Around United States Point
by Soledad
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
05/25/2006
Entry & Exit Point:
Wood Lake (EP 26)
Number of Days:
5
Group Size:
3
Day 2 of 5
Friday, May 26, 2006
It is amazing how plans change when others are involved. I had wanted to get an early start, but when I tried to rouse everyone at 6:00, they told me to go back to sleep and that they were on vacation. We finally were up at about 8:00 and decided to grab breakfast at Vertin’s.
At the EP, we were met by a Ranger who was cleaning up the parking lot. I asked if he wanted to see our permit and he said “yeah, we better get that out of the way”. Since a lot of our gear was in the back of my truck he could pretty much see all that we had, and didn’t ask to unpack what was already packed. He wished us a good week and sent us on our way. I mentioned the previous night’s bear sighting and he took interest in the matter.
We had packed all of our gear into three separate backpacks, and the food into a daypack. I was pretty proud of the weight of my pack, I am sure that it was in the mid twenty’s. I did cheat a little by leaving my binoculars, camera, and GPS unit in the thwart bag. I also slipped a few my pots and pans in my brother's backpack. Hey, what are brothers for? This was his first BWCA trip since we were little kids and am pretty sure that he had never carried a canoe, he didn't care too much about the extra weight.
The first day took us from Wood Lake to Hula Lake, then into Good Lake and eventually into Basswood Lake. From the EP to Wood Lake, the 195 rod portage was dry with a slight downhill slope most of the way. The toughest of all the portages was the 131 rod from Hula to Good Lake. It was pretty muddy but all three were pretty flat and well used. After we picked off the leaches, we launched into Hoist Bay and pointed our canoes North East toward our day’s destination which was Washington Island.
Maybe a little explanation of this trip is in order. We started planning the trip during the first week of May. When we checked online, Wood Lake was one of only a couple permits that we could get. We thought that EP 26 would give us a lot of options for a four day trip and I had never been to Basswood Falls and figured this would be great way to get up there. Up until this point everything was going as planned. What I didn’t count on was the fact that motors were allowed on Basswood Lake. Not exactly my cup of tea, but that conversation is best left at the campsite. We found a very nice campsite facing south just north of Washington Island. Brent and I sent up our shelters in the trees, and my brother plopped down a blue mattress and spread out his sleeping bag on top of it. He slept there for a couple hours while the sun began to set. We broke out the fishing poles and I managed to catch a very nice smallie in the shadows right along shore. At this site we noticed three or four cement pillars. I would love to know the story behind them.
It is amazing how plans change when others are involved. I had wanted to get an early start, but when I tried to rouse everyone at 6:00, they told me to go back to sleep and that they were on vacation. We finally were up at about 8:00 and decided to grab breakfast at Vertin’s.
At the EP, we were met by a Ranger who was cleaning up the parking lot. I asked if he wanted to see our permit and he said “yeah, we better get that out of the way”. Since a lot of our gear was in the back of my truck he could pretty much see all that we had, and didn’t ask to unpack what was already packed. He wished us a good week and sent us on our way. I mentioned the previous night’s bear sighting and he took interest in the matter.
We had packed all of our gear into three separate backpacks, and the food into a daypack. I was pretty proud of the weight of my pack, I am sure that it was in the mid twenty’s. I did cheat a little by leaving my binoculars, camera, and GPS unit in the thwart bag. I also slipped a few my pots and pans in my brother's backpack. Hey, what are brothers for? This was his first BWCA trip since we were little kids and am pretty sure that he had never carried a canoe, he didn't care too much about the extra weight.
The first day took us from Wood Lake to Hula Lake, then into Good Lake and eventually into Basswood Lake. From the EP to Wood Lake, the 195 rod portage was dry with a slight downhill slope most of the way. The toughest of all the portages was the 131 rod from Hula to Good Lake. It was pretty muddy but all three were pretty flat and well used. After we picked off the leaches, we launched into Hoist Bay and pointed our canoes North East toward our day’s destination which was Washington Island.
Maybe a little explanation of this trip is in order. We started planning the trip during the first week of May. When we checked online, Wood Lake was one of only a couple permits that we could get. We thought that EP 26 would give us a lot of options for a four day trip and I had never been to Basswood Falls and figured this would be great way to get up there. Up until this point everything was going as planned. What I didn’t count on was the fact that motors were allowed on Basswood Lake. Not exactly my cup of tea, but that conversation is best left at the campsite. We found a very nice campsite facing south just north of Washington Island. Brent and I sent up our shelters in the trees, and my brother plopped down a blue mattress and spread out his sleeping bag on top of it. He slept there for a couple hours while the sun began to set. We broke out the fishing poles and I managed to catch a very nice smallie in the shadows right along shore. At this site we noticed three or four cement pillars. I would love to know the story behind them.
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