This will be my sixth canoe trip to the border country, the fifth to Quetico. As always, I made a few adjustments in plannng. We took the same crew as in 2001.
This trip journal is a slightly edited transcription of separate diaries kept by both Dorothy and myself.
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[Dorothy] We are off! Leaving at 6:00 AM, we followed our tradition of the before pictures and prayer before we left. Ed prayed and asked God's watch and care over us and all our friends and family during this time away. It is a very comfortable feel to this trip. We are all veterans now and know how we can handle the trip.
Ed is not stressed like he usually has been leaving. Debbie and Mark took on part of the planning by reserving hotels and planning the routes up and back. Ed and I really are thankful for their help; it made the load easier for us.
This has been a strange trip planning for me. I haven't been as excited anticipating it as I usually am. I don't know if it was because we've done it several times now and I know the procedure or there was just so much stuff to get past before I could let myself think about it. Anyway, we are on our way now and I'm getting excited about going.
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[Ed] We arrived at our outfitter on Moose Lake after an uneventful 2-day drive from Murfreesboro, TN. Got checked in and bought a few personal items, including some genuine Bungee Dealy-Bobs to tie my fly rod case into the canoe. There had been a slight mix-up on the rooming arrangements. I had requested two bunkrooms but they only had one available, which meant we would be rooming co-ed. This caused some of the crewmembers a bit of pause, but once they got used to the idea they were cool with it. Dinner, final arranging of packs, and to bed.
[Dorothy] We are here! Canadian Border outfitters is nice. Everyone has treated us very well. The only snafu was that all six of us are in the same bunkroom! We took a few minutes to adjust to the idea, but it's OK now. All is quiet after our supper of T-bone, corn, fries, and brownie sundaes! Yum! Deb is sewing her new Quetico patch on her backpack. Susan and Mark are reading. Ed has gone down to shower, so he's ready to go tomorrow. Doug's reading his Bible. It's very pleasant outside. We had an orientation given to us on the park (Quetico). They have started doing that now. Just good common sense things; Leave it the way you found it, be courteous to others, watch your fires and keep your food up! If the camp you pick looks as if a bear has been rummaging around, he has -- and will be back, so . . . you might consider a different site.
We will eat at 6:50 in the morning and then catch a tow up to Prairie Portage and off we go.
I am still waiting for the elation to hit. More tomorrow.
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[Ed] We all began to stir about 5:30 and all were pretty much up and getting ready by 6:00. Breakfast at the outfitter then load into 2 boats for the tow to Prairie Portage. Arrived at PP a little before the ranger station opened. Ahead of me was a group of adolescent girls (Girl Scouts?), 3 boys that looked to be about 18, and a couple that looked to be about 30. Had a nice visit with the couple while waiting our turn. We already had our fishing licenses so I didn't need to take the crew in with me. This allowed me to have a nice visit w/ the ranger while waiting for the credit card confirmation.
Good weather across Inlet Bay and into Bayley Bay. Caught up with the girls on the beach. Went up to the campsite for lunch (Bay Bread and peanut butter). When we were ready to do the portage to Burke, the girls were gone but they had left one pack on the beach. I picked it up and started down the trail; caught them about half way over, where they were picking up loads they had dropped along the way.
While we were on the beach at Burke a group from Sommers came through from Bayley. They were a model of efficiency -- 3 canoes, 6 packs, 9 people. For each canoe group, the first person across carried the canoe, which he set down in the water. The next two came up with their packs, which they dropped directly into the canoe. The canoe is loaded, they jump in and are on their way. No muss, no fuss, and no gear strewn about the portage landing.
About the time we finished loading the canoes on Sunday Lake a thunderstorm started approaching. We paddled a short distance then decided to pull over and let it pass. Tied up the boats and took shelter in a tiny and seldom used campsite. No place for a tent but a nice fireplace and stack of firewood. The storm bypassed us so we continued on. The portage to Meadows was pretty brutal. I had weighed the food packs at home and they were each about 68 pounds, but they felt much heavier on this portage. There's a lot of leapfrogging on this one -- nothing gets carried straight across. When we're down to 1 food pack and the canoes it's decided that Dorothy and I should get our canoe in the water and loaded and start looking for a campsite. We located the one Robert and I used in '92 and it's nicer than I remembered. I made a command decision that tomorrow will be a layover day.
Camp is made. Several of us put on bathing suits and took a dip to at least rinse off the sweat. Then I started dinner -- red beans and rice and chocolate pudding.
Got camp buttoned down for the evening, then crawled into our tents just before the mosquitoes went to work.
I'm beat. Asked Dorothy if we're getting too old for this. She suggested that this at least be the last trip with a crew.
[Dorothy] We were up several times during the night . . . getting old is for the birds . . .. I finally got up about 5:15, couldn't sleep any longer.
We had just a buffet type breakfast. Nothing fancy and then load up and got to Prairie Portage. We arrived about 8:10 or so and had to wait on them to open and even then Ed was 4th in line behind a Girl Scout troop, 3 guys, and a husband and wife team. I was the first in our crew to carry a canoe.
