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Boundary
Waters Journal - 2007 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota July
2007
After months of planning, anticipation, and growing excitement, Steve and I finally arrived at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness! Back in the spring, Steve Stovall (a colleague of mine at Wilmington College) and I had begun talking about doing a kayak-camping trip with our Folbot folding touring kayaks. Steve had just purchased his kayak the autumn before, and I had taken mine on several previous trips to Canada and other places. We agreed that a trip to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota would be perfect for the coming summer. I had never been there before and wanted to check it out, and Steve was fascinated with the area and its history and eager to try out kayak camping. After months of planning and two days (960 miles) of driving from Wilmington, Ohio (near Cincinnati), we had arrived! We planned to enter at the Baker Lake Access (#39) the following day, so we set up camp on an open campsite (#3) at the National Forest Service campground at the access point (there are five free campsites there). There is no permit office at this access point, so we drove over to the Sawbill Lake Access (#38) and picked up our permit at Sawbill Outfitters. Before we were allowed to pick up our permit, however, we were required to watch a short video about proper use of the wilderness area. While we already knew the information that was presented in the video, it seemed like an important thing to make sure that all people entering the Boundary Waters be made aware of their potential impact on the wilderness. After a quick nap, we drove around looking for wildlife (we saw a beaver) and tried out my Subaru Outback on an off-road trail (fun)! After eating supper of Mountain House "Rice and Chicken" (good/very good), we read and played cards in the tent before retiring around 10:30.
Steve and I were up and out of bed by 7:30, eager to start our wilderness trip. We packed up camp, built our Folbot folding touring kayaks, and ate breakfast of oatmeal. Before we shoved off into Baker Lake, we met up with and talked to some U.S. Forest Service (USFS) staff who were just coming in from a maintenance trip into the park (performing upkeep on portages and campsites). When we had all of our gear for the week loaded into our boats, we paddled off into Baker Lake for the adventure ahead. After a short paddle, we made quick work of the short 10-rod (50-m) portage into Peterson Lake. Paddling in the open air and the sunshine was glorious! What great weather for our first day! Again, after a short paddle, we were able to walk our boats through the rapids at the three-rod (15-m) portage to Kelly Lake. We had to fight the wind in a long paddle up narrow Kelly Lake that seemed to funnel the wind right down the lake. Along the way, we came across an area that looked as if it had been burned over in the last few years and was beginning the cycle of regrowth.
Steve made our first exciting wildlife observation when he spotted two mink on the narrow, rocky, and flat 65-rod (325-m) portage to Jack Lake. Then at the put-in to Jack Lake, we saw a beaver and a bald eagle. As we paddled up Jack Lake, we continued to see the bald eagle ahead of us. The USFS people had mentioned that the southern of the two sites on Jack Lake is on a peninsula and is very nice. We found the site unoccupied and spectacular! The site sits high up and overlooks much of the lake in many directions.
We set up camp while lunch (Mountain House "Chili Mac with Beef" (very good/excellent)) cooked. While it showered off and on from late afternoon on, we read and napped, and Steve worked on his dissertation (Steve was set to defend his dissertation in August and needed to finish some last minute writing; what better place to do so than in the great outdoors). Later, we took a look at Steve's boat, which had had a rough day. Two bungies on his deck had snapped, and his cockpit coaming had broken when he had gotten in after a portage. Steve replaced the bungies with an extra strap that he had, and we splinted (with a stick) and duct taped his coaming. It wasn't pretty, but it seemed functional. During a lull in the showers, we dined on Backpacker's Pantry "Black Bean Tamale Pie" (excellent), complete with nachos over which to pour the sauce! This was one of the best backcountry meals that either of us had tasted! As the sun went down and mosquitoes came out in full force, Steve and I retreated to the tent to play cards and read before nodding off around 10:00.
