Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

Lady Chain, Beaver/Smite/Boulder/Ledge/Makwa loop, Louse River, Frost River
by LarryNC

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 08/13/2020
Entry & Exit Point: Sawbill Lake (EP 38)
Number of Days: 10
Group Size: 2
Day 2 of 10
Friday, August 14, 2020 Hazel to Malberg Libby spotted 7 or more Western painted turtles on our paddle today. The Phoebe River was again peaceful and gorgeous, and the portages were all relatively clear and smooth. With a forecast of possible storms in the early afternoon (relayed to us by another pair of travelers), we considered hunkering down at Koma but weren’t inspired so decided to push on to Malberg. We were happy to find the site at the Louse River outlet open, so set up camp there.

Just after we got set up two young men approached in a canoe yelling “students doing a documentary!” and asked if they could pull up. We said sure and they proceeded to pull out their camera equipment (50+ pounds worth) and film us doing “normal campsite activities” (which of course are not possible when you know you’re being filmed). Kyle and Jack, college students from Missouri and the Twin Cities, , were entering a documentary contest and asked us questions about our experiences, esp. related to the environment. Kyle (or was it Jack?) filmed me casting off the rocks -- this footage would surely win votes in a fishing comedy contest.

Once they paddled off, we went out trolling for a little fish for dinner. We were almost back to camp when a nice bass hit another Whopper Plopper (monkey butt color, with rattles -- our son found this one on a previous trip to the BW and it is by far my favorite trolling lure in shallower water). Dinner time.

At this site, a different creature was eagerly awaiting fish snacks. As I cleaned the fish out on a point, a very extroverted seagull swam right over. I threw a small piece of meat on a nearby rock, and it wasted no time hopping over to swallow it. The other parts of the fish were dispensed in impressively large gulps.

With 7 more nights, we are still considering all possible options from here.

For the day: 7 portages, 507 rods, 6.1 miles of paddling