6 day Quetico solo
by marsonite
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
06/02/2012
Entry & Exit Point:
Quetico
Number of Days:
6
Group Size:
1
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (13 messages)
Day 2 of 6
Sunday, June 03, 2012. Agnes to Montgomery. 21 miles. My goals today are to get off the main basin of Agnes before the wind comes up in the afternoon, and get to new territory.
I’m on the water by six. These morning paddles are glorious! The wind at first is non-existent, later becoming light and variable. Just before the main basin, I pass an occupied campsite and hear voices which carry for an incredible distance in the stillness. [paragraph break]I easily make it to the top of Agnes, and after an early lunch at a lovely site near the portage, I take the three portages to Kawnipi (via Keewatin). Flooded trees and a water level that must be four or five feet high greet me on Kawnipi.It’s part of a river system after all. To top it off, a large jack pine lays across the landing, seemingly placed perfectly to make my life difficult.
By now, the wind is blowing lightly from the north, so while it doesn’t exactly impede my progress, it is tiring to paddle against, and I’m looking forward to a longer break. I head for the narrows to the west of Rose and Kasie Islands, hoping to stop at the small island south of Rose. I see my second canoe of the day pulled up on the little beach, but don’t see or hear the occupants.
The next available site is one of W. A. Fisher’s notorious red dots. It’s on a tiny island where the fire ring could now serve as a fish keeper, and the trees are dead; but it will do for some more lunch and a nap. No one should camp on an island so small anyway, unless they’re constipated!
Once on the water again, I start trolling. It’s not long before I catch a nice eating-sized walleye, peculiarly black . I keep to the east at the very top of Kawnipi, and find a sizable swift in the narrowest section; I’m glad I’m going with the current!
The portage to Montgomery is rocky, brushy, and uphill, but passable. Finding a campsite takes some searching, and the one I spot falls well short of a five-star rating. Montgomery is a dark-water lake with spruce- clad shores.
I can hear the roaring of the falls on the poet chain to the west. Those lakes are going to be interesting. My biggest day of the trip! Definitely a baptism by fire—no portage is going to seem long, nor lake big, after these first two days!
I’m on the water by six. These morning paddles are glorious! The wind at first is non-existent, later becoming light and variable. Just before the main basin, I pass an occupied campsite and hear voices which carry for an incredible distance in the stillness. [paragraph break]I easily make it to the top of Agnes, and after an early lunch at a lovely site near the portage, I take the three portages to Kawnipi (via Keewatin). Flooded trees and a water level that must be four or five feet high greet me on Kawnipi.It’s part of a river system after all. To top it off, a large jack pine lays across the landing, seemingly placed perfectly to make my life difficult.
By now, the wind is blowing lightly from the north, so while it doesn’t exactly impede my progress, it is tiring to paddle against, and I’m looking forward to a longer break. I head for the narrows to the west of Rose and Kasie Islands, hoping to stop at the small island south of Rose. I see my second canoe of the day pulled up on the little beach, but don’t see or hear the occupants.
The next available site is one of W. A. Fisher’s notorious red dots. It’s on a tiny island where the fire ring could now serve as a fish keeper, and the trees are dead; but it will do for some more lunch and a nap. No one should camp on an island so small anyway, unless they’re constipated!
Once on the water again, I start trolling. It’s not long before I catch a nice eating-sized walleye, peculiarly black . I keep to the east at the very top of Kawnipi, and find a sizable swift in the narrowest section; I’m glad I’m going with the current!
The portage to Montgomery is rocky, brushy, and uphill, but passable. Finding a campsite takes some searching, and the one I spot falls well short of a five-star rating. Montgomery is a dark-water lake with spruce- clad shores.
I can hear the roaring of the falls on the poet chain to the west. Those lakes are going to be interesting. My biggest day of the trip! Definitely a baptism by fire—no portage is going to seem long, nor lake big, after these first two days!
Donate - BWCA.com