Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

27 day solo
by minnmike

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 09/17/2018
Entry Point: Moose/Portage River (north) (EP 16)
Exit Point: Kawishiwi Lake (EP 37)  
Number of Days: 27
Group Size: 1
Day 5 of 27
Friday, September 21, 2018 Awoke to light rain and more wind, which was blowing the rain horizontally through camp. So after breakfast I went back to the tent to listen to weather forecast and some reading, and an impromptu nap. Woke up about 10am and noticed it had quit raining and maybe the winds were a bit less. It sprinkled on and off until about 11:30, then I started seeing patches of blue sky. I decided to pack up and move on. On the water just before 1pm, the wind at my back, I made good time heading south. I stopped only to see the petroglyphs and I was at LBF, amazed that I saw no one on the water and only one camp occupied in the area. I had wished I had camped down here the last two days but thought it would be really crowded as is the norm. All the falls were just a rocky trickle of their normal selves. A short paddle and I was at Wheelbarrow Falls. I took the first portage , 32r, as I wanted to get a look at the camp site #1984 between the two falls. The portage was wet and a bit muddy but was quickly behind me. I did decide to camp at the site mainly because the sun was starting to come out and thought it would be nice to set up and dry stuff out. No sooner had I set up tent and laid tarps out to dry that it started sprinkling again. Made supper and watched a pair of chatty eagles for a while. The sky started to clear and watched the moon rise as the sun was starting to set. Noted that there are very few camp sites in this area with a westward view for evening sun and warmth, unless you can camp on Canadian side. Day 5 and I'm really starting to decompress and get in my groove.