Together in the BWCA

With the Northern Minnesota drought, along with Canadian and Northern Minnesota wildfires and the uptick in Covid19 cases filling the news, BWCA enthusiasts' discussions in online forums had become concerning. Heading up to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) for our family's 2021 canoe trip we talked about all we'd  read. Would we come home to find our daughter's school closed again due to the pandemic? Would the water on our route be too low? Rather than paddling small rivers would we be slogging through mud and climbing over rocks with extra carryovers? Would wildfires cut our trip short? 

More often we find circumstances rosier in reality and drearier in the worry. Surely this would be the case. Determined to find adventure in the adversity and hoping for much more good luck than bad, our family headed north. 

Day 1: The Adventure Begins

The pleasant coolness of a foggy summer morning greeted us at Sawbill Campground on Day 1 of our 10-day family canoe trip. Breaking camp, the process of coaxing our teen out of her sleeping bag set the pace for getting on the water. We entered the BWCA at entry point #38 Sawbill Lake. Typically entry points tend to be crowded. This day we encountered only one other group putting in despite Sawbill entry point issuing 14 permits per day.

Sawbill Canoe Outfitters

Days 1 and 2 Video

With our gear shuffle to switch from car camping to wilderness adventure complete, we stood ready. The single portage pack-out we had agonized over, planning gram for gram, now lay before us, so much to carry and yet so little to bring along. We double checked to account for everything needed for the next 10 days: a canoe for my husband's shoulders and the blue canoe pack for his back, 3 paddles and a smaller backpack for our teenaged daughter, and a food barrel for my back with a smaller backpack containing a bear resistant food canister for my front. 

Our single portage packout

With joyous anticipation we loaded the canoe in the light rain and paddled off into the morning. With a target campsite in mind on Phoebe Lake, we headed northwest on Sawbill Lake. We shared quiet Sawbill Lake with a pair of canoes ahead of us, all of us paddling towards the portage into Alton Lake. We waited for the 2 couples travelling together ahead of us to slowly clear the entrance to the easy 28 rod portage from Sawbill Lake to Alton Lake. 

Alton Lake

As we waited, one of the women implored to her travel partner to communicate, I looked back to the stern of our canoe and smiled at my husband. My husband and I may have learned a few things about tandem canoeing with a partner. If you have the patience to pursue tandom canoeing, and the partnership survives the initial frustrations, you begin a process that results in you paddling very well together. So well, in fact, thinking of paddling with anyone else feels painful.

If you've been paddling together for a time, but find yourself feeling superior to your paddling partner, or blaming your paddling partner for difficult paddling moments, I've got a challenge for you. To  appreciate your paddling partner more, reverse rolls. Swap spots, bow to stern, stern to bow. Embark on this grand learning experience. Now, back to day 1 of our trip.

Eventually the couples removed their boats from the water and headed down the portage freeing up some space. We quickly disembarked, hoisted our loads, and walked to the other end of the portage. We passed between the two couples who seemed to be taking a rest break and paddled into the thickening fog. Soon we again felt quite alone.

We commented time and again about the beauty of the islands of Alton Lake in the fog.  Across Alton Lake, a rock staircase carried us up onto the 151 rod portage from Alton Lake to Beth Lake.  We encountered two groups of nine on the portage, and our proximity to the entry point began to feel more obvious. Once on Beth Lake, the crowd disappeared leaving us alone again to admire the gorgeous pink rock cliffs near the portage as the fog began to lift.

Pink cliffs on Beth Lake

We saw only one campsite occupied on Beth Lake as we headed west, and began to feel like we might get our opportunity to chose our target campsite on Phoebe Lake. We began our longest portage of the day, the 287 rod portage from Beth Lake to Grace Lake. The portage was not particularly difficult, just a little bit longer than the others. We ran into a few more people heading east, and learned that at this point only one group remained on Phoebe Lake. 

Low water meant carryovers and lining the boat on the Phoebe River

We took a short 12 rod portage from Grace Lake to the Phoebe River. To our relief, the paddling started out easily, with plenty of water in the river. Just as I began putting some of my worries about water too low to paddle to rest, we found the river shallow and began periods of lining the canoe and carrying over rocky areas. Low water lengthened many of the portages, and added some extra carry overs. 

I'm not sure how many rods we added to this and that portage, we were more concerned with getting from point A to point B than documenting the rods. So, instead, I'll state the published portage lengths which differ depending which map you look at. I assure you this time of low water caused us to portage longer portages, do a number of carryovers, and line the canoe more times than I can keep track of, sometimes for short stretches and at other times for very long stretches. throughout this trip. 

Phoebe River

Drawing nearer to our target, Phoebe Lake, we hopped off and back onto the Phoebe River for a 19+, and an 8+ rod portage and finally we crossed the 88 rod portage from Phoebe River to Phoebe Lake. It was at this portage we ran into a couple leaving Phoebe Lake who suggested they were the last group leaving Phoebe Lake. It is a rare and wonderful thing to have a lake of one's own on an entry point day. Was this about to happen?

