Wednesday, May 28, 2014

6:00am - Clear skies. I got up and attempted to hike to Elk Lake but the terrain was tough. Lots of burnt and blown down trees. After getting half way there I head back to camp. As I get near camp my phone pings a cell tower. I get another message out to my fiancee to let her know my location and that I'm doing good yet. I get back to camp and the signal is lost. That's the last time I get cell signal for the rest of the trip. When I get to camp I eat breakfast and pack up. I decide to wear my long sleeve shirt for the next couple days. After 4 days of being in the sun all day without any sunscreen, my arms are on the edge of burning. They haven't had adequate time to adjust after the long winter we had. I leave camp at 8:30am

P423 11 rods - A short downhill portage with a stone staircase takes me to Strup Lake. The paddle across Strup Lake was peaceful in the calm morning sun.

P412 86 rods - A long fairly flat portage till the end where it went steeply downhill with a rocky staircase. I passed the intersection of the Kekekabic Trail on this portage.

9:30am - Kekekabic Lake is spectacular. Awesome rock cliffs, clear water, and lots of islands. The Kekekabic ranger cabin on the way, so I make a quick stop here.

Then I continued on to the Kek ponds. The short portages are small ponds are time consuming. It feels like I get 2 paddle strokes in and I'm across the pond. Then unloading gear only to walk about 50 yards and then load up again.

P738 7 rods - Small pond.

P737 9 rods - Pond.

P345 21 rods - Small pond.

P342 5 rods - Pulled over the beaver dam and into the last pond. I come across 8 guys in 4 canoes and have to wait briefly for them to clear the next portage around noon.

P336 12 rods - Short 12 rod portage into Eddy lake. I head toward P333 to check out Eddy Falls. Upon reaching the portage, I park my kayak and grab my camera to get some pictures.

I take some at the top and near the bottom of the falls. Eddy Falls is quite powerful.

Upon returning to my kayak, I meet a group of 4 boys from Minnesota with their camp leader. We chat briefly and then I paddle back across Eddy Lake to my next portage.

P338 20 rods - Uphill portage into Jenny Lake.

P352 18 rods - Another short portage to Annie Lake.

P064 16 rods - Portaged into Ogishkemuncie Lake. Ogish was a very long paddle. Over 3 1/2 miles to get to the other end. Towards the end I start to get into the Cavity Lake Fire area. Can see a lot of exposed domed rock due to the fire. Not as pretty here.

P319 34 rods - Portage into Kingfisher Lake. It is 3:30pm. No campsites here so I have to continue on. The wind is really starting to pick up.

P315 30 rods - Portage into Jasper Lake. The wind has picked up strong from the south and is making big waves on the lake. I decide to take the first campsite (C0801) since it is 4:00pm. The site is quite nice and the wind is keeping the bugs at bay. I setup camp and make supper. Tuna salad on tortillas with cheese. Easy to make and I didn't have to cook. I realize I've packed way too much food. I have way over half of it left and this will be my last night here. I set out my solar charger and charge battery packs for my camera and charge my phone. Also set out my shoes to dry in the sun.

6:30pm - Still quite windy. I can't wait to get home. It's been a great trip, but I miss my fiancee. Only 2, maybe 3 portages left for the trip. 7:00pm - A big flock of geese fly north overhead. I read a book for a couple hours and get to sleep around 9:00pm. I wake up at about 1:00am and take some pictures of the stars.

Day 5 Summary

14.23 miles | 13 lakes | 12 portages | 276 rods

Wisini Lake, Strup Lake, Kekekabic Lake, Kekkekabic ponds x 4, Eddy Lake, Jenny Lake, Annie Lake, Ogishkemuncie Lake, Kingfisher Lake, Jasper Lake