Another Great Boundary Waters Adventure

I think we have finally done it.  We didn't mean to do it, but it just happened. We seem to have set an all time world record for the easiest trip ever done into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  Dorcas and I have gone into the Boundary Waters every year except one since we met in 1997.  Back then we were young and strong and healthy and foolish and did pretty ambitious trips with lots of paddling and lots of portaging.  Now we are weak and lame and pitiful and over the last few years we have made our trips increasingly easier.  But at least we're still going into the wilderness, and we hope to continue to go for some years to come.

Our route showing camps and day trips

Ultimately we only made two camps, 3 nights at Camp 1 on Lake One and 10 nights at Camp 2 on Lake Three.  All paddling, travel and day trips, totaled 25.69 miles.

The traditional put-in selfie

Matilda can't wait to get on the water at the put-in at Lake One

This year we put in at Lake One on August 29, which is about 20 miles east of Ely, with the intention of exploring the so-called "Number Lakes": Lakes One, Two, Three and Four.  We paddled only about 1.5 miles from the put-in before finding a nice secluded camp site in a cove on Lake One.  We made camp and ended up staying at Camp 1 for three nights.  This allowed us to lighten our food load a bit before portaging into Lake Two.

Myron's view of the world

Relaxing at Camp 1 on Lake One

For the first day or two we typically try to eat some fresh food since we know we will be eating dried fare for the next 2 weeks.  We usually have some steak for the first dinner and eggs and bacon for the first breakfast.

We had fried steak and onions for our first dinner

Dusk at Camp 1

Wildlife seen at Camp 1 included this walrus.  Use your imagination. 

Fishing was good for the whole trip.  I caught fish every time we went out.  Dorcas caught fish every time she dropped a line, which was rare.  Dorcas doesn't really care much for fishing.

A nice 3.3 lb small mouth

Sunset at Camp 1

Matilda is ready to leave Camp 1

On day 4 we did a 30 rod and 40 rod portage to get into Lake Two. A rod is an archaic unit of length still used in the BWCAW, and equals 16.5 feet.  The portages were pretty easy with good footing and minimal elevation gain.  From Lake Two, Lakes Three and Four can be entered without additional portaging.  We looked for a camp site on Lake Two, but every one we checked was filled, likely due to the Labor Day holiday. We were becoming worried about finding a site when we found an inviting vacant camp on Lake Three.

At the portage

Relaxing at Camp 2

Our camp was very near the opening from Lake Two to Lake Three.  Consequently it was a busy area, and we watched a lot of boats go by every day. 

Chipmunks were frequent visitors to the hearth

Common merganser

The weather was generally very good.  The temperatures ranged from highs in the 70s to lows in the 50s.  One cool morning the low was 41 degrees.  It was very nice fall weather.  We did have one day where it rained off and on most of the day.  Otherwise it was mostly fair.

Enjoying time under the rain shelter

Lunch stop on a day trip

When I took this photo I thought it was a common merganser, but now I'm not so sure.  Any guesses out there?

Dorcas likes to sleep in

Matilda likes to sleep in too

Dorcas "Hollywood"

A calm evening

Dorcas enjoys her hammock time

We stayed 10 nights at Camp 2, a personal record.  We spent a lot of time reading and watching the other boaters pass by.  Some days we paddled and fished.  Life is good on the lake.

A nice 8 pound Northern pike

We caught a lot of fish, but only kept this one. This 8 pound Northern was more than enough for a fish fry.

YUM!!!!

What are you looking at?

Matilda isn't allowed in the tent, but on this stormy morning she pushed the boundary

A brace of mergansers

Pancakes and fried summer sausage is a breakfast staple

A bit of hearth still life

A red squirrel gathering pine cones for the winter

When we spent the night at the Sierra Trading Post store in Cheyenne WY, we found this gizmo.  It is a telescoping stick to hold a sugar cone that can be filled with mini-marshmallows and chocolate chips; a new twist on smores.  It made really tasty smores, but it took a long time to heat and the top 1/3 of the cone never did melt.  The jury is still out on this device. 

Dusk at Camp 2

A raft of mergansers

Landing an 8 pound Northern and getting him on the stringer without a landing net can be quite an adventure.  Often blood is spilled, and it is not only the fish's blood.  These guys have teeth like an alligator and know how to use them.

I wanted to hike the Pow Wow Trail and count the fallen trees, but Dorcas said no

A sincere wood pile

Occasionally while camping in the Boundary Waters we will see the aurora borealis (northern lights). During the latter part of our trip we had a new moon, and when I got up for a nature call about 4:00 am we got a good look at the show.  Having a weak bladder is no blessing, but it does get me up and I can look for the lights.

Another nice smallmouth

On our next to last night in camp we had some excitement.  Just before midnight we heard a commotion just outside the tent. Matilda was agitated and snarling, and it sounded like something was coming down the tree just feet from the tent.  At first we thought it might be a raccoon, but I'm not even sure they have raccoons in northern Minnesota.  Naturally, being curious and foolish, I got up to investigate.  I shined my light around the tent and up into the closest trees, but I didn't see or hear anything there.  Then I heard a faint sound behind me and turned to find a large black bear rooting in our fire place.  I put a light on him from about 20 feet away.  He never looked at me but turned and ambled very slowly out of our camp and into the woods.  We learned the next day that this bear had also visited the next campsite over, a few hundred yards away.  There had been campers there who had not secured their food, and the bear had shredded their food pack and taken off with their grub.  I was hoping he would come back the next night, and I was ready to take his picture, but we never saw him again.  DANG!

We stayed on Camp 2 for 10 nights, partly because we were afraid if we moved we would not find another good site, particularly after watching all the other boats paddling into Lake Three and Lake Four.  But the real reason was that we were just plain sorry and had no real motivation to move.  We had a great site with a good view and plenty of firewood, so we just stayed put.  When we finally did depart for the take-out, the wind came with 15-20 mph gusts, making our paddle out a little exciting.  As usual, our first stop back in Ely would be at the Dairy Queen for a tall cool milkshake.

A good time was had by all.  Life is still good. 

Stay tuned for our next post which will be a wrap-up report on our Great Rocky Mountain Adventure Summer 2018.