Thursday, July 17, 2014

Another cold night. I wake up early and get my coffee started and start packing. Today I'm heading for my last destination: Ramshead Lake. Ramshead can offer some good Northern fishing and solitude. While Anges and Nina Moose campsites might be packed with campers, Ramshead sites remain vacant.

I enjoy my coffee by sitting on the large rock that over looks Oyster Lake. Is there a better spot to enjoy coffee? The sun is shining and it looks to be a warm day.
One of my favorite portages in the boundary waters is the portage from Oyster to Oyster Creek. There is the creek and there are some beautiful old White and Red Pines along with some old Cedars that surround the portage. Despite the mosquitoes I take time to enjoy the old trees. I waste no time loading my canoe as the bugs are on full assault. The river is up and I take time to be mesmerized by the Angel Hair Grass that undulates in the clear waters. I notice up-rooted lilies-a definite sign of moose.
I reach the portage and I investigate if I can run the short rapids. I give it a shot and with a few scrapes on the bottom of my canoe I'm able to navigate though. I stop quickly as I notice a buck hiding in the tall grass. I try and get a picture but I make too much noise and he slowly disappears into the forest. From here it's easy going. The river is flowing quite fast and I hit Nina Moose River without any more obstacles. The paddle to the Ramshead portage is not far. Along the way I notice another deer feeding along the river but he spots me first and quickly disappears.
The portage into Ramshead is somewhat over grown and the only prints I see are moose prints. The portage is relatively flat with a lot of mosquitoes. At the end of the portage are a stand of old White Pines. The portage doesn't end at the lake you have to paddle up the creek a way and if water levels are low, do a one rod portage around a garden of boulders. With water levels up I am able to avoid the portage and into the north bay of the lake. Ramshead is a shallow lake that always appears to have a brown hue to it. The wind is blowing out of the south as I head for the Island campsite. The site is nice and open but it's up on a hill with really no good landing area. As I paddle across the lake I see no else around. I realize that I have not spoken to anyone of almost a week. The Island site is open and I unload my packs and have lunch. With the wind blowing out of the south, I'm worried about storms and if it really starts kicking, makes it nearly impossible to fish the lake. After resting a bit, I set up camp. For a campsite that sees little use, It sure takes a beating. Annika and Mark Grant have carved their names in a log and it appears have taken cut down some live trees and hacked at a large Birch tree.[paragraph break]By mid afternoon I've got my camp set up and I'm ready to go fishing and to collect wood for my fire. I catch a few decent northerns but I put them back. Today is the warmest day of my trip and I decide to stop at one of the sites on the east side of the lake to take a quick swim. [paragraph break]Tonight is another easy dinner of dehydrated re-fried beans. After dinner I paddle around the lake fishing and enjoying the scenery and relishing the fact that no one else is here.