Sunday, September 29, 2013

Little Saganaga, Rattle, Gabimichigami, Agamok, Mueller, Ogishkemuncie, Kingfisher, Jasper, Alpine, Seagull. 13.7 miles.

We woke to a sunny and calm day! After pancakes and bacon, we broke camp and headed north towards the portage to Rattle Lake. The north end of Little Saganaga is in the burn area from the Cavity Lake fire as would most of the area we traverse today.

The portages in and out of Rattle Lake were pretty simple. Very little trees survived the fire from 2007, so the portages are pretty exposed. I imagine these trails can get pretty hot in the heat of summer, but for us it was a cool morning, so they were a breeze.

With little wind present, we were able to paddle right down the middle of Gabimichigami Lake. There are high hills on the north end of Gabi and the colors were wonderful!

With the water levels low we were able to line our way through the rapids flowing from Gabi to Agamok Lake and skip the short portage there.

Then, came the longer 115 rod portage to Mueller Lake. About halfway across this portage is the junction with the Kekekabic Trail. A short trip to the east on this trail takes you to a bridge crossing over Mueller Falls. Unfortunately, the camera was back with the canoe when we decided to check out the falls, so no pictures. Alas...

The 107 rod portage from Mueller to Ogishkemunchie was mostly downhill. It winds through a scenic meadow area before descending through the forest to Ogish. The weather continued to be fantastic today and the slight west wind made the paddle across Ogish to the Kingfisher portage go by fast. Being Fall, we didn't see any other travelers today. I'm sure that would not be the case on this route in the middle of the summer.

We had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch on Kingfisher Lake and took a much needed break. We had been cruising so far today and still hoped to reach Seagull Lake tonight to camp. We probably could have lined the rapids between Ogish and Kingfisher lakes given the Fall water levels, but the 34 rod portage is pretty easy, so we didn't mind taking it. When it came to the portage between Kinghfisher and Jasper, I decided to check out the stream here and see if we could run it. Here, we were able to paddle most of the way through the steam until a few downed tress blocked the entrance to Jasper. We hopped out of the canoe and pulled it over the logs and continued on our way.

Next was the portage around Jasper falls and the stream dumping into Alpine Lake. Here, the colors were brilliant. It was very fun travel today!

Alpine Lake had been hit very hard by the Cavity Lake fire 7 years prior. But as you can see, the lake shores are full of life again. I look forward to seeing this lake in another 10 years. I hear Alpine was a gem before the fire and I'm certain it will be again someday.

The last portage of the day would be the 97 rod trek into Seagull Lake. This is a pleasant path to follow with a minor hump in the middle.

At the Seagull Lake end, Molly decided that she needed to cool off.

The plan once we reached Seagull Lake was to at least paddle across the larger part of the lake and find a camp near the west end of Three Mile Island. This would leave us a shorter paddle the following morning and avoid the bigger water / wind concerns. Thankfully, the wind was out of the west yet and we enjoyed "surfing" our was across Seagull Lake to Shirtail Point where we found a great camp.

Our gear was still pretty wet from the rains on Little Saganaga the night before, so our camp soon looked like a rummage sale with everything drying out! While out things dried out, we took a quick dip in the water. Refreshing!

For our last night of the trip, we were greeted with a majestic sunset over the big calm waters of Seagull Lake. It is hard to beat relaxing with a campfire and the view like that!