Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

1974 The Rainy Trip
by Spartan2

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 06/17/1974
Entry & Exit Point: Moose Lake (EP 25)
Number of Days: 6
Group Size: 2
Part 3 of 8
Day Two:

It was a rainy night, and a cloudy AM. I awoke very stiff and sore, and it was hard to get going. By the time we left there was a light mist falling.

After breakfast we broke camp and we were on our way about 8:20. First stop--the "Isle of Pines".

[Note: Dorotny Molter is a canoe country icon. She lived alone on the Isle of Pines in Knife Lake for 56 years, one of only two people allowed to stay after the BWCA designation. After her death, all of her cabins were moved to Ely for the Dorothy Molter Museum. Both of our grandchildren have visited Dorothy's museum with us.]

On this misty, drizzly day we stopped for a traditional visit with Dorothy, to enjoy two bottles of her homemade root beer [my journal says 88 cents] and to sign her book. I wish I had talked with her more, but with off-and-on mist in the air and my constant pain, I wasn't in the mood. We just looked around, spotted the "Camp Easton" paddle in her canoe-paddle fence, signed the guest book, and were on our way again. [It was a good experience, but also a missed opportunity.]

We ate our lunch at the portage to the South Arm of Knife. [My husband says this isn't possible, as there IS no portage from Knife to the South Arm of Knife, but that is what my journal says.] Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches--we took a loaf of white bread and squeezed it to take out some of the air. It was a sticky mess. [Hadn't heard of taking crackers or tortillas back then.] The PB and J were in Coghlan tubes. Also enjoyed chocolate Space Food Sticks, dried fruit, and Kool-Aid. The main snack on all of our trips was German's Sweet Chocolate bars. [We didn't take a lot of snacks back then.]

The little waterfall at the portage to Eddy Lake was gorgeous. A big drop.

Made camp at 2:15 on Eddy Lake.

Supper: Turkey and noodles, corn, hot chocolate, raspberry apple crunch.

Did a quick bath and shampoo, and a little laundry.

The mist stopped in the evening and it was cool, but fairly nice. Cloudy.