Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

Slim Lake
by Bearpath9

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 08/21/2023
Entry & Exit Point: Slim Lake (EP 6)
Number of Days: 6
Group Size: 1
Trip Introduction:
Sunday afternoon I get to Ely and head to Cliff Wold's. Get my key to the bunkhouse and talk to Ryan for a bit. Drive out to the EP and look around. 6 cars in the lot, but I didn't know if they were on the lake or hiking. Head back to town and go to Zups for that last minute stuff. Go back to the bunkhouse, eat some food, watch the sun go down.
Day 1 of 6
Monday, August 21, 2023

I never sleep good the night before a trip, and this was no exception. Usually not a big deal, as I tend to wake up with the birds. This time I woke up late. So I rush to get everything loaded into the truck, and I realize that I had no TP ! So I snagged one out of the campgrounds bathrooms(I offered Ryan a buck for it when I got back, he just laughed at me)and headed for the EP. Got there, and there were about 6 cars in the lot. I was concerned about that, but since it was starting to rain (of course) I started down to the lake. From the parking lot to the lake is an easy 10 minute or so walk, so I made good time. Gathering my pack, I remembered that I needed to take one of my meds, so I dug that out, popped the little pill, and proceeded to put the bottle in the console of the truck. Got down to the lake, loaded up, and launched. The rain was a little harder when I got out on the lake, but there was hardly any wind. I thought about heading down to the two sites on the south end, but decided to head north and see if the rain would stop. I got up to site near the island, and since the rain had become steady, I pulled in to check it, and it was empty. Fairly decent landing, though it is a bit of a rooty, windy trail up to the site. It was fairly dry up by the fire grate, so I sat there waiting for the rain to stop. As it got closer to mid-day, the rain let up a little, so I decided to eat a quick bite and get back out. No such luck. I had just repacked the food, and the rain started again. So I said some unkind things about the weather gods, got the tent, and set up. Decided that since it was dry by the fire grate, I wouldn't need a tarp to sit under, nor would I be building a fire since there was wood, if you looked hard enough, but it was wet. I did gather some anyway, for the next group, and stashed it under some brush . While doing that, I came across a first (for me). A boombox with a lid ! No wet cheeks !

I stashed my bear vaults away from camp, went back to the kitchen, turned on my weather radio, and got the forecast, which was more rain. It was moving along towards evening, so I boiled some water for dinner and ate, along with a cup of tea. Then I had my nightcap and a smoke and called it a day as the light faded.