When I started planning this adventure it was largely due to my old boss Dean Cullen. He told me about the beauty of the upper minnesota area. The more I researched it, the more I thought it would be a perfect escape for Josh and I on our 10th anniversary!
The boundary waters are a series of thousands of lakes and hundreds of thousands of acres that are completely protected. The water in the lakes is so clean you can drink it (highly recommended you filter it for "beaver fever.") We went days without seeing another human being and there are no signs of human existence anywhere.
I chose to use Boundary Water Outfitters because when I called around Ben knew the most. I told him we wanted to see waterfalls, wildlife, go hiking and fish for trout. He said no problem and recommended a few route options for us. So, we packed up WAY too much stuff into our prius and headed 8 hours north to Ely MN. Ely pronounced EE-lee, reminds me of West Yellowstone. It is a quaint little town full of rugged people who love the outdoors and can tolerate -50 degree weather in the winter! After checking in with our outfitter and realizing we needed to get a few lures specifically for trout we ate dinner at a local pub. The outfitter we chose supplied everything from canoe to food to tent to camping stove. They gave us two big packs that we were to fit everything for 6 days and 5 nights in. We quickly realized we brought WAYYYYYY too much stuff. We spent about 30 minutes consolidating everything and deciding what to leave behind.
We got everything in the two giant backpacks, two waterproof small bags (for my camera, raingear, etc.) Then we had two oars, two fishing poles, tackle box, life jackets, fishing net and two soft chairs that fit on the canoe. It sounds like very small amount, but when you are stopping often and portaging it all from one lake to the next we probably should have consolidated even more :)
The first night we stayed in the bunkhouse - a large room with 6 bunk beds. There was a shared bathroom, but it was great for $15 and just what we needed to get on the lake early the next day!
There are limited entry points on the boundary waters. You have to apply for a permit far in advance of your travel dates to even be allowed to paddle on the water. This is part of the appeal as it keeps the waters just pristine! The shuttle driver said there hadn't been a reported theft in over 27 years - just a real mutual respect for nature and fellow water lovers. Also, most of the lakes do not allow motorized travel. So everything is super quiet and peaceful.
Ben recommended that we enter at moosehead lake. From there he advised us to charter a transport motorcraft to take us about 8 miles to the portage at Ensign lake. This would allow us to get ahead of all of the scouting and large groups that would enter at moosehead and paddle up that lake. It would also allow us to get further east where there are way less people and way more fishing! This was a great suggestion and I'm so glad we did it!
So Willy, his wife and Donna the dog loaded up our canoe and our bags and drove us up Moosehead Lake to the Ensign lake portage. Willy had to walk his boat in to the little inlet as it was very shallow. We noticed there were 3 or 4 groups of people presumably waiting for their charter sort of watching us take all of our gear off the boat. Josh got out of the boat and proceeded to slip on a rock and soak his shorts...well had to get wet sometime! We walked the short 30 rods to Ensign and I was just in awe the entire time. The water and surrounding area were so peaceful!
After we successfully portaged we loaded the boat and off we went! Not 20 feet from shore we high centered on a rock....crap. We rented a kevlar canoe - and while really light it is also very scratch/breakable. And we had no way of contacting anyone if something happened...pretty much were on our own for 6 days. So, I got out on the rock and sort of pushed us off...we recalibrated and did not have that problem again :)
At that point I became designated "rock watcher" and Josh became designated "muscle/navigator."
We spent the better part of the morning canoeing along Ensign lake. The locals call it hotel lake as it has a TON of camp sites. The camping sites were indicated on our map and I think it really helped Josh navigate as there is not one sign anywhere. There were many times we just had to follow the shoreline in an attempt to find where to exit or enter a lake because it was so overgrown - but that was part of the fun!
