DAY TWO

July 3rd, Tuesday, 1840 hours

Campsite on Bell Lake that is south of the portage that goes into an unnamed lake

GPS Location: N 48 degrees 13.702’, W 091 degrees 06.950’, Elevation 1547’

Lakes Traveled: That Man Lake, No Man Lake, This Man Lake, Other Man Lake, Unnamed Lake, Unnamed Lake and Bell Lake

Total time: 07:13

Total miles: 10.75 (this doesn’t include approximately one mile of back tracking for my PFD)

Well, where do I begin! This definitely wasn’t one of my smoother days.

After waking up around 0400 hours, I kept hearing something swimming by my campsite as I tried falling back to sleep. I thought at first it might be a beaver, but I never heard their vocal sound or the slap of their tail against the water. I also didn’t see any beaver activity or sign on this lake yesterday. This was more of an eloquent sound.

Shortly, after I got up around 0530 hours, I began my back stretches first thing before getting out of the tent. My body wasn’t as sore as I thought it would be. This was a beautiful morning to get some photos of the very foggy conditions. While taking photos, I saw a loon swimming by. While observing the loon it went under water, there it was, the eloquent sound that I heard earlier. It’s hard to describe, but next time listen to a loon when it breaks the surface of the water on a calm day. To me it was the sound of a refreshing dip in the water. Maybe it was the atmosphere and this location that made this sound so special.

Breakfast consisted of oatmeal with dried bananas, raisins, strawberries and cinnamon. For some protein, I mix protein powder with dry milk. Coffee is made with a coffee press. That’s pretty much what I have every morning. Afterwards, camp is taken down, everything loaded into the canoe and the start of my paddling day began at 0805 hours.

Instead of paddling directly to the next portage at the east end of the lake I paddled out further from my campsite. I looked to the west to see if the group from yesterday was coming my way, but they weren’t in sight. I made two cups of coffee for the road and drank them as I meandered toward the 95 rod portage that goes to No Man Lake.

After arriving at the portage and looking back down the lake, I saw the three canoes in the distance coming my way. This portage was flat to a slight incline, but decent. I came back across to get my food pack and canoe and I no longer saw the three canoes. I thought where could they have gone? I grabbed my canoe and food pack and off I went across the portage toward No Man Lake. The portage yoke was still giving me some problems. Again, I put the canoe down and continued with only the food pack. I came back for the canoe.

Once I was on the water at No Man Lake, I immediately heard some noise over by the stream. It sounded like a voice. I was more curious what this noise was than to take an inventory of my gear to make sure I had everything in the canoe. I paddled over to the stream and there was the group from yesterday. They told me they had camped at an island on That Man Lake last night and just now they paddled the stream. They told me they had to do a couple pullovers. This group told me they were a Boy Scout group from Texas. There was an adult male, adult female, younger female and the other six were younger males.

We all approached the western shore of No Man Lake and they began saying they were going to take the 60 rod portage to the left. They told me it was longer, but it was maintained. I asked to see the younger girl’s map that showed the two portages. She was navigating from the middle of the third canoe. They were using Fisher Maps. I was using McKenzie maps and I was using the same map I used back it 1999 and it didn’t show the trail to the left. The girl told me her brother did the portage last year and he said the portage on the right wasn’t maintained. In 1999, I did the 12 rod portage to the right. Although, I don’t remember what it was like other than it was steep, but I guess I don’t know what they mean by maintain. I later looked at my Quetico Adventure Series map and it appears the shorter one to the right is the one that is maintained by the park.

Well, I decided to get out on the portage to the left just as everyone else was doing. This 60 rod portage was a treat. There was a steep incline shortly after the start of the portage; there were about three large trees over the trail where I had to drop packs and the canoe to get to the other side. There was also a long section going on top of the bedrock that was slippery. This portage was congested with the other nine people who were single portaging. I still was having problems with my portage yoke, so I was triple portaging. I knew I was going to triple portage with my heavy food pack and the problems I was having with my yoke that I didn’t want to risk getting hurt on this tricky, treacherous portage. I would say with the three large trees over the trail that this is the trail that’s not maintained. If I could have done this portage one time like the group was doing it wouldn’t have been too bad.

