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March 18 2024

Entry Point 77 - South Hegman Lake

South Hegman Lake entry point allows overnight paddle only. This entry point is supported by Kawishiwi Ranger Station near the city of Ely, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 16 miles. Access is a 80-rod portage to South Hegman Lake.

Number of Permits per Day: 1.5 (varies by day)
Elevation: 1282 feet
Latitude: 48.0336
Longitude: -91.9250
South Hegman Lake - 77

Ist time for him, and ending long drought for me

by Bearpath9
Trip Report

Entry Date: June 10, 2019
Entry Point: South Hegman Lake
Number of Days: 3
Group Size: 2

Trip Introduction:
Arrived in Ely early Sunday afternoon, light drizzle. Checked in at Cliff Wold's, dropped our gear off at their bunkhouses, and went to my brother-in-laws for a visit. Rain kept up until about 6 or so. Monday morning was clear and sunny, we got to the entry point (77) and hit the lake shortly after. Paddled around south lake for a while to give my grandson a bit of experience, and got the site we (I) wanted, #1. Great site, nice views, and maybe 5 minutes to the portage to the north lake. Unloaded and set up, the grandson immediately started fishing from the shore, and I checked the firewood situation out. Nice little pile of kindling, and a few 5-6 inch diameter logs. While he fished, I went in search of more wood to add to the pile. Caught a couple of bass from the shore around the site. Drizzled on and off for most of the afternoon and evening. Temp may have gotten a little over 70. Tuesday dawned clear, temp probably in the mid 40's. I get up with the birds, so I wet a line for little bit, and started the fire. After I rattled a few pots and pans, the grandson got up. After eating, he fished, and went in search of more wood to replenish the pile. Then we made the short trip the the north lake to the pictos, paddled around in the warm sun, and he fished while I handled the canoe. He got one walleye on a leech, and we headed back to the camp. I also found some good dead wood, which we (I) put in the canoe. Ate some lunch, and then the clouds started to pile up, and get darker as the wind increased. Tried to get a current weather report on the radio, but no luck, just the same one from the morning. The rain started as a drizzle, and progressively got harder, so we headed for the tent. Good thing, because about 15-20 minutes later we were in the middle of a good ol' thunderstorm. That went on for a couple of hours, and it did get pretty bad. Fortunately, I had moved the small logs under a shelf that the big boulder near the kitchen area had, and it stayed completely dry. The kindling got soaked, but I found enough dry stuff for the fire in the morning. I used the bottle top stove to cook dinner after the storm had passed, in between the drizzle that kept coming on and off. It was at this point that the grandson asked if we could leave a day early ! I told him I would think about it. Wednesday, as usual I was up with the birds, so I checked tho wood supply, and did a little fishing of the rocks. Got a nice little bass, maybe two pounds or so, and waited for the grandson to wake up. I had been thinking about his request to leave a day early, and decided we would. I think there was some homesickness involved on his part, but I also was a little mad at myself for not packing some things that we needed (out of practice, I guess, or as my wife said "you're losing it, old man") so we fished a little more, ate breakfast, loaded up, and left. Got to give the kid credit, though, he did carry the canoe from the lake up to the parking lot, and did a passable job of it, with one rest stop. Called Ryan at Cliff Wold's, and asked if it was possible to end our trip a day early. No problem, and one of his guys was there in about half an hour. Other than the daily rain, the weather was pretty good, highs in the upper 60's to low 70's, lows in the low 40's, mostly light to medium breezes. Fishing wasn't all that good, which may have been another reason he wanted to leave. I could tell he was getting bored, which may have been another reason for him wanting to leave. And I did goof up on the packing, not bringing things I found I needed and didn't have, and bringing things I didn't use at all. So if you get to that site, there is more wood than I found, under the shelf of that boulder I mentioned, nice and dry. All in all though, it was good trip for his first one, and a re-learning experience for me.

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