thetinymite.com

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 crossing

Honestly, 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 Ima

Ima, 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.

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.

See the entire trip on Google Maps

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

Day 3 - Kawishiwi River to Boulder Lake (7 miles)

With only a half day of canoing ahead of us, we thought our weary muscles could rest. The first couple hours agreed with this assumption.  It wasn’t long before we were on Lake Adams, only one lake away from our stopping point. Casually paddling along the river gave us multiple opportunities to enjoy the pristine islands and trees. Suddenly, the lake narrowed into a swampy marsh that we refered to as “the bogg” or “the mucky muck”. Whatever the name, it brought all paddling to a halt as we tried to pry the canoe through the shallow mud. Why not just walk the canoe through it? If you could only smell the stench coming from the much, then you would understand our reluctance to leave the canoe.

The “easy” section of the bogg

Obviously, the discussion centered on navigational inaccuracies. Luckily, our GPS cleared any potential disagreements, and we trudged along. Eventually, we found the portage and crossed over to Boulder Lake. What a sight, especially after the previous “lake”. It wasn’t but 30 minutes before we reached our island to setup camp for the next 48 hours. Yes, we really did have our very own island for 3 days and 2 nights.

Island living is the life for me

That night we took to the waters again in search of dinner. Armed with a bright lure, a nice walleye bite the line on Nathan’s first cast. Sadly, just as we were about to land it, the fish had other ideas and got off the line, taking our prized lure with it. Not to be discouraged, we threw out another line with a new lure. After 4 casts, we had another strong bite. This time we had a huge smallmouth bass one the line! As Nathan brought the fish to the boat, the weight of the fish ripped the lure out of it’s mouth. Lesson: Bring a net if you want to fish!!

Day 4 - Boulder Lake (0 miles)

Today’s journey? No where, absolutely no where! What a treat to just enjoy the wind and waves, to read a book, and to reflect on the upcoming semester.  Basically, it was just another day playing Tom Sawyer. One of the main purposes for the trip was to come up with a list of goals for the semester and to reflect about where we wanted our lives to go over the next few years. We had also hoped to catch a fish or two, but our interest in fishing declined precipitously after the previous night’s failed attempts.

Still, we had a great time just with our feet in the air and a good book. God has His way of bringing so much healing through quiet moments in the wilderness. This was one of those days.

Summer came and went, but not before one trip for the ages. Nathan and I traveled up to the Boundary Waters to canoe for a week before our last semester in college. Our trip by the numbers: 6 days, 56 miles, 27 different lakes, 38 portages, 4 miles of portaging, 3 fish on the line, 2 lost lures, 0 fish to the boat, and one of the most refreshing weeks of my life.

But the trip did not begin August 11 at Lake One. Oh no, we reserved our permit in late March just a week after I accepted an internship at Andersen Windows. The Lake One entry point is so popular that Sunday August 12 was booked 4 months early.

Pretrip Adventures

Gooseberry Falls

To begin the trip Nathan and I drove the scenic route going through Duluth and continuing up the North Shore of Lake Superior. Stopping at Gooseberry Falls and Split Rock Lighthouse, we received an appetizer of Minnesota’s luscious scenery. Soon, the road turned north and the thick forest replaced Lake Superior. Enjoying the empty roads, we were startled to see “DETOUR NEXT 25 MILES”. The logging road we detoured along took us through the parts of Minnesota hardly seen.

Once we arrived in Ely, we eventually found our canoe outfitter. As a side note, Red River Outfitters did a great job providing us with an amazing canoe at a fair price. Their store also has very competitive prices (MSR 33 oz fuel bottle for $11 vs. $15+ at REI). Finally, the night ended with the two of us restlessly attempting to sleep in the back of the Explorer.

Day 1 - Lake One to Hudson Lake(11.2 miles)

Fast forwarding past all the morning details, Nathan and I pushed off from the bank of Lake One around 10AM. Nathan manned the stern, and I navigated from the bow. Nathan was essentially a newcomer to canoing and he had to quickly learn to paddle efficiently. To my surprise, he understood how to use a J-stroke to keep the canoe moving in a straight line - a skill many never learn. As for navigation, the GPS did everything. Prior to the trip, I routed the entire trip using Google Earth. So we just played connected the dots with the GPS screen, and we only became turned around when we didn’t listen to it.

Nathan loading the canoe after an early portage

Most of the day we saw plenty of tents pitched along the shoreline and families aimlessly paddling, enjoying the warm summer day. Having breezed through Lake One and Lake Two, the crowds already began to scatter at lunch. After a quick meal of ham & cheese on a bagel we continued on Lake Three, we pressed on past the numbered lakes. Eventually we reached Hudson to discover the island campsite that we had been coveting for months had been taken. Instead we had to “settle” for our seaside fortress and a steak dinner. Yes, it’s a rough life.

The Good Life

Little did we know that we were not alone at our campsite. You see, this overly-friendly squirrel thought he owned the entire place. As landlord, he exacted a property-tax only payable in trail mix. We could never ask the critter why he preferred peanuts and raisins over the rest of our food, but eventually we blockaded the squirrels attempts by tying the food into a tree.  The rest of the evening we enjoy sites like this…

Sunset on Hudson Lake

Day 2 - Hudson Lake to Kawishiwi River (14.5 miles)

At 6AM we rose to tear down camp and eat homemade raisin bread. By 7:30 we had reached our first portage - a 0.25 mile hike between Hudson Lake and Lake Insula. After a slow single portage, Nathan started acting strange. Soon, he summounded the audacity to walk on water. To my complete surprise he didn’t sink!

Nathan standing on water

As the day progressed, so did the winds, quickly ending our fun and games. We found ourselves paddling into the first strong headwind. Nathan kept us positioned straight into the waves to minimize the lateral movement of the canoe. Both time and the canoe seemed to stand still. Eventually we reached Williamson Island (on Lake Insula) and took a much needed lunch break.

Re-energized we pushed back out to sea and within a couple miles found shelter from the winds on Kawishiwi River. No sooner had we forgot about all the difficulties of the morning, when the wind picked up again as we spotted Alice.

Before we began the trip, we had two options - a short and a long.  At Alice we knew we had to decide.  Little did we know the wind would decide for us.  Faced with the choice of paddling 3 miles into a headwind (shorter) or continue along the quiet Kawishiwi (longer), we opted for the latter not know what difficulties might come.

Oh, the Wonderful Cross on the Kawishiwi after Lake Alice

The river remained calm and we only had a few portages before we started looking for campsites.  The first potential site had more flies than we were willing to tolerate so we kept looking.  Eventually, we stumbled upon a nice 3-room island-mansion.  It was a long day, but the rest of the trip was much easier as a result.