Day 1 Map

After the trip over and the extra portaging due to the lowness of the Phoebe River, we felt tired. My husband's target campsite likely stood free, so we paddled all the way to the south end of the lake without checking any other campsites along the way. We arrived at campsite 1030 to find the view looked fantastic, but the site felt tiny. We ate a snack, and with our last few grams of energy, paddled around checking campsites and admiring a pair of swans with a cygnet. Finally we settled on campsite 1027. 

As bright as it got on Phoebe Lake, Day 1

We set camp and I began to make dehydrated beef stroganoff with dehydrated peas and dehydrated egg noodles, a family favorite. As I cooked a swan left it's mate and cygnet to swim just off camp giving us a special view. We had the lake to ourselves, our pick of campsites and lunch rehydrating on the pocket rocket. Life felt good.

Swan on Phoebe Lake

In keeping with the food storage mandate in the BWCA, my husband spent some time finding a good hanging tree to rope and pulley the food barrel into the sky. The day stayed gray and cool. A garter snake slithered around the campsite. I chased the snake around with the camera just for fun while my husband and daughter rested in their hammocks. When I became bored with snake watching, I took a swim to remove the day's sweat and grime. 

Beef Stroganoff for lunch

Cheesy mashed potatoes with ground beef for dinner

Dinnertime came fast. I prepared dehydrated mashed potatoes with dehydrated ground beef and cheese. The sky grew grayer and darker. Night came with no sunset and no campfire. The burning ban due to the drought meant that any fire we smelled would be readily identified as wildfire. With no campfires, we would find ourselves turning in early on this trip as the evenings grew dark. The moon now in the new moon phase, the first several nights of the trip proved extra dark.

Day 2: Reducing Food Barrel Weight Bite by Bite

On day 2 we did a fantastic job of eating some weight out of our food barrel, rested up from Day 1, and relaxed. We watched the morning fog dance and twirl over Phoebe Lake, drying up later when the sun shone through. I made dehydrated hashbrowns and precooked bacon for brunch. 

A foggy morning on Phoebe Lake

Bacon and hashbrowns, day 2

The family of swans

My husband and Ams played games as I cooked. After lunch they enjoyed some hammock time, while I watched the pair of swans with their cygnet making their rounds. When the swans moved away, I took a swim to rinse off. We all saw a garter snake gliding in and out of the tickets of brush along the campsite. As Ams lay quietly in her hammock, she saw the snake take down a small rodent, she thought maybe a mouse or a chipmonk. We had been alone on Phoebe Lake the night before, but this day we saw campsites fill and a handful of groups coming across Phoebe Lake. 

Game time

Snake's back!

So gorgeous when sun came out, the lake is mirror still

Enchilada rice with crushed Fritos

Almost like a sunset over Phoebe Lake, and only a little bit smoky

Although we didn't do much, the day passed quickly. I cooked dehydrated enchilada rice with dehydrated ground beef, cheese, and crushed Fritos for dinner. We talked about heading west to Polly Lake in the morning and targeting campsite 1073 on the north end of Polly Lake coming off the Phoebe River. We saw traces of smoke from the wildfires in the air, but it all seemed distant. Once again we did not see much of a sunset.

Day 3: Low Water Woes

The vibrant sunrise on Day 3 lit the sky with magical ribbons of pink. We ate a quick breakfast of granola, granola bars and jerky, then started breaking camp. We had heard the Phoebe River on our way to Polly Lake would be even worse in terms of low water than the portion we had encountered on Day 1. In this case, it would take some time to get to Polly Lake. With this being a popular destination, we sent our intentions on an early start.

Day 3 Video

Here comes the sun!

Easy to look at the sun with all the particulates from wildfires in the sky

Although too early in the morning for wasps, several had been hanging out under our rainfly and circled me madly as I worked to take down the tent. When I went to unclip the tent from a tent pole I found out the hard way one of these wasps had settled on the far side of a tent pole. I swallowed a precautionary Benadyl and moved on with pack up more carefully. 

We paddled off into the hazy morning heading northwest towards the channel into Knight Lake. On Knight lake we saw loons fishing, swans flying, and four vultures eating from a rock. We supposed someone must have left a pile for fish guts on that rock. West of Knight Lake, we got back onto the Phoebe river. 

We did a carryover on a rocky area with a beaver dam and did some lining in shallow rocky areas. After getting through that, I did a bang-up job of running us into shallow rocks and getting us stuck in shallow spot after shallow spot. We were in and out of the boat, lining and not lining, again and again. Hot, dirty and tired, we were relieved to finally arrive on the 144 Rod portage from Knight Lake into Hazel Lake.

Day 3 Smiles

Our first carryover of the day on the Phoebe River

Lining the boat on the Phoebe River

By the time we reached Hazel Lake the day became as gray as the previous two days and the wind began to pick up. We took the 58 rod portage from Hazel Lake back onto the Phoebe River, and a light rain began to fall. On the Phoebe river again, we had some carryovers due to a beaver dam and low water. On the map, the Phoebe River between Hazel Lake and Lake Polly has the four portages of 58, 29, 97, and 99 rods. Due to low water we spent significantly more distance than this out of the boat.