We finally got away and it was a beautiful day today. We paddled from Prairie Portage through Inlet Bay and over to Bayley Bay. The water was very good -- no waves! At the portage from Bayley Bay to Burke we stopped and ate lunch or 'snacked' as Mark called it on Moose Bread, peanut butter, Gatorade. We then crossed over to Burke then down Sunday to Agony Portage onto Meadows Lake. Agony was right. It is 194 rods and very, very rocky. We would carry a load for a while and leave it on the trail and go back for another. It took forever to get across and we were all pretty dead at the end of it. The sweat would run down my face and drip off my chin -- yuck! We did have to pull over on Sunday Lake right after we entered so the thunderstorm could pass, but it wasn't long and mostly skirted around the lake. Just as we approached the portage to Meadows the water was like glass. As I said we were all dead tired and very grumpy when we set up camp on Meadows. Ed and I had paddled ahead because there are only one or two sites on the lake and Mark was afraid the party that started across right after us would get it, but we were the only people on the lake. Dinner was red beans and rice and chocolate pudding. There were flour tortillas to go with it so it was very filling and there weren't any leftovers . . . especially since we told everyone what wasn't eaten would be hauled out! No one wanted extra carrying loads.
We will layover the next day to rest and recoup. I don't know about everyone else, but I HURT! Especially my neck and shoulders. I've carried three canoes already, but they are better than the other packs.
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[Ed] Dorothy and I slept as long as we could. Sun was shining into the tent so we got up. Morning routine and sat down to finish yesterday's journal. Doug came by and then disappeared again. Voices from Mark and Susan's tent but still no one up. It's a beautiful morning on a beautiful lake -- so why am I not enjoying it?
Breakfast was Egg Muffins.
Just piddled around camp all morning. Sausage, cheese & crackers for lunch. After lunch we went for a paddle of the perimeter of the lake (Meadows). A loon popped up near our canoes several times near the south end of the lake. Stopped on the island opposite our campsite. Mark & Susan sat out on the southern end, Susan reading and Mark watching some otters on the south shore. Dorothy picked blueberries and Doug and Debbie fished. I explored the island then laid down for a nap. There was a nice patch of bright red berries we couldn't identify. The campsite here had a large flat grassy area at the top of the island but a rather poor fireplace built at the base of a rock bluff.
We gathered some firewood, and then Dorothy and I headed back to camp to start dinner. This will be the first use of my new reflector oven. Mark and Susan arrived and Susan helped me break down some firewood. Dorothy prepared the Jiffy cake mix. Dinner was Chicken Pasta Salad, which is always a big hit. I tried to boil the water for the pasta over the fire while baking the cake, but then I couldn't feed the fire so moved that water to the stove. Cake turned out well but next time I need to rotate it more often and make sure the pan stays level.
This is a nice lake and much solitude, as most people who visit are just traversing between Sunday and Agnes. Much discussion about whether to stay or move. Consensus seems to be to move on to Agnes. We'll decide later whether to return via Meadows or the S-chain.
[Dorothy] Good morning. It's another beautiful day. Ed and I managed to pitch our tent on a hill again and spent the night trying not to roll. Maybe we can find another spot. We are first up (as always) We will start breakfast when the rest of the gang was waking. The quiet of early morning is always so wonderful to me. It's breezy today so that will help cut down on the mosquitoes. They haven't bothered us much, but I guess I just don't notice them as much.
It was a very restful day. We ate late -- everyone got up when they wanted. We did a little laundry and lazed around. Paddled around Meadows, checked out an island. There were some blueberries but there were only a few ripe.
While paddling we came up on a loon who was curious and would pop up in front of a canoe, look, go down and come up again. Debbie and Doug found some otters and watched them for a while.
Supper was good - chicken pasta salad and cake and frosting. We've been chilling on the rock after supper and just talking. We are heading on tomorrow to Agnes. We're rested and ready even if we are still sore.
Right before bed five loons entertained us by floating down the lake doing a kind of synchronized float. They would form a circle, looking at each other, move around circling for a little then straighten out and glide in single file. It looked like they were just meandering along and then when they go to the last third of the lake several of them turned and flew off. It is so funny to watch since they take a very long running flapping start to get into the air.
Mark and Doug fished off and on most of the day and caught several good ones -- large and smallmouth bass I think. It was a good fishing lake and was a great rock for watching the lake, loons, and the occasional eagle. There was one very vocal White-Throated sparrow that went on and on and on and on.
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[Ed] Breakfast was potatoes and eggs. The potatoes had been diced, parboiled, and vacuum-sealed at home. They came out OK, but I should have put the potatoes in a baggie of water to soak overnight. Made portage to Agnes. Food packs are still heavy but noticeably better. I was able to carry the heavier of the two without stopping. Visited Louisa Falls, and Doug tried out the bathtub. Then on to a campsite on the west shore for lunch. This is a north-facing site with sand flats in front. I have used this spot as a lunch stop on two previous trips.
Pushing on north, we went back to the east shore and behind an island with a very narrow passage. Mark held back because he thought it was a dead-end.
Wind started picking up and we pulled for the first island south of the Silence portage. The site was nice enough -- good tent sites and fireplace. There wasn't a good landing and it was exposed to the wind, but we unloaded and got the canoes out of the water. Set up camp, bathed and did laundry. The campsite sits about 30 feet above the water as was very windy.
Debbie asked about a repair kit. Her dry bag is ripping at a bottom seam and where a shoulder strap attaches. These cylindrical dry bags aren't made to fit in a canoe, and a bag that depends on the outer layer to remain waterproof is just asking for trouble in this environment.
At 5:00 I started dinner. Baked brownies on the reflector oven and chicken and rice on the stove. I was real pleased with the reflector oven.
At dinner I recommended that we move to Silence tomorrow morning and everyone was agreeable. The rest of the evening was spent on the usual activities: reading, writing, and watching the sunset.
