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 8 of 8
Sunday, July 04, 2021 – We’re up at 5 AM and packing up. We didn’t see or hear any bears during the night and nothing got into the food. After a quick breakfast we are on the water and paddling at 7:40 AM. There’s a light breeze and some cloud cover. We make good time and reach the river inlet into Lake Agnes. This is the Nina Moose River that flows from Nina Moose Lake to Lake Agnes. The river is marshy. At one turn is a family of trumpeter swans. Our progress is slowed by paddling and pushing through areas of thick marsh grass. We get a short rain storm which doesn’t last more than 10 minutes.
We reach the first portage between Agnes and Nina Moose. There are a lot of horseflies and mosquitoes and I actually put on my head and upper body net. Kathy slipped on some rocks on the far end of the portage trail and injured a toe. We continue paddling to the next portage and repeat. From the 2nd portage, it’s a few bends in the river and we reach Nina Moose Lake. The wind has picked up and it’s blowing directly in our face. We head across the lake fighting the wind and looking for the entrance to the Moose River on the south side. I’m using the GPS. but not wanting to follow it, because it looks like it’s taking us into the lake shore. I should have had more faith – the river entrance is very narrow and marshy, but the GPS was right on the money.
The Moose River will take us to our exit point at EP 16. The clouds have cleared off and the sun is bearing down, but the wind is still blowing. We should have stopped at the Lake for a lunch stop, but I guess we were in a hurry to get done.
The paddling is slow. There are a number of beaver dams but only one that we actually have to get out and pull over. Eventually we reach the two short portages and finally, at 1:30 PM, the final portage out to the parking lot. The trail is 150 rods (0.5 mi.) and pretty steady uphill.
Kathy, Cyd, and Monique take Monique’s car to EP 14 to pick up the other vehicles. James and I make two more trips down and up to haul out the remaining gear.
I notice some info about bear activity posted at the kiosk. One of the notes says the bears are on the east side of the lake (versus the west side that we had heard yesterday). There was also a sign from the Forest Service advising to collect rocks and keep them in an accessible location to have available to throw at any bears that invade the campsite or food cache.
Cyd and Kathy return with our vehicles and we load up. Monique has gone ahead to Ely to procure beer which she will have waiting for us at the outfitter.
We arrive back in Ely around 3:30 PM. That cold beer tastes good (first one in a week). We unload and pay for equipment rental. Kathy & Monique head out for Minneapolis. James, Cyd, and I arrange to stay at one of the air-conditioned rooms at the outfitter (the heat wave made their bunkhouse rooms too hot for sleeping).
We head for the showers and drive over to the Grand Lodge for dinner. James and I crash at 8 PM. Cyd gets up at 10 PM to see the fireworks show. It is July 4th.
We reach the first portage between Agnes and Nina Moose. There are a lot of horseflies and mosquitoes and I actually put on my head and upper body net. Kathy slipped on some rocks on the far end of the portage trail and injured a toe. We continue paddling to the next portage and repeat. From the 2nd portage, it’s a few bends in the river and we reach Nina Moose Lake. The wind has picked up and it’s blowing directly in our face. We head across the lake fighting the wind and looking for the entrance to the Moose River on the south side. I’m using the GPS. but not wanting to follow it, because it looks like it’s taking us into the lake shore. I should have had more faith – the river entrance is very narrow and marshy, but the GPS was right on the money.
The Moose River will take us to our exit point at EP 16. The clouds have cleared off and the sun is bearing down, but the wind is still blowing. We should have stopped at the Lake for a lunch stop, but I guess we were in a hurry to get done.
The paddling is slow. There are a number of beaver dams but only one that we actually have to get out and pull over. Eventually we reach the two short portages and finally, at 1:30 PM, the final portage out to the parking lot. The trail is 150 rods (0.5 mi.) and pretty steady uphill.
Kathy, Cyd, and Monique take Monique’s car to EP 14 to pick up the other vehicles. James and I make two more trips down and up to haul out the remaining gear.
I notice some info about bear activity posted at the kiosk. One of the notes says the bears are on the east side of the lake (versus the west side that we had heard yesterday). There was also a sign from the Forest Service advising to collect rocks and keep them in an accessible location to have available to throw at any bears that invade the campsite or food cache.
Cyd and Kathy return with our vehicles and we load up. Monique has gone ahead to Ely to procure beer which she will have waiting for us at the outfitter.
We arrive back in Ely around 3:30 PM. That cold beer tastes good (first one in a week). We unload and pay for equipment rental. Kathy & Monique head out for Minneapolis. James, Cyd, and I arrange to stay at one of the air-conditioned rooms at the outfitter (the heat wave made their bunkhouse rooms too hot for sleeping).
We head for the showers and drive over to the Grand Lodge for dinner. James and I crash at 8 PM. Cyd gets up at 10 PM to see the fireworks show. It is July 4th.
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