Getting ready to pull the trigger. Is any of the Baker to Cherokee loop in a burn area? If so what year and how has it come back?

Thanks, FISHONFISHOFF

I didn't notice any last fall. Do you plan to loop back through Sawbill and the fire lakes?

There was some blowdown in 1999 storm. If you are observant, you can see some swaths on the east shore as you travel north through Kelly Lake. The east shore of South Temperance also suffered blow down and was burned shortly after over to Brule Lake.

The north shore of South Temperance also experienced some straight line winds several years later with some resulting blow down. Most is recovering nicely, but you can tell if you know what you are looking for. It is not like traveling through the Pagami Creek area by Kawishiwi Lake or even the burns by Seagull Lake.

I do plan on looping back through the fire lakes. The last night's stay will be on one of these.

I did a couple trips farther up north and got into some heavy burn area. I think Peter lake was about the worst. The lake and water was great, but all the trees were gone! Bright side: saw a spectacular Northern Lights show the night we stayed on Peter!

FISHONFISHOFF

I will keep an eye out for different things. Thanks for all the updates.............I just hope this trip happens!!!!!

FISHONFISHOFF

I did this route (Sawbill to Cherokee to Baker) several years ago and we did not see any evidence of recent fire. We did however see some significant blow down damage.

We camped on North Temperance at campsite 905 and it has a lot of downed trees. I do not know if that was from the 1999 blowdown or something else. Many of the possible tent sites were surrounded by down trees. The good news is that there are several lifetimes worth of fire wood there.

fishonfishoff: "I do plan on looping back through the fire lakes. The last nights stay will be on one of these. I did a couple trips up north farther and got into some heavy burn area. I think Peter lake was about the worst. The lake and water was great but all the trees were gone! Bright side: saw a spectacular Northern Lights show the night we stayed on Peter!
FISHONFISHOFF"

The fire up by Little Sag (Peter Lake) happened the third or fourth year I tripped. We got stopped on Elton Lake. The portages were closed. You could here the airplanes operating out of Little Sag. It is a much newer burn than the east shore of South Temperance. My understanding is that the burn on the east shore of South Temperance was started by a lightning strike.

My wife and I did the Cherokee Loop last September. It was amazing. I hope you get a chance to go, but please stay health and safe.

Michwall2: " My understanding is that the burn on the east shore of South Temperance was started by a lightning strike. "

I can't remember when the fire on the east side of South Temperance happened, must be around 25 years or more. A co-worker of mine was on that fire. I paddled there in 2018 and thought it was hard to tell their had been a fire at all there. I retired after 30 years as a wild land firefighter, three of those were on the Superior NF.

WHendrix: "I did this route (Sawbill to Cherokee to Baker) several years ago and we did not see any evidence of recent fire. We did however see some significant blow down damage.

We camped on North Temperance at campsite 905 and it has a lot of downed trees. I do not know if that was from the 1999 blowdown or something else. Many of the possible tent sites were surrounded by down trees. The good news is that there are several lifetimes worth of fire wood there."

I was looking for info on the fire on South Temperance Lake and came across this first hand description of the microburst that caused the blowdown on the north end of South Temperance and on North Temperance Lake.

Microburst

According to my calculations I started BW tripping in 2002. My first trip through the Cherokee Loop would have been in 2005. This event happened in 2007 (according to the date on the posting.). My next trip through there would have been either that year in Aug or the next as we did a loop to Little Sag from the Baker Lake entry. We encountered the blow down and its affects on the northwest campsite on S. Temperance.

LindenTree: "

Michwall2: " My understanding is that the burn on the east shore of South Temperance was started by a lightning strike. "

I can't remember when the fire on the east side of South Temperance happened, must be around 25 years or more. A co-worker of mine was on that fire. I paddled there in 2018 and thought it was hard to tell their had been a fire at all there. I retired after 30 years as a wild land firefighter, three of those were on the Superior NF."

I thought the South Temperance Lake fire happened after the blowdown of 1999, but these couple of websites say no. It happened in 1996. You are right on about the 25 years! It was also larger than I thought at 4450 acres.

Short Chronology of Fires in BW Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post.

Longer chronology of many events of the BW.