Boundary Waters 2011

Pre-trip

For years I’ve been saying that I want to take a trip up to the Boundary Waters. I was fortunate enough to attend a presentation by the Friends of the Boundary Waters Executive Director, Paul Danicic, last night. If you get a chance, check out this video Precious Waters, which speaks volumes to the threats to the wilderness from mining.

April and I are planning to make a trip next year. If you are interested joining us let me know.

My goal was to learn more about BW and here are a few of my notes:

12hr drive from Chicago
Best time (warmth and less bugs) 2nd week of August
First 2 weeks of September still warm and less crowded
Acquire permits at least 6 months in advance
Keep a daily log

Other Resources

canoecountry.com, boundarywaters.com, “Becoming a Boundary Waters Family”, Sig Olson, Robert Service,www.sawbill.com, Bob Beymer, “History of Ojibwe People”

8/8

I left home around 7am and arrived at my campsite in the heart the Boundary Waters about 6:30pm. On my way I stopped to take a look at my take-out location, Moose River #16, and put-in, Little Indian Sioux #14. My plan was to hitch a ride back to my car at Little Indian Sioux and, if necessary, walk the 8.3 miles from Moose River. After scouting the take-out, all .5 miles of it, I felt a bit nervous about the many portages ahead. Specifically, my ability to carry my pack and the boat in a single trip across each was in doubt. My boat weighted about 60 lbs and the pack somewhere close to it. Compound that with recently having shoulder sugery and you know why I was thinking “uggg”.

The drive up to Ely was tiring to say the least. In the end it was close to 12 hours. The first four were great. With the smell of the road and the great blue beyond, the feeling of adventure filled my soul. It is had for me to put to words the feeling that fills me when I set out on a trip. The unknown, the testing of skills, the solitude with my thoughts, the people I’ll meet, the signposts for next time, it all calls to me. That wanderlust evaporated around 4 hours into the trip. Well, not completely, but sitting still for that length of time gets to be a real pain in the butt – literally!

I set up camp on a gorgeous lake – one that I hope to revisit next year with the family - and started cooking dinner. It wasn’t long before I began to miss the hectic, loud, dinners of home. Missing the family, it felt rather odd to be camping without them. After so many nights under tent last summer with them, it felt foreign, almost to quiet. My dinner of steak and fried potatoes was terrible. Well, I should correct that by saying the Wal-Mart steak was terrible but the fried potatoes were good. Unfortunately, I had to eat the other half the following night…yuk.

The sun set aglow the lake as I ate. And what a sunset it was. I hoped to hop in the canoe for an after dinner paddle but that was not to be.

After I ate and just before a thunderstorm broke out, I strolled up the camp road a piece and greeted fellow camper Jeff. He was a relative local, though I can’t recall from which part of the state, who was spending the week fishing or as he put it, “a solo-fishing.” Just about as quickly as the conversation started it was brought to an abrupt end by the sound of not-to-distant thunder and the beginnings of rain.

So, off to the tent I strolled. It was time to relax to the sound of rain and to read Edward Abbey. My hope was high that the wind and rain would break over night and tomorrow would be a great day. It’s hard to find a better quote to describe the way I feel when I get away from suburbia and head out into the woods but I think Abbey put it best when he said, “I am one who loves unfenced country. The open range.”

8/9

What a day! It began around 9:30am at the #14 put-in with wind and rain. Yuck, not a good start to a day. I fought the gale force wind tooth and nail down the Little Indian Sioux River through Lower Pawness Lake eventually making camp on a great little island in Shell Lake at 5pm. In addition to the wind, it rained on and off all day, fortunately, it was warm.

After making camp the sun peaked out and the clouds began to dissipate. I took the opportunity to relax in my camp chair and enjoy the sun, which was sorely missed all day. The sunset on shell lake was beautiful.