North Side Canoe Trip 7/27 to 8/2
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 9:44 am
Canoe trip with my 21 yr old daughter Laura. Will post link to a detailed log and pics when I get them up next week (stil on the road now).
Mon 7/27. Voyageur II from Grand Portage to McCargoe. Nice quiet ride. Met Loreeh and her friend on the boat. Quiet ride out. Rained about an hour after we got there. Had supper--spaghetti with hamburger, then hiked to the mines as it had stopped raining.
Tues. Paddled to end of McCargoe to be greeted with waves breaking over the shoals and whitecaps on the lake. Shelter was empty as Birch Island so decided to stay there. Rain on and off and windy all day. Got a good start on "A Superior Death".
Weds. Winds had calmed some and forecast was better so we decided to head out early. Got outside of McCargoe and found ourselves in solid 2-3 footers with an occassional 4. Mixed wave trains and bounce made it more like whitewater canoeing. Seeing the horizon even with the top of waves is a little unnerving in a canoe, but made it to Herring Bay. We apparently looked like we knew what we were doing because an NPS boat waved as they went by us, then proceeded to offer assistance to a couple in a canoe behind us (they did make it too). Had grits at the Pickeral Campground. Paddled up Pickeral to Belle Isle with the wind at our backs, stopping at Johnson Island to look around. We were joined at Belle Isle with 2 other canoeing parties, one that had hitched a ride on the Sandy from McCargoe. Had lake trout from some boaters--hmmmm good. Took a quick (make that VERY quick) dip to freshen up.
Thurs. Up at 5:15 for sunrise pics. Day trip to Lane Cove and hiked up to Mt Franklin. Decided we couldn't handle backbacking! Watched lightening over Canada and decided to head back but didn't get rained on. Had the campground to ourselves, but again had lake trout from another fishing party at the dock. The park service was reroofing the shelters, so it was a little annoying, but they quit shortly after we got back so it was a quiet evening.
Fri. Paddled from Belle Isle around Hill Pt as winds were light and seas calm. I told Laura I was feeling very small on that paddle--a good place to be. Easy going with the light breeze behind us. Portaged into Duncan Bay, then up to Duncan Narrows. Laura made some overtures for going on around Blake Pt. but I wasn't going for it. 10 kts from the west might have been OK, but it certainly wasn't the dead calm I had said I would consider. We had the Narrows campground to ourselves. One boat went by and up to the end, as the forecast was for strong southwesterlies. Laura took another quick dip.
Sat. Ugly paddle to the portage into whitecaps and 20+ winds. Then the lovely portage. Did it in about 2 hrs. Slipped off a boardwalk with the canoe on my shoulders when the wind caught the canoe. Twisted back and ankle a little, but OK, as everything felt OK a little ways down the trail. Got to Tobin Harbor to see solid whitecaps. Waves were 2' in Tobin and we shipped water from a couple waves going across. When we got to the dock we found out the Voyageur wasn't coming out at all because of the weather, so we hoofed it across to get a shelter, afraid the Queen might not go and strand a bunch of folks. The Queen did go out, however. Forecast for the UP was 50-55 kt gusts. Both lighthouses were reporting winds in the 30s. Hiked to Scollville Pt after Laura's afternoon nap, then got back to the lodge for a steak dinner, just at they were closing.
Sun. The Voyageur left G.P. early and got the Rock Harbor at 1:05, then left at 1:25. Capt Mike and Matt did a great "turn and burn". Got into G.P. a little after 8pm, then to my brother's in Superior at 11:30.
Didn't see a moose. A couple we met on Belle Isle saw 3 wolves on a fresh kill on Lake Livermore. Had a ton of pics as they watched it for about an hour. Berries weren't quite out yet, at least near the lake--had 2 blueberries on Belle Isle. Skeeters love Laura, but not me so much. They were around, but not overbearing anyways.
John I.
Mon 7/27. Voyageur II from Grand Portage to McCargoe. Nice quiet ride. Met Loreeh and her friend on the boat. Quiet ride out. Rained about an hour after we got there. Had supper--spaghetti with hamburger, then hiked to the mines as it had stopped raining.
Tues. Paddled to end of McCargoe to be greeted with waves breaking over the shoals and whitecaps on the lake. Shelter was empty as Birch Island so decided to stay there. Rain on and off and windy all day. Got a good start on "A Superior Death".
Weds. Winds had calmed some and forecast was better so we decided to head out early. Got outside of McCargoe and found ourselves in solid 2-3 footers with an occassional 4. Mixed wave trains and bounce made it more like whitewater canoeing. Seeing the horizon even with the top of waves is a little unnerving in a canoe, but made it to Herring Bay. We apparently looked like we knew what we were doing because an NPS boat waved as they went by us, then proceeded to offer assistance to a couple in a canoe behind us (they did make it too). Had grits at the Pickeral Campground. Paddled up Pickeral to Belle Isle with the wind at our backs, stopping at Johnson Island to look around. We were joined at Belle Isle with 2 other canoeing parties, one that had hitched a ride on the Sandy from McCargoe. Had lake trout from some boaters--hmmmm good. Took a quick (make that VERY quick) dip to freshen up.
Thurs. Up at 5:15 for sunrise pics. Day trip to Lane Cove and hiked up to Mt Franklin. Decided we couldn't handle backbacking! Watched lightening over Canada and decided to head back but didn't get rained on. Had the campground to ourselves, but again had lake trout from another fishing party at the dock. The park service was reroofing the shelters, so it was a little annoying, but they quit shortly after we got back so it was a quiet evening.
Fri. Paddled from Belle Isle around Hill Pt as winds were light and seas calm. I told Laura I was feeling very small on that paddle--a good place to be. Easy going with the light breeze behind us. Portaged into Duncan Bay, then up to Duncan Narrows. Laura made some overtures for going on around Blake Pt. but I wasn't going for it. 10 kts from the west might have been OK, but it certainly wasn't the dead calm I had said I would consider. We had the Narrows campground to ourselves. One boat went by and up to the end, as the forecast was for strong southwesterlies. Laura took another quick dip.
Sat. Ugly paddle to the portage into whitecaps and 20+ winds. Then the lovely portage. Did it in about 2 hrs. Slipped off a boardwalk with the canoe on my shoulders when the wind caught the canoe. Twisted back and ankle a little, but OK, as everything felt OK a little ways down the trail. Got to Tobin Harbor to see solid whitecaps. Waves were 2' in Tobin and we shipped water from a couple waves going across. When we got to the dock we found out the Voyageur wasn't coming out at all because of the weather, so we hoofed it across to get a shelter, afraid the Queen might not go and strand a bunch of folks. The Queen did go out, however. Forecast for the UP was 50-55 kt gusts. Both lighthouses were reporting winds in the 30s. Hiked to Scollville Pt after Laura's afternoon nap, then got back to the lodge for a steak dinner, just at they were closing.
Sun. The Voyageur left G.P. early and got the Rock Harbor at 1:05, then left at 1:25. Capt Mike and Matt did a great "turn and burn". Got into G.P. a little after 8pm, then to my brother's in Superior at 11:30.
Didn't see a moose. A couple we met on Belle Isle saw 3 wolves on a fresh kill on Lake Livermore. Had a ton of pics as they watched it for about an hour. Berries weren't quite out yet, at least near the lake--had 2 blueberries on Belle Isle. Skeeters love Laura, but not me so much. They were around, but not overbearing anyways.
John I.
Label is now gone! 