Waiting to take the 99 rod portage from Phoebe River to Lake Polly

The day grew hotter. When we arrived at the portage from Phoebe River to Lake Polly, two boats were in the water blocking entry to the portage and we took a long break waiting for the people belonging with those boats to come across the portage - a family with two teenaged girls. When we finally reached the other end of the portage the holdup became obvious. A big group of boys for the girls to chat with were taking a break and blocking egress on the other end. We had arrived at a busy popular lake. 

With the access to Lake Polly blocked by the boys group taking a break, and with all of their stuff blocking passage except in one small spot, my husband squeezed by to the small spot needing to set down the canoe. He stepped into the lake at this only open spot and found himself in more than waist high water. 

Off we went. We wondered after running into all of those people did we dare hope for a campsite on the north end of Lake Polly? Did we dare hope for exactly the site we aimed for? 

Day 3 Map

We paddled on. Feeling free and grateful to be through carrying over rocks and getting stuck in muck, we enjoyed the simple movement of paddling unobstructed water. The rain began to clear up and the sun came back out. Now hot, sweaty, and tired, we felt ready for a campsite. As we rounded the last slight bend, we saw our target campsite open. Unbelievable our luck! We worked hard and saw our reward - campsite 1073, open!

A spectacular Lake Polly sunset 

In camp, I make dehydrated sweet and sour rice with peas and chicken. After lunch, my husband hung the bear barrel and set up the tarp. Ams and I set up the tent and I did dishes. The day grew hotter, windier, brighter. My husband and I took a swim to cool off and Ams relaxed playing games on her phone. We made plans to head northwest in the morning, over to River Lake. We would try and take the campsite on the south end of the island on River Lake (Kawishiwi River). We talked about our unbelievable luck having our chosen campsites available on lakes so close to entry points. A spectacular sunset over Lake Polly that evening made for a perfect ending to a great day in the BWCA. 

Day 4: Fire in the Sky

On day four I woke to a cold,  rainy morning thinking I'd go about my business in the light rain. Then it began to rain hard, with some lightning and thunder. I felt glad to see the rain. The BWCA needed the rain, some relief from the drought. I moved as much of our stuff as I could into the dry spot under the tarp, and huddled there munching granola. After an hour or two, the clouds cleared up and the day grew windy and bright.

Rain stopped on Polly Lake, time to get moving!

We loaded the canoe and paddled north to the short 17 rod portage to the Kawishiwi River, where we paddled, took a 54 rod portage, and paddled again along the Kawishiwi River to the 115 rod portage into Koma Lake. The Kawishiwi River wasn't without its low water challenges. We found ourselves hopping out to line the boat time and again, sometimes on solid river bottom, sometimes uncomfortable with the amount of sinking into the muck the job seemed to require. None of this proved as challenging as the Phoebe River had been on Day 3. Perhaps we encountered less of this, or maybe we became accustomed to the grind. The portages in this area were wide, well-traveled, and surprisingly dry. As rainy as it had been, it hadn't taken long for the morning to become remarkably dry as if the rain had never happened at all. 

Kawishiwi River

The wind felt strong on Koma Lake, a relief from the hot sun, but a gusty headwind challenged us. We did see a swan on Koma Lake, and did plenty of submerged boulder dodging. We paddled hard across Koma Lake towards one of my favorite portages in the BWCA.

Surprised to find no water in the rapids on the portage from Koma Lake to Malberg Lake

We crossed the 27 rod portage from Koma Lake to Malberg Lake. This portage goes around a very rocky area featuring an especially big boulder in some shallow rapids. This favorite spot offers unique beauty and a fun place to hang out for a snack and to take a photo break. We skipped the snack, but took our obligatory photos and walked around admiring the rocks, exclaiming how it looked like an entirely different place with no water in the rapids, not even a trickle. Soon it was time to paddle across Malberg Lake.

Malberg Lake

The bay at the end of the portage felt quite calm, but as soon as we paddled out into the more open part of Malberg Lake, gusty wind picked up. Malberg being a popular lake, we expected full campsites. While we did cross paths with just one group traveling, we saw no one on any of the Malberg Lake campsites. We dug in all the way on Malberg and exhausted ourselves fighting the wind. Portaging never felt so good as we finished paddling Malberg Lake and begin to portage from Malberg Lake to River Lake (Kawishiwi River). 

This portage felt longer than the 64 rods marked on the map. Along this portage we carried, floated a narrow channel, and carried again. Of the day's portages, it was only this portage that remained wet and muddy from the morning rain. When we arrived at the River Lake end of the portage, the water had dried up. We went from one low water landing to the next looking for a place to put in. After a time, we found a shallow but very mucky spot and gave it our best.

River Lake

After having crossed paths with only one other group all day, and seeing no one in camp on Koma Lake or Malberg Lake, we were surprised see a large group taking a lunch break at the first campsite on River Lake. As we paddled River Lake towards our desired campsite, we began to see more and more boats and to find each campsite we passed on River Lake occupied.

Day 4 Map

View of River Lake to the north from camp

Unbelievably, when we arrived at campsite 1969, the campsite my husband had targeted for the day, we found it available. Our third targeted campsite in a row would be ours. This never happens to us in the BWCA. As we began to unload our gear we saw other paddlers headed over to check out the campsite. It was ours, but only by a matter of minutes. Throughout the day over thirty boats floated by. This is a busy area in the BWCA to be certain.

