Wildflowers and Warm Weather on Memorial Weekend in the Sylvania Wilderness, Spring 2023

We packed up and headed north for our first canoe camping trip of 2023 with new canoeists along for the trip. Typically our May trips to the Sylvania Wildreness are cold, wet and buggy. Because guests new to the sport were traveling along, we hoped for good weather and mangeable bugs. We put in on Crooked Lake, paddled the length of Crooked and took the short portage to Mountan Lake to camp on Lynx 1 Campsite. After the second night, we paddled and portaged from Lynx 1 Campsite on Mountain Lake over to Coyote Campsite on West Bear Lake. This is what happened.

We got off to a late start as it tends to go when a bigger group decides to get togeher - inevitably there is more to do to get a larger group on the road. Later in the afternoon we got on the water. The hot, hazy afternoon felt as lazy as the otters  rolling round in the water in no hurry to get anywhere quickly. We watched a couple of loons and an eagle, but no swans, which is unusual for Crooked Lake. Our guests enjoyed the paddle but when we got the the portage the misquitoes were in full evening frenzy mode.  In camp, the first order of business was to get a fire going to try to scare them away. Everyone felt pretty excited to be in camp, and we stayed up late around the fire.

Sunrise on Lynx 1 Campsite

Evning view on Mountain Lake

Due ot the forecasted heat, we brought along an extra pack containing an inflatable standup paddleboard (SUP) and this turned out to be a huge hit. I taught our guest's 7 year old how to embark, disemark and paddle it around. She loved it! What a great way to keep her mind off the mosquitoes. 

 

The view on West Bear Lake with mosquito

One of the nice things about bringing new people along camping, is picking up new ideas about what to eat in camp and new ways of enjoying camp. One of our guests happened to be a botanist and we learned wonderful things about the plant life around us and where to spot special plants. They also packed some interesting treats which I will definitely add to our repitoire. My favorites were little packets of nut butter, and a pretty nifty stick of salami with aged cheese.

Jack in the Pulpit on Lynx 1 Camsite.

Swamp Laurel on West Bear Lake

Star Flower on the portage between Mountain Lake and East Bear Lake

Lady Slipper on Coyote Campsite

Before long, our two nights on Lynx 1 campsite were over and it was time to paddle and portage from Moutain Lake over East Bear Lake and on to Coyote Campsite on West Bear Lake. We found Coyote Campsite in a dissappointing state. This had been one of my favorite campsites in the Sylvania Wilderness. Formerly a beautiful site with a whole lake to one's self, but there had been a blowdown since our last visit, putting trees down all over the campsite. It took a scouting expedition to find a way to the latrine around all the fallen treens, other trees cut across the camp area. We ended up sitting around the landing near the lake waiting for breezes off the water to scare the mosquitos away a little bit. 

In camp on West Bear Lake

Getting ready to portage

It turned out not only was Coyote campsite full of blown down trees, but it was also even buggier than Lynx 1. The young daughter of our guests burst into tears when we landed. She felt it deeply. We made the best of things with snacks and let her take over the paddleboard for the afternoon. In the evening it seemed all present had their fill of bug's. No one felt interested in a fire and everyone went to bed early. In the moring, our group rushed to bug out, if you will parden the pun. 

That's all for now. Let's get out doors and keep our wild places wild.