Friday, August 26, 2011

We rose early, stopping to get leeches & nightcrawlers (and fishing pointers) from Jim at The Great Outdoors (TGO).

Then we stopped at a grocery store for screw top tupperware to protect the bait. Next, on the Echo Trail to the parking lot by 8:30am. The day was sunny and breezy.

I figured we should take the 1st campsite available, since the parking lot was full and there was no way I was making the long portage out of Keanu looking for a spot to camp. We loaded up and started down the portage, putting in about 9am. I found DS just inside the woods, flat on his back, complaining about the weight of his pack :) I passed him and said I'd come back for him, but soon he was up and following behind. By the lake landing, he was all smiles again and stripped down to match the warm day.

We opted to skip a swim at the landing (but it was tempting) and paddled against the wind south to check out the lower campsite. Alas, it was taken by a solo female paddler. The landscape on the way to the south end of the lake was odd-looking. Rock all covered with moss or lichen. Hills surround the lake, so there's always shade somewhere, but rarely a flat landing. That south end of the lake is secluded with lots of islands and nooks and crannies. We turned around, and again headed into the wind, this time paddling north (figures).

The next site we saw was available, so we grabbed it and made camp. The Taj 3 was a palace for the two of us and nestled into one of 2-3 small tent pads. We were set up and lounging in our hammocks before 10:30am. DS's new fishing vest was the bomb! We used all the pockets. He found the perfect climbing tree, but I reminded him that "911" didn't work very well in the BWCA, so he stayed close to ground for me - thanks kiddo! At the campsite, the well-worn latrine trail led to an old latrine, removed except the support boards. DS stood and peed on it and declared "The latrine works!" with a huge smile on his face. Quote of the trip. The replacement "facility" was a long hike away.

Our campsite was near a nice wide bay. I paddled for DS to fish. We were all ready to try a walleye dinner... but the fish would have nothing to do with us. As we fished this bay, the wind would sometimes push us and sometimes pull us - it was literally changing direction about every 15 minutes. Kind of freaky for me. The water was clear, and you could look down and see large boulders. Eventually the line sprang off the reel and we had a nice mess for me to fix, ha!

I napped and read in the hammock a while, and worked on getting the fishing line back in shape for another attempt at catching a fish. We had the fileting instructions with us and we were ready to catch something! The beautiful view from my hammock location - couldn't have asked for a better spot. Nice tree shade, place for rocking it with my foot, and what a view!! The campsite was opposite a fairly large island, with smaller islands on the edges of the big one. A channel went between the big island and our site. A small island became our "food caching" island. Bears swim well, but we figured if the food didn't smell, & wasn't on a trail, bear would have no reason to swim. We were right! Later this fall, campers at this site had 3 packs destroyed by bear.
DS didn't sit still too long, he was off and paddling to the "big" island to explore on his own. I stayed comfy in my hammock, working on that dang fishing line still.
The pita pizzas for supper were a hit - I forgot how fun it is to cook for (only) two!