River Lake from camp, view to the south

In camp on River Lake

The gusty winds blew hard, making the heat of the day more bearable. We hid in a low spot in the trees to escape the wind for cooking. Rigging the tarp in the wind on high perched kitchen area proved a challenge for even an experienced tarp rigger. My husband accomplished his mission, but the wind did not make it easy. 

I made dehydrated Mexican rice with dehydrated ground beef and crushed Fritos for lunch before I turned my attention to setting up the tent. Exploring the campsite, we found it had a number of separate zones. We were able to travel the shore a good distance in either direction. North of the campsite was a bay with a beach, likely not there during times of normal to high water levels. The camp kitchen perched high on rock overlooking river lake for miles in either direction. The site held a number of good tent pads, one of them under dangerous trees.

The sunset over River Lake looks like fire in the sky

I enjoyed a swim on the beach to cool off and laid on the warm rock near the kitchen as the strong wind and hot sun dried my clothes and hair in about 10 minutes. We all rested and relaxed and time for cooking our spaghetti dinner came quickly. As the wind blew hard out of the northwest, our eyes began to burn and the wildfire smell grew stronger.  The sunset looked like fire in the sky and once the show in the sky ended we retired to the tent.

Goodnight Day 5

Day 5: A Good Day to Just Be

On Day 5, I woke early in camp on River Lake to find a dozen frogs hopping around in the dark. I snacked on some granola watching the trees and rocks take shape in the early morning light. The wind blew in strong gusts, a good day to just be. By 7:00 am, a couple of groups had already paddled by. By noon I gave up counting, already over twenty-five canoes. We were camped on a true thoroughfare and longed for a bit more solitude. 

Early morning on River Lake

While I waited for my family to rise, I did some stretches, planks, and pushups. As soon as enough light to guide the way became available, I walked down the the beach and explored the shore to the north as far as I could go without stepping into water above my knees. I felt like a tiny person in a vast world.

River Lake looking south

River Lake looking north from the beach

When I returned to camp I cooked cheesy hashbrowns with bacon for my family. The day grew windier and hotter. We all did our own version of just being. My husband laid in his hammock, my daughter played games on her phone, and I took a swim followed by heading south along the shore as far as I could get. 

A view along the shore of River Lake

The bear hang in camp on River Lake

Gusts of wind continued to blast out of the northwest, the air now smelling very much like fire. My eyes stung with smoke. At dinnertime I prepared some dehydrated spaghetti and soon the sun set. Tonight the sunset did not offer the full array of colors we had seen the previous evening, but now we did see a crescent moon. For nighttime trips to the bathroom, this small crescent moon indeed made a tremendous difference. We turned in for a good night of sleep with plans to rise early and head to Boulder Lake targeting the island campsite in the morning.

Goodnight Day 5 looking south of River Lake

Day 6: Beautiful Boulder Lake

After rushing around packing and eating a quick morning snack, we paddled north on River Lake/Kawishiwi River to the portage into Trapline Lake. Trapline lake is narrow and shallow and seems as much like a small river as a lake. Normally this portage between the river and Trapline Lake is about 26 rods. Due to the low water situation, this portage extends at both ends. Approaching the portage, the water became shallow and very mucky, the kind of mud that makes you feel as if you'll never stop sinking. We began our portage well before the normal portage landing. 

Trapline Lake

At the end of the portage we checked several landings before we were able to get back onto the water due to low water. When we finally did get back into the canoe, it wasn't a minute before we ran into the opportunity to get stuck and do an awkward beaver dam climb-over. 

Video - Day 6 River Lake to Boulder Lake

From Trapline Lake we did a 24 rod portage into Beaver Lake. On Beaver lake we instantly felt the full impact of the day's gusty winds. We dug in hard to paddle northwest towards the center of Beaver Lake. At last we felt some relief when we turned to the more sheltered northeast arm of Beaver Lake towards the portage into Adams Lake.  Although gusty and windy, the sun and blue skies made the morning look quite idyllic. 

Beaver Lake

When we arrived at the 74 rod portage from Beaver Lake into Adams Lake, Ams noticed the big black rock face right away. She wondered aloud, "Can I climb it?" It's always a great moment when a perpetually bored teen is engaged with a family activity.  Ams gave climbing the rock face a fierce try, and I captured a family photo by the big rock before we portaged over to Adams Lake. 

On the portage trail from Beaver Lake to Adams Lake

The portage followed the rock face, climbed a rock staircase and eventually placed us at the foot of Adams Lake. Although the morning felt bright and sunny just minutes earlier on the Beaver Lake side of the portage, the sky now hung heavy dark clouds and fat drops of rain began to fall. We heard thunder in the distance. In this protected bay it didn't feel all that bad. The thunder sounded distant and we did not see the lightning. In the middle of Adams Lake it became quite a different story.

