DAY SIX

July 7th, Saturday

Minn Lake, a campsite about one mile north of the 16 rod portage into McAree on the east side. (The McKenzie map has this campsite incorrectly placed on their map)

GPS Location: N 48 degrees 20.303’, W 091 degrees 54.483’, Elevation 1208’

Lakes Traveled: Sturgeon Lake, Maligne River, Martin Bay of Lac La Croix and Minn Lake

Total time: 9:10

Total miles: 17.0

Today can be summed up with two words: HOT and WINDY!!!!!!!

Morning began for me at 0504 hours. After getting out of the tent I took some photos of the morning sunrise over the large lake. My body was still a little stiff and I’m still tired from yesterday’s long day. It doesn’t seem like I get that much sleep on these canoe trips. I just have to figure out how to bring my Tempur-Pedic mattresses along, but I guess that would be a luxury item.

It felt like I took my time this morning, but I was still on the water at 0805 hours. Just before I shoved off a duck flew out from underneath a brushy area. She was sitting on a nest with about five eggs. It looked like a Mallard.

When I got up this morning there was a light breeze from the southwest, but it died down shortly after I got up. It’s so amazing looking at these large lakes and seeing the two extremes, big waves and then calmness.

I forgot to look for the old boiler from a steam tug that is just underneath the water before I got to the first portage. I must have been listening to the loud roar of the first set of rapids and I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss the portage.

The first portage today was the Portage de gros Rocher, “Big Boulder”. I remember all these put-ins and take-outs that they were very rocky. I just remember this to be a medium length portage, so it couldn’t be too bad.

The next portage, I followed the trail and I saw a spur trail go off to my left to the river and the main trail continued on. Looking toward the river it appeared safe to put in. I thought the main trail continued on if there was high water and if the rapids were really flowing.

I put in and around the bend there was another set of rapids. I moved my canoe back to the rocky shore, got into the water to get my stuff out. I remembered the trail continuing on, now I know the reason why. I only had to do a short bushwhack to the main trail and down to the correct put-in. Again, it would have been easier and quicker to make the one long portage. Only if I would have been through here before I would have known!

The next area had some very swift water that appeared could be run, but I was concerned because there were some standing waves through the last half. I got out of the canoe and scouted this section. It appeared the standing waves were the result of the fast moving current and the strong wind coming upstream. I saw the line that I needed to take and went back and negotiated the area without any problems.

There was another portage after this swift area and a few more swift areas past the portage.

This river has many large boulders sticking up off the bottom of the river and there were many of them just below the surface of the water, as well. The river has a dark stain and when approaching the large boulders the color is lightened up so you know something is there. I definitely didn’t want to get hung up on one of these boulders and have my stern end up going downstream first. It took me a little while to get comfortable traveling on the faster moving water with my Prism. My canoe has already taken a beating and I didn’t have any idea what was in store for me on this historic waterway.

There was a swift area, called Flat Rapids, a little ways before Tanner Lake. I again had to pick a line around the visible rocks. I went to the far left.

The wind has been very strong and just relentless so far today. The day has been so hot, as well.

Once I got to Tanner Lake I continued to hug the north shore due to the strong wind. The waves got bigger as I got more into the larger portion of the lake.

It just doesn’t seem I was getting anywhere today as I was constantly fighting the wind.

My McKenzie map showed there was a 50 rod portage at Tanner rapids. I got to the area near rapids around noon. I started looking close to where the portage was marked on my map. It appeared it started in a slight indentation on shore further upstream from the rapids. I looked and looked and couldn’t see anything except some beaver trails. I spent about 15 to 20 minutes looking for the portage. I kept looking toward the rapids and I couldn’t see anything resembling a portage. In fact, I got out of my canoe a couple times to look. I decided to paddle right up to the rapids and there it was, the portage was right behind a tree top that was in the water blocking my view. I got out and grabbed my first pack. I took a few steps up an incline and then I realized this was a very short portage. This was definitely not 50 rods. The McKenzie map was incorrectly marked again. This portage was about 5 rods. It was a welcome relief that I didn’t have to go further. It meant that lunch was going to be sooner that expected.

I had lunch on the downstream side of the portage and as usual I had to filter more water. I also took some photos of the famous Tanner rapids.

John Tanner was a white man who was adopted by an Ojibwe family when he was about ten years old. Many years later in 1827, John Tanner was traveling up the Maligne River with his Indian wife and two children. He was shot by an Indian and left to die and it’s believed these were the rapids where he was left for dead. The next day John Tanner was found and taken back to the Rainy Lake Post of the Hudson Bay Company and was cared for and lived. There’s much more to the story!

I continued on down the Maligne River and the wind had gotten stronger. There were waves coming upstream at me now.

My original plan was to camp at the campsite on Lou Island. I got to the island at about 1415 hours. I was pulling one of my packs out of the canoe when I got a whiff of something foul smelling. Then I looked over to shore at the same time I saw and smelled the rotting fish that had been cleaned and thrown on shore at the landing.

Someone had recently cleaned and thrown several walleye carcasses right on shore. I was really beat from the heat, but I didn’t like this site as the strong wind was blowing the rotting fish smell across the campsite. Also, I found a steel grate, fish stringer and some multi-use pliers that were left at the site, as well.

When I paddled to Lou Island I never stopped by the opening that goes south toward Minn Lake, as I wasn’t planning on going that way today. My immediate plans were to get out of the intense sun. This was the point in my trip where I had two options, go through the low, swampy, beaver area to Martin Bay then on to Minn Lake or paddle out to Lac La Croix. Lac La Croix was out because of the strong northwest wind that was blowing.

