Monday, October 07, 2013

The sky had mostly clouded back over. We even had enough rain over night to insure the tent & tarp were wet for teardown. After a quick oatmeal breakfast, we retraced the first leg of yesterdays’ trip.

In her book, “Woman of the Boundary Waters”, Justine Kerfoot mentions a trappers’ cabin that was located near here. 80 some years had passed since her visit, (so I wasn’t holding my breath), but I did give the area a cursory examination that, predictably, bore no fruit.

Our route changed course at the end of the Daniels’ Lake spur, where we instead turned off to the right (east) & proceeded towards Rove Lake. This was also part of the Long Portage but, unlike the other section, it does not follow an old railroad grade. And, the varied terrain made this a laboriously obvious fact. Still, the ever changing micro-ecosystems & old growth trees kept things interesting.

With respect to this leg of the portage, my Voyageur map was a bit confusing. It seems to indicate that the portage & the B-R-T eventually fork into 2 completely separate trails. This was not the case. Nor did I see any clear evidence suggesting there was a separate portage trail. The B-R-T was/is the portage.

Another revitalizing aspect that certainly lifted spirits during this portage - was finally catching up with my darkened silhouetted likeness for the first time this trip.

While much shorter, IMHO this section was significantly tougher than the western leg. My hats off to anyone who does the complete portage fully loaded. It certainly merits serious consideration for the toughest maintained portage in the BWCA. But, to be clear, still a very rewarding experience.

With no campsites, questionable fishing opportunities, and the fact that motors are allowed on the Canadian side, Rove Lake is probably not necessarily high on many peoples’ bucket list. Certainly its’ part of the historic Voyageurs’ Highway, but, when considering the Voyageur route in its’ entirety, even that noteworthy distinction gets lost in the shuffle when you consider there are many far more notable bodies of water along that way.

But, for anyone who loves the Gunflint Trail and all that it offers, Rove Lake must be contemplated with the utmost respect. For it was here, on this lake, (presumably somewhere on the western end) that Henry Mayhew first built the trading post that led him to improve the old game trail up to this lake. Initially called ‘The Mayhew Wagon Trail’, it would, over time, become known as the Gunflint Trail.

Long & narrow, the lake itself is almost river like. The B-R-T skirts along the southern edge of the lake & there are multiple spots on shore where it appears curious hikers have poked their heads out to get an unobstructed look at this little jewel.

Before entering Watap lake there is a small narrows (creek if you like) to paddle through, complete with its’ own beaver dam. As you enter this section there are high towering cliffs looming just overhead which make for a most imposing & impressive backdrop. After negotiating the beaver dam, the cliffs come into view once again a short paddle later. Both Vickie & I agreed afterwards, that this was our favorite section of the whole trip.

Obviously, Watap Lake is also part of the historic Voyageurs Highway. The word Watap itself pays homage to Voyageur history. Watap was the word used to describe the spruce roots that lashed the birch bark together and to the gunwales of the canoe.

Fittingly, there seemed to be a preponderance of beaver lodges on this lake, though we didn’t see any occupants. One last short, quick rain shower fell as we worked our way east. Slowly the clouds were beginning to give way to a, long overdue, blue sky.

Our next portage was also very unique. ‘Portage Petit Neuf’ as the Voyageurs called it. There are some elevation changes & a few troublesome rocks along the way but, for the most part, its’ a pretty good trail. What makes this one special is the fact that it is one of only three portages that have the large monument border markers on each end. (The other two being Height of Land Portage & Monument Portage)

Mountain Lake is a very beautiful large body of water. There’s supposed to be an old mine site in the first bay along the Canadian side but, we didn’t take the time to investigate. We pushed off into idyllic conditions, enjoying the brilliant autumnal setting while resuming paddling east along the American shoreline. Our target was the 3rd site down the lake, mainly so we could be closer to that (east) end of the lake for our day trip tomorrow.

For the first time the sky had really begun to open up, allowing the sun to brilliantly illuminate & showcase the fall colors. Unfortunately, the wind started picking up as well. We were approaching the widest part of the lake when Vickie noticed a succession of whitecaps out in the middle of the lake. At least the wind was blowing in from the west, so we were now getting a somewhat free, though turbulent, ride down the lake. A quick decision was made to get off the lake ASAP, alter our plans & just claim the 2nd campsite. Since, at the time, we were only a few hundred yards from the 2nd campsite, this was an enviable plan B. Besides, I consider this the best site on the lake anyways. Fortunately it was empty, so we pulled in & staked our claim.

This site has a nice pebble landing, several roomy, invitingly flat tent pads, an accommodating fire grate area complete with an expansive view north across the lake & a nice sitting area down by the shoreline. The big drawback is that the site is very open & highly vulnerable to a NW wind. Exactly what was ripping through camp as we pulled in!

Needless to say, it was a real chore trying to get the CCS tarp setup as a wind block. It certainly wasn’t my prettiest setup, but, it ended up creating an exceedingly effective sanctuary from the wind. Before we got the tarp up, Vickie found out just how much room we could actually have in the tent. With the wind unavoidably filling the inside, it looked more like a balloon! Things went much smoother after the tarp was up.

It goes without saying that any wet gear we had was dried out in a nearly instantaneous fashion. For the second time, in as many tries, we were gratefully finishing setting up camp with a maelstrom in progress out on the lake.

After supper, the wind receded and we packed away all of our now fully dried clothes & gear. Vickie baked some banana nut bread while we enjoyed some beverages & recounted the events of the day while basking in the radiating warmth & flickering crimson glow of our crackling campfire.

For the first time on this trip, we were also able to behold the splendor of a color drenched sunset. Hopeful that red at night meant tomorrow would be out of sight.

Daniels Lake, Rove Lake, Watap Lake, Mountain Lake