A storm comes out of nowhere on the portage into Adams Lake

Only one group was on a campsite on Adams Lake and they looked to be getting ready to leave but standing there packed up watching us struggle and waiting for the storm to pass through. The wind grew stronger. White caps rocked the canoe. We strained to paddle across the lake. The wind felt relentless. About the time we reached the other side of the lake, the rain stopped, the water calmed down, and the sun came back out.

Normally the portage from Adams to Boulder consists of a 19 rod portage carry, a float through of about 50 or 60 rods, and 50 rod portage carry. This time things were dicey. The low water on Adams Lake approaching the portage sat very shallow over the kind of muck that when you test it with your paddle, your paddle sinks and keeps on sinking as deep as you dare to test. As we drew closer to the portage landing, our canoe began to get stuck, but it seemed like a very bad place to step out into the muck. We worried about making it to solid ground. 

We pushed with our paddles and jerked the canoe forward bit by bit with our body weight to drag ourselves closer to shore. It took some time. Eventually we got to a boggy area where we could step on some plant material rather than sinking deeply into the mud. Once I got Ams safely through the bog and onto terra firma, I went back to carry the packs. With my husband being the heaviest of us, it seemed better for me to move the packs to more solid ground, as his body weight alone provided a larger sinking risk which would be compounded adding pack weight.

On the portage between Adams Lake and Boulder Lake

Seeking the path around the dried up float through on the portage from Adams to Boulder

Safely out of the bog, we made our way to the float through landing. The "float through" offered an inch or two of water above the muck. Moving ahead to scout a new landing for the float through, it became quickly obvious there would be no floating through, it would be a carry through. Occasional areas of muck hid among the tall grass and we felt lucky no one post-holed, or sunk in the mud to their knee or hip.

When we arrived at the water, the sun shone bright in now bright sky leading us to believe we had left the foul weather behind. We paddled a short way and realized we had another short awkward carryover, over some rocks, before entering Boulder Lake. As we paddled onto Boulder Lake the sky suddenly darkened. Gusty wind began howling and pelting us with rain. We dug in and paddled hard. We struggled to get to our target campsite. Miracle of miracles, once again we found our choice of campsites available. With no one else on Boulder Lake, we had our chosen campsite #180 and the lake to ourselves. Today would begin the part of the trip with the solitude we so desired.  

Day 6 Map

Watching the storm roll away on Boulder Lake

Another mighty bear hang on Boulder Lake!

We worked to get the tarp and tent up for shelter from the rain and wind. I prepared a lunch of dehydrated fried rice with dehydrated vegetables and dehydrated ground beef with a side of applesauce, also dehydrated. Eventually it stopped raining and we were left with a cloudy, windy day. Although it felt cold with all of the wind, I took a quick swim to get clean. After, I set out to see how far around the island I could walk. Thrilled to know I could walk quite a long way, I went back to camp and talked my daughter Ams into doing some exploring with me. 

Dehydrated fried rice for lunch

Ams and I found some cool sitting spots. She really liked the flat point of rock stretching towards the lake on the west end of the island and insisted on teaching me a dance there. She taught me to do the Electric Slide, which I can no longer remember. I suppose she'll have to teach me again. After exploring further, she eventually decided she was bored as teenagers do, and she went back to camp to look at her phone. 

Looking for a good family photo spot

Happy to have a family photo, the sky is hazy with smoke just before sunset

For dinner I made dehydrated mashed potatoes with dehydrated ground beef garnished with cheese and bacon bits. After dinner I dragged my husband and daughter off to some of the more picturesque spots I had found while exploring the island, and took some family photos. Finally the furious winds calmed down and the water became still. 

Sunset Day 6

My husband's beautiful view.

We watched the sunset through the smoky haze and gazed at a beautiful crescent moon. Normally this would have been time for a campfire. With the burning ban in place, we turned in early with plans to head over to Little Saganaga Lake in the morning before the forecasted afternoon winds and heat would become too fierce. We would try for a campsite my husband wanted to check out on a long peninsula.

A beautiful night on Boulder Lake

 

Day 7: Firefighters in Flight

I've never seen a sunrise quite like our 2021 BWCA Day 7 sunrise on Boulder Lake. The fog and the smoke particulates in the hazy air created a mystical, dazzling array of color. The views grew brighter and more amazing with every passing minute. The views captivated me. I found it difficult to shift my focus towards breaking camp.

Fog before sunrise, Boulder Lake

Here comes the sun!

A gorgeous sunrise!

Couldn't get enough of that sunrise on Boulder Lake

We aimed to get an early start to beat the forecasted afternoon heat and wind gusts up to 35 mph. This day we targeted a campsite on a peninsula towards the northwest end of Little Saganaga Lake.  We quickly ate granola, granola bars and jerky for breakfast and pushed off. By the time we paddled north on Boulder Lake the fog had dissipated. The sun shone bright and warm, and the winds had not yet started. 

Boulder lake

We portaged 185 rods to the north and headed east on the Cap Lake - Ledge Lake portage for an additional 100 rods. Somewhere within the 185 rod portion, there is a float through. We found none of it floatable. With the drought the water was very shallow in spots and for the most part nearly dried up.  But dry does not mean solid. My daughter Ams sunk to the top of her boot once, and I felt lucky to get her free with her boot still in her possession. 