It rained off and on during the night, and we awoke around 6:30 to a thunderstorm with lots of rain. After the rain stopped around 8:30, Steve and I got up, packed up camp, and ate some oatmeal before paddling away around 9:30. We paddled up Jack Lake to the 12-rod (60-m) portage into Weird Lake. I lined my boat through the rapids (which was just barely possible without the rushing water capsizing the boat), and Steve portaged his boat and gear. I filtered some water on Weird Lake as we paddled to the 80-rod (400-m) portage to the Temperance River. Just after putting in on the Temperance River, Steve's damaged boat keeled over and sent him into the water. As I was in front at this point, I heard his yell but didn't get my head pivoted around quickly enough to see his dunking! We collected all of the gear, drained the boat, and were on our way. Shortly, we came to the 240-rod (1,200-m) portage to South Temperance Lake. Steve and I had decided to triple carry the portages to keep loads manageable, and by the third trip (fifth time across the trail), we were exhausted! At South Temperance Lake, we faced a very stiff wind and one-foot waves. We had been told by campers going the other way on the portage that at least three of the four campsites on the lake were taken. Unlike Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada (where I have kayak camped before), the Boundary Waters permit does not specify the lakes that you will be staying on each night. While this allows for much freedom while traveling, it also means that you may not have a campsite left on the lake on which you wish to camp. Then you must push on to other lakes until you find an open site. The only possibly open site on South Temperance Lake was over a mile away and near a short, 10-rod portage from Brule Lake. It didn't look good for the site to be available. The only possible thing in our favor was that the heavy west wind might keep canoes from coming up Brule Lake and crossing the short portage to that campsite. We decided that I would paddle down to check the site (no need for both of us to do so), and Steve would hang out at an island near the 55-rod portage to North Temperance Lake. If the site was open, I could leave the bags from my boat at the site and paddle back to let him know to come ahead. If it was occupied, I could paddle back (upwind), and we would take the portage to North Temperance Lake. As I paddled down the lake toward the site, I hoped against hope that it would be empty. When I rounded a bend in the lake, the moment of truth had arrived. The site was ... unoccupied!!! What a relief! I hurriedly unloaded my boat and paddled back to Steve. We both arrived dog-tired at the site around 3:00. In a stupor, we set up camp and crashed in the tent to rest. Unfortunately, a chipmunk showed interest in Steve's snack bag (especially where there was hole that a chipmunk at our previous campsite had chewed through). So, we had to hang the bag immediately instead of after supper. As fate would have it (when we're both exhausted), this food-hanging experience was much more difficult than the previous night's. To hang the food bags, we tie a rock to a rope, throw it over a branch, and use the rope to hoist the food bag up so that it hangs out of reach of animals. This time, after getting the rock and rope stuck in a tree twice, we finally settled on another tree with a lower branch, and managed to get the rope in place.
After eating a snack that served as lunch (did I mention that we had not eaten since breakfast around 9:00?!) and hoisting the food bags, we were finally able to relax in the tent for awhile before supper. After some recuperation time, Steve and I enjoyed a Backpacker's Pantry "Katmandu Curry" (good (S); excellent (J)) for supper. As we gained our energy and senses back, we realized that we had managed to snag a nice site that is both spacious and secluded. We realized that unfortunately, the same trees that keep the site secluded also block any insect-deterring breeze. After eating, we made a more permanent fix to Steve's cockpit coaming using a stick, duct tape, and wire. At sunset, I paddled around to and hiked the 10-rod (50-m) portage to Brule Lake. There is a beautiful falls there from Brule Lake to South Temperance Lake. As I paddled back toward our campsite, I took some pictures of the resplendent sunset reflected in the still, evening water. Evening is one of my favorite times to be out on the water. The sunset colors are magical, the water is mirror-like, and it is quiet except for the sound of animals and my paddle. After returning from my sunset paddle, we headed for the tent and got to sleep around 10:00.
During the night, the haunting calls of loons filled the air. There's nothing like that call to make me instantly think of the boreal country. Because there was no threat of rain, we kept the rain fly off and enjoyed the stars and moon throughout the night. After arising at 7:30, Steve and I had our usual breakfast of oatmeal. We packed up and were ready to roll by 9:00. We quickly paddled across the lake and then made quick work of the 55-rod (275-m) portage to North Temperance Lake. Steve really liked this lake because it has beautiful hills along the shore. We had to paddle against a headwind to the 105-rod (525-m) portage to Sitka Lake. This portage has some ups and downs and some rocky sections, but it was only an appetizer for the portage to come!
