My oldest 3 boys and I entered EP84 Snake River with my brother-in-law and his son. After a night in the VNO bunkhouse, a fantastic breakfast at Britton's in Ely and a shuttle ride to the EP from "Cool Steve" we stood at the start of the first portage with no clue what adventures awaited.

Portages are no joke!  We made it about half way down the first 282 rod portage before I decided that double portaging is not a sign of weakness for the over forty group.

The Snake River was narrow and winding, but mostly easy! We reached Bald Eagle and found a rocky shoreline to stop for a quick break and some snacks. There wasn't much wind and we were able to head across Bald Eagle with ease. Even catching a glimpse of an eagle flying overhead.

Campsite 1719 in the narrows between Bald Eagle and Gabbro was open and became our home for the afternoon and first night. The smell of the cedars, the sounds of the water, it truly is amazing.

Fishing here was fair. A few small pikes and some good sized crappies. There were so many fun spots to explore on the peninsula. We left the crappies on a stringer overnight hoping to add a few more fish for a lunch the following day. We unknowingly ended up feeding an enormous snapping turtle a midnight snack!

That evening, a small storm rolled through. We huddled up under the tarp until it passed then crawled into the tents.

We were to be picked up Wednesday morning at the Little Gabbro EP, so we decided to move camp closer to Little Gabbro to make the exit easier.

We passed up a few sites on Gabbro hoping to nab one in the narrows between Little Gabbro and Gabbro. This lake was BUSY! Canoes everywhere and sites taken. We contemplated just calling the outfitter and leaving a day early, but found site 1706 on Little Gabbro open. 

This site sits high above the water, and it was a climb to get all the gear up. The site didn't offer much shade, but we found it did offer easy access to fishing by the old logging dam. Nothing big, but enough walleye and SMB to feed us a fantastic supper.

Another night with some light rain and drizzle, then pack up camp and hike out to meet "Cool Steve" once more for our ride back to civilization.

The nights were overcast and we didn't get to star gaze. There are bigger fish to catch and so many more lakes to explore. Needless to say, the first trip will not be the last! The boys all agree.

I can't thank the fine people of this message board enough for the help in my research to make this trip a success. Especially those who discouraged me from the ambitious Stuart River EP that I originally was planning! Ha!

~Bald Eagle Lake, Gabbro Lake, Little Gabbro Lake