Sunday, August 07, 2011
I've never been so happy to wake up to calm water! Big Sag could easily be more than we could handle, though the route was sheltered.
We made one more round of blueberry pancakes, rationing syrup. We packed up camp, making sure to get pictures of the MOST wide open latrine I have ever seen. The "Amphitheater Latrine" made you feel as if you were on stage, sitting in the bottom of a pine forest "bowl" with a steep trail down into the bowl and back out. We also snapped pictures of our respective homes, and the lot where dd2's home was until it sprinkled :) We were on the water by 9am. This big lake was definitely cooler water than the river system we had come through. That was a welcome change when swimming!

We headed south down the motor corridor. A few motorboats passed us heading north, but in general it was a peaceful paddle. We probably had another canoe "race" just to keep a certain bow paddler motivated. This tactic had worked before and it worked again for a short time.
After the fork at the Seagull River, we stopped at Voyageur Canoe Outfitters (VCO). I was using a paddle bearing a logo the VCO owner, Sue, had designed and sold to help fight breast cancer. So we stopped at VCO and I said THANKS to Sue and then we paddled on. In this area, we were no longer in the BWCA, so we paddled past camps and homes and outfitters. Strange. dd2 was determined to attend a sleepover camp up there next summer. We shall see!
We paddled past an adult loon feeding two chicks - that was a first for me and a thrill. At last we arrived at Trail's End and the paddle was over, sniff sniff. We had the car loaded and were taking our last swim by about 11:30am. That's another spot I could swim in all day long. I didn't want to leave that glorious water!

But we had more to do... I wanted to stop at the new Native American museum nearby, so we did a quick pass through "Chik-Wauk" museum, learning about Native Americans, legendary white folks, and Voyageurs. The aerial map of this route was on the wall there and I took a photo of it and used it in a photo book. A film about Voyageurs was fascinating, and an interactive exhibit about portaging had us all trying to lift 90 pounds, as a Voyageur would have done.

Next we returned to Gunflint Lodge to get S & B's car and meet Sheryl (a treat).

Finally a big lunch at Trail Center where everyone got their own malt and no one finished it. A paddling group of women and girls was ending their trip at the table near us and it was fun to see them bubbling over with the same kind of excitement we had. Made you wanna wear a sign that said "I just came out of the BWCA!" As if they couldn't tell by our appearance... Time for goodbyes to B and S. dd2 and I would explore Honeymoon Bluff and Palisades on the way home, while B and S would head home directly. What a good team we made - I'll be forever grateful that S suggested this trip.

dd2 and I went off to climb the steps at Honeymoon Bluff and look out over some enormous and gorgeous lakes. dd2 made friends with some people walking a dog (no surprise there) and we had a good hike before getting in the car for a long drive.

One more stop at Palisades to watch the rock climbers and take a picture of Shovel Point, and then we headed home.

Thanks to B for the warning about I-35 traffic, we cut over through Superior, Wisconsin and came home on blissfully empty back roads. What a trip!
THE END: This turned out to be one of the best BWCA paddles of all time. I loved actually "traveling" somewhere again, though I easily could have spent 2-3 days at each place we camped. I loved paddling with dd2 - she was such a good sport. It was hard to pack up every day and paddle without knowing where we were going to stay... but she did it, and portaged her share without complaint. I loved spending quality time with friends B and S away from the hustle of city life. I loved paddling when the water was "friendly" and warm - what a paradigm shift after years of only paddling during hypothermia seasons.
It was amazing to see the re-generation of the area after the 2007 Ham Lake fire. Some places seemed untouched (islands, some campsites, the Canadian side of the waterway, etc.) and others were scarred visibly, leaving precarious charred trees and exposed granite. I never saw it before the fire, so I cannot compare, but if it was more beautiful than it is now, that would be a sight to behold. It was fun to follow the international boundary. A treaty from the 1800s gives U.S. and Canadian citizens the right to be on either side of the border while traveling (no overnights). We had an international vacation!
To S: Thank you for suggesting the trip and making time for it. Special thanks for your patience with dd2 as a shadow and for the extra gear you hauled just because you could. You've got a special place in my heart and I look forward to hearing about more of your wilderness adventures.
To B: Thank you for your thorough planning help, the encouragement to buy a new pack, ha! and for being game for anything and everything... and for listening and caring. You made sure nothing dropped off the list and added valuable info collected before we paddled. Thanks for sharing your photos, without which this report couldn't be complete. I look forward to many more paddles with you and any others willing to come!
To dd2: YOU made this trip fantastic for me. It was a joy to watch you jumping and swimming and fishing and paddling and sleeping in your own tent.. I LOVED having you as my partner and sharing the wilderness with you. THANK YOU for coming with me - I hope we have lots and lots more trips together. I love you - you ROCK!!!!