BWCA - Questions and a Brief Trip Report

[fonixmunkee]

If I cut out the beer

Why not just cut off your right arm then? I reckon bourbon is a good alternative though.

Back to the topic, I have nor been to the BWCA in seven years, I can't be any help. I'm all watching this thread with interest to see how your trip goes, though.

[hooky]

Leaving Saturday morning. I got the last of my meals dehydrated last night. I'm going to sort through tackle and put that gear together tonight. We did a packing dry run a couple of Sundays ago, so that's pretty much set. I'll mow the yard and finish planting garden tomorrow evening and then I'm gone.

Plan A is the Wine/Trail basecamps. Plan B is the loop west up into Temperence and Cherokee. Weather looked good the last time I checked with Hi's around 60 and lows in the mid 40's. Only 1 day of rain in the forecast right now, but that's changed every day this week.

[head2north]

Excited and hopeful your trip to Boundary Waters is all as expected. Sawbill outfitters at entry point is a welcome back after your return to the world. It is kind of
like Rock Harbor Lodge/Grill/Store after a long trip..... showers, ice cream, beer, Wi-Fi .....

Let us know how trip went on return. JJ

[hooky]

It's been a busy summer and I haven't had much time to follow up on this trip that ended up being a solo paddle. First partner, who was the one that wanted to go in the first place, took a new job and couldn't take the time off. My second partner had been before and was jealous that I was going. When my first buddy had to bail, he jumped at the chance to go. We were going to leave on Saturday morning to make the 13+ hour drive up. On Thursday night after my previous post in this thread, I got a text saying "I went to the ER last night. Doc says it's kidney stones. Minor outpatient procedure, but I'll be good to go by Saturday morning." Hehehe, yeah right. He ended up getting the stent removed on Tuesday while I was leaving Wine Lake.

I figured I had everything planned and paid for, not to mention the vacation time scheduled, so I'll just go solo. I've never paddled a canoe solo or portaged one at all, but I've been kayaking for years. "No problem", I thought to myself.

I stayed in Sawbill at the campground Saturday night and after some trial and error with a canak and my portage pack, I hit the water in a Vagabond around 8:30 or so. My target for the day was Wine Lake. I ended up on Wine in the late afternoon. I was beat. I eventually had to double portage because I just couldn't get the hang of the 50lb pack and the 40lb canoe a the same time. I also ended up getting hurt on the 480 rod portage between Kelso and Zenith when I wedged my foot between rock with all that weight on my back, so that was another good reason to double portage. Fun times

Spent 2 nights on Wine and caught my first lake trout. I actually caught fish on every lake where I tried to catch fish. After leaving Wine on Tuesday, I hit Dent, Mesaba, Trail and all the little connectors in between over the next few days. I came out a day early camped on Alton the night before I left, because I would run out of Ibuprofen and didn't want to do that long portage without anything for my foot. I had a good time, but took way too much gear and had a difficult time fishing out the solo canoe.

One of the two 20 minute windows on Monday where it wasn't raining and the view of Wine Lake.



My camp on Wine



My trusty steed for the week, which was a bear to fish out of in the wind.



After the weather moved through on Monday, I had great weather for the rest of the week.







There are a few more pictures here.

[jerry]

It should be against the law to display such nIce pictures. Now I wish it was July so that I can go back up north.

[hooky]

I hear you, Jerry. I didn't do a fall trip this year and the BW trip in May isn't going to hold me over through the winter. I'm going to have to find a way to do a couple of long weekend trips after deer season.

[head2north]

Trip Reports from the BWCA always touch my spirit and glad you were able to explore the area. I was up on Kawishawi/Malberg area in the Fall and was going to meander over
to Trail Lake. I made it as far as Boze Lake and honkered at the private campsite for 3 days - saw no one else. Next spring I plan on doing the Frost River to Wine and then the Louse River to Trail and looping back. Cant wait......

[hooky]

Leaving tomorrow to spend a few days on cherokee exploring the area and then meandering back down to Sawbill via a S Temperance camp and hopefully the 5 star on Burnt.

[hooky]

Some medical issues with my trip partner led us to bail out on Baker instead of completing the loop, but it sure is pretty country. Went in on Sunday before labor day and had cherokee to ourselves for 3 days and only saw 4 other groups on the way out.

[head2north]

Looks like that South facing Island site in the middle of Cherokee... Must give some comfort that the pup can roam a little more freely and not end
up five miles to the West chasing a chattering red squirrel.

That Labor day weekend is the absolutely the best weekend in the entire year to make a trip deeper in. Weather/no bugs/kids in school (fewer people).

Any Lake Trout?

[hooky]

Close on the island site. We were on the site across from the portage. The island site was empty, but my partner was struggling. We knew from talking to a group on the portage out of Ada that the site was open as they'd just spent 3 days on it and told us how nice it was. It was nearly dark when we got there, so the site you mention was probably a bridge too far anyway.

The pup had never been in a canoe before, but ended up being a dandy travel partner. Had to literally pick him up to get him in the canoe at the beginning, then couldn't keep him out of it. He'd take off with me on the portages, wait for me to drink a little water and then when I started back, he'd take the trail back to my partner and turn around to come back to me. I ended up triple portaging all our gear and he made every trip I did in addition to all the back and forth. He wanted very little to do with me on the 13 hour drive up, but on the way home I couldn't keep his head out my lap. At the beginning of the trip, I made the call that he'd be a different dog at the end and he was.

No lake trout. My partner ended up not being able to paddle much, so I just pike fished solo on that side of the lake in the mornings and after supper.

I want a do over.

I saw in another thread that you were also in the BW this fall, how'd that trip go?

[head2north]

Been a while since last post, not hibernating, but spending time up in Chequamegon winter camping. Trip into Iron was fantastic in Fall with a couple nights being only one on lake - and if your are familiar with Iron Lake - that is a rare treat.

Hope you enjoy your Cherokee Trip. I noticed you are entering Sawbill today.

[hooky]

We went in on Sawbill and up through Long Island, Tuscarora, Little Sag and down through Mesaba before exiting back out of Sawbill. Weather wasn't the best for the first few and last few days, but there were some great days in between. We saw a lot more people than I thought we would and there were lots of trees across the portage trails on the north end of the loop. The Howl Swamp portage into Tuscarora was particularly rough and we had to take turns on the saw in order to get through. It was a fun trip overall though.

[hooky]

A few pictures from the trip.
Whipped Lake

Whipped again

Mesaba

Cross Bay

Our friendly neighborhood greeter. He was about 5-6 miles down the Sawbill Trail on the way in and was still there when we drove out on the way home.

Slide show on Photobucket