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 3 of 5
Saturday, May 27, 2006
We woke to calm waters and a lot of sun. We broke camp and started north, our goal for the day was to reach Basswood Falls. We had a great day of paddling along the eastern shore of United States Point, zig zagging in and out of Canadian waters. We noticed that most of the campsites were taken and also commented on the huge tents and tables that were setup at a lot of them. We figured folks must have motored all that stuff in as far as they could, then ditched the motors in the woods and paddled the rest of the way.
We ate lunch on a small island on the north side of the point, technically in Canada I guess. After we were fueled up, we set off across a large segment of Basswood. The wind had picked up a little, but nothing to complain about. We were very fortunate to have such nice weather on that big water.
We made it to Basswood Falls and by this time we had all realized that we neglected to pack sunscreen. Our arms and necks were redder than “a fox’s behind during Pokeberry season”. We decided to see if any of the fishermen at the falls had any extra sunscreen. One of the guys we met was pleasant and very talkative. He mentioned that his group had 2-sixteen gallon kegs on ice back at camp. I would have hated to paddle or portage those up…oh wait…
We had been told of a nice campsite close to the falls. Although we wanted to camp further south, we wanted to check out this 5 star site. Brent had been in the area before but his memory was a slightly inaccurate. We ended up passing it and completed the entire mile long hike to the end of the portage. After we got back, we set off southwest into the wind to find a campsite for the night.
Again most of the campsites were full, but that is to be expected during Memorial weekend. The site that we did find was slightly northwest of the gaging station a few miles south of the falls. It was a small site tucked back into a small bay. Good shelter, but we opted to setup our hammocks on a more exposed point to take advantage of the shade and breeze. That night’s main dish was wild rice soup from Cache Lake Foods. I had forgot to get a spoon from my pack and decided to jump into the Encounter and paddle to our tents rather than hike around the bay. I had intended to push off and jump in the boat at the same time, but the canoe stayed and I went out the front. Basswood Lake during the end of May warmer than I thought it would be. I had just put on a fresh pair of socks and laced up my formerly dry boots. All three of us had a good laugh, only my pride was hurt. I won’t go into detail but the second attempt at getting in the canoe also landed me in the water. Neither Brent nor Ryan could figure out which time was more amusing. My vote was for the first time. I wish I could have blamed the whiskey for my bad luck, but I hadn’t yet ingested any.
We woke to calm waters and a lot of sun. We broke camp and started north, our goal for the day was to reach Basswood Falls. We had a great day of paddling along the eastern shore of United States Point, zig zagging in and out of Canadian waters. We noticed that most of the campsites were taken and also commented on the huge tents and tables that were setup at a lot of them. We figured folks must have motored all that stuff in as far as they could, then ditched the motors in the woods and paddled the rest of the way.
We ate lunch on a small island on the north side of the point, technically in Canada I guess. After we were fueled up, we set off across a large segment of Basswood. The wind had picked up a little, but nothing to complain about. We were very fortunate to have such nice weather on that big water.
We made it to Basswood Falls and by this time we had all realized that we neglected to pack sunscreen. Our arms and necks were redder than “a fox’s behind during Pokeberry season”. We decided to see if any of the fishermen at the falls had any extra sunscreen. One of the guys we met was pleasant and very talkative. He mentioned that his group had 2-sixteen gallon kegs on ice back at camp. I would have hated to paddle or portage those up…oh wait…
We had been told of a nice campsite close to the falls. Although we wanted to camp further south, we wanted to check out this 5 star site. Brent had been in the area before but his memory was a slightly inaccurate. We ended up passing it and completed the entire mile long hike to the end of the portage. After we got back, we set off southwest into the wind to find a campsite for the night.
Again most of the campsites were full, but that is to be expected during Memorial weekend. The site that we did find was slightly northwest of the gaging station a few miles south of the falls. It was a small site tucked back into a small bay. Good shelter, but we opted to setup our hammocks on a more exposed point to take advantage of the shade and breeze. That night’s main dish was wild rice soup from Cache Lake Foods. I had forgot to get a spoon from my pack and decided to jump into the Encounter and paddle to our tents rather than hike around the bay. I had intended to push off and jump in the boat at the same time, but the canoe stayed and I went out the front. Basswood Lake during the end of May warmer than I thought it would be. I had just put on a fresh pair of socks and laced up my formerly dry boots. All three of us had a good laugh, only my pride was hurt. I won’t go into detail but the second attempt at getting in the canoe also landed me in the water. Neither Brent nor Ryan could figure out which time was more amusing. My vote was for the first time. I wish I could have blamed the whiskey for my bad luck, but I hadn’t yet ingested any.
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