I went back and got my canoe for the 3rd trip and was carrying it down the trail when I had to put the canoe down to get across one of the trees that were across the trail. I was about three fourths across the portage when I notice that my PFD wasn’t secured to my canoe.

When I went to get my canoe for the third trip across, I found a small bottle of sun tan lotion that the other group had dropped near my canoe. I decided I would walk to the end of the portage on the This Man Lake side and give the group back their lotion and to tell them I had to go back and find my PFD. Also, I would be fine. I got to the portage and everyone was gone. I saw one canoe that appeared they were waiting to see me before going out of sight along the north shore of This Man Lake. The person in the canoe took off after I waved at them.

While I walked back to my canoe I tried to think when was the last time I remembered securing my PFD to the canoe. I walked past my canoe thinking, still thinking and I probably got most of the way back across the portage when I realize I don’t remember securing the PFD to the canoe at all. I realized the PFD was probably at the beginning of the portage on That Man Lake. I remembered now that I didn’t check my canoe to see if I had everything when I got on No Man Lake because I heard the voices.

Deciding that I needed to get my canoe I walked back to get it. It took me some time while I struggled to turn the canoe around because of the thick brush surrounding the portage trail. I carried the canoe back to the beginning of this portage then paddled back across No Man Lake from this longer portage. While I headed back I saw a group paddling across No Man Lake off to my left. They had come from the 12 rod portage that supposedly wasn’t maintained anymore.

I got back to the 95 rod portage and pulled my canoe up on shore. Half walking, half running down the portage toward the start of the portage where I pretty much started my day. There was the beautiful sight, my PFD lying on the ground as if to say, where did you go. I knew you would come back.

Now I paddled back across No Man Lake again and this time I decided to take the 12 rod portage. I met a couple who were standing at the end of the 12 rod portage by their canoe. They told me the portage was very steep and I would have to watch my step on all the loose rocks. Quickly, I flipped the canoe overhead and up the steep rocky incline I went. I was at the end of the portage in no time. My recommendation would be to use this 12 rod portage instead of using the longer 60 rod portage. I found it to be better than the 60 rod portage, but maybe it was because it was different. It seemed liked I was going back and forth across the 60 rod portage and not really accomplishing anything.

Normally I take an inventory of all my items that I should have in my canoe after a portage. This time I was distracted after hearing the sound over by the river instead of taking the time to do the inventory. Lesson learned!!

I began paddling on This Man Lake at 1045 hours. This is a large lake. This is another very scenic lake with high buffs. Further down on the north shore it appears there has been a fire on this lake since I was last here. This is a favorite lake of mine, but both times I’ve been on it the lake it has been calm. It took me 1 hour and 15 minutes to paddle the 5 miles up this lake. The lake was perfectly calm when I started to paddle across it and then there was a slight chop from the breeze that was blowing from the southwest by the time I finished. The sun came through the haze and clouds when I began the paddle on the lake and it was really beginning to get hot. This heat added to my additional physical exertion I did to get my PFD.

My body was getting hot so I began filling up my hat with water and putting it on top of my head letting the water drip around my head onto my body. I also began taking off my t-shirt and dripping it into the water and then putting it back on. While paddling to the east on the lake I came across two different groups in their C-2’s. The one group was making there way back toward Moose Lake. The other group said, nice day to be paddling a solo canoe.

While still on the lake paddling I was beginning to get hungry, but I decided to wait until I did the 49 rod portage to Other Man Lake. After getting all my gear across the portage I stopped for lunch at this tricky put-in. There was a large rock outcropping that was slippery and there was a large tree in the water up against this outcropping. I also filtered more water for the rest of the day. After I finished lunch, I attempted to put my canoe in the only spot to the left of the large tree root and the canoe stuck out perpendicular from shore. I couldn’t get my packs into the canoe in this cramped area. It wasn’t going to work so I had to bring all my stuff to another spot down the slippery rock face further to the east.

I began paddling on Other Man Lake and I could see the other group about a mile ahead of me. Eventually I caught up with the group at the next 39 rod portage from Other Man to the first unnamed lake. There was a jam up at this portage with people and equipment. The older adult male from the Boy Scout group was trying to get his canoe through some trees, but it wasn’t ever going to work because the trees were too close together. He was pretty much stuck as there wasn’t much room to back up. As that was happening the last canoe was still in the water and a couple of the Boy Scouts were trying to get the canoe out of the water to get it started down the portage. About that time there was another couple coming across the portage from the other way. This guy had to go over and down a big rock to the edge of the lake and put his canoe in the water. After he got his canoe across he walked back for his food barrel while the Boy Scouts finally got on there way to the unnamed lake with the last canoe.