[Dorothy] We are leaving Meadows and going to Agnes today. Doug was up before Ed and I this morning. We had hash browns and eggs today. Ed rehydrated the potatoes. They weren't crispy like at home but tasted very good. We loaded up and headed to the other portage that is so bad. When we got to it (just a very short distance from the campsite) there was another group getting ready to land and portage. We got there and tried to get unloaded fast and under way. It was very rocky -- worse than the first one and hot with lots of mosquitoes and biting flies. It wasn't as long, but still hard to do. After a Gatorade break, off we went. Agnes is a pretty lake with lots of cliffs and very clear water. We stopped at a small lagoon for lunch after a stop at Louisa Falls. It is really pretty. We climbed to the top and Doug climbed across the top edge and down the other side to the 'bathtub' and took a dip. Debbie said he was nuts to cross the falls and Susan was mad at Mark because she wanted to cross and he wouldn't let her. Ed's been kind of quiet today, not really sure why, but I guess he'll let us know or me anyway, what's happening.
We paddled up Agnes and looked for the pictographs on one of the islands and never found them. Either they are small or covered over with lichen. We paddled on with a great tailwind until we came to a big island and decided to go right and through a narrow channel. At that point the winds were shifting and becoming strong. We got to the opening around the island and at first it looked like it wasn't going to be passable, but after we got up to it there was a narrow place about ten feet across and we went through to a rally nice cove. At the end of that the wind was really getting up the white caps started and it was hard to get to the island Ed wanted to camp on.
The landing wasn't easy with the strong winds and rocks, but we made it. The site is good one with lots of tent sites and great fireplace and trees for hammocks. We had to bring the stuff up a steep rocky area and it wasn't too bad. The wind is very strong here. Everything has to be tied down almost.
We quickly set up tents and went to get baths. Will do laundry soon and have supper. I guess we'll find out if the wind is unusually strong by tonight. I don't mind a breeze but these are 25-mph gusts! Chicken and rice with brownies for supper. Yum! It was Mark's turn to help with the dishes. It was funny -- Mark was grumpy and before you knew it Susan had him doing "whistle while you work." Debbie commented that was just like a 12-year old boy. Make the chore into a game to get them through it. Debbie's always telling Mark he's 12.
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[Ed] It rained a couple of times during the night but there were no thunderstorms. A cold front had come through and the sky was overcast. Breakfast was oatmeal.
After breakfast we loaded up and headed for Silence Lake. The portage is back in a sheltered cove but I thought I remembered bypassing it in '95. The drainage from Silence to Agnes is tight, but floatable if conditions are right. Dorothy and I decided to probe it while the others held back. We had just about decided it wasn't passable when we heard a crew coming from the other end. They reached us and confirmed it was "just passable" so we went for it. It was very tight and as we approached Silence the current became a factor. At one point I had to put one foot out on the rocks to lighten the load and push us forward, but we made it all the way with dry feet and no portaging.
We found the campsite on the east shore. It was pretty good, but we had a few reservations for a crew of this size. We decided to send Doug and Deb on south to scout other sites. They made it all the way to the island in the south end of the lake and radioed back that we already had the best place they'd seen, so the rest of us began unloading while Doug and Deb paddled back. We set up camp and served lunch of tuna salad. I cleaned up the fire pit while others gathered wood. The afternoon was spent reading, writing, napping, and fishing. The sky continued to alternate between overcast and clearing while we continued to get a cool breeze from the north.
Dinner was Adirondack Stew and Jiffy cake, all cooked over wood. Dorothy helped in the kitchen and Mark and Susan made a satellite phone call home.
The wind had lessened and the sky was partly cloudy.
[Dorothy] The cold front came in last night. It rained some (really hard for a while) but it was so windy that everything was dry when we got up. It as somewhere around 50-deg about 7:00 am. The hot cocoa and oatmeal were really good.
Last night had a really pretty sunset even though it looked like it might not. There was a line of clouds over the horizon that had flattened out and makes beautiful colors.
We got up about 6:00 and started breaking camp so we could move off Agnes (it's just too windy and big). We did a short paddle to Silence where we hope to spend three days before starting on our way back.
It was fun coming into the lake. There was a water outlet that was high enough to canoe through rather than portaging. It was very shallow and travelling in a zigzag pattern through a pond lined with rushes (a great moose spot). We went slow and had to back and re-route around some rocks, but we did it. Beats portaging!
Silence is a beautiful lake mostly north-south and a little bigger than Meadows. The weather is still cool and very windy. I've had to break out the long pants and PolarTech and it's not even night!
The site we are at is the one Ed and Robert stayed on 9 years ago with the Scouts. It's got two great tent sites and a couple that are just OK. The kitchen area is good and a great "viewing rock" that faces the sunset.
We've seen very few people, which is good. The most we've seen was today. Two men coming down Agnes from the north end, a group of nine that we met in the water passage between Agnes and Silence, and another group going north off of Silence. That's a lot of sightings for one day up here.
I hope the wind dies down soon. It's beginning to bug me.
I haven't had a lot of witty things to write this trip. I don't know why but it's just a different feeling from the other times. I guess it's getting to be 'old hat' for me. I am comfortable doing the trip and not anxious even though it's different lakes. I am enjoying the quiet and being outside. It's very restful for me.
