On the portages we used the two-man lift on the canoe which consists of one person holding up the canoe while the other person gets underneath to lift and carry. We used a 17' Voyageur that weighs about 56 pounds. It was very stable in the water, yet light enough to get across a 75 rod portage in one shot.
Traveling through the Knife River area we were surprised at the number of people who ran their aluminum, plastic and KEVLAR
canoes through the rapids, and then encouraged us to do the same. We just smiled and nodded. Being an outfitter I see canoes come
off of trips damaged, so running the rapids is never a good idea in my opinion (it can be a long walk home!).
Once on Knife Lake we began looking for a campsite. Not sure what we would find farther down the lake, we took one of the first three campsites we looked at. The site was located in the first bay across from the Portage Lake "portage". We reached the site at 1:30 p.m. After setting up camp and hanging the food pack, LD collected firewood and began sawing & splitting for the evening meal. Once the supper dishes were done, we sat around the campfire looking over the maps and discussing the options for the following day. The sunset was spectacular�
We rose the following morning to wind. It was at that point we decided to basecamp and go for Plan B. We set off at about 8:30 and stopped by Dorothy Molters' place first. LD had never been there before and he was in total awe over the size of the pines the little island contained. We were surprised to find a cross made from bricks with a root beer cap in the middle at the site of Dorothy's old cabin.
From Dorothy's island, it took us about 35 minutes to reach Thunderpoint. We grabbed our lunch and headed for the trail. It was fun to see the canoes heading up the lake looking the size of ants. We spent several hours walking the ridge and exploring the shoreline below. The clear day allowed us to see for miles in any direction and offered some beautiful panoramic photos.
We settled back into the canoe for the challenging paddle back to the campsite. We left Thunderpoint at noon and landed at our campsite, rubber arms and all, at 3:30 p.m. We collapsed and found sunning rocks to re-cooperate from the adventure. Supper and a game of hangman in the tent ended Day 2.
An overcast morning greeted us on Day 3. Before leaving on the trip, Dave had suggested that we swing into Portage Lake if we had the chance. Since we were doing day trips, this was our plan. With my vintage 1985 map in hand, we headed to the far back corner to a muddy spot that appeared on the map to be the portage.
About 15 rods into the portage the trail opened up into a marsh. From then on we followed a "moose trail" � I'm not kidding they were moose tracks! We boulder hopped to avoid questionable "boot sucking mud" and finally made our way to the other side. The whole time I was wondering why my dear sweet husband would send his beloved wife and 13 year old son to bush wack into a lake. To make matters worse, we had opted not to bring the fishing poles across on the first trip since I would have had to carry them with the canoe. LD volunteered to go back after them.
LD was gone for the longest time. I started to worry that something had happened. Finally, he came across all hot, sweaty, and a bit irritated. It seems that about two-thirds of the way across the portage he realized that he had snagged the lure back at the start of the portage and had to back track and reel in the line! This day's adventure was really starting out well.
After taking a few minutes to vow that we would get even with Dave when we returned home, and pledge to take fishing lures off the line and stow them in the tackle boxes when we portaged, we started to fish. We were using chartreuse � ounce lead head jigs with three-inch twister tail. We slowly moved up the east shoreline when something hit LD's line. With a smile on his face he retrieved the small bass, then one hit mine too. We caught twenty bass in about an hour's time. The largest bass was only 1� pounds, but the action was fantastic. As we traveled down the shoreline we had quite a revelation� we found the real portage trail. At that point we revoked the vow of death from Dave, had a good laugh, and mentally marked where it was for our later departure. We continued around the lake, stopping for lunch, and catching over thirty more fish during the remainder of the day Around 4 p.m. we headed for the "real" portage with four fish we kept for supper. LD filleted the fish and cooked them in the campfire coals. A rain shower hit just after dinner and we headed to the tent to play some cards. Today's lesson: ALWAYS USE CURRENT MAPS!
The winds picked up steadily throughout the night - which wasn't a good sign. We broke camp by 7:30 a.m. LD carried the canoe across the portages into Carp and then into Birch Lake. I laughed as several people on the portage trail cheered him on.
Once across the Birch Lake portage we knew that we were in for a paddle. White caps were heading straight into the portage.
We struck out and paddled with all our might, only switching sides when the wind lifted. Never did we let up on our intensity and
frequently we only were able to stay in one place no matter how hard we paddled. We reached the portage at 1 p.m. and were
thankful that we had not only started early, but had set up a tow for 2 p.m.
In spite of the wind, we both had a great time together and really learned a lot. Best of all, the "little boy" that started the trip four days earlier had turned into a responsible young man I knew I could depend on in any situation.
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