in the current report. The skies themselves don't seem to know what they want to be. The sun seems to be struggling to find holes to poke through, and we're treated with occasional spotlit moments.

A couple other shots from camp before we focused in earnest on striking. The giant white pines by the fire pit were a perfect platform for pitching the tarp nice and high and kept the whole fire dry and going during some rain on Friday.

The tarp & latrine kit are the last things waiting to get packed. We take a final listen to the weather to see if there's any changes and nope - still raining in Ely. Looking off to the WSW I can see hazy mist. Its going to rain on us as we paddle out. Winds are still forecast to be gentle out of the West so we decide to push forward. The TP is packed away & the tarp gets taken down and stuffed. Everyone works quickly to get the canoes launched and loaded. While we're by the landing its obvious its going to rain soon & sure enough the first drops begin to fall so its a scramble to get raingear on.

We get rained on like this twice during our paddle out. Each time it rains it lasts a good 15 minutes or longer and isn't terribly bad to be in, especially with the proper mindset.

After the second downburst there's several inches of water pooled around my feet in the stern. All the rainwater has drained down by me, being the heavier paddler in the canoe. The leech bucket, its contents long gone at this point, makes a convenient but awkward container to use for bailing. I make a mental note again that I really should get a sponge on a rope for just these instances and file it away in my mind with all the past thoughts about getting a sponge.

We make the landing about 11:30, about 2 hours after shoving off from our camp. Along the way we encounter a few motorboats, especially as we get deeper into the corridor. Most are polite and slow down or keep their distance, only one left a wake that tossed us around some. By the time we reach the southernmost launch on Saganaga the rain has finished and left sunshine in its wake. We unload and pull the boats ashore, then I go hike to the pay phone to call GNO to come pick us up.

About 45 minutes later our shuttle arrives. I guess he got bad info on the radio and thought we'd be at the other landing a little further up the corridor. A little bit later we're delivered back to GNO where a hot shower awaits. We all get cleaned up, do some souvenir shopping, then take off to Trail Center for our post trip meal. The girls got milkshakes to go with their meals and I think they liked them.

Evie got fettuccini and Grace got tenders. Matt & I both got burgers and a beer. The service was a little slow but the food was worth it. I think Evie was hungry for a good meal because she pretty much cleaned her plate.

About two hours after we arrived we were back on the road. We're not going straight home today as we made plans before the trip to spend the night in the Wisconsin Dells and go to Mount Olympus for coasters and go-karts. Evie is stoked for the water park, too. We get to Grand Marais to fuel up and I realize that I'm way too tired to drive and so I ask Matt to take the wheel. I'm asleep almost immediately and don't wake up until we're back in Wisconsin. We trade seats when we gas up in Osseo and I finish the drive to Baraboo, where we'll be spending the night with some friends at their campsite in a year round campground. By the time we get in it's late, after 11, and everybody's in bed already. My friend Ben shows us to our accommodations for the evening and we're happy to find that we can use his dad's camper which is unoccupied this weekend. Everyone gets their pads set up except for Matt who gets to use the bed. The girls crash immediately while Matt, Ben, and I all share a beer on the porch and regale Ben with the stories from our week in the wilderness.

We don't have to be anywhere early tomorrow, Mount Olympus opens at 10. Matt and I hit the sack a little before midnight & I stay up for a little while writing in my journal.

 



Part 9 of 9


Sunday, August 14, 2016

Again, I'm the first one up. Later this morning than on the trip, I wake up about 7. Matt is up about 30-45 minutes later and I spend my quiet alone time this morning making a few more notes in my journal. Ben and the rest of his family are all getting up now too and there's donuts, coffee, and the whole pot full of berries that I've grabbed from their hiding place in the car.

Ben's family usually lingers on Sundays before returning home, however today our two oldest sons have a Boy Scout event to attend so they're leaving not too long after we depart for Mount Olympus. We get packed up & I do a quick sweep of the floor of the camper to clean up any dirt we may have tracked in.

We pull into Mount Olympus' parking lot and before too long we're parked. I'm happy to see that ours is not the only car with a canoe on top in the lot. A few minutes later we're past the ticket booth and making plans for our time in the park. Evie naturally wants to RIDE ALL THE RIDES! whereas Grace isn't really feeling the whole amusement park thing and really wants to get home to see their dogs. We end up compromising where we find an outdoor bar that overlooks the tidal wave pool and Matt, Grace, and I all hang out while Evie goes and does the things in the water park that she wants to do. She does very well on her own and comes back to check in around the times we agree to. She also doesn't complain at all when it's time to be done with water so we can have lunch then go on some rides.

I go with the girls on a couple roller coasters and all of us go on some go-karts.

I was disappointed to find out that the Trojan Horse karts no longer use the spiral that goes up and through the horse. Maybe the structure is no longer safe for karting, I don't know. On our way out of the park I go with the girls on Hades, which is a coaster that travels under the parking lot of the park to a set of loops by the street before returning to the main coaster structure by the same underground tunnel. All of the coasters at Mount Olympus are wooden rides so the bumpiness adds to the fun. While we were waiting in line we got to behold the gum tree. Yuck.

Evie is a fan of sitting in the front seat on coasters wherever possible, however seeing we'd have to wait 5 or so trains before we'd be on made the girls decide that the second row wouldn't be too bad. We got on the next train and had a fun ride.

Our group reunited at the exit, we headed to the car and our final three hours on the road.

We pulled in to Matt & Grace's house just as night was falling. We quickly unpacked their items from the car and drove the extra couple minutes home. My son Gavin helped me get the canoe off the roof and then it was time to start the process of unpacking, sorting, cleaning, and putting away all our gear.

All in all we had a great trip. Matt & Grace said they'd be interested in coming back some time, so maybe in two summers we'll try it again. Maybe it'll be the four of us again, maybe it'll be both our families since we'd be at the magic number of 9. Evie had a great time too and also wants to go back. Ultimately, that was the best endorsement I could get. I brought three canoe trip newbies into the wilderness and everyone got along well, worked great as a team, and exited wanting more.

 


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