We can tell we are all older than last time (three years ago). Lots of aches that don't stop after a couple of days and energy levels that just aren't there. We dehydrate easily and generally have a tougher time carrying the stuff, but we get it done and enjoy the sites a lot once we get there.
Back to today . . . Mark, Doug and Debbie are fishing off the rocks in front of camp but have only caught a few small fish. Doug said this was a warm lake so mostly bass. Susan is napping in the tent, Ed in the hammock and I think I am going to go to the tent for a while . . . more later.
After super we sat on the rocks to watch the sunset. There wasn't any color with this one. We had Adirondack Stew, which was too much and OK, but not great to me.
Silence is appropriately named. We heard nothing during the night - not even mosquitoes. It was cold so that probably did them in.
We watched loons land and then take off again at sunset. One flew by about 50 feet from us and you could actually hear the air being displaced as he flew by. WOW!
We had electronic invasions. Mark and Susan pulled out a satellite phone to call Laura and make sure everything went OK with her doctor's visit. Then Susan called her parents to reassure them we were all fine, no injuries and having a good time. They worry a lot about Susan going on this type of trip.
Slept well with no mosquitoes. That was nice.
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[Ed] We slept until nearly 7:30. It rained a bit during the night, but not enough to cause problems or concerns. Morning temp. was around 50. I asked Debbie to cook pancakes for breakfast and she seemed real pleased to help in the kitchen. After breakfast was cleaned up we packed lunch and went fishing. I tried the fly rod but it was still too breezy. Dorothy kept having problems with tangles on her new spinning reel. We pulled over to shore for lunch, then Dorothy and I separated from the rest of the group. We worked on down the south end of the lake, then across to the east shore and back up to camp, more paddling than fishing.
When we got back to camp, I laid down in the hammock and dozed while Dorothy bathed. When the others returned, Mark had a nice walleye. After, I went to bathe and change clothes and Dorothy washed my dirty ones. I cooked the fish and served it as an appetizer, then started on a batch of spaghetti. Debbie helped quite a bit in the kitchen. Doug volunteered himself and Mark to clean up.
After dinner, the nightly "sunset watch" began.
[Dorothy] Slept in until 7:00 this morning. Ed said his bones were telling him they needed to get up but the sleeping bag felt so warm it was hard to do it.
It was about 50-deg again this morning. Quite cool and the north breezes are still here. We heard a loon fly right overhead calling. I love that sound.
Ed asked Deb to do the honors of cooking the pancakes and she seemed very pleased to do it. I'm glad she did it. It was fun to have others involved in the cooking.
After eating and cleaning up we putzed around a while and then loaded up to go fishing. It's still a little windy but there was a bay that we thought would be sheltered, but it turned out not to be.
We tried to fish some and then pulled up on a rock to eat lunch. I can't seem to fish, I get tangled and never get bites! After lunch Ed and I paddled around and I tried to fish some but didn't do any good. We just worked our way around the lake and back to camp.
Mark has caught a good size walleye and he and Ed are filleting it now. Doug and Debbie are still out.
Before we left we had a Bald Eagle fly over our heads a few feet up. That was really neat. It's the closest I have ever seen one.
Mark caught a good-sized walleye and we had fish hors dourvs with spaghetti and chocolate soup (the pudding didn't set).
It was a peaceful evening. Mark and Ed filleted the fish and soon a couple of buzzards flew over to check it out. I was a few feet away reading a book and felt what I thought were raindrops on my arm. I looked up at blue sky and the buzzards right over me then looked at my arm. They had pooped on me. YUK! I ran and washed my arm off in the lake and then Mark said it was on the back o f my shirt, too. Susan washed that off with my bandana. I have never been pooped on like that and don't want it to happen again. At least it just smelled fishy instead of something worse.
We watched a very still lake at sunset and took some reflection pictures that were beautiful. There were hills and a cloud right over them and all of them were reflected in the water, making inverse pictures.
No loons came in tonight.
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[Ed] Got up about 7:00 to a thick fog lifting off the lake. It was still cool, but less so than yesterday. We left Silence and paddled through Sultry, Summer, and Noon. The original plan had been to go to Shade, but we decided to see if Noon had any good sites that weren't marked. (The one marked site was marginal). We checked a couple of likely spots and circled the island guarding the east bay but came up dry. We pulled up on the southern-most of the two portages to Shade and ate lunch. This is the same spot the Scout crew had lunch on the trip in '95.
Since the portage is short and downhill Susan wanted to try carrying a canoe. I helped her get it up and she made the carry just fine.
We found an un-marked site on Shade. Dorothy and I stayed at it while the other two boats went on to checkout the 2 marked sites. We ended up taking the eastern of the two. Excellent kitchen with a good fireplace and even a low stone table in front of one of the sitting logs. Back in the woods was a large area of pine and birch with no undergrowth and plenty of tent sites. It was out on a point so we got a breeze to keep the bugs down, and views of both sunrise and sunset. Everyone bathed and did laundry, then dinner and the usual evening routine. We decided to layover at least one day and possibly two.
[Dorothy] Wow. We awoke to a very thick fog. I couldn't see the lake from the tent. I took a couple of pictures down the shore as it started to lift. It is so still the water looks like glass. After breakfast we loaded up and set off down the 'S'-chain.
Silence was very true to its name. I would like to come back and see the north end of the lake.
