Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

Horse River May7-11
by Bogwalker

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 05/08/2004
Entry & Exit Point: Mudro Lake (EP 23)
Number of Days: 5
Group Size: 2
Day 3 of 5
Sunday May 9,2004
Nibi and I wake and I am making egg mcmuffins for breakfast. They are English muffins, fried eggs, bacon and cheddar cheese. Beaglefur inspired me to do these after he brought them on our 4 solos trip into Angleworm last October. Man they taste great and gets us off to a good start.
After breakfast we head out to explore the eastern shore of Horse Lake and head toward the Horse River entrance. First stop is the tall cliffs to the east of our campsite. It looks like they could have held pictographs, although I have never heard of anyone finding any and we see none ourselves.
We paddle slowly and easily and take our time looking for wildlife, spring plants and flowers and anything worth taking a picture of. Nibi takes numerous shots and I take some. We inspect the two campsites just north of the entrance to the Horse River. The first one we come to has its fire area right off shore and looks like it could take a bigger group. It also appears to get a lot of use. The second one also looks like it could handle big groups and would lack privacy as everyone coming and going from the river would pass by.
Nibi and I head toward the mouth of the river and the first portage. The wind is stronger out of the south today and we need to work a little to make our way against it. Back in the bay and a few little islands and it looks like great exploring and photography awaits us.
As I head around the most easterly island I hear some crunching and chewing back in the marshy area full of last years reeds and stalks. I see nothing save a couple of ravens up in the tree nearby where the noise comes from. I continue to paddle slowly and know I have the advantage of being upwind from the animal. Is it a Moose a deer what is eating back in the marsh? I signal to Nibi to be quiet and point to where I suspect th