Day 5 - Boulder Lake to Lake Thomas (9.7 miles)
We woke up today with no real agenda, except to knock out a couple long portages before the end of the day. So we enjoyed a leisurely morning and solidify our goals before giving one last halfhearted attempt at catching a fish. No sooner were we on the water, than we reached “Hell Portage”. It was aptly named for the 200+ rods (or ~2/3 miles) portage through thick forest and rocky terrain. All this was manageable - it was the mosquitoes who made the portage truly hellish. Just look at how they assaulted Nathan’s back!!
Mosquitoes bite!
Low canoe crossingHonestly, I think it took over 2.5 hours to paddle less than 2 miles and to portage a single mile. With the toughest part of the trip now finished, we both grew more aware that the trip was reaching its end. Not satisfied with calling it a day, we pushed on through Fraser Lake and after couple miles later we reached Thomas. Here was the only time we purposefully deviated from the GPS. While plotting the route in Google Earth, I wasn’t sure if a shortcut through the lake was too shallow to transverse. While paddling, we still weren’t sure until we came upon the inlet. What a nice find! It saved tons of time and brought relief from the headwinds that seemed to follow us everyday.
We setup camp and ate a backcountry version of Sweet and Sour chicken. As we began to eat, we noticed a few drops of rain falling. Not wanting to chance it, we threw all our equipment under the tarp and raced into the tent. It wasn’t but a moment later that the skies opened. For an hour the rain fell intermittently, giving us ample time to eat our dinner. Arising from the tents, we noticed the rain had stilled waters. It had also energized the mosquitoes, and to avoid their fangs, we paddled to the middle of the lake with a rod and a camera. I’ll let the pictures do the talking…
Our last sunset in the BWCA
The Boundary Waters
This is the Boundary Waters. Nothing can compare.
Day 6 - Lake Thomas to Snowbank Lake (13.6 miles)
In the morning I suggested that if we worked hard that we could finish the whole trip around dinnertime. Nathan heartily agreed and after our morning chores (filling the water, taking down the tent, etc.) we pushed our to the seas. The first 2.5 hours went like this: paddle 20 minutes, portage, repeat 6x. When reached the first big lake of the day (Ima), we noticed the strength of the winds.
Nathan studies the waves on ImaIma, with a severe crosswind, was the first test of our fortitude. When traveling 3 miles across a lake, it seems as if you are not moving. Still, we averaged around 2mph even with the wind. On the other side of the lake, the solitude that we had known for the last 60 hours vanished. For now on we would deal with more traffic that we had seen cumulatively over the last 3 days. Thankfully, we darted south after a couple lakes, leaving two groups of Boy Scouts behind. With the waters to ourselves we truly felt that we could finish our journey by the end of the day. In fact, by lunch we had reached the 2nd to last lake - Disappointment Lake.
As aside, it was disappointing to find that there wasn’t anything disappointing about Lake Disappointment. We ate our piecemeal lunch on the shore hoping the wind would eventually die down. Mother Nature had other plans. For the remaining 4+ miles of canoing we would be facing crosswinds or headwinds of ~20 mph. What joy to wind-n-water-weary sailors. But the taste of home was too close to back out now.
Snowbank
Disappointment had it’s testy moments, but it was hardly comparable to the challenge Snowbank posed for us. We had a long 1/3 mile portage to forget about the wind and think about how good a hot shower would feel. Once put our canoe down, our attitude changed from joyful anticipation to fearful concern. The wind was howling across the lake, and we could see the whitecaps not far in the distance. This was just in a small cove!! We still couldn’t see the lake itself. So we said a prayer hoping God might calm the waters (or at least let us walk on water if the canoe flipped).
Going straight through the waves, we battled to the edge of the cove when the wind began to grow noticeably stronger. Hearing each other talk became more difficult and soon the canoe drifted perpendicular to the waves, causing the canoe to be in a very vulnerable position. We retreated back to a small outpost, sheltered from the winds. We gathered our whits, and Nathan wisely suggested that we hug the shoreline. We prayed again and set off for home.
High wind and high adrenaline
The wind was blowing hard against our starboard side pushing us dreadfully close to the rocky shoreline. I was very uncertain that we could make the run, and I tried to get Nathan to retreat back to the cove. He never heard me, and I later yelled “I trust you” as we paddled full strength. The shoreline soon receded, and we were safe from the rocks. Feeling confident that we could power through the headwinds and reach the other shoreline, we made a “line” for home. You can see how we had to maneuver through the waves to reach the finish.
Once we hit the other bank, I soon broke out into an Irish accent, which later became turned Indian. Don’t ask for an impression unless you stick me back on the high seas. On shore, we were elated to be on solid ground. Can’t you tell?
Back on solid ground
