May 21-23
by Eglath
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
05/21/2004
Entry & Exit Point:
Snowbank Lake (EP 27)
Number of Days:
3
Group Size:
2
Day 3 of 3
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Disappointment Lake, Parent Lake, Snowbank Lake
This was one of the most ridiculous days i've experienced in the BW. the temperature had risen a bit, but the wind had nearly doubled. the 10-12" waves on Disappointment were a bit disconcerting. we tried a bit of fishing in the morning, hoping the wind would quiet down a little by noon or so, but that didn't work out so well. so we broke camp, packed up, and headed out. the wind was out of the NE and was blowing waves by our island on both sides, which then crossed to the SW of the island, where we needed to head to stay out of most of the waves. it was a bit tricky in our little 15 ft. canoe. but we made it around the little islands and back to the portage. when we reached Parent Lake, the water seemed calm. this was, of course, an illusion. we headed directly for the portage with the wind at our backs. but the waves just kept getting bigger and bigger, topping out at over a foot from trough to crest. i was in the bow, paddling as hard as i could to keep us moving forward and josh was in the stern, draw-stroking as hard as he could to keep us from going broadside. absolutely ridiculous. we ended up going directly east and landing on shore near a campsite. after weighing our options (paddling directly into that wind that had just blown us off course, bushwacking 1/2 a mile to the portage or just jumping out into the freakin' cold water and walking the canoe 1/3 a mile down the shore to the portage). so we jumped out. i'm just happy neither of us twisted an ankle or lost permanent feeling below our knees (it was dang cold). the portage to Snowbank warmed our feet a little, so that was good, but when we got there, we could see huge rollers coming down from the NE corner of the lake, directly across the path we needed to take to get to the landing. as luck would have it, there's an isolated resort near the Parent-Snowbank portage. so we paddled over, and the nice people who own the Wilderness Bay Resort gave us (and our canoe/gear) a ride back on their pontoon boat. altogether a harrowing day. and don't even get me started about the 30 mph crosswinds that tried to blow the canoe off the car between Ely and Duluth...
Map: [Paddling/Walking in the water in red, Portaging in blue, Motorized boat in yellow]
Disappointment Lake, Parent Lake, Snowbank Lake
This was one of the most ridiculous days i've experienced in the BW. the temperature had risen a bit, but the wind had nearly doubled. the 10-12" waves on Disappointment were a bit disconcerting. we tried a bit of fishing in the morning, hoping the wind would quiet down a little by noon or so, but that didn't work out so well. so we broke camp, packed up, and headed out. the wind was out of the NE and was blowing waves by our island on both sides, which then crossed to the SW of the island, where we needed to head to stay out of most of the waves. it was a bit tricky in our little 15 ft. canoe. but we made it around the little islands and back to the portage. when we reached Parent Lake, the water seemed calm. this was, of course, an illusion. we headed directly for the portage with the wind at our backs. but the waves just kept getting bigger and bigger, topping out at over a foot from trough to crest. i was in the bow, paddling as hard as i could to keep us moving forward and josh was in the stern, draw-stroking as hard as he could to keep us from going broadside. absolutely ridiculous. we ended up going directly east and landing on shore near a campsite. after weighing our options (paddling directly into that wind that had just blown us off course, bushwacking 1/2 a mile to the portage or just jumping out into the freakin' cold water and walking the canoe 1/3 a mile down the shore to the portage). so we jumped out. i'm just happy neither of us twisted an ankle or lost permanent feeling below our knees (it was dang cold). the portage to Snowbank warmed our feet a little, so that was good, but when we got there, we could see huge rollers coming down from the NE corner of the lake, directly across the path we needed to take to get to the landing. as luck would have it, there's an isolated resort near the Parent-Snowbank portage. so we paddled over, and the nice people who own the Wilderness Bay Resort gave us (and our canoe/gear) a ride back on their pontoon boat. altogether a harrowing day. and don't even get me started about the 30 mph crosswinds that tried to blow the canoe off the car between Ely and Duluth...
Map: [Paddling/Walking in the water in red, Portaging in blue, Motorized boat in yellow]
Lakes Traveled:
Disappointment Lake,
Parent Lake,
Snowbank Lake,
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