Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

Chronicles of a Day Tripper
by jdevries

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 08/23/2008
Entry & Exit Point: Lake One (EP 30)
Number of Days: 6
Group Size: 1
Day 2 of 6
Sunday, August 24, 2008

I got on the road again just before 8:00am for the final run up to Ely. Nothing notable happened until I got through Virginia and onto highway 169 to Ely. I’m sure I stopped for coffee somewhere along the way, but I sure can’t remember where! Just after I got through Virginia things got interesting for a few short moments. As I rounded the curve off the exit ramp I found no traffic in front of me and never took the cruise control off so I passed the Minnesota state cop that was, of course, sitting just over the next hill at around 67 mph in a 50 mph zone. I can't believe I didn't get a ticket for that. He must have had somewhere else to go at the time. I arrived in Ely around 11:30 so I had some time to blow before I could check in to the campground. I stopped in town as close to the Sheridan Street webcam as I could get and called home. I got my wife online and even though I was parked up the block, she was able to see Murphy (my canoe) on top of my truck. I got out of the truck and walked over toward the webcam and the next frame had me standing at the intersection. Barb saved that frame as well as a couple more frames that the webcam captured to document my arrival in Ely and then sent them out on email to other people like my brother Jack, that were interested in my trip.  From there I stopped at Voyaguer North outfitters to look for a long sleeve T-shirt. It was 57 degrees and they were predicting frost in the morning so I needed something a little bit warmer for during the day. They didn’t have anything I liked so I abandoned the idea and decided to tough it out. I left VNO and, even though it was still pretty early in the day, I headed over to the campground. I knew from the reservations site that the site was occupied the previous night and that they may not have left yet, but I figured I would check anyway just in case. 


When I got to the campground, the site was empty. It had not been vacant long enough for the hosts to go through and clean it up, but other than some leftovers in the fire pit, it was fine so I set up my home for the next four days. The hosts came along and were wondering if I was the previous tenant, but I let them know I was the new guy and that the site was good to go.

Once camp was set up, I headed out for Lake One right around 2:00 hoping to be fishing by 3:00. My first cast hit the water at 2:56 just below the second rapids down the river and just like my last two trips, I caught a smallmouth on my second cast. I caught about 4 more before the wind and current dislodged me so I moved over to the other side and wedged myself into some rocks. I got a few more smallmouth over there, got dislodged again, and moved back over to where I was originally. I wedged myself in again and things went absolutely crazy. For nearly an hour I was catching fish on almost every cast. Right around 4:15, the action just stopped. I had one of the first smallmouth on the stringer for dinner and took it with me over the portage and back to the first set of rapids. I didn’t stay long there, but I did catch a walleye that finished off my dinner plans.

I got back to the campground around 5:15 or so, filleted the fish down by the lake, had a dinner of lemon pepper baked fish and mashed potatoes, and cleaned everything up by 7:15 or so. I watched a movie in the tent, called home, and wandered around down by the lake stargazing, finally going to bed around 11:00. Given that they are predicting frost tonight and then a warm up, I am going to change my plans. Instead of getting up really early and going up the North Kawishiwi River when it’s good and cold out, I’m going to sleep in and head to Pipestone Bay. 

Portages – 3 portages totaling about 30 rods. Miles paddled - 2 Weather – sunny and cool, 57 degrees when I arrived, hi around 75