Today, feels like it has been the hottest day so far and the last three have also been very hot. (Tomorrow I will speak to a guy at Curtain Falls who listened to his weather radio and said the temperature today was 91 degrees)

I had spoken to Kevin Callan earlier in the year and I told him that I was planning on doing this portion from the Maligne River to Minn Lake. He just kind of laughs and asked me to e-mail him after I did that portion of my trip and let him know what I thought of this section.

Ever since that day I have been a little apprehensive about this section. He really didn’t tell me a lot about the section, except there weren’t any well used portages; basically a person had to make their own. This section has been lingering in the back of my mind ever since I had talked to Kevin. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into on this section and did I really want to tackle it today. The reason I planned to camp at Lou Island in the first place was so I could start out fresh in the morning and do the stretch to Minn Lake or if there were favorably winds, then Lac La Croix.

After about a half hour at this campsite (1445 hours), I packed my canoe back up and headed for Minn Lake. I found out shortly that this area is all very swampy, marshy prime beaver area.

I scraped the bottom of my canoe a few more times on rocks that I couldn’t see in the dark muck called water. I came to the first beaver dam and I notice a small area that had some matted grass. I actually pulled up to a place that might be considered a portage. It was very rocky, but it was short. My poor canoe has been banged up more on this trip than any other previous trip. I have been putting duct tape on the bottom after some of the more serious scrapes.

The next portage was two or three times longer than the first one. The third portage was also fairly short. What the map doesn’t show is that there is another beaver dam at Martin Bay that I needed to get over.

There aren’t any real maintained portages, except maybe the first one that I saw. The technique I used was to pull up to the beaver dam, hold onto my bow line or tie it off, while I walked until I could see water on the other side. If I thought I could make it from where I pulled up the canoe, then I would go for it. If not, then I moved to a better spot.

This whole section south of the Maligne River wasn’t affected by the wind. In fact, it was so hot; there was no air movement at all. It felt very suffocating. It felt like a vacuum and the sweat was just dripping off my body. I sure didn’t want to entertain the idea of having to spend the night in my canoe or kick some beaver out of its house for the night.

I paddled to the east end of Martin Bay. I don’t know who Martin was, but from looking at this small section of the bay, I don’t think he was a very popular fellow. I kept following Martin Bay until I found the portage trail on the right side. I did bang up the bottom of my canoe some more as this take out was very rocky.

I unloaded my canoe away from shore while standing in the beaver muck and eventually got it all to shore. I began walking up the trail that starts off with an incline. Not too far away was a large tree across the trail where I had to take the pack off and slide it under the tree. Further down the trail I had to step over another large tree. There was a third tree over the trail that I though I might be able to slide under without taking my large pack off. Silly me, I get on all fours with the pack and I kind of had to roll to one side to have the back of the pack clear the bottom of the tree trunk. It took some strength to stand back up and I thought to myself that was stupid!

There were a few muddy sections on this trail, but I could tell it could really get worse with some rain. The put-in at Minn Lake was rocky.

I walked back for the other pack and canoe. I grabbed the canoe first since the first tree over the trail was only a short distance away at the top of the incline. I laid the canoe on top of the tree and went back for the food pack. I took the pack off at the tree, slid it to the other side, and then continued with both the canoe and the pack. I continued with both until conditions warranted I put the canoe down.

Continuing with the food pack, I got to the third tree. I thought since this pack was smaller that I shouldn’t have as much problem crawling under it. Well, it wasn’t any easier and when I got up I said to myself that was stupid!

It sure was a nice feeling to finally get all my gear across this complete section from the Maligne River. Like I said earlier, this had been a concern of mine for some time.

I was now standing in knee high water loading the canoe as I heard more rushing water a short distance away. It appears I would have one more portage that wasn’t marked on my map.

I paddled toward the rushing water a short distance away. I paddled up to the swift current and I had to jump out of the canoe to prevent it from broaching on all the rocks since I couldn’t get close to shore because of all the rocks. This was only a couple rod portage, but as some would call it a little “skip”.

Next I looked at my map to see where the campsites were located on Minn Lake. I wouldn’t be able to get to those on the east side, because of the very strong northwest wind. I paddled along the western shore and checked out the first island campsite. There were only a few trees on this small island. It wasn’t an option; I needed to get somewhere out of the baking sun.

Continuing down the shore line to the point that sticks out the furthest I saw the campsite on the island, but there’s no way I could make it there with the waves. I also saw the northern most campsite on the other shore and again I can’t make it to that one either.

The map showed the next campsite and it should be tucked into a little cove southwest of the other campsite, but I’m not seeing anything that looks like a campsite. I paddled down to the big island that bridges the two land masses and turned to the east. I hoped the campsite was on the south side of the peninsula and sure enough it was. Again, the McKenzie map was marked wrong.

It was time to call it a paddling day when I got to this campsite at 1715 hours. It was so hot; I sat in the shade and drank some more water. It’s so hot that I don’t feel like doing anything, but eventually I have to eat, because I was so hungry. I knew if I ate I would feel much better.

Usually when I arrived at a campsite I would be pretty hungry. I would get out my bag of gorp and eat a couple handfuls to hold me over until I cooked supper.

The flies are bad at this site.

It’s very warm inside the tent, but it’s time to sleep. Time is now 2234 hours.