Just after Ams became unstuck from the mud, we had a mucky creek bed to cross. My husband post-holed into the muck near the creek bed with the canoe on his shoulders and a large pack on his back. Another mini crisis and another stroke of luck, my husband recovered his shoe as well. What a relief to be single portaging and not have to cover this ground again a second time. This confirmed how well worth giving up some of our little luxuries had been. After crossing the creek, we went up a steep hill. We felt hot, sweaty, and very happy to be on solid ground. 

We portaged until we met the Cap Lake - Ledge Lake portage where we turned right for an additional 100 rods. Still early and with only one portage complete, we found ourselves already very warm and tired. The excitement of post-holing behind us, we took a short break on the landing at Ledge Lake to catch our breath. The mucky landing and shallow lake with pea green water did not appeal, I felt glad we had no plans to camp on Ledge Lake. We paddled east squinting against the bright morning sun, then did the 149 rod portage from Ledge Lake to Vee Lake.

Ledge Lake, another mucky landing

Leaving Ledge Lake on the portage into Vee Lake

The portages were fairly narrow, a bit overgrown in spots, but perfectly usable. The 67 rod portage from Vee Lake to Fee Lake isn't particularly difficult, but I imagine it might have been rather wet and buggy if the area hadn't been in a drought condition. The portage goes through and around some rather low lying areas and a small swamp. When we loaded the canoe, I missed my water bottle and retraced the portage to retrieve it. It took some searching and I felt lucky to find it in the thick undergrowth after what felt like a lengthy hunt. Thankfully this would be my only double portage of the trip. 

Swamp on the portage between Vee Lake and Fee Lake

Hoe Lake

The breeze picked up a little bit on Fee Lake and we continued east towards the bright sun. After a 50 rod portage from Fee Lake to Hoe Lake, we continued to paddle east and the wind continued to strengthen. On the 76 rod portage from Hoe Lake to Makwa Lake it felt strange to run into other paddlers. We had really begun to feel alone. A very short paddle on Makwa Lake delivered us to the 59 rod portage into Elton Lake.

Cliffs on Hoe Lake

Little Saganaga Lake

We paddled north on Elton Lake seeing no one. A nice break from paddling directly into the bright sun. At this point we started feeling tired. As we neared the portage, the beautiful cliffs to our left drew our attention. 

There are two ways to get from Elton Lake to Little Saganaga Lake. You can take two small portages with a shallow float between the two (a 33 rod and a 20 rod) or take one longer portage of 131 rods. Due to the trip's trials with mucky, shallow areas due to low water and post-holing earlier that day, we opted for the longer portage to avoid the potential for getting stuck and sinking into the mud. Based on it being the most overgrown portage of the day, I presume most people choose the route with the two small portages and the float through.

At the landing of our campsite on Little Saganaga Lake

The 131 rod portage into Little Saganaga Lake behind us, we felt hot, tired, and ready for a campsite. The forecasted windgusts of 35 mph had not started yet, and this felt like a stroke of luck. The day now felt very hot and we needed a bit of rest. Being so close to our target campsite, we decided to push now and rest later.

Day 7 Map

The lake looked like something out of a fairly tale with it's islands and rocks in juxtaposition with the gorgeous blue water and sky and green hills. As we paddled the lake we noticed all the campsites stood empty and our excitement and the thought of getting our target campsite motivated us to paddle hard despite our being now hungry and tired.

Tree split rock on the sand beach below campsite #812

We landed on the sand beach below Campsite 812 still having seen no one in any of the campsites on Little Saganaga Lake, and went up top to claim our victory. We could not believe our luck, so far on this trip we had found every target campsite on every target lake available for the taking. 

As we got ready to make lunch, the wind picked up dramatically. We had made it across Little Saganaga Lake just in time to avoid the promised 35 mph wind gusts that now blew through camp. The campsite had a view to the south. Walking the beach, views to the south and east could be had. Gusty winds blew out of the south and southwest. Walking behind the latrine to the north also provided another beach area with a perfectly still bay, a direct contradiction to the gusty winds out of the south in camp and on the beach on the south side of the peninsula. 

Lunch - Loaded backed potato soup 

For lunch I prepared Idahoan Loaded Baked Potato soup garnished with bacon bits. Then we explored the shoreline and took a swim to cool off. Later in the afternoon we began to spot planes circling across the lake to the south. 

Before long, the planes were on Little Saganaga Lake scooping water and flying to a spot south of camp across the lake maybe a couple of miles from the south shore. After a time they began to go further north for water, to Gabimichigami Lake, flying low and directly over our campsite each trip. We watched the show for a while and wondered how concerned we should be about wildfires nearby. In the end, we decided we had a large body of water between us and the south shore, and that a fire was likely a couple miles south of that. 

View to the south from camp looking towards what we later learned was the John Eck fire

Eventually we grew tired of watching the firefighters in flight and decided to cook dinner. For dinner we made a Mountain House Chicken Fajita Bowl with flatbread. We went down to the north facing side of the peninsula to watch the sunset and hide from the wind, and then turned in for the night as a campfire was not an option.

