Monday, June 24, 2013 Nina Moose Lake – Moose River – EP 16 Paddled 4 miles – Portaged 205 rods

We were up at 4 am since Carolyn could not sleep any more. We began our final gear packing, paying more attention to whose stuff went into which pack to minimize sorting back in Ely. By 5:15 am we were on the water making our way to the river with final hopes of seeing that elusive moose. The skies were clear and the sun was on the rise. We could hear the wind in the trees and were happy to be spending our paddling hours on the river. We did our usual grabbing of a bar for breakfast.

As we made our way to the middle of the lake we saw the Super Moon off to our west still visible low in the clear blue sky.

We paddled on to the overlook along the river where Tauna and I headed up the rock face “mountain” very carefully. I was very happy for the sunny, dry day today to be able to take in this view. I went about 2/3 of the way up, plotting my steps very carefully on the sometimes slippery rock before stopping. Getting to the top was not important enough to risk injury. The view from where I stood was beautiful and I felt at peace. I took a few minutes to sit down and just let my eyes take in the view.

Once back at the water we paddled on to our 25 rod portage which we single tripped without problem. We were able to paddle upstream through the “extra” mud portage and avoid playing in the mud today. Around the corner and we were at the 20 rod portage where we once again could make a single trip. Tauna continued to portage that canoe like a master. I took the gear and one personal while Carolyn took the other personal.

It was a sad feeling to paddle the last few strokes to get to the final 160 rod that brought our trip to a close. At the 160 rod we loaded for a single trip and headed out with the three of us hanging close together. We reached the parking lot at 8 am to load up my SUV and head for Ely to enjoy that much coveted shower at Ely Outfitting Company.

This trip was our first for early in the season and showed us many new things. Butterflies of many varieties, wildflowers of amazing beauty, new growth on trees, and a new respect for bug nets. Until our next trip…...

Nina Moose Lake, Agnes, Lake, Oyster Lake, Rocky Lake, Green Lake, Ge-be-on-e- quet Lake, Lac La Croix, Agnes, Lake, Nina Moose Lake

Lakes Traveled:   Nina Moose Lake, Agnes, Lake, Oyster Lake, Rocky Lake, Green Lake, Ge-be-on-e-quet Lake, Lac La Croix, Agnes, Lake, Nina Moose Lake,