After filtering water on Sitka Lake, we took on the 140-rod (700-m) portage to Cherokee Lake. This portage was a monster. While only 700 m long, it goes up and down and up and down and up and down. It is the only portage that I have ever been on that was also exhausting on the hike back for the next load! It looked as if it was slightly easier going our direction, because there is more down than up, but it taxed our legs and balance going down the steep, rock-strewn areas. During one of the hikes back, I saw a ruffed grouse in the underbrush. When we had at last finished portaging, Steve and I took a refreshing swim in Cherokee Lake. Wow, did it feel great! Just to the east-northeast of the portage is a rocky, west-facing campsite. Steve and I paddled over to it and claimed it for the next two nights. What a fantastic site! It has huge slabs of Canadian Shield granite forming a peninsula and sloping down into the water, several nice tent sites, and a commanding view of the lake. After setting up camp (around 2:30), we enjoyed a lunch of Alpine Aire "Wild Tyme Turkey" (very good/excellent (S); good (J)). During lunch, two loons erupted in echoing calls just off our peninsula, and unbelievably, a marten walked through our site about seventy-five feet away from where we sat eating. It was the only marten that either of us had ever seen and was the wildlife highlight of the trip! Could we have asked for more?! I rated this site as one of the top five sites that I've stayed at while kayak camping.
During the afternoon, we read, napped, swam, wrote (Steve on his dissertation and I in my trip journal), played cards, and snacked on some tasty asiago cheese. As we relaxed in camp, we noticed a commotion over at the portage from Sitka Lake. We heard the repeated banging of aluminum on rock and witnessed an aluminum canoe careering down the final, steep hill to the put-in on Cherokee Lake. We guessed that probably someone had accidentally dropped the canoe down the hill. We preferred, however, to think that someone had gotten to the end of that monster portage only to be greeted by the steep, treacherous hill and had decided to just give the canoe a heave. Later, we supped on Backpacker's Pantry "Pad Thai" (good). After hanging the food bags, Steve worked on his dissertation some more, and I went for a sunset paddle. What a glorious evening! The water was still, the sunset was coloring everything, and I could paddle an unloaded kayak! While out on the water, I watched a bald eagle fly by my boat (about one hundred feet away), saw a deer drinking from the lake, observed a northern waterthrush running along the shore, and marveled at the undercut, overhang caves and tunnels along the shore. For the crowning part of the magical evening paddle, while I was in the middle of the lake a loon called its mournful call over and over again with the haunting melody reverberating off the surrounding hills! Afterwards, the loon swam out to me and passed about thirty-five feet away. What an exquisite moment! As we lay down for the night, Steve and I were treated to an awesome aural display from the loons. We fell asleep to their calls about 10:30. Awesome!
This was our layover day, so Steve and I lazed around and got up around 9:30. As we ate our usual breakfast of oatmeal, we spotted a deer swimming from the shore of the lake to one of the islands. We decided to paddle north to Gordon Lake to explore a marsh that looked interesting on our map. It was great paddling nearly empty boats (essentials only) with the wind at our backs! The 10-rod (50-m) portage to Gordon Lake was easy. Unfortunately, Steve and I saw neither moose nor carnivorous pitcher plants in the marsh, but we did see some nice irises (growing on a floating log!) and beautiful granite cliffs. We also found a stately, towering white pine at the back of one bay and bushwhacked our way up to it to marvel at its great size. We portaged back over to Cherokee Lake and had the wind directly in our faces for the paddle back to our campsite. It was a tough two-mile slog against the wind and one-foot waves, so we were quite ready for lunch when we got back to camp.