A hazy sunset

Time to say goodnight

Day 8: A Beautiful Day on Little Saganaga Lake

On day 8, strong winds with 35 mph gusts continued out of the southwest, so I headed to the east facing end of the peninsula to get out of the wind well enough to run a comb through my hair. I sat on a rock, and combed, and watched the sunrise. This would be a day to move slowly. To be together. To do the simple things. To do nothing. 

As I combed my hair and watched the sunrise, the smell of fire hung in the air and I wondered about the area burning to our south. Would the gusty winds spread the fire? Would rangers come out and ask us to leave? Should we be worried?

Video - Boulder Lake to Little Saganaga Lake

Good morning Day 8

Another hazy sunrise

Making pancakes for breakfast

Mountain house scrambled eggs with bacon

For breakfast I ate granola, then waited for my family to be ready before I made pancakes and Mountain House freeze dried scrambled eggs with bacon for brunch. What a relief we did not have paddle plans, the forecast called for 35 mph wind gusts and it seemed we had the full 35 plus a little more. With the strong wind gusts threatening our camp stove, I huddled in a low spot in the trees and began to cook.

Little Saganaga Lake from the beach below Campsite 812

Now the eighth day of our trip, we felt really alone. The only signs of people we had seen on Little Saganaga Lake had been the fire fighter planes scooping water. We heard the planes and helicopters at work circling over the John Eck Lake area. As we worked on our meal we heard a voice say, "knock knock". If there had been a ceiling, I would have hit it. It really shook me after these quiet days in camp to see and hear someone walking into our campsite. 

My first thought, the rangers are hear to tell us there's a fire and we need to leave. Not to worry. Turned out two canoeists had become lost looking for the portage into Gabimichigami Lake. My husband helped them with their map and showed them mapping on the GPS app on his phone. He suggested a few nearby campsites they could take to get out of the wind. Soon they paddled off leaving us once again alone to enjoy a lazy day in the BWCA.

Our canoe

The day stayed windy and hot, we swam to cool off and explored the shoreline around the peninsula. I washed all of the clothes I had worn for the last 8 days, and thanks to the wind and hot sun, it took only an hour for them to dry. I felt very relaxed and very clean for a person now 9 days without an actual soapy bath or shower. It felt good to be alive. 

Little Saganaga Lake

For dinner I huddled in the trees again to cook away from the gusty wind. Tonight's menu consisted of dehydrated chili with Fritos. Listening to the weather forecast we learned Day 9 would be another hot and windy day. We decided to rise early to get off Little Saganga Lake before the wind gusts were to whip up, as it would be the longest stretch of paddling and biggest water for the day.

 

Dehydrated chili garnished with Fritos

Our view towards the south from our camp kitchen

In the evening, the wind calmed down as the sun set and we walked the beach around the peninsula one last time before saying goodnight. The moon rose, now bright enough to put a bit of light into the night. The stars twinkled as we slept soundly. 

Our family on Little Saganaga Lake

Goodnight Day 8

Day 9: Wildfire Feeling Closer on Mesaba Lake

We woke early on Little Saganaga Lake with a couple of reasons for getting an early start weighing on our minds. The weather forecast called for a very hot afternoon with strong wind gusts, and we wanted to beat the weather. Additionally, after watching the fire fighters dropping water south of us, and with us headed southeast, we worried we might get rerouted and have a long day, or be asked to fully leave the BWCA due to the fires. The sky looked promising in terms of a beautiful sunrise, but before long became hazy with smoke. A peek at the sunrise was not meant to be.

Video Days 9 & 10 - Little Saganaga Lake to Mesaba Lake, Mesaba Lake to Sawbill Lake

Sunrise Day 9

We ate a cold breakfast of granola, granola bars, and jerky; then broke camp quickly. We pushed off into a hazy, already warm morning and paddled across Little Saganaga Lake headed southeast.  The air, thick with wildfire particulates, dulled the sun making it possible to look directly at it even as the morning wore on. After paddling the entire lake and seeing only empty campsites, we were surprised to finally see people on the campsite on the southeast end of Little Saganaga Lake close to the portage into Mora Lake. They waved us over. Turned out they were rangers.

Sun on a very hazy morning on Little Saganaga Lake

Gorgeous mirror still water in the bay near the portage into Mora Lake

The rangers told us about the John Eck Lake (our map calls it John Elk Lake) and Whelp Lake fires. Both burned inside our loop route, and both had started during our trip due to lightening strikes on the day we had the rough, stormy paddle across Adams and Boulder Lakes. At this time the Rangers said they had not closed the route between Little Saganaga Lake and our exit on Sawbill Lake. Our plans to camp one more night on Mesaba Lake and exit at Sawbill Lake remained doable!

Gorgeous bay paddling to the portage off Little Saganaga Lake into Mora Lake

What a relief to be done paddling for a few minutes and taking in the view on the gorgeous portage into Mora Lake. This portage is beautiful as it follows boulder strewn water viewed from above. At the other end of the 48 rod portage to Mora Lake we noticed more haze in the sky, but the wind still felt calm. We paddled Mora Lake and took the overgrown 98 rod portage into Whipped Lake. By the time we arrived at Whipped Lake, the wind had arrived. If  Whipped Lake is named due to windy conditions, it very well lived up to its name on this day.

