Agnes - LLC - Ge-be-on-e-quet Loop
by TominMpls
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
06/30/2017
Entry & Exit Point:
Moose/Portage River (north) (EP 16)
Number of Days:
8
Group Size:
2
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (14 messages)
Day 8 of 8
Thursday, July 06, 2017 (day 7, Nina Moose to EP16 and exit)
M and I had decided the day before that we wanted to get out early on Thursday, since we needed to get back to Minneapolis that day and we wanted to have time to do some of our favorite things in Ely before leaving. So we had packed most of our gear up the night before and chose to skip most of our favorite morning things. Sticking with the plan, we both got up about 5:15 and immediately packed up our gear. The night had been dry, and with our site's view it looked clear overhead, with some ominous-looking clouds far off to the northwest but a good day to paddle as long as we went early. We had granola bars - and no coffee - for breakfast, were packed up, and pushed off from our site just after 6:30.
As we rounded the end of our island suddenly we could see that we'd been in an isolated clear spot - right in front of us was dark gray and very ominous. We could hear thunder in the distance. Maybe this would be a little wetter than I'd anticipated.
We crossed Nina Moose Lake to the mouth of the Moose River quickly, and in dry conditions. Just as we turned down the Moose River, however, we started feeling drops. The sky darkened quickly, and about half way to the first portage the rain started in earnest. While our rain gear was at the top of the portage pack, it wasn't accessible enough to get to in time before we were both wet. It was pretty warm, at least, so neither of us was too cold, though that presented another problem - my glasses were totally fogged over and wet, and the rain was coming hard. Fortunately, M could see pretty clearly, and we pushed on.
If we'd been on a lake I would have paddled us to a shore and gotten out. If it had been a day other than the last, I probably would have turned around and headed back to a site. M was determined to push onward, and the lightning and thunder were far enough away that I decided that at least until we got to the portage, we weren't taking any risk beyond getting really wet if we just pushed on, at least if conditions didn't deteriorate, though it was beginning to make me nervous and the rain got harder.
Since the storm was east-southeast, and we were paddling south, we were moving south faster than the storm was moving south, and we managed to outrun the storm just before reaching the first portage. It was almost bright as we unloaded the canoe, with just a sprinkle falling on us, so whereas fifteen minutes earlier I'd been sure we'd be waiting out the storm on the portage, it now seemed like maybe we could keep going. M knew I was considering waiting out the storm at the portage, which lit a fire under her to get us through that portage as fast as possible. She took all three bags and told me if I just got the canoe we could go right on. So I did, and we put in on the south side of the portage just as the storm was catching up to us again. This time we managed to actually get a little space between us and the storm before we came to the unmarked 3- or 4-rod portage at a bend in the river, which we managed to do in about five minutes without the storm substantially catching us. We got through the next portage quickly enough, and we took our canoe out at the end of the paddling section of our trip a little before 8:00 AM, with the storm raging perhaps a quarter mile north of us.
Of course, the final canoe landing is 150 rods from the entry point, so we started portaging everything back to the entry point, and the storm caught up with us again as we were portaging. Deep in the trees, with no more threat of lightning catching us on water, we simply kept going through the muck in the thunderstorm, and had everything back to the entry a bit after 8:30. There were two groups - a couple with their own canoe who clearly knew what they were doing, and a large group of boy scouts with four canoes who didn't - trying to decide what do about starting their trips as the thunderstorm rolled by. The boy scouts asked us how many sites were available on Nina Moose, clearly hedging their bets on covering much ground that day. We strapped our canoe to the roof and headed for Ely.
Back in Ely, we first stopped at the Ranger Station to report the trashed site we'd had lunch at on July 1 in Never Fail Bay and to get some information for next time, and then we went to Piragis to return the canoe, where their board showed the day's weather forecast as thunderstorms and they were a bit surprised to see us so early. Returning the canoe was quick and friendly, with their inspection revealing that we'd done no damage to the canoe (of course) and no extra charges. We looked at some shops, relaxed with some coffee at Front Porch Café, had lunch at the Ely Steakhouse, and headed home to Minneapolis after what's probably the best trip to the BWCA we've had.
