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Dave & I have been doing wilderness canoe trips into the BWCAW and Quetico Park for over twenty years now. A person would think after all that time that the excitement of planning would begin to wear off after a few years, yet each and every trip is just as exciting as our first.
This year we had the pleasure of having Sue and Willie Hall join us. They're old friends who are seasoned canoe veterans too. We gathered around the table the evening before the trip to review the maps one last time. As always we were planning to cover twenty miles a day (or so it seemed), but in reality we would cover more on the order of 10 to 12 miles a day.
We loaded our gear into the tow boat and tied the canoes securely on the canoe racks. It was a bitterly cold, overcast day. Not the first we've seen and probably not the last. The shorelines along the Moose Lake chain sped by as we pulled the polar fleece tighter around our faces. Prairie Portage loomed ahead - after twenty minutes the brisk ride came to an end and the air felt incredibly warm.
We paid our fees at the ranger station drop box and continued on across Bayley Bay. The winds rose and fell pushing a slight fog and mist down the length of Basswood Lake. These are the days when the paddling arms go into automatic pilot. Your mind drifts in and out solving the worlds problems or just dreaming about how wonderful the evening campfire will be.
The 1999 windstorm damage could easily be seen throughout North Bay. There were still plenty of trees standing, but one of our favorite islands, just north of the portage, had been hit really hard. We stayed on the island that night and wandered around checking the extent of the damage. It will be a few years and plenty of clearing of downed trees before the island fully recovers.
It's amazing when you sleep outdoors how much more aware you are of changes in the weather. The wind was really picking up by 7AM. We had the entire length of North Bay to cross and things weren't looking encouraging. We broke camp as quickly as possible and headed towards the backwater area that leads to the Isabella Lake portage.
We spent the day moving through the backwater area. At one point we startled a moose. It is incredible how quickly such a large animal can move through the boggy, swampy muck. We traveled on through Isabella, through the No-Name lakes and finally landed in Kahshahpiwi Lake. The long portage into Kahshahpiwi is not one of my favorite for portaging packs, but it is one of the most beautiful to view. The half-mile portage winds its way through the forest floor, while sheer rock cliffs rise up on either side. It always reminds us of scenery out of the movie "The Last of the Mohicans". We opted for the southern campsite, made camp and settled in for a wonderful fish dinner provided by Dave and Willie. Sue was the chief fish fryer. I was the chief bottle washer.
We carefully opened the tent fly expecting yet another day of gloom and wind. Instead we found a clear, breath-taking sunrise. What a boost! After a group meeting we decided on a layover day. Dave and Willie headed out to try their luck fishing in the morning as Sue & I enjoyed the sunshine and conversation. Later in the day Sue & I decided to try our hand at fishing. Sue won the fishing award for the day catching some beautiful walleyes in a bay near the campsite. Yet another evening of fried fish, topped off with star gazing.
Our travel day on Tuesday was filled with overcast skies. Striking out early (just in case the wind was planning to pick-up and really blow) we headed for the McNiece portage. The portage itself winds down a rocky hill, through some marshy areas and then through forest. It was beautiful with splashes of yellow, orange, red, and burgandy from scrub maple and oaks dotting the portage. The portage into YumYum lake reminded me of "Mirkwood" out of the story by J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbitt". The tree canopy was so thick that the sunlight could barely peek through. Numerous old trees grew throughout the area with a small creek winding along the forest floor.
The rain began as we reached the YumYum side of the portage. We sat for a few minutes waiting to see if it would let up. Finally, we headed out. We had only planned to go as far as YumYum that day anyway. Finding a great island campsite, we pulled up and began to unpack the canoes - of course at this point the rain finally stopped. We set up camp. Dave & Willy announced they were going to go fishing. About two hours later they returned. Willy was grinning ear-to-ear. He had caught his first lake trout that weighed in at just over three pounds. We enjoyed fried northern and baked lake trout that evening.
The next morning the sun shown in a partially cloudy sky. We were well rested and eager to continue on our way. Moving on towards Shade Lake, our first portage heading into Grey Lake proved more challenging than normal. In the middle portion of the portage (which is about 1/2 mile long) there lies a marshy area. You tip toe across logs that other campers have kindly laid in the mud. If you have coordination you do just fine - if you don't, well you get sucked in, covered in mud, and have to sit and laugh until tears roll down your cheeks. Yes, I admit this happened to me.
The remaining portages were done without much excitement. Soon we found a fantastic campsite on an island in Shade Lake. The "boys" were out lake trout fishing again while the "girls" relaxed and visited. Later that evening lake trout slowly baked in the campfire coals. The evening sky was crystal clear and filled with shooting stars, while the campfire crackled and popped. It really doesn't get any better than this... every drop of rain, gust of wind and glob of mud can't take away from moments like these.
Easy days are great. Short portages are wonderful. Light food packs are pretty awesome too. Yes, we were heading back towards our pick-up point at Prairie Portage, the end of our trip was approaching.
Again, we camping on the North Bay Island and tried a different campsite this time. We noticed that beavers had been hitting the site pretty hard and had several trees downed with a couple more close to falling. No fish tonight. Instead we dined on a variety of trip "leftovers". As we cleaned up the last of the supper dishes, we began to hear grunting and bellowing. A few times we were sure that the island must be under seige. Yup, you guessed it was moose mating season in the northwoods, and it went on for HOURS!
Packing up the gear for one last day of portaging we were all pretty quiet. You always miss the hot showers and other conveniences of home, but when the last day of the trip rolls around you miss the thought of being in the woods even more. No more campfires, fresh fish dinners right out of the lake, or hidden treasures and surprises to explore along the way.
Back home we shook the last of the pine needles out of our sleeping bags and tents, cleaned everything thoroughly and talked about the trip. Then out came the maps to begin planning for next year's adventure. It may be months away yet, but you can never begin planning for a wilderness adventure too soon. May your portages be short and the breezes gentle on your back!
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