Smoke on the Water, Loons in the Wind
by prettypaddle
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
08/09/2005
Entry & Exit Point:
Moose Lake (EP 25)
Number of Days:
6
Group Size:
2
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (9 messages)
Part 6 of 8
Day 5 - Saturday, August 13, 2005
Gijikiki Lake – Rivalry Lake – Lake of the Clouds – Lunar Lake – Cherry Lake – Topaz Lake – Amoeber Lake - Knife Lake – South Arm Knife Lake – Knife Lake
Ah, a beautiful day for portaging! When I first peek out the tent, the lake is calm and tinged a delicate pink. It fades to silver and I am still in the tent. By the time we’re on the water, the sky is bright blue with fluffy white clouds. It’s a short carry into tiny Rivalry Lake and an even shorter paddle to the next portage. I think it took us longer to put everything into the canoe than it did to cross the lake.
A slightly longer portage into Lake of the Clouds winds along the bottom of a cliff and so far is the only place we’ve been bothered by mosquitoes. With the canoe over his head, Eric didn’t even see the cliff until we reached the lake. We figure someone must have been standing atop the cliff, looking down into the reflected sky when they named the lake.
Another short hop and we’re in Lunar Lake which is ringed with dead trees. We notice a beaver dam at the portage into Cherry Lake and figure the water must have risen too high for the trees near shore. The beaver dam might also explain the beautiful little pocket of grassy, marshy prairie that’s ringed in wild flowers but marked on the map as a little pond.
The portage starts off steep and rocky with a tiny hidden stream gurgling along then opens into this little piece of Kansas. It’s so unexpectedly lush and green--it even smells and sounds different. Grasshoppers chirp and I breathe in the smell of green grass warmed in the sun as we make our way to Cherry Lake.
We still have a long ways to go so we don’t stop to climb the cliffs on Cherry Lake. We push on through Topaz, Amoeber, and into South Arm Knife. The portages have all been short (the longest was 83 rods), but all the unloading and reloading is really starting to wear on us. By the time we get to the South Arm of Knife, the wind is picking up and brings with it rain. Cold, cold rain. We paddle on and on and on looking for an open campsite.
At last--the last site on Knife before the portage into Vera is open. Once again, it’s 7 and we’re just getting into camp. The temperature is falling so we hastily set up the tent, change into dry clothes, and start dinner. It’s a pretty site with a view to the setting sun. After washing up, we head to bed for a chilly night.
Gijikiki Lake – Rivalry Lake – Lake of the Clouds – Lunar Lake – Cherry Lake – Topaz Lake – Amoeber Lake - Knife Lake – South Arm Knife Lake – Knife Lake
Ah, a beautiful day for portaging! When I first peek out the tent, the lake is calm and tinged a delicate pink. It fades to silver and I am still in the tent. By the time we’re on the water, the sky is bright blue with fluffy white clouds. It’s a short carry into tiny Rivalry Lake and an even shorter paddle to the next portage. I think it took us longer to put everything into the canoe than it did to cross the lake.
A slightly longer portage into Lake of the Clouds winds along the bottom of a cliff and so far is the only place we’ve been bothered by mosquitoes. With the canoe over his head, Eric didn’t even see the cliff until we reached the lake. We figure someone must have been standing atop the cliff, looking down into the reflected sky when they named the lake.
Another short hop and we’re in Lunar Lake which is ringed with dead trees. We notice a beaver dam at the portage into Cherry Lake and figure the water must have risen too high for the trees near shore. The beaver dam might also explain the beautiful little pocket of grassy, marshy prairie that’s ringed in wild flowers but marked on the map as a little pond.
The portage starts off steep and rocky with a tiny hidden stream gurgling along then opens into this little piece of Kansas. It’s so unexpectedly lush and green--it even smells and sounds different. Grasshoppers chirp and I breathe in the smell of green grass warmed in the sun as we make our way to Cherry Lake.
We still have a long ways to go so we don’t stop to climb the cliffs on Cherry Lake. We push on through Topaz, Amoeber, and into South Arm Knife. The portages have all been short (the longest was 83 rods), but all the unloading and reloading is really starting to wear on us. By the time we get to the South Arm of Knife, the wind is picking up and brings with it rain. Cold, cold rain. We paddle on and on and on looking for an open campsite.
At last--the last site on Knife before the portage into Vera is open. Once again, it’s 7 and we’re just getting into camp. The temperature is falling so we hastily set up the tent, change into dry clothes, and start dinner. It’s a pretty site with a view to the setting sun. After washing up, we head to bed for a chilly night.
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