"Exit Through Disappointment Lake"

Thursday, June 28:

I left the Jordan campsite at 9:15. I saw a 3-inch Perch in the shallows as I approached the portage into Cattyman. I shared that first portage with 2 couples who had been base-camping on the northern site on Jordan. They were pretty chatty. They were going out through Ensign. I then wished that I was going that way rather than having made a plan to exit through Snowbank. I think that it would be more interesting to exit a different way. The Jordan couples told me that they had seen pitcher plants on Ahsub. I saw them when I reached that lake. They are interesting flowers on a long stem among grasses in the bog at the south end of Ahsub. The petals are burgundy and the flower has a kind of green umbrella in front of the petals. I was unable to take a picture because my camera was in the stern for better boat control in the wind.

The campsite at the far north end of Disappointment Lake looks large and very shady; it is near a bog. I thought that it might be buggy so I moved on. The next site on the eastern shore was taken (it looked good from the water). The small island nearby was free so I took it, but it is very open at the fire grate and the 2 tent sites. There were 2 trees near the dirt tent site that I used for hanging the tarp and pitched the tent in a small grassy area nearby. At the end of a trail were some trees that I was able to use to hang the hammock in shade. There are a lot of Red Elderberry bushes on this island. It was a hot day with an occasional light breeze early in the day.

Red Elderberry bush

Spreading Dogbane

Bedrock detail on Disappointment Lake

In mid afternoon, the temperature climbed from 89°F to 94°F and there was barely a breath of air well into the evening. The inReach weather forecast predicted 13 mph winds from the southeast starting around 10 AM on Friday. To meet my arranged shuttle, I needed to get going early or delay until the winds had died down. I had scheduled a 2 PM pickup at Snowbank. I’d need about 3 hours from where I was camping to get to the Snowbank landing.

I went swimming around 5 PM. One of the reasons I grabbed this site was that it looked good for swimming. The cold water felt very, very good.

I heard muttering or moaning sounds across the water around 6 PM. They were like the sounds of beavers that I’ve heard on those TV nature programs that put cameras into beaver lodges. A beaver lodge was on the shore in the direction of the sounds. The narrow waterway between me and the beaver lodge was like a canoe highway; there were lots of Boy Scout groups passing through looking for campsites. Solitude was a thing of the past; the northernmost campsite would have provided some privacy, but this site is on the direct route up and down the lake. A hummingbird flew past my head around 8 PM.

Friday, June 29:

A beaver swam back and forth in front of the landing early this morning. It dove under with a loud “plop”. It was then I realized what had probably caused the loud sounds on Sagus Lake.

I was hoping to get underway by 7 AM to get to the Snowbank landing by 10 AM and thus beat the high winds. At 7:30 I knew that I wouldn’t make that deadline. Checking a new forecast via the inReach device, I saw that high winds were predicted to last at least through 2 PM. I took a chance and texted W&H with a new pickup time of 4 PM. The weather grew threatening very quickly with dark clouds and thunder to the south. I decided to stay put for the time being. Soon enough the thunderstorm was on top of me dropping lots of water amid strong winds. Unfortunately, I had packed the tarp away with all my other gear. I endured as long as I could, but after about 45 minutes the rain lessened a bit and I got the tarp out so that I could at least get out of the rain while I waited for everything to calm down.

The rain finally stopped around 11 AM and the wind calmed down, too. That was unexpected. I hurried to pack up again and load the canoe. Then the wind picked up again and grew even stronger. I had barely got underway, so I turned back. A Boy Scout group came down the lake and asked whether I was camping or just resting, meaning, I suppose, “Can we take a break here?” I told them they were welcome to stay. They had high-bow Kevlar canoes and were having difficulties in the wind. They gathered in the lee of the island, but eventually they got out of their boats. I told them about the forecast of strong winds until about 2 PM, so that information may have influenced them to stay awhile.

In the meantime, I got back in my canoe and paddled across the narrow waterway to hold onto the shoreline, hoping that the wind would eventually die down enough to start paddling. Based on the direction of the wind, I had put the camera case in the bow so that I could trim the boat to handle headwinds. I waited there maybe 45 minutes. At 12:45 I realized that I might have to stay another day because the winds were still very strong, literally whipping large trees back and forth. From where I was I could see that the waves had white crests on them. I needed to start paddling at 1 PM to make the Snowbank landing by 4 PM. It was then that I remembered reading something from Matthew’s gospel a day or so earlier. Jesus told his disciples, “If you, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” I prayed then, asking God for the good gift of calm winds so that I could start paddling at 1 PM. I know that I am nobody special and that the granting of that request was entirely up to God, but at exactly 1 PM – not a minute before or after – the wind calmed down to a few-mph breeze. The trees were no longer being whipped around and the white wave crests disappeared. Thanking God profusely, I took off. About half way down the lake, when I had to change course for the portage, I started to have trouble aiming the canoe along my preferred course because the breeze was then off my stern quarter. I had to find a spot out of the wind so that I could get out and move the camera case to the stern and push all my gear and myself as far back as I could. That fixed the trim problem and I arrived at the portage with time to spare.

By the time I portaged everything to the Snowbank side of the 140-rod portage at 3 PM, it was clear that I would be at the landing before 4 PM. The course to the Snowbank parking lot was easy. The wind had died to a slight breeze and the waves, while still following me, were barely 2 inches high. I again had a close encounter with 2 loons – a good way to say farewell to the BWCA.

I probably talked Nate’s and Blayne’s and Dave’s ears off about my experiences. Dave told me that a neighbor at the top of the hill above them had recorded 80 mph winds (he wasn’t sure if that was sustained or a burst). That speed is a lot more than that predicted by the inReach forecast. I showered and went to Ely for dinner at the Ely Steak house. Of course I visited the Piragis store afterwards and bought a new book there after admiring the paddles and knives.