Day 2: Mudro Lake to Horse Lake: 3 portages – 80 rods, 160 rods, 90 rods.
We stop in Ely for breakfast at Subway and to pick up a few last minute things, then up to CBO for our transport. Can’t say enough good things about CBO, they were great. We get dropped off at Mudro around 10:30am, quite a bit later than I’d hoped but I really didn’t care, we were HERE! The weather was gorgeous, it was about 65 degrees and mostly sunny with a slight breeze at a cross wind for us. I really took a liking my 16.5’ Wenonah Prism Solo. Last year I soloed a tandem Bell Magic Royalex and hated it. This was a completely new experience. The little skiff was quick and agile and had great handling. The first 80 rod portage from Mudro to Sandpit was brutal. 40 rods up and 40 rods back down with lots of ankle twisting rocks, a couple fallen trees, and a very steep decline at the end. We had a bit of trouble tracking down the entrance to the next 160 rod from Sandpit to Tin Can Mike. There were a lot of fallen logs in the bay of the portage entrance and it took a bit of exploration to find it. Even though this was the longest portage of the trip, it was by far the easiest. 160 rods of wide, flat and simple terrain and we crushed the entire double portage in about 45 min, with a quick lunch of pb and j’s at the end. The 90 rod from Tin Can Mike to Horse was pretty routine, and I saw some old wolf scat and fresher bear scat on the trail. Finally we were on our destination lake. I’d had my hopes set on the northern island campsite on Horse, and REALLY prayed it wasn’t occupied. However as we started nearing the middle of the lake, I could see people swimming on the rock peninsula of the island, and did I just see a tent? Yup, it was taken. Major bummer. We settled on the middle of the three campsites on the east end of the lake. I liked this one though. Very roomy, good landing spot and a couple of promising looking bays on either side. As we pull up to the landing and start unloading, it happens again. The Kid, without looking over the side of the canoe to see where he stepping, tumbled out in almost 5 ft of water. He managed to keep his head dry this time though, but was thoroughly soaked otherwise. You’d think he’d have learned from last year when he did the same thing at our first campsite landing on Ensign, only that time he was completely submerged. I stifle a chuckle and ask if he’s alright. No harm, no foul, and the quick dry gear held up well. Camp is set up fast and it feels great to get into dry socks and shoes. Papa D tested out the waters in front of the campsite and managed to snag a decent gator that threw the lure as he was pulling it up to the rock. This is a good sign. Haven’t been at camp for an hour and already fish are biting. After a nice nap and a delicious steak and potato dinner (as is tradition on the first evening of every trip), we hit the waters for some serious walleye fishing. Rob J and Kid are hunting gators, Webb and Papa drop some minnows into the bay just north of the campsite, and I decide to head up the lake to a couple spots I had heard were good. I had just dropped down my first jig and minnow right next to the island site and when Papa radios me and says “Walleye success! Get back over here!” As quick as lighting I speed back to the bay above our campsite. They had pulled a nice eater eye. I drop my minnow back down and BAM, nab a nice 18” wally. Papa and Webb started slamming the eyes and I grabbed a nice 30” gator that gave me a couple good runs under the canoe. We fished till about an hour after sunset and decided to head in for a fish fry. Rob J and Kid had already gone back to camp 30 min earlier and Rob J had retired to his tent. As I was paddling back to the landing I hear a “SHHHHIIIIIINK, *Plop*”……my stringer with my delicious wally on it was apparently not connected to my canoe as secure as I thought, and down to the bottom they both went. Damn. That’s upsetting. Thankfully Webb and Papa had four nice eaters and our fish fry was still on. Webb and I sliced and diced em and Kid, who turned out to be a master chef, prepped them for the pan. Let me make this perfectly clear; there is nothing, and I mean nothing better than fresh walleye thrown on the skillet and fried up less than an hour after being pulled from the lake. The best filet mignon in the world doesn’t even compare. These fillets were carefully seasoned, breaded with shore lunch and panko, and fried to crisp, brown perfection. At 11pm, we ate what I would argue to be the best meal of the trip. Full and content, we put day 1 on the trail to rest.