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 4 of 8
Wednesday, June 30, 2021 – I’m up at 5 AM again this morning. The bugs are not bad and the wind picks up creating a chill in the shade.
We are on the water and paddling at 8:40 AM, heading east to the unmarked portage that we located yesterday afternoon. This portage avoids paddling out and around on an open water area of Lac La Croix. We traverse the portage without any issues except for some mosquito and horsefly bites.
Back on the water, I toss a lure in to troll and BAM – the rod bends and I pull in a nice bass. That Was Easy! I pose for a picture and release the fish. We paddle on and easily find the 2nd unmarked portage. This trail is a little rougher but shorter than the first portage.
Back in the boats, we pass a couple from Florida?? paddling by in search of a fishing spot. They came in yesterday (possibly dropped in by an outfitter) and are camped nearby. We continue paddling through a series of small islands. We find a rocky outcrop with some shade for a lunch stop. The wind had died down, but the bugs are not bad as long as you stay near the shore and don’t venture into the trees.
We get into a debate as to our exact position based on the map vs. GPS. We continue on following the GPS route to the last campsite before the long open water crossing of Lac La Croix. The campsite doesn’t have a good landing area. The winds have died to almost nothing and it’s a good time to cross this expanse. It’s roughly 2.5 miles across to the next campsite. It turns out to be a really easy paddle without any wind. The campsite has a nice beach to land canoes, but not much room for tents. We continue on, checking out a couple of other campsites that don’t prove satisfactory. At the next site, Cyd announces, “No Further”. It is OK. Enough room for three tents and a nice rock outcrop with a view (Campsite 145).
It’s been a long day and everyone takes a swim as soon as we have the tents set up. We then sit back and enjoy the evening. We get a little rain, but nothing serious. The site is remarkably bug free considering there is little if any wind. As with the previous nights, the mosquitoes pick up just after sunset and force us into the tents. The wind picks up soon after sunset and James and I get up to check the canoes.
We are on the water and paddling at 8:40 AM, heading east to the unmarked portage that we located yesterday afternoon. This portage avoids paddling out and around on an open water area of Lac La Croix. We traverse the portage without any issues except for some mosquito and horsefly bites.
Back on the water, I toss a lure in to troll and BAM – the rod bends and I pull in a nice bass. That Was Easy! I pose for a picture and release the fish. We paddle on and easily find the 2nd unmarked portage. This trail is a little rougher but shorter than the first portage.
Back in the boats, we pass a couple from Florida?? paddling by in search of a fishing spot. They came in yesterday (possibly dropped in by an outfitter) and are camped nearby. We continue paddling through a series of small islands. We find a rocky outcrop with some shade for a lunch stop. The wind had died down, but the bugs are not bad as long as you stay near the shore and don’t venture into the trees.
We get into a debate as to our exact position based on the map vs. GPS. We continue on following the GPS route to the last campsite before the long open water crossing of Lac La Croix. The campsite doesn’t have a good landing area. The winds have died to almost nothing and it’s a good time to cross this expanse. It’s roughly 2.5 miles across to the next campsite. It turns out to be a really easy paddle without any wind. The campsite has a nice beach to land canoes, but not much room for tents. We continue on, checking out a couple of other campsites that don’t prove satisfactory. At the next site, Cyd announces, “No Further”. It is OK. Enough room for three tents and a nice rock outcrop with a view (Campsite 145).
It’s been a long day and everyone takes a swim as soon as we have the tents set up. We then sit back and enjoy the evening. We get a little rain, but nothing serious. The site is remarkably bug free considering there is little if any wind. As with the previous nights, the mosquitoes pick up just after sunset and force us into the tents. The wind picks up soon after sunset and James and I get up to check the canoes.
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