We traveled four short portages as we went from Silence to Sultry to Summer, then Noon. Ed said it was appropriate to be on Noon because we had arrived at Noon. Sultry's portage used to have a swamp and Ed had prepared us for it, but nine years had changed it to a marsh and there was a trail down the right side of it so we didn't have to paddle the swamp. Sultry was a pretty little lake, very clear. It was close loading up and only one at a time could get out -- very shallow. As I was putting the last load in, my foot slipped on the slanted rock and I slid in up to my waist. NOT what I wanted to do! There was a Scout troop from Oakland, CA sitting by and one said "oh well, it happens." It was chilly going across Sultry wet. The portage from Sultry to Summer was short and went up then down to an open beach type area of gravel and rocks. Summer was even more clear than Sultry. It is amazing to look down and know the rocks and logs you see are about ten feet down. After summer was another short portage to Noon. We looked for a campsite on it, but the only one we saw was very bleak looking with a lot of dead trees around it so we decided to go on to Shade as we had decided to at first. The portage to Shade had a large rock ledge and we ate lunch there since we were all hungry.
The first site we stopped at looked very good except the tent sites were marginal. Nice big flat sitting rock, easy landing area, good kitchen area and a view. Mark an Susan went on to the next point where Doug and Deb were checking a site and said it was a lot better, but they also checked on a site across the lake at another point and decided the 2d was best. So here we are - the kitchen is really good and there is a wooded area big enough for several tents so that is good. The landing wasn't too good and there isn't a "sitting" rock, but overall it's good.
Red beans and rice for supper and Goo-Goo Clusters for dessert. Biscuits tomorrow!
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[Ed] Breakfast was biscuits and country ham. It was a hit, but consumed a lot of wood, and with the small reflector oven, I had to bake three batches. I had a lot of trouble with the fire, but Doug stepped in and kept a good one going.
We went to search for the pictographs on this lake. We almost gave up, but Doug and Debbie spotted one more cliff and that's where they were. And they weren't much. The most disappointing set of pictos I've seen.
We ate lunch at the empty campsite opposite ours, then Dorothy and I went to the cove behind our site to fish. I made her get in the stern to learn to paddle there. She started to get the hang of it, but the wind kept causing problems.
The rest returned to camp with blueberries but no fish. Chicken and rice for supper.
[Dorothy] It's another beautiful day. South wind, sunny and going to be warm. It's pleasant now. Ed's fixing biscuits and country ham for breakfast, then we can do whatever. There are pictographs here so we'll go look at those and fish, I'm sure -- if we can find a sheltered cove.
The breakfast took a long time to get the fire right and cook the biscuits. We had three pans with four each in them. They were very crumbly, but good and the country ham was actually good! Not too salty or chewy. After taking our time we went out to find the pictographs on the lake. The wind had picked up again and it was choppy. It took several tries to find the pictographs. The cliffs where we thought they'd be didn't show any signs of pictures and were covered with lichen. Doug and Debbie were fishing along the opposite bank and saw another cliff around a bend where we thought the lake had ended. There they were and there were only two of them.
We paddled back to the campsite opposite ours and ate lunch. It had a sandy beach with small rocks and a so-so campfire. Very sandy and only two really decent tent sites. Ed and I tried to fish some in a cove but nothing was biting. Even Mark and Doug and Deb didn't get anything. Ed made me paddle the back of the canoe in the cove. I guess I could do it, but I don't like it much.
We've used Marks walkie-talkies a couple of times out here. They called in to tell us there would be no fish but Deb had found blueberries for the morning's pancakes. Ed said for them to bring in the stuff for stone stew. They thought that was funny.
There are noisy girls at the point across. They are very loud and giggly! Mark hopes they are going the opposite of us. Me too.
We read some Patrick McManus after dinner while we were eating fried apples. That's dangerous since we all laugh so hard you could get choked! Nice sunset again, and some loons on the other shore -- too far for a good picture.
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[Ed] We got up early and Debbie cooked pancakes for breakfast. We were packed and away by 8:30. Worked through the nice chain of small lakes on the way to North Bay. We were able to bypass the first portage off Shade. We fished a bit on the last lake before West. I got one strike on a bass bug, but missed it.
On South Lake we scouted for a campsite but couldn't find one big enough. More reason to cut the crew size. We ate lunch at one site and moved on.
On the portage out of South we let a crew of Scouts play through, then while we were on the landing a group of adults barged on through. Why is it so difficult to hold back and wait a few minutes for the boat ahead to clear a portage landing?
We finally came into North Bay and looked at the first three sites on the right (one on the point and two on the island) and took the one at the southern end of the island. There were plenty of tent sites, trees, a bit of a gravely beach and a unique kitchen. Instead of the usual "sitting logs" around the fireplace, this site had a semi-circle of dry-stack stones with the top layer made of large flat stones, providing plenty of sitting and working space. Just behind this area was a smaller semi-circle made the same way. This smaller area made a perfect place for cooking on the stove.
There were several audacious squirrels on this site. On the north end of the island was an eagle's nest with a pair of yearlings. These two were pretty active and vocal. This was another layover site, and we were able to spend a lot of time watching the eagle family.
From this site we were able to spot the site I stayed on with the Scout crew in '95 as well as the site this crew stayed on in '01. We sat out on a rock shelf watching the sunset until the mosquitoes drove us in about 9:45. While there, Mark had me read some Patrick McManus stories to the crew. I really enjoy reading McManus but not here, not out loud to the group, not at sunset. I just want to be still and quiet and listened to the silence and the lake.
While it was still late dusk a woman came paddling by with a young child in the bow. The canoe had the beautiful lines of a Prospector, but was an unattractive mauve color. Still, it was beautiful to watch.
