Old Lakes, New Lakes, and Great Weather in Quetico
by TrailZen
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
08/30/2024
Entry & Exit Point:
Moose Lake (EP 25)
Number of Days:
10
Group Size:
2
Discuss Trip:
View Discussion Thread (1 messages)
Day 4 of 10
Monday, September 02, 2024: Our 52nd anniversary. 10.5 miles (9.7c, 0.8p), 2 portages (1270 and 150m). McEwen, Kenny, and Kawnipi Lakes.
It was foggy as we exited the tent, but the sun soon burned off the fog. We paddled up McEwen in a light breeze, a welcome change from the wind of the previous three days. Our first portage was almost 0.8 miles long, so we planned to take a rest break about halfway through. The narrow portage took us up to a ridge covered by white birch whose limbs tried to grab the canoe. After 15-20 minutes we started descending, and the trail provided a rest break by way of an 18” White Cedar across the trail. We were now in a low, damp valley-a favorite location of mosquitoes. While we've been very pleased with the lack of bugs, we decided to Deet up for the rest of the portage. Even with the rest break we were across the portage in less than an hour. We could hear Canyon Falls as we entered Kenny Lake, and it was a short paddle to the portage around Kennebas Falls, where we took photos above and below the falls.
We had no portages after Kennebas Falls, and paddled into Atkins Bay looking for a lunch stop. We saw Bald Eagles before and after a lunch of hummus and crackers, and learned that our spare paddle makes a great serving platter.
Paddling bigger lakes like Kawnipi means paying closer attention to our maps. Several years ago we started aligning the compass baseplate and compass bezel with map North, then aligning our intended map direction with the canoe's keel. This makes navigation checks a simple glance at the compass—if the North arrow is in the red box of the baseplate/bezel (“red in the shed”), you're on track. This year we discovered that the blue painter's tape we've used to attach meds to breakfast bags secures the compass to the map so that we don't have to reposition the compass after each portage or after bumping the map case as you move your legs around.
Our campsite goal for the day is on an island in the mouth of Kawa Bay, and we arrive at 2:30, set up camp, and lounge around with hot drinks. The fire pit has a great rock slab for our cooking gear. Dinner tonight includes crackers & cheese as appetizers, a shrimp and rice casserole, and lime cheesecake for dessert.
It was foggy as we exited the tent, but the sun soon burned off the fog. We paddled up McEwen in a light breeze, a welcome change from the wind of the previous three days. Our first portage was almost 0.8 miles long, so we planned to take a rest break about halfway through. The narrow portage took us up to a ridge covered by white birch whose limbs tried to grab the canoe. After 15-20 minutes we started descending, and the trail provided a rest break by way of an 18” White Cedar across the trail. We were now in a low, damp valley-a favorite location of mosquitoes. While we've been very pleased with the lack of bugs, we decided to Deet up for the rest of the portage. Even with the rest break we were across the portage in less than an hour. We could hear Canyon Falls as we entered Kenny Lake, and it was a short paddle to the portage around Kennebas Falls, where we took photos above and below the falls.
We had no portages after Kennebas Falls, and paddled into Atkins Bay looking for a lunch stop. We saw Bald Eagles before and after a lunch of hummus and crackers, and learned that our spare paddle makes a great serving platter.
Paddling bigger lakes like Kawnipi means paying closer attention to our maps. Several years ago we started aligning the compass baseplate and compass bezel with map North, then aligning our intended map direction with the canoe's keel. This makes navigation checks a simple glance at the compass—if the North arrow is in the red box of the baseplate/bezel (“red in the shed”), you're on track. This year we discovered that the blue painter's tape we've used to attach meds to breakfast bags secures the compass to the map so that we don't have to reposition the compass after each portage or after bumping the map case as you move your legs around.
Our campsite goal for the day is on an island in the mouth of Kawa Bay, and we arrive at 2:30, set up camp, and lounge around with hot drinks. The fire pit has a great rock slab for our cooking gear. Dinner tonight includes crackers & cheese as appetizers, a shrimp and rice casserole, and lime cheesecake for dessert.
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