We cooked up and devoured Alpine Aire "Pasta Alfredo with Shrimp" (very good/excellent). The afternoon was spent reading, napping, writing, swimming, and playing cards. I enjoy this type of kayak camping where there is time for relaxation and free-time activities. As the afternoon wore on, the mosquitoes outside the tent were replaced by stable flies (nasty biters). When I went out in my kayak to filter water, more than twenty of them tagged along on the deck and in the cockpit. After having been bitten numerous times, I called it quits and decided to try again after dark when the insect throngs would have hopefully dissipated some. Steve and I both noticed something interesting and funny at our campsite. For the previous two days, a white-throated sparrow had been calling almost continuously except at night. We began fitting its melodious whistling to songs such as "O Tannenbaum", "Amazing Grace", and "If You're Happy and You Know It"! That evening, Steve and I feasted on Alpine Aire "Pepper Steak with Rice" (very good/excellent) while a gorgeous sunset appeared in stages of yellow, orange, red, pink, and then purple. While I was preparing the meal, a beaver swam right beside our campsite and through the colors of the sunset reflected in the water.
As the mosquito swarm came out in full force at dusk, Steve and I retreated to the tent. After dark, we heard a very large animal walk behind our site, enter the water, swim to the other shore, get out, and disappear into the woods. We decided that it had to be a moose. As we drifted off to sleep, we were treated to a lightning-rich display from a storm off to the north. It flashed continuously for more than an hour until we went to sleep. The storm, however, stayed to the north, and we didn't get any rain during the night.
Little did Steve and I know as we arose at 6:45 to break camp, that this was to be one of the most trying days that we have encountered while kayak camping. We quickly broke camp and downed some oatmeal before departing at 7:30. The day began with a beautiful paddle along Cherokee Creek where we found some of the pitcher plants that we had been searching for the day before. Part of the way down the creek we came to a beaver dam that we needed to pull over. In the front, I stepped out onto the beaver dam, pulled my kayak over, and stepped back into it. Next it was Steve's turn. He also stepped out onto the dam and pulled his boat over, but because of his broken cockpit coaming, he needed to get back into his kayak from a different position. He stepped down into the shallow water, but his foot just kept going right through the mucky bottom! Just like that, he was up to his thigh in mud. Despite many tries, he could not free himself. Finally, he called me over to stand on the beaver dam and help to pull him out. With great effort on both of our parts, we managed to slowly pull his leg free as the mud made a massive sucking sound! As he dropped into his kayak, Steve mentioned that he wasn't as fond of beavers anymore and didn't think of them as cute, furry creatures anymore. Oh, if he had only known how much more we would hate beavers by the end of the day!
The 180-rod (900-m) portage to Skoop Lake had some ups and downs and rocky places, but it wasn't too bad. What seems like just another portage actually involves something quite geographically and hydrologically significant. The last major high point on the portage trail (the one closest to Skoop Lake) is on the Laurentian Divide. Rain that falls on the north side of this divide eventually flows into Hudson Bay, but rain that falls on the south side eventually flows into the Gulf of Mexico. We quickly paddled across Skoop Lake to the 110-rod (550-m) portage to Ada Lake. At the portage take-out was a beaver dam backing water up into Skoop Lake. We began the portage below the dam and quickly found the trail covered with water. We soon found that about 80% of the length of the trail was under several feet of water. I carried my boat across the portage (wading along the trail) and saw the problem at the Ada Lake end of the portage: beavers had constructed a several-foot-high beaver dam backing water up over the portage trail. The carry was terrible because you never knew when you might step on an unseen rock under several feet of water or step between rocks and drop all the way in to your waist or higher. Because of the likelihood of a serious fall and a broken ankle or leg, Steve decided that he didn't want to solo carry his boat over his head (as he had done with all the other portages), and I didn't want to carry two more trips across the trail. So, I loaded my two trips worth of gear into Steve's boat and lined it through the marshy creek. At times it worked well, but often I would sink down into fetid, mucky water that was over my head. Then I would either swim and push the boat ahead of me or clamber onto the back deck and paddle the boat along with my hands (I couldn't get into the cockpit because it was stuffed full of gear). I was not a happy camper! I was covered from head to toe in rotting plant matter and only slowly making progress! What had looked like an easy 550-m portage had turned into the most nightmarish portage that I had ever been on. I finally made it to the end, both looking and smelling like a sewer rat. Meanwhile, Steve had carried his other two loads over the portage while falling numerous times but luckily not injuring himself. Although earlier we had seen several four-inch to six-inch leeches, luckily neither of us had any leeches on us after this portage. We did, however, stink unbelievably, so we took a quick dip in Ada Lake to rinse off some of the muck.