~Nina Moose Lake
M and I had decided the day before that we wanted to get out early on Thursday, since we needed to get back to Minneapolis that day and we wanted to have time to do some of our favorite things in Ely before leaving. So we had packed most of our gear up the night before and chose to skip most of our favorite morning things. Sticking with the plan, we both got up about 5:15 and immediately packed up our gear. The night had been dry, and with our site's view it looked clear overhead, with some ominous-looking clouds far off to the northwest but a good day to paddle as long as we went early. We had granola bars - and no coffee - for breakfast, were packed up, and pushed off from our site just after 6:30.
As we rounded the end of our island suddenly we could see that we'd been in an isolated clear spot - right in front of us was dark gray and very ominous. We could hear thunder in the distance. Maybe this would be a little wetter than I'd anticipated.
We crossed Nina Moose Lake to the mouth of the Moose River quickly, and in dry conditions. Just as we turned down the Moose River, however, we started feeling drops. The sky darkened quickly, and about half way to the first portage the rain started in earnest. While our rain gear was at the top of the portage pack, it wasn't accessible enough to get to in time before we were both wet. It was pretty warm, at least, so neither of us was too cold, though that presented another problem - my glasses were totally fogged over and wet, and the rain was coming hard. Fortunately, M could see pretty clearly, and we pushed on.
If we'd been on a lake I would have paddled us to a shore and gotten out. If it had been a day other than the last, I probably would have turned around and headed back to a site. M was determined to push onward, and the lightning and thunder were far enough away that I decided that at least until we got to the portage, we weren't taking any risk beyond getting really wet if we just pushed on, at least if conditions didn't deteriorate, though it was beginning to make me nervous and the rain got harder.
Since the storm was east-southeast, and we were paddling south, we were moving south faster than the storm was moving south, and we managed to outrun the storm just before reaching the first portage. It was almost bright as we unloaded the canoe, with just a sprinkle falling on us, so whereas fifteen minutes earlier I'd been sure we'd be waiting out the storm on the portage, it now seemed like maybe we could keep going. M knew I was considering waiting out the storm at the portage, which lit a fire under her to get us through that portage as fast as possible. She took all three bags and told me if I just got the canoe we could go right on. So I did, and we put in on the south side of the portage just as the storm was catching up to us again. This time we managed to actually get a little space between us and the storm before we came to the unmarked 3- or 4-rod portage at a bend in the river, which we managed to do in about five minutes without the storm substantially catching us. We got through the next portage quickly enough, and we took our canoe out at the end of the paddling section of our trip a little before 8:00 AM, with the storm raging perhaps a quarter mile north of us.
Of course, the final canoe landing is 150 rods from the entry point, so we started portaging everything back to the entry point, and the storm caught up with us again as we were portaging. Deep in the trees, with no more threat of lightning catching us on water, we simply kept going through the muck in the thunderstorm, and had everything back to the entry a bit after 8:30. There were two groups - a couple with their own canoe who clearly knew what they were doing, and a large group of boy scouts with four canoes who didn't - trying to decide what do about starting their trips as the thunderstorm rolled by. The boy scouts asked us how many sites were available on Nina Moose, clearly hedging their bets on covering much ground that day. We strapped our canoe to the roof and headed for Ely.
Back in Ely, we first stopped at the Ranger Station to report the trashed site we'd had lunch at on July 1 in Never Fail Bay and to get some information for next time, and then we went to Piragis to return the canoe, where their board showed the day's weather forecast as thunderstorms and they were a bit surprised to see us so early. Returning the canoe was quick and friendly, with their inspection revealing that we'd done no damage to the canoe (of course) and no extra charges. We looked at some shops, relaxed with some coffee at Front Porch Café, had lunch at the Ely Steakhouse, and headed home to Minneapolis after what's probably the best trip to the BWCA we've had.
Lakes Traveled:
Nina Moose Lake,
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