[Dorothy] Packed up and ready to go on to either South, North Bay or Burke. Fishing wasn't too good here. Very still today. Maybe the wind won't come up.
It was a nice trip through some small lakes -- some like glass. We ate lunch on South Lake and looked for a camping spot, but there were none. There was a nice little cascade falls from West into South that would have been fun to sit in.
The portage from South into the channel leading to North Bay was mucky and smelly on both sides. I guess we had to have one of those to make the trip complete. The channel was through lily pads, water grass and wild rice with one beaver dam to cross over (had to have that, too!) When we came out into the bay there were three campsites immediately (two on an island and one on a point) the one on the point, the others liked, but Ed and I scouted the island site on the other side and it turned out to be great.
Mark found an eagle's nest on the island where we came into the Bay with little eagles (well, they aren't flying yet, but I wouldn't call them 'little') There are two of them, Mark says.
The campsite we have is a work of art -- there is a great fireplace, "U" shaped with a rock ledge for sitting built down both sides, and another "U" shaped rock ledge just off of it only smaller.
There are squirrels here that are very aggressive. They ran across Mark's shoulder while he was sitting on the rocks and they keep trying to get into the food barrels. There are also several juvenile kestrels or hawks -- we're not sure what -- flying all around the camp and squawking all the time. One of them flew down about knee level through the camp. I think maybe he thought he could get one of the squirrels, but they are too big for these guys!
Supper was beef stroganoff and no-bake cheesecake -- very good! Susan said it was her favorite! She even liked the cherries on the cheesecake.
We all went for a "swim" on a sandy area then laid out on the rocks to dry. It felt nice to get all wet. The girls shampooed their hair in the woods and then went back and did the shave and pluck thing.
We read some more McManus on the rocks after sunset while we waited for the stars to come out. We all got tired before it got really dark and the mosquitoes were vicious enough to drive us in. The moon is about 3/4 full and was beautiful shining across the lake over still water.
There is some one camped nearby who has a wood and canvas prospector canoe that was out for a sunset paddle. There was an adult and child in the boat. It made a beautiful picture. Mark and Deb got some pictures of it crossing the moonlight on the lake. I hope they turned good -- they looked suitable for framing.
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[Ed] Dorothy and I got up shortly before 6:00 and went for a paddle. The water was calm and the mist coming out of the bays. We paddled back to the north side of the island to check the eagle nest and see if there were any moose in the back bay. No moose. As we came around the north end of the island, the mauve canoe from the previous evening was launching from that campsite. Father and child, and the child appeared to be about seven, which is much older than we thought the previous evening. Still in camp was mother and dog, which was a standard poodle without the fru-fru haircut. The canoe is definitely wood-canvas, with absolutely beautiful lines.
We returned to camp and started breakfast of biscuits and sausage gravy. Delicious, but a lot of work -- especially baking the biscuits only four at a time. Not good for a group of this size.
After breakfast the wind picked up and out of the south, producing some small whitecaps. It wasn't dangerous, but would have been a lot of work. Tomorrow we'll want to be on our way by 8:00.
Everyone seemed to be gone, doing their own thing. The girls were off picking blueberries. I decided to explore the island and ended up at the north campsite, which had already been vacated. I found a small campsite on the west side of the island. When I got to the north campsite I saw one of the yearling eagles standing at the water's edge across the narrows. I watched through my binoculars for about 10 to 15 minutes. It let out a few cries then hopped on up on shore and behind a clump of trees. I heard the girls' voices and found them sitting on a rock shelf nearby. They had been sitting there, watching for some time. They said they had seen the eagle catch a fish and lose it. While we were watching a crew pulled up and approached the bird. The sibling -- which flew much better -- flew around then disappeared and the one we were watching flushed out and flew back to the nest. We started back to camp and found Doug sitting under the nest tree where he had found a fish skeleton among the droppings.
After lunch we saw one of the adult eagles catch a fish off the east side of our island and carry it into a bay around a point, opposite. We watched quite a while as the adults and yearlings both flew in and out of the bay where the fish had been deposited.
Mark and Doug spent the afternoon fishing the back bay east of our site. They came back with four nice bass, so I put on a pot of potato soup while they cleaned the fish. While I was cooking the fish two gulls moved in on the remains but then got run off by an eagle. A trio of ravens followed the eagle and Dorothy got some good photos. They didn't hang around long and left a lot of remains.
This was our next to last night and everyone was starting to talk of hot showers, clean sheets, cold beer and fresh salad. Dorothy and I are equally ready for all that, but would be quite happy -- after a couple of days to clean up and re-supply -- to come right back. We talked more about taking a trip for just the two of us and never again a crew larger than four.
[Dorothy] Biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast. It takes a long time doing the biscuits over wood, but it was worth it.
Ed and I got up early and went for a paddle while the water was glassy, to look for moose and to see the eagles. No moose, but I did get another picture of the eaglet.
The purple prospector canoe is camped on the other side of this island. This is a family with the child and a standard poodle. They were fishing the channel between two of the islands. There was a mist on the water, which was very pretty, and I took a couple of pictures.