Finally, Steve and I continued on to the 80-rod (400-m) portage to Ada Creek. After the previous portage, this seemed like nothing. We then moved on to the 80-rod (400-m) portage to Sawbill Lake. This portage was fantastic: straight, clear, and level. Then we faced a four-and-a-half-mile paddle down Sawbill Lake, because we wanted to camp on the peninsula at the south end of the lake. After our portaging experiences, we were quite tired, but luckily there was a northwest wind to help push us down the lake. After a very long day, we finally reached the peninsula site, only to find that it was occupied. Fortunately, a very nice site just northwest of the peninsula was open, and Steve and I hauled our weary bodies out of our boats around 5:00. We quickly set up camp and cooked up lunch of Backpacker's Pantry "Cajun Rice with Chicken" (very good) (we hadn't eaten anything except snacks since breakfast) and then collapsed into the tent. In the evening, we paddled down to Sawbill Outfitters for showers, a snack, and a chance for me to call home and talk to my wife, Therese, and my two boys, Stephen and Billy. As we paddled back to our campsite, we were treated to an exquisite sunset reflected in the lake. We got to bed about 11:00 and heard barred owls calling many times during the night.
This was our second layover day, and after the previous day, we deserved a day of relaxation. We awoke around 8:00 to a nice surprise: there were very few mosquitoes around. Breaking with tradition, we had Mountain House "Beef Stroganoff with Noodles" (very good (S) - excellent (J)) for breakfast instead of oatmeal. Steve decided to work on his dissertation some more while I went for an exploratory paddle. I found a beaver dam that had formed an unnamed pond between Sawbill Lake and Alton Lake. I pulled my Folbot up and over the dam and paddled back into the secluded pond. At the end of the pond I found a creek flowing in from Alton Lake and rushing over multi-colored cobblestones that lined the creek bed. After paddling back out, I made my way up to and hiked the 30-rod (150-m) portage to Alton Lake. While relaxing back in camp, Steve and I heard some loud chattering and spotted three mink scurrying along the shore by our kayaks. We downed Mountain House "Cajun Chicken" (good (S) - excellent (J)) for lunch and then read and relaxed around camp. By the middle of the afternoon, Steve and I were feeling restless, so we paddled over to the 100-rod (500-m) portage to Smoke Lake and hiked over for a look. Along the way to the portage, we saw two loons performing an elaborate visual display (including vigorous splashing and rolling over in the water like whales). It was very interesting: neither of us had ever seen anything like that from loons before.
By the time we returned to camp, we were starved and cooked up Backpacker's Pantry "Jamaican BBQ Chicken" (good/very good) for supper. As dusk rolled around, Steve and I paddled our kayaks around a nearby marsh in an unsuccessful bid to see a moose. Before falling asleep, we played some more cards and then lay in the tent in the dark enjoying our last night in the wild.
Steve and I awoke around 7:00, and shortly thereafter heard sprinkles on the rain fly. We didn't want to pack everything wet, so we raced around taking down camp and were ready to depart at 7:30. It turned out to be a good thing that we worked quickly, because as we left the campsite, it began to rain steadily. As we paddled across Sawbill Lake, the heavens opened up on us in a deluge.
At the Sawbill Lake access, we arranged a shuttle with Sawbill Outfitters to pick up my car from the Baker Lake access. In the pouring rain, we packed up the car with all of our gear and our disassembled Folbots. A great trip had come to an end. As always, I began thinking about my next trip as we drove home at the end of this one. I can't wait to come back for more!
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| Copyright © 2007 [James A. FitzSimmons]. All rights reserved. |
