Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

A solo new beginning
by TuscaroraBorealis

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 05/21/2019
Entry Point: Snowbank Lake (EP 27)
Exit Point: Lake One (EP 30)  
Number of Days: 10
Group Size: 1
Day 2 of 10
Wednesday, May 22, 2019

At some point in the overnight nasty weather moved in and is continuing on into the day. As I crawl out of the tent, sizeable whitecaps are perpetually racing across the lake. As I eat my breakfast bagel, the reality that I'm going to be stuck in camp today begins to set in. If Jordan Lake is whipped up this much, it doesn't take me any imagination to discern that larger lakes like Ima & Thomas will undoubtedly be even worse.

Sporadic rain accompanies the wind on and off throughout the day. Fortunately this site provides some nice spots for shore fishing, thus providing a welcome diversion. I also process an ample supply of firewood for a hopeful fire later tonight. I had been hopeful of moving on today so I didn't set up my CCS tarp yesterday. And, even though the weather is dictating the necessity of a tarp now, I stubbornly refuse to do so. While this is a fabulous spacious site, one of the drawbacks is that there really aren't any convenient tarp options near the fire grate area; which is the main contributing factor to my unwillingness to set up the tarp. So, the fact that I repeatedly retreat to my tent and eventually finish off one of the books I brought with (Parish Priest - a biography of Fr. Michael J McGivney) should clue everyone in to what kind of day it is.

I'm afforded a bit of a window to grill and consume my ribeye dinner but extended enjoyment of a campfire is not in the cards tonight, so I retreat to the tent for the last time hopeful for an early start tomorrow morning. Kind of a bummer I had to use up my layover day right away but, not wanting to force a bad situation is the overriding factor for todays decision; and I don't regret it.

~Jordan Lake