Mid-Summer Lac La Croix Paddling Trip
by Kwkoth
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
06/28/2021
Entry Point:
Little Indian Sioux River (north) (EP 14)
Exit Point:
Moose/Portage River (north) (EP 16)
Number of Days:
8
Group Size:
5
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (2 messages)
Day 3 of 8
Tuesday, June 29, 2021 - Up at 5 AM. It finally cooled down during the night. The sun rises at 5:20. Cyd, James, & I have steak and eggs for breakfast, using the leftover steak from last night.
We’re on the water paddling at 8:30 AM, heading north to the Beatty Portage that will take us from Loon Lake to Lac La Croix.
An outfitter’s motor boat passes with a canoe on top – probably heading up to La Croix to drop off some customers. We arrive at the portage just behind the motorboat. There’s a tram system here that allows motorboats passage into Lac La Croix. Kathy likes the idea of tramming our canoes and not carrying boats and gear. It’s $25 for two canoes to get trammed over. Kathy springs for the fee and we maneuver two canoes onto the tram. James carries his boat and gear. The tram operator says they are having a bad year due to the pandemic and the continuing travel restrictions between the US and Canada.
We get the boats back in the water and start paddling into a freshening headwind coming in off Lac La Croix. We head up along the shore toward Sand Bar Island. There’s a nice beach across from the island that makes a good lunch stop. It feels good to get wet and have the wind cool you down.
It’s another mile or so until we round a point to an area with several campsites. There is an open site on the point with plenty of room and a good landing area. This is our spot for tonight (Campsite 24).
There’s a nice spot for swimming and we all head into the water to cool down. The wind that we fought against all day is now our friend, cooling us down and keeping any bugs away.
Kathy has become our de-facto water filtering person for the trip. She bought a gallon jug to collect unfiltered water and then processes water using a Sawyer filter and fills everyone’s water bottles. James & I also have Sawyer filters, but we never have to use them.
James & I take a canoe and try some fishing. We troll down toward the unmarked portage that we hope to find tomorrow. The portage trail is easy to locate. I hike to the other end – it’s maybe 0.1 to 0.2 mile. James lands a bass – it’s almost as long as his lure. We head back to the camp watching a pair of loons trying to take off and fly. A quick squall blows through, but the rain is short lived.
For food, Cyd, James, and I are cooking and eating together and Kathy & Monique are cooking and eating together. Monique definitely deserves the prize for best food preparation. She has prepared and dehydrated most of their meals and has everything packaged by day with the large Ziploc bag available at the end of the day for all the trash generated.
After dinner, we walk up to a rock outcrop to watch the sunset. A single canoe appears below on the lake, the occupants paddling hard to get to a campsite before it gets dark.
The sun sets about 9 PM and the bugs get more numerous as the light fades. The weather has cleared and we’ll sleep without the rainflies on the tents tonight.
We’re on the water paddling at 8:30 AM, heading north to the Beatty Portage that will take us from Loon Lake to Lac La Croix.
An outfitter’s motor boat passes with a canoe on top – probably heading up to La Croix to drop off some customers. We arrive at the portage just behind the motorboat. There’s a tram system here that allows motorboats passage into Lac La Croix. Kathy likes the idea of tramming our canoes and not carrying boats and gear. It’s $25 for two canoes to get trammed over. Kathy springs for the fee and we maneuver two canoes onto the tram. James carries his boat and gear. The tram operator says they are having a bad year due to the pandemic and the continuing travel restrictions between the US and Canada.
We get the boats back in the water and start paddling into a freshening headwind coming in off Lac La Croix. We head up along the shore toward Sand Bar Island. There’s a nice beach across from the island that makes a good lunch stop. It feels good to get wet and have the wind cool you down.
It’s another mile or so until we round a point to an area with several campsites. There is an open site on the point with plenty of room and a good landing area. This is our spot for tonight (Campsite 24).
There’s a nice spot for swimming and we all head into the water to cool down. The wind that we fought against all day is now our friend, cooling us down and keeping any bugs away.
Kathy has become our de-facto water filtering person for the trip. She bought a gallon jug to collect unfiltered water and then processes water using a Sawyer filter and fills everyone’s water bottles. James & I also have Sawyer filters, but we never have to use them.
James & I take a canoe and try some fishing. We troll down toward the unmarked portage that we hope to find tomorrow. The portage trail is easy to locate. I hike to the other end – it’s maybe 0.1 to 0.2 mile. James lands a bass – it’s almost as long as his lure. We head back to the camp watching a pair of loons trying to take off and fly. A quick squall blows through, but the rain is short lived.
For food, Cyd, James, and I are cooking and eating together and Kathy & Monique are cooking and eating together. Monique definitely deserves the prize for best food preparation. She has prepared and dehydrated most of their meals and has everything packaged by day with the large Ziploc bag available at the end of the day for all the trash generated.
After dinner, we walk up to a rock outcrop to watch the sunset. A single canoe appears below on the lake, the occupants paddling hard to get to a campsite before it gets dark.
The sun sets about 9 PM and the bugs get more numerous as the light fades. The weather has cleared and we’ll sleep without the rainflies on the tents tonight.
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