The Long Way Around-First Solo on the Louse River
by YardstickAngler
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
05/21/2023
Entry & Exit Point:
Sawbill Lake (EP 38)
Number of Days:
7
Group Size:
1
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (18 messages)
Part 10 of 11
Saturday, May 27, 2023
Back to Reality
I rise before the sun once again to pack up camp and am on the water at first light. For the first time ever, I am compelled to don my headnet to ward off the mosquitoes. Aside from this minor inconvenience, my paddle up the eastern shore of Alton to the 30 rod portage into Sawbill is a peaceful one.
This portage is as easy as they come, and on the Sawbill end I spy a priceless treasure in the woods: A gigantic, dry, flat slab of birch bark. During the trip, I am always on the hunt for birch bark laying on the portage paths for evening fire starter. But even more valuable to me are pieces such as this one, which I save in a special, semi-safe and dry corner of my portage pack to take home. During the year, when I need to write a special note of encouragement or a thank you, I can easily cut a piece of birch bark to the appropriate size and shape, write on it, and send a note that has a little more “character” to it. When I send a note with my heart behind it, I also send a tiny piece of this place which my heart loves.
Soon the Sawbill Lake landing is in sight, and I officially step on land and out of the Boundary Waters at 7:10 AM. Of course, in the spirit of how so many landings of this trip have gone, I don’t secure the canoe quickly enough after doing so, and make an impromptu “re-entry” into Sawbill Lake to snag my wayward canoe, washing out the inside of my boots one last time for good measure. I snap a photo by the sign at the landing to document the end of my trip, and soon am joined by another solo paddler just beginning his trip today. He also has four kids back home in the Twin Cities area and we have a wonderful chat about family life, hammocks (he makes his own), and his trip this weekend. He is planning to spend time on Alton and I pass on that most of the sites were open, as well as encourage him to take a tour of the nearby Kelso River that I so enjoyed at the beginning of my trip. This is his first solo too, and I often wonder how his trip turned out.
“Well I never seem to do it
Like anybody else
Maybe someday, someday
I’m gonna settle down
If you ever wanna find me I can still be found
Taking the long way around”
~The Chicks, “Taking the Long Way Around”
After my final portage back to the car and dropping off the canoe at Sawbill, I enjoy a hot shower, then briefly peruse the Sawbill gift shop and let Matt know just a few details of what was an absolutely incredible week in the wilderness. I pull onto the Sawbill Trail to begin my long southerly trek home, and for this brief moment in time, there is nothing more to plan, no more portages to research, and no concern over how windy the afternoon will be. And yet, it doesn’t feel like the journey is truly over. When I ventured deep into the remote heart of this untamed wilderness, I didn’t fully realize how much this place would become a part of my wild and unseen heart. During this week where I was (often literally) immersed in its waters, surrounded by its chorus of birds, and warmed by its fire, I felt fully free to become an ancient, nearly forgotten version of myself. I entered the woods as a weary soul, and then tapped into a source of seemingly boundless energy, enlivened by the majesty of the park and the sheer beauty of each moment. This rediscovery was borne of the challenges that I had to face in the wild…and now this very rediscovery challenges me anew. How can I bring my truest, most “fully alive” self to the difficulties I need to take on in my day-to-day life? How can I bring this boundless energy home to my family, where it can directly benefit those that matter the most to me? I suppose the best answer is that, just like a boundary waters trip…it must be directly lived out, practiced, and fought for, one moment at a time. There will be failures, successes, and seemingly interminable moments of mundanity. But, in life and in the Boundary Waters, I plan to keep rising with the sun to face the challenges ahead. Because the journey is truly worth taking “The Long Way Around.”
Paddle distance: 1.8 miles|Travel time: 2 hours
Portages: 1|Portage distance: 29 rods, 0.1 mile
Sawbill General Store and Shower: 5 stars
~Alton Lake, Sawbill Lake
Back to Reality
I rise before the sun once again to pack up camp and am on the water at first light. For the first time ever, I am compelled to don my headnet to ward off the mosquitoes. Aside from this minor inconvenience, my paddle up the eastern shore of Alton to the 30 rod portage into Sawbill is a peaceful one.
This portage is as easy as they come, and on the Sawbill end I spy a priceless treasure in the woods: A gigantic, dry, flat slab of birch bark. During the trip, I am always on the hunt for birch bark laying on the portage paths for evening fire starter. But even more valuable to me are pieces such as this one, which I save in a special, semi-safe and dry corner of my portage pack to take home. During the year, when I need to write a special note of encouragement or a thank you, I can easily cut a piece of birch bark to the appropriate size and shape, write on it, and send a note that has a little more “character” to it. When I send a note with my heart behind it, I also send a tiny piece of this place which my heart loves.
Soon the Sawbill Lake landing is in sight, and I officially step on land and out of the Boundary Waters at 7:10 AM. Of course, in the spirit of how so many landings of this trip have gone, I don’t secure the canoe quickly enough after doing so, and make an impromptu “re-entry” into Sawbill Lake to snag my wayward canoe, washing out the inside of my boots one last time for good measure. I snap a photo by the sign at the landing to document the end of my trip, and soon am joined by another solo paddler just beginning his trip today. He also has four kids back home in the Twin Cities area and we have a wonderful chat about family life, hammocks (he makes his own), and his trip this weekend. He is planning to spend time on Alton and I pass on that most of the sites were open, as well as encourage him to take a tour of the nearby Kelso River that I so enjoyed at the beginning of my trip. This is his first solo too, and I often wonder how his trip turned out.
“Well I never seem to do it
Like anybody else
Maybe someday, someday
I’m gonna settle down
If you ever wanna find me I can still be found
Taking the long way around”
~The Chicks, “Taking the Long Way Around”
After my final portage back to the car and dropping off the canoe at Sawbill, I enjoy a hot shower, then briefly peruse the Sawbill gift shop and let Matt know just a few details of what was an absolutely incredible week in the wilderness. I pull onto the Sawbill Trail to begin my long southerly trek home, and for this brief moment in time, there is nothing more to plan, no more portages to research, and no concern over how windy the afternoon will be. And yet, it doesn’t feel like the journey is truly over. When I ventured deep into the remote heart of this untamed wilderness, I didn’t fully realize how much this place would become a part of my wild and unseen heart. During this week where I was (often literally) immersed in its waters, surrounded by its chorus of birds, and warmed by its fire, I felt fully free to become an ancient, nearly forgotten version of myself. I entered the woods as a weary soul, and then tapped into a source of seemingly boundless energy, enlivened by the majesty of the park and the sheer beauty of each moment. This rediscovery was borne of the challenges that I had to face in the wild…and now this very rediscovery challenges me anew. How can I bring my truest, most “fully alive” self to the difficulties I need to take on in my day-to-day life? How can I bring this boundless energy home to my family, where it can directly benefit those that matter the most to me? I suppose the best answer is that, just like a boundary waters trip…it must be directly lived out, practiced, and fought for, one moment at a time. There will be failures, successes, and seemingly interminable moments of mundanity. But, in life and in the Boundary Waters, I plan to keep rising with the sun to face the challenges ahead. Because the journey is truly worth taking “The Long Way Around.”
Paddle distance: 1.8 miles|Travel time: 2 hours
Portages: 1|Portage distance: 29 rods, 0.1 mile
Sawbill General Store and Shower: 5 stars
~Alton Lake, Sawbill Lake
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