After breakfast Susan and I went picking blueberries for tomorrow's pancakes. This island has tons of bushes. We found enough ripe to make the pancakes. In a couple of weeks there will be tons. We worked our way around the water's edge looking and ended up on the other end of the campsite where the purple canoe people were. (They had left earlier). Just as Susan came around to the narrows between point and our island she saw a bird flying across the water drop a fish and land at the campsite on the point. When he dropped his fish she yelled at me to come see what kind of bird it was. It had hidden behind a clump of bushes. We think she startled it when she came around the corner and it dropped the fish. When it finally came out of the bushes, it was big and I thought it must be one of the eaglets. We didn't know they were flying yet, but they are! It waddled around a while and down to the water for a drink and seemed to be looking in for a fish. Deb came up and it went back up in the trees again. The adult eagle flew around in the area for a while and we saw the eaglet looking up, but it didn't squawk. Debbie came back to camp and got binoculars and our cameras. Shortly after she returned the other eaglet flew from the nest and started soaring. That got the other one back out to shore and it looked like it was ready to fly when a group of Scouts came into the area to land at that campsite for lunch. That scared the bird and it flew a few feet to a rock further down the point and watched them. After a little it decided to fly off and came straight across toward us. It looked like it was going to land at the shore on our side, but Ed was standing there and so it rose up over the trees and flew back to the nest. I got some pictures of it flying across. I hope they're good.
After lunch I sat down to write the previous story about the eaglets and then saw one of the parents flying between us and the next island, low over the water. I watched it grab a fish, which it dropped, then it landed in a tree. Ed grabbed the binoculars and we started watching again as it made another run and caught one. Flying low over the water it went around the point across from out of sight to land and eat. It flew back out after a few minutes and I think I saw one of the eaglets fly back there to eat. That was really cool to see.
I don't think the eaglets have been flying long because the one still seems unsure and won't go very high or far, and it had to rest after landing instead of taking right off again.
Wow -- sitting on the rock and watching the area across to the point south -- an eagle flew low over the water, grabbed a fish, then lost it and landed in the tree across from me. It made another run and caught another fish and flew around the point just above the water and landed.
We were blessed with a lot of good close up pictures throughout the day and evening.
Doug and Mark went fishing in the bay and fought the wind back to camp yelling "Heat the skillet!!" They had four bass -- two really big and two a little smaller. We had fish and potato soup for supper. Then sat on the west side of the island down from the rocks where Mark and Doug cleaned the fish. It is a lot of fun watching the birds come get the skin and bones. The gulls were there but they only eat one at a time -- no sharing! The eagle flew up and scared them off and was sitting in the top of a tree right by the rocks. We were out again with the cameras. It wouldn't come down since we were there.
There are three crows that follow the eagle around. I named them Larry, Moe and Curly. The eagle didn't bother with them, since they are the clean-up crew.
The squirrel in camp climbed my shoulder twice so he is rally too tame. Obviously he has been hand fed a lot. Ed lost two biscuits in the fire at breakfast so Mr. Squirrel had a good meal!
The sunset was the prettiest so far and we took sunset pictures of it and the eagle when he flew by again.
A very good day for bird watching. I think Debbie took two rolls of film just on all the birds.
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[Ed] We got up at 5:15 and the wind was already blowing from the south. Deb cooked blueberry pancakes, and then we packed and were away by 8:00. We arrived on Burke and checked out three campsites before taking the one on the middle island between the Bayley Bay and Singing Brook portages. This was the same site we used on our last night in '99. As we were checking out the first two islands coming down Burke we spotted an eagle sitting on a deadfall at the water's edge. Watched it until it flew off, then saw a group of seven loons on the water. They were really funny to watch, as they were constantly ducking their heads under the water -- bloop, bloop, bloop-bloop, bloop . . . .
We had camp pretty well set up by 11:30. I laid down for a nap in the tent, but after a bit it started to sprinkle. I got up and pitched a rain fly but by then the rain had already passed. Clouds approaching from the west were still gray but noticeably lighter than what had just passed. We made sure all packs were hung or otherwise up out of the dirt, just in case.
After a while it began to rain more seriously, so I put up the second rain fly as an extension of the first. We all gathered there and had a good time just talking. We had two dinners left - red beans and rice, and chicken pasta salad. Debbie wanted to eat both, so we cooked the pasta and ate it, then the beans and rice. Cleaned up, buttoned down, and went to bed.
[Dorothy] Up for our final pancake breakfast and onto the water by 8:00. We only have two portages to get to Burke Lake, but we wanted to be across North Bay before the wind was too bad. Looking overcast, maybe rain.
The rock garden portage from North Bay to Burke wasn't as bad as I remembered from last time. We hadn't had rain for the last three days so it wasn't as mucky and after the Meadows, nothing else seemed all that bad.
We paddled up Burke into the wind (of course) and checked out several island campsites.
There was another eagle sitting on a dead tree out over the water. I think Deb got a picture of it and I got one off when it started flying. After going around that island we came upon seven loons in the water and they looked like they were playing a game. They were bobbing up and down and it looked like "Duck, Duck, Goose" or something. It was quite entertaining. I thought it looked like an old fashioned merry-go-round with the animals bobbing up and down at different times.
We ended up on the same island that we used when Doug and Debbie and Allen and Melanie were with us.
Just after we got everything set up and ate lunch, clouds rolled in and the rain started. It was a slow steady "soaker" rain that would get lighter and stop and start again.
Ed rigged up the tarps and we sat under them and talked and read for the rest of the day. The loons loved the rain. They sang and called a lot when it started. The two around the island went through three or four of the different calls and they were very close.
As we sat, we talked about all kinds of things: How to play "Hearts", first kisses, dates, loves, the first remembrance of music and then wars, service stories, politics -- you name it. It was a very nice way to wrap up the trip.
