Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

winter Camping Gunflint Trail
by bobsled

Trip Type: Snowshoeing
Entry Date: 02/04/2011
Entry & Exit Point: Duncan Lake (EP 60)
Number of Days: 3
Group Size: 5
Day 2 of 3
Saturday, February 05, 2011

Sat Morning comes pretty quickly and I couldn’t be more thankful. It’s a beautiful morning and the Canadian hills glow in the morning light across the vacant lake. I proceeded to the fish house to start breakfast, and as I jump into the fish house, I jump into 5” of standing water! The water levels went up from drilling the holes with so much snow weight and the house had gear floating in the bottom! I get back to the tent to realize that we had barely escaped disaster and moved the tent to higher ground. I imagine another 45 minutes and our sleeping bags and tent would have been soaked, because as the day went, the area became more and more saturated.

We shovel an elevated “tent pad” out of snow and ice a few hundred feet away and attempt to avoid the slush issue that appears to have run rampant over the entire area. Then out of nowhere, Tip UP! This time it’s a smaller Laker , and we couldn’t wait for lunch!

Lunch consisted of Fresh lake trout, Mac n cheese, and beef jerky, but I must say it was probably the best fish I’ve ever eaten. Throughout the day we gather wood, fish, and relax all afternoon and by sat night we have soup brewing and a bonfire roaring. Bite has been slow and nothing since the morning but we enjoy dinner and then we hear our buddy yelling. Apparently while over for dinner, he left his bobber down with the bail open and he came back to a missing fishing rod!

He is all upset and starts reeling in his other line, to behold his other fishing rod! And attached to that fishing rod is another nice Laker! Well lucky guy I guess. We wrap up sat by enjoying the last of our bag of wine and attempting to drink/eat everything we had as to lighten the trek out for Sunday. Enjoying smores over the stove in the fish house, on a private lake, is the best way to enjoy a Saturday night.