When I pulled up to the portage while all that was happening I got out on a large rock and had to leave my canoe in the water, but I was able to bend down and get my packs out. Not the most convenient spot, but there wasn’t any place else to go. After the Boy Scouts got out of the way I dragged my canoe up over the large rock that the one male had walked down. There was a large tree that was on top of this large rock. I let the canoe sit there over the down tree while I grabbed my large pack, water bottles and camera case. I wasn’t going to attempt and walk my canoe up this rock. I carried the packs around this rock where the Boy Scout leader made the mistake of trying to get his canoe past the trees that were very close together. This trail had some boot sucking mud with a steep decline to the unnamed lake. I believe this was another triple portage.

The next 4 rod portage wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Actually the portage was probably more like 12 rods because I couldn’t get the canoe up to shore because of all the rocks. I waited for the younger female, who was standing in some fairly deep water, to put on her pack and flip her canoe up before I could continue. The portage wasn’t actually that difficult just not that easy. How do you like that for a description? This girl told me that they were going to try and make it to Fran Lake. Earlier, in the day one of the other Boy Scouts said they hoped to get to the Falls Chain today. I knew that wasn’t going to happen. The next portage was a 21 rod portage going into Bell Lake. On my itinerary I had planned to camp on Bell Lake. I began the portage and was following one of the Boy Scouts who was carrying one of the canoes. He slipped and the canoe fell on him and he was yelling in pain. I was walking up to him while I was carrying my food pack and asked him several times if he was ok, but he didn’t acknowledge. I finally got up to him and got his canoe off him when he said he was OK, but that he had banged the same knee as earlier. Some of the other Boy Scouts came running to his rescue as I finished carrying my pack to the end. I went back for my canoe and when I got ready to put my canoe in the water the other group was already paddling on to their next destination.

I’ll admit it I am thoroughly beat from my triple portages, my extra portages while not gaining any ground and the fact it’s been a very hot day.

Although my original plans were to camp on Bell Lake I really would like to get the next two portages out of the way. I would at least check the campsite out on Bell Lake. From the lake side of the campsite it was up a severe granite rock face. No way would I be able to get up on that side. From a distance I didn’t know if I would want to camp there because it looked like all rock and the ground was very uneven. I pulled into the bay side of the site where there was a much easier landing. I walked up to the site from the water and I still couldn’t tell if the site would be OK or not. The last thing I wanted to do is walk several yards from one area of camp to another. I finally saw a small flat spot near the fire ring where I could place my tent. I’ll just have to sleep on the side of the tent where there isn’t a tree root underneath.

When I started paddling down Bell Lake I saw a merganser and several baby mergansers. I would paddle and they would all quickly swim away from me to the front, I would catch up and they would do the same thing. If they would just move at a right angle from me the problem would be solved. It also began to drizzle when I started paddling on Bell, but in the last hour or two the skies cleared out, the sun came back out, and now it’s hot again. I wasn’t going to put my rain fly up tonight, but I packed it away wet this morning so I need to get it out to dry.

My paddling day ended at 1518 hours when I arrived at this site. Total paddling time today was 7 hours 13 minutes. It appears I went about 10 or 11 miles going forward, slightly more with my backtracking to get my PFD. This lake is a very nice lake with some high cliffs. The lake right now is absolutely calm.

While on the campsite I took some photos earlier. There were 4 loons who paddled over to my campsite checking out their new neighbor. Although, I did take some photos of the loons, the sun was backlighting them, so I know the photos won’t turn out properly.

Tomorrow I hope will go much smoother than it did today. Earlier, I was very tired, but since I’ve been sitting in my Therm-a-rest chair I feel pretty good. I also took a bath and that helped. There won’t be any photos of the sunrise tomorrow, because this campsite faces northwest.

Today was a tough day considering the amount of forward progress I made. Although, I’m on schedule, if I hadn’t messed up, I would probably be on Saganagons Lake. These triple portages don’t make it any easier, either.