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[Ed] It rained off and on during the night so that we had to pack wet when we got up. The wind was coming up. Bayley Bay wasn't seriously bad, but had a few whitecaps so it was some work getting across. We took two hours to get from camp to Prairie Portage.
When we got to Prairie Portage a man was loading a beautiful green wood/canvas canoe. It was a Seliga and he said he had another at home. While waiting for our pickup a group came up with a large woodstrip constructed replica of a freighter canoe. They were a church group and said they had built four of these over the winter. They told us they weighed 250 lbs. and were about 22 feet long. Of course it took the entire crew to carry it, but they were struggling to figure out how to get it through the first turn on the portage. They said their destination was Sarah Lake!
Also visited with a Charlie Guide for a crew that was headed in. They had just completed the Hunter's Island loop in eight days!
Just as our pickup arrived another canoe pulled up with an older man and a boy that looked to be about 14 or 15. The man said he had left his heart medicine in his car and needed to hitch a ride back to get it. Our driver agreed to put him in our boat and dropped him off at his outfitter.
We arrived back at the outfitter's about 11:30. While I was in the office taking care of business the others were getting the vehicles loaded. We headed into town and went straight to the D.Q. for lunch, then to the Super-8 hotel. After cleaning up we hit the strip to shop for gifts. Met at the Ely Steak House for the traditional after trip feast. The Hunter's Island crew came in while we were there. Also, the crew surprised Dorothy and I with a two-year gift subscription to the Ely Echo! (Sometimes I think I was kidnapped at birth. I've actually been known to get up early on a Saturday morning just to catch the Polka Pal Don show on WELY's webcast . . .)
After dinner I went to Voyageur North Outfitters to meet Lynn, who I knew from the Canoe Country Bulletin Board, then back to the hotel. I had planned on using the sauna but it had just closed, so straight to bed to sleep on clean sheets and soft mattresses.
[Dorothy] It rained off and on during the night but it had stopped by the time we were up. Of course we still had to pack tents and stuff wet. Oh well!
We just had hot drinks, tortillas and jelly and Moose Bread before pushing off.
Camp broke at 7:35 and we were on Baley Bay and across it in an hour and a half. The wind was kicking up but not bad -- it was kind of fun rocking and rolling across the Bay.
The pickup at Prairie Portage was for 11:00 so we had about 1 1/2 hours to kill. Went shopping at the Friends of Quetico store and bought t-shirts and a plant book, bandanas, and Ed got a nice khaki shirt. Everything was pretty pricey, but it supports Quetico Park.
At Prairie, the first thing we heard was that there was a bear sighting on the Meadows portage. We never saw a bear but Mark and Deb heard something in the night and Mark thought a tree had fallen over. They have decided it was the bear pushing over the tree and splashing in the water.
After shopping we sat around and watched two or three groups coming in and out. Saw two Seliga canoes. They were beautiful, but too heavy for us, at 90 to 100 pounds.
A troop from Sommers stopped to shop and their guide said they had done Hunter's Loop in eight days. Ed said that is listed as a 15-day loop, so they had really moved fast and hard.
Our pick up arrived right at 11:00 and we loaded up and started back. We gave a lift back to one of the outfitters to a man who requested help back. He had paddled up and realized he had left his heart medication. It was no problem since we went right past his resort on the way to Canadian Border.
It was very cold riding back against the wind. When we got in they offered a free drink -- Pig's Eye beer, water, Coke, whatever.
We loaded up and got our stuff from the vault and headed to Ely. Stopped at DQ for burgers, fries, shakes, and Cokes, then to the Super-8. The rooms were ready so we headed and showered and washed and cleaned and shaved. It felt good but already the wilderness is fading out.
We met at 3:00 and went to the Dorothy Molter museum. There was a video and guided tour through a couple of her cabins. It was all very interesting -- a little longer than we expected. Doug and Deb decided to just sit and wait and not go through the tour. I'm glad we went. I bought a 6-pack of root beer and her book.
We went shopping and bought souvenirs and I got two or three Christmas presents.
We met at Ely Steak House and stuffed ourselves as usual. As we were sitting there we saw the Hunter's Island crew come in and one was on crutches. We asked what happened, thinking it was an injury but it turned out the kid had trench foot from not keeping his feet clean and dry . . .
After we ate we waddled down the street to listen to a live band but they were just finishing when we got there. We walked a little more and then Ed, Mark, Susan and I went to Voyager North Outfitters so Ed could meet Lynn, an on-line friend from the bulletin board. It was fun talking with her and listening to the people who had been in that they knew.
Well, the trip is now over and tomorrow we are headed back to the rat race!
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[Ed] Woke up at 6:00 and began loading. I realized I had left my fly rod tied into our canoe. Called CBO and they said they'd check with the dock crew, so I agreed to call back after we had breakfast. We ate at Cranberries, then called CBO and they confirmed they had the rod. Doug and I went back to get it, then met the others at a used bookstore in town. Finally started down Hwy 1 toward the North Shore about 11:00 to begin an uneventful two-day drive back to Murfreesboro, TN.
[Dorothy] Breakfast at Cranberries, then Ed and Doug had to go back to CBO. Ed had left his fly rod and our bungees in the canoe. So we wandered around town and went to the bookstore Doug had found. We didn't leave Ely until almost 11:00. It will mean a late arrival at the hotel, but that's OK.