Mora Lake

Whipped Lake

We dug in hard to get across Whipped Lake, but stopped to do a carryover in a rocky area in front of a small campsite. We supposed this rocky area is a paddle through outside of drought conditions. We made an easy 15 rod portage over into Fente Lake, and continued paddling over to Hub Lake for our longest portage of the day. The unexpected sight of more muck when we arrived at the 284 rod portage into Hub Lake made for the icing on the cake. Getting the canoe to solid ground took some effort, and into the mud we we sank, but we made it to the landing.

Mucky portage landing, Fente Lake portage over to Hub Lake

    

Hub Lake

As we unloaded a group of kids came over from Hub Lake and flung themselves to the ground lamenting over the horrors of the portage. I expected it to be a real kick in the rear from all the fussing we heard, but it turned out to be quite okay with the muck at the landing being the worst part about it. 

Hub Lake from the portage into Mesaba Lake

We arrived at Hub Lake and paddled hard into the heat and wind over to the 90 rod portage into Mesaba Lake. By now we felt hot, hungry, and tired from paddling against the wind. We looked at campsite 856, our target campsite for the day, but it offered no shady relief from the sweltering heat. We got back into the canoe and used our last few ounces of energy paddling over to campsite 858 which we decided to take even if we didn't like it. 

Mesaba Lake

Camp kitchen on the site we didn't take

In camp on Mesaba Lake with the bear barrel hung

Walking the shore near camp, everything is over grown, and all leaves are dry and crackly

Birches on the hill across from camp

When we got into camp our first order of business became finding a shady spot to cook lunch. We prepared dehydrated mashed potatoes with dehydrated ground beef and peas. We heard plenty of noise as the afternoon wore on and later learned firefighters at work with heavy equipment and helicopter water drops a few miles away caused the commotion as the gusty winds began to spread the John Eck fire. 

Day 9 Map

In camp on Mesaba Lake

We cooked dehydrated shepherd's pie with dehydrated ground beef for dinner. The sun had been too easy to look at this afternoon due to all the particulates in the air. We started to believe the nearby fire had spread. As the evening wore on the sky became more filled with smoke and the sounds of firefighting stopped. We listened to the weather radio, another hot and windy day in the forecast. In the morning we would pack and make our way back to entry point.

Plenty of smoke as the sun began to set on Mesaba Lake 

Day 10: Homeward Bound

On the last day of our 2021 BWCA canoe trip, we woke to another warm, hazy day. Today we aimed to beat the forecasted afternoon heat and high winds. Our longest portage of the trip, the Zenith Portage, would be great to finish before the heat set in. 

Hug Lake

Loons screamed unhappily as we paddled away from camp towards the 75 rod portage into Hug Lake. We found Hug Lake pretty and inviting, and after an easy paddle we did the short 10 rod portage into Duck Lake. Duck Lake is overgrown with water plants and shallow. We found Duck Lake to be well named as we saw a number of ducks as we paddled through. We took the 67 rod portage into Zenith Lake and began to paddle. Now we were seeing and hearing firefighters in the distance with choppers carrying loads back and forth overhead.

Duck Lake

Zenith Lake, getting ready to do the Zenith Portage

Zenith Portage

We started the 444 rod  Zenith to Lujenida Portage, starting with a hill. The portage went on and on as expected, and felt just about as long as everyone seems to say. When we arrived at Lujenida Lake we took a granola bar break and watched choppers flying back and forth towards the wildfires. The entry to Lujenida Lake consisted of very mucky, very shallow water. After a very short paddle, we made it across the small lake and onto what is called either Kelso River or Lujenida Creek, depending upon which map you look at. We paddled and did some climbing over a beaver dam surrounded by some particularly shallow water with sinking muck. All the while we heard sounds of heavy equipment at work and choppers flying over head. 

Kelso River / Lujenida Creek

Kelso River / Lujenida Creek

Kelso River landing at portage to Sawbill Lake

The heat and the wind really picked up by the time we arrived at Kelso Lake. It took our full energy to keep ourselves moving. We paddled the Kelso River a bit more and did another mucky landing followed by an easy 14 rod portage into Sawbill Lake.

Day 10 Map

Entry Point #38 Sawbill Lake

So good to have a salad with fresh fruit and greens after 10 days of dehydrated food!

We exited the wilderness on Sawbill Lake as a pair of rangers headed in to begin to clear the area we had just travelled due to what we learned were the John Eck and Whelp fires. Both started inside of the travel loop we had made during the time of our trip, both due to lightning strikes. This day the areas we had travelled our last day and a half would be closed. A few days later the entire Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness would be closed. 

Luck really and truly traveled with us. Sure, we ran into a few things. Many rivers and lakes low or dried up with muck to sink into put us to work as did shallow low water requiring carryovers in place of float throughs, beaver dams, long portages, and gusty headwinds. But in the end we found adventure in the adversity and much more good luck than bad. And we did it together. Together in the BWCA. There's no finer way to be and no finer place.

That's all for now, let's get outdoors and keep our wild places wild!   

 Trip Map