Thursday, June 22, 2023

Today I left Rice Lake and continued on the Isabella River to Bald Eagle Lake, Gabbro and Little Gabbro. Then I traveled up the South Kawishiwi River and through Lakes 1, 2, and 3. It was a long day with a lot of portages. The 2nd portage west of Rice L. was runnable rapids as was the section by the little 8 rod portage. I timed things well today. On the water by 5:45am and made it to Bald Eagle Lake by 9:30am with little to no wind. Wind did pick up and was coming mostly out of the southwest so I felt it as I crossed some of the bays, but it didn't get stronger until I reached the Kawishiwi River. Then it was behind me and pushed me along nicely.

Once I left the emptiness of the Isabella River, I started seeing a lot more people, but they were all fishing or camped. No one else was traveling from lake to lake until farther north on the Kawishiwi River. I took a break to swim in the small waterfall along with another group. They said they had seen a lot of solo paddlers, but never a woman traveling solo. I met a couple from Tennessee and Kentucky who were on their first BWCA trip and met a group of 4 women coming from Lake 2 on the final day of their trip.

I almost got a site on Lake One, but my decision to double portage for the one and only time on this trip cost me the last site on the lake. That's okay. I downed a recovery drink and made the decision to push on. Told myself I would take the first open site I found at 4:30 or later. So I paddled through Lake Two and into Lake Three. Found an open site at exactly 4:30pm. Could not have timed it better.

Long but satisfying day. I'm feeling strong though my middle back is pretty fatigued. I put on a Biofreeze patch after taking a refreshing swim. Made a mental note to get a new filter for my BeFree 1L since it was getting too slow. Unfortunately, the idiots at a next door site left their aluminum canoe sitting in the water tied to shore, and it keeps banging against the rocks making a lot of racket. Hopefully, they'll drag it ashore before night time. Lots of wildlife out and about. A beaver swam directly toward me with a curious look on his face, until he suddenly startled and slapped his tail as he dove out of sight. An adorable mink with masked marks on its face swam by and then climbed out on a nearby log. Lots of turtles as well. It is one of the things I love about solo travel. Since I'm so quiet and still at my campsites, I typically get many more wildlife encounters.
Travel time: 5:45am-4:30pm (10.75 hours) Distance: 30 miles (14 portages) Places: Rice Lake, Isabella River, Bald Eagle Lake, Gabbro Lake, Little Gabbro Lake, South Kawishiwi River, Kawishiwi River, Lake One, Lake Two, Lake Three