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 7 of 8
Day 6 - Sunday, August 14, 2005
Knife Lake – Vera Lake – Ensign Lake – Splash Lake – Newfound Lake – Moose Lake
Our last day. We try to get an early start and are moderately successful. After a dehydrated Mexican omelet (much improved with a liberal amount of hot sauce), we’re at the portage into Vera. Boy, am I glad we didn’t have to cross this one last night. It’s steep and the downhill portion in the middle gives false hope of a nearing end. What a view though! And after that portage, Vera Lake looks so inviting that, despite the chilly, breezy day, I convince Eric to stop at an island for a swim. So invigorating.
Well, the breeze picks up and the clouds are starting to clump together so we head to the Ensign Lake portage. Another steep one. From the bare rocky patch at the top there’s a view to hills in the distance, very reminiscent of a Missouri vista. We had planned on fishing Ensign Lake but we’re already unsure if we’ll meet our ride on time. Through Splash and by the time we reach Newfound, the wind is really picking up. There are whitecaps on Moose and I’m ready to be done. Seeing the tow boats whizzing by while we’re battling the wind is so disheartening and knowing that we’re only working this hard to get out of the Boundary Waters is sad.
About four hours later than we anticipated, we meet Eric’s dad at the public landing. We head to their house on White Iron for amazingly wonderful hot showers and a huge dinner of home-smoked ribs with his parents, brother, and nephews.
This has been a remarkable trip. We reveled in the beauty of the wilderness, saw the destruction which fires can cause, battled against the wind, pushed ourselves over never-ending portages, and most importantly learned that we can depend on one another. It was a full two weeks in the real world before the bliss of this trip began to began to fade, but the joy of struggling and succeeding is still with me today.
Knife Lake – Vera Lake – Ensign Lake – Splash Lake – Newfound Lake – Moose Lake
Our last day. We try to get an early start and are moderately successful. After a dehydrated Mexican omelet (much improved with a liberal amount of hot sauce), we’re at the portage into Vera. Boy, am I glad we didn’t have to cross this one last night. It’s steep and the downhill portion in the middle gives false hope of a nearing end. What a view though! And after that portage, Vera Lake looks so inviting that, despite the chilly, breezy day, I convince Eric to stop at an island for a swim. So invigorating.
Well, the breeze picks up and the clouds are starting to clump together so we head to the Ensign Lake portage. Another steep one. From the bare rocky patch at the top there’s a view to hills in the distance, very reminiscent of a Missouri vista. We had planned on fishing Ensign Lake but we’re already unsure if we’ll meet our ride on time. Through Splash and by the time we reach Newfound, the wind is really picking up. There are whitecaps on Moose and I’m ready to be done. Seeing the tow boats whizzing by while we’re battling the wind is so disheartening and knowing that we’re only working this hard to get out of the Boundary Waters is sad.
This has been a remarkable trip. We reveled in the beauty of the wilderness, saw the destruction which fires can cause, battled against the wind, pushed ourselves over never-ending portages, and most importantly learned that we can depend on one another. It was a full two weeks in the real world before the bliss of this trip began to began to fade, but the joy of struggling and succeeding is still with me today.
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