Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

1982: Volume 2, Going Back In Time
by Spartan2

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 07/27/1982
Entry & Exit Point: Lake One (EP 30)
Number of Days: 10
Group Size: 5
Part 2 of 12
[Note: as mentioned in the introduction, there are two narrative sections for each of the first four days. I wish I had Sue's photos to share, as she had a much better camera. But all I have is the journal notes, and because we lost track of her when she moved away after Ray's untimely death, there is no way to add her photography to this report.]

DAY ONE: LYNDA

Tuesday. Breakfast of fresh fish and eggs at Replogles' cabin on Camp Lake. Drove to Ely for last-minute errands, picked up permits, and left from Lake One Landing about 11 AM. Ray, Sue, Smokey and Keelee in one canoe, Neil and me in the other. A beautiful clear sunny day--warm.

Had our lunch on Lake Three. Photographed rapids at the portages.

Many campsites were taken by the time we were ready to stop. We camped on Insula--a small site for three tents, but we managed, and the view is pretty. Stopped about 6:30. Supper of steak, veggies, hash browns, and oranges about 8:30. Smokey is going to be more like us--a big eater and early riser.

DAY ONE: SUE

Paddled 12 1/2 miles. We paddled quite a ways today. We traveled through Lakes 1, 2, 3, 4, and Hudson. By the time we reached Insula it was getting late and we found ourselves desperately looking for a campsite. . .ANY site! We searched and searched and finally found a very unused-for-ages campsite. Grass and weeds had grown up around the fireplace, and little mushroom critters were found in the biffy. The site actually was made for only one tent, so that posed a problem right away. We had three tents to set up, and really had to scrounge to find space for them. But we did. . .one right on top of the other!

We had a great supper of steak, hashbrowns and veggies. Smokey caught a small walleye on his first cast off the rocks.

Poor Lynda found that the fresh eggs she had so carefully packed in a plastic egg box had experienced a couple of casualties. Two eggs had managed to spread their sticky contents throughout their food pack. What a mess! Fortunately, most everything could be salvaged and repackaged. The big tragedy was the loss of most of their toilet paper supply. Now that is critical. One does not survive comfortably in the wilderness without their TP! However, a roll of paper towels has come to their rescue and will suffice nicely.

Bugs were terrible at sundown. Everyone was forced to retire to the safety of their tents by 9:30.

[Note: This was the last time I used the plastic egg carriers. We eventually found a better way to transport our fresh eggs, and we always took fresh eggs on a canoe trip.

The mess, while unpleasant, didn't really do serious harm, though. We were able to dry out most of our TP, as it was only saturated along the edges. But no one wants to find a big mess after a long day of canoeing, portaging, setting up camp, and while preparing a late dinner. Didn't seem like an auspicious beginning.]