A Little Longer, A Little Farther
by PixiePaddler
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
07/04/2009
Entry Point:
Fall Lake (EP 24)
Exit Point:
Moose/Portage River (north) (EP 16)
Number of Days:
10
Group Size:
2
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (12 messages)
Day 3 of 10
Monday, July 06, 2009
Medic!
We got up and out and rowed about a half mile to Wheelbarrow Falls portage. Last year it was full of mud. Not too bad this year though. We enjoyed the double falls, but caught no fish. DANG!
We then proceeded to one of my favorite places in the BW. The water level on Lower Basswood Falls was a lot lower this year. It wasn’t quite as spectacular, but it didn’t disappoint. This would be our last portage of the day…actually a couple days. We paddled all afternoon and fished along the way. We saw a lot of cool things. We saw some pictographs, a deer, mergansers, and bald eagles. I came up with my own name for the mergansers. I called them “Jesus ducks” because every time we get too close to the mom and babies, they skitter across the water. Of course mama won’t take off and leave the babies. I called them Jesus ducks because they walk on water. Corny, I know.
As we were fishing for dinner, Mark caught a pike. He was fighting him and that pike actually jumped up and bit Mark’s hand! He landed him and quickly released the beast back into the water. He was about a 7-8 pounder and he left Mark with blood squirting all over the canoe. As I turned to see what all the commotion was, all I saw was my husband bent over holding his hand and blood everywhere! Medic! He bled like a stuck pig! Out came the first aid kit. As we take his tackle box out each year to pack for our trips, we remember this day due to the blood that still decorates his box. We settled in at camp and had fish for dinner and headed to bed. There was no place to hang the food pack, so we stacked pots and pans on top of it. As we were calming down for the evening, they all fell off and scared us to death! I thought we would finally get to see a bear. No such luck…just needed to be stacked better. We fell asleep listening to the drumming of a grouse and loons singing their evening songs.
Medic!
We got up and out and rowed about a half mile to Wheelbarrow Falls portage. Last year it was full of mud. Not too bad this year though. We enjoyed the double falls, but caught no fish. DANG!
We then proceeded to one of my favorite places in the BW. The water level on Lower Basswood Falls was a lot lower this year. It wasn’t quite as spectacular, but it didn’t disappoint. This would be our last portage of the day…actually a couple days. We paddled all afternoon and fished along the way. We saw a lot of cool things. We saw some pictographs, a deer, mergansers, and bald eagles. I came up with my own name for the mergansers. I called them “Jesus ducks” because every time we get too close to the mom and babies, they skitter across the water. Of course mama won’t take off and leave the babies. I called them Jesus ducks because they walk on water. Corny, I know.
As we were fishing for dinner, Mark caught a pike. He was fighting him and that pike actually jumped up and bit Mark’s hand! He landed him and quickly released the beast back into the water. He was about a 7-8 pounder and he left Mark with blood squirting all over the canoe. As I turned to see what all the commotion was, all I saw was my husband bent over holding his hand and blood everywhere! Medic! He bled like a stuck pig! Out came the first aid kit. As we take his tackle box out each year to pack for our trips, we remember this day due to the blood that still decorates his box. We settled in at camp and had fish for dinner and headed to bed. There was no place to hang the food pack, so we stacked pots and pans on top of it. As we were calming down for the evening, they all fell off and scared us to death! I thought we would finally get to see a bear. No such luck…just needed to be stacked better. We fell asleep listening to the drumming of a grouse and loons singing their evening songs.
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