Monday, September 29, 2014

A cold, misty morning greeted us upon exiting our warm sanctuary. A little extra TLC was required to get the fire to take off. I headed out to find some more firewood before breakfast was ready. As I was hacking up some downed trees, I inadvertently stirred up a ground hornets’ nest. Their nest was at the base of a downed spruce tree. Thankfully, I was at the other end sawing when I noticed the cloud; thus escaping unscathed. I’m sure the cool temperature kept their hostile activity to a minimum as well.

Originally, our plan for today was a trip to explore some of the Beartrap River. Since it was so cold & gloomy, we decided to stick close to camp today. Besides, the past 2 days had been particularly active, so an undemanding itinerary for today was fairly easy to talk ourselves into.

After breakfast, Vickie headed out to do some exploration, while I stayed in camp to process the firewood I’d dragged back earlier.

Even though we had the lake to ourselves, it was far from quiet. Ironically, I must admit, the Canadian goose (or bustard, as the Voyageurs called them) was not a bird I had seen frequently in canoe country. Well, I think it’s safe to say, we seen more geese today than we had in all previous trips combined. Huge flocks, heading south, passed over throughout the day. At times, the clamor they created was deafening.

By this time our campsite had really grown on us. Perhaps the coolest thing about it was the long solid rock ‘pier’ jutting out towards the south. This afforded us a commanding multi-directional view of the lake, as well as providing an excellent canoe landing. And, since there was a nice drop just out from shore, it was also a good spot to do some fishing from. Enclosing the fire grate was an assortment of excellent (planed flat) log seating. These also served well as mini tables to hold kitchen items when necessary. Though somewhat open, there were still enough sizeable trees to provide shelter, canoe storage & viable tarp options. There were multiple large, flat tent pads, and even the latrine was about the right distance from camp on a very nice trail.

On the downside, the fire grate didn’t face out towards the lake. And though the tent pads were awfully large & flat, it was a chore trying to find enough soil or even a spot where you could stake the tent down. But, categorically speaking, the most disconcerting aspect of this site was the number or stumps (from trees that were obviously alive when cut) peppered in and around the site.

Certainly, if you look hard enough, you’ll find a few of these at most sites. But, it was the sheer volume that was so astonishing. In some areas it looked like people were trying to clear cut a section of the woods. In my opinion, this was substantially over the top.

Well we didn’t come all this way to dwell on such things, so Vickie suggested we go out for a leisurely paddle around the lake. I grabbed the canoe & fishing poles and away we went.

I told Vickie that with this cold front having just moved in, fishing would likely be slow. On the one hand thinking, that by relaying this information, she’d be impressed with my vast knowledge & prowess as a fisherman, while on the other, laying the groundwork for a viable reason ( i.e. excuse) as to why we weren’t catching anything.

Vickie’s’ first cast was less than textbook. I sarcastically quipped, “Hey, that’ll probably bring you good luck.” So fittingly, even though our Voyageur maps had indicated that only northern pike were present, a short 15 minutes later she was ¾ of the way to the canoe country grand slam! If only Gull Lake held lake trout!

The fishing was fast & furious. We never caught anything huge, but were afforded multiple canoe country doubles. In fact, even though we had the lake to ourselves, the fishing was so good that we attracted an attentive audience.

A dignified bald eagle keenly watched the activity from its’ lofty perch, undoubtedly hoping that one of the fish we released would linger on top of the water so it could swoop in for an easy meal.

Trolling around the lake, we passed closely by each of the other sites located on this lake. In my opinion these sites each appeared to be 2 stars at best. So we most definitely felt we had made the proper choice when choosing a camp. From our enlarged perspective out on the water, we also noted an eagles’ nest atop an old craggy white pine at the portage landing to Home Lake, and paddled past a distinctive rock outcropping jutting up out of the eastern shoreline. There was even a small island which proved to be closely guarded by northern pike!

Though we had caught more than enough fish for a meal, we released everything because we still had plenty of fresh meat back in camp, and we considered it necessary to start making a dent in that supply. I didn’t realize it at the time, but Vickie informed me of the fact that these were the first walleyes she’d ever caught in canoe country. This, of course, made our afternoon all the more memorable.

Back in camp I got a fire going to establish some good grilling coals, while Vickie prepared the potatoes and began re-hydrating the vegetables. Later, as we enjoyed yet another exquisite meal under the comfort of our CCS tarp, a short rain shower fell. By the time the dishes were done, the rain had stopped. I loaded up the fire with an armful of fresh wood; we sat up, thoroughly enjoying the quiet, rain free evening. There was even a little reddish color in the sky at sunset. This would prove to be our latest night of the whole trip, and we savored every second.

Gull Lake