Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

The Return
by Richwon4

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
Entry & Exit Point: Mudro Lake (EP 23)
Number of Days: 7
Group Size: 3
Trip Introduction:
This trip was for my youngest son of 9 and it was his desire that my oldest son of 11 share in the joy with him. The plan was to push hard to get Friday Bay this year via the Horse River. I do not take a clock with me on purpose when I go. Time and scheduling is one of the things I leave behind. I do not know what time of year you plan on visiting the Friday Bay area but I have been to Friday Bay several times. Now two out of the four times it has been August as opposed to early June. There is a tremendous fishing difference but nothing live bait cannot overcome. Still our worst day on Friday bay beats our best day on Fourtown. Travel Notes and Canoe Prep: Keep in mind we double portaged on nearly every portage. We encountered none until the LBF portage. We pack light as in two packs that weighed 15# and one pack that weighed 40#. We bind all our poles together and bungee them to the underside of the padded cross members of the Kevlar Canoe. They usually stay there until we reach Friday Bay or given destination. We use the foam copper pipe insulation and electrical tape and wrap every cross piece including the yoke. I also pad the yoke behind the actual pads. That helps my neck when adjusting the canoe when setting it overhead or letting it down at the end of the portages. Bait Notes: I carried my leeches in a Nalgene bottle wrapped in the “silver foil HVAC tape.” I love this method because they don’t need to come out of the pack or the bottle for a long long time. The guy at VNO told us as he was pumping air into the bag which was in the Nalgene that they would be fine until the following evening. I had my doubts but he was absolutely correct as they were doing fine when I took them out the following afternoon. We took a pound of leeches in and it proved to be far too many. We also took four dozen crawlers. Cooking Notes: In the way of cooking I was shocked that we only went through one 8.11 oz Jetboil formulated can of fuel the entire time. We cooked everything with the exception of fish, OvaEasy Eggs, and dried bacon over the Jetboil. Oatmeal, Coffee, Idahoan Potatoes, Knorr Noodles, and Ramen Noodles.
Day 1 of 7
We knew we would be getting a late start the first night and going in after people would advise. However, we knew we could easily get a site on Tin Can Mike. We stayed at the last sight on the Northeast side of the Lake. For a layover site we enjoyed it. It offered a great view, an excellent early morning viewing of the stars. There was really only one viable tent pad that I noticed. The landing was quite complicated.