Our goal this first day was to try and get as far as we could. We knew that Saturday was going to be rainy and we had ideal weather Friday. So after a brief lunch with the butterflies we did our first long portage of the day. The first one we did we made 2 very unorganized trips. At this point Josh has the idea of strapping things to the canoe that he was carrying upside down in an attempt to haul all our stuff in one trip. This portage was 180 rods or about 1/3 of a mile. So he had a large backpack, canoe with two bags clipped on it, an oar and fishing net. I had a backpack, tackle box, two fishing poles, two chairs, a map and an oar. About three steps in I knew this was a bad plan. We didn't make it 100 feet before we started abandoning that plan. What we didn't realize when we were loading is that the topography was also on the map and that we had over 700 feet of climb on this portage....whoops! So we ditched a bunch of our stuff and just took two heavy backpacks to start. We passed a few people who were also double portaging on our way to the other lake. We dropped our bags once we made it and headed back running into the people again and they were carrying our stuff - how lovely! We still had to head back to get the canoe, but man are people nice out here in the wilderness! We were definitely schooled quite quickly on the ruggedness of this terrain and the difficulty of some of the climbing that I had very much underestimated!
We paddled through Vera and Trader Lake making our way to Missionary. We were both pretty tired by the time we reached the lake. We were also nervous as there were only two camp sites and we REALLY didn't want to backtrack or go any further. Luckily neither were taken and we chose the one highest up that would provide a breeze and a view.
This was the fun part - figuring out the best way to set up camp, organize our stuff, make dinner. All fun things for me! The outfitters provided lots of options for breakfasts, lunches and dinners that all were easily cookable on the small gas stove that they also provided. We had stew, sloppy joes, chicken casserole - while all dehydrated, was really pretty fast to make and pretty tasty!
After camp was set up, and Josh found a place to tie up the rainfly we ate dinner and started a fire. We felt as if we were the only people in the world alone on this lake! We did see some people late the next day but it was almost complete isolation!
This was also my first experience with the "privies." There was a trail leading from every camp somewhere between 100-500 feet that lead to a giant metal toilet. Think port a potty without the enclosure. While not ideal it was nice not to have to dig a hole in the ground! I also learned to pee very quickly so mosquitos didn't completely bite my bottom!
We slept pretty well that night both exhausted from a long day of physical activity! I got up early and made breakfast and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Josh got up a little later and we went fishing. Caught 2 lake trout fairly effortlessly! Both of us each caught one...was pretty cool! But with the fishing came an absolute downpour. I had a hard time staying warm/dry so made my way back to the tent and hunkered down with a book, quite enjoying the quiet.
At this point Josh was going a little stir crazy. I think he was not enjoying himself as much as I thought he would. He didn't know what to do with his time, felt confined to this campsite and the tent. I proceeded to fry the lake trout which was awesome! I wish we had oil instead of margarine, but it was really good. During our lunch Josh was seriously considering turning around and heading back. If we did that it would be a 8-10 mile journey versus the 25 or so we had ahead of us.
For dinner I pulled out an MRE that I had purchased in case of emergency. It was tortellini with heat that was activated by water - really was pretty cool. I made that and we had M&Ms and Josh made a fire. After all that comfort stuff I think Josh turned a corner and we decided we would press on the next day.
That night we were visited by this crazy snapping turtle. Josh thought that it was laying eggs, but it would climb these sheer cliffs, move around a little, then throw itself over the edge back into the water....I couldn't believe it!
That morning we packed up camp and took off pretty early. We learned that the mosquitos are also early rises. That morning we had a 185 rod portage. The day before we hadn't really encountered too many bugs and thought today would be no different. In fact, I thought that since it had rained the whole day that maybe we wouldn't see any bugs...man was I wrong!
We got out of the boat and started our journey into the woods. And I immediately became claustrophobic. We were surrounded by 3 gazillion mosquitos and neither of us had sprayed. I made it about halfway through and then started freaking out. I put the bag down and was digging for the bug spray and couldn't take it..I just started speedwalking as fast as I could with an 80 lb bag in an attempt to get the heck out of there! Josh told me later that he was having visions of sacrificing me to the mosquitos in an attempt to escape them! We made it to the other side in what felt like hours...but really probably only 10 minute walk. We broke out the 100 proof deet and sprayed it all over. After that our journey back to get our second load was almost pleasant! Had we only sprayed to begin with :)
The rest of the day was just lovely. We paddled through Dix, Spoon, Pickle and into Kekakabic Lake. Just gorgeous weather, never hot, never cold. We were told that there was a neat hiking trail on the far side of Kekakabic Lake, so our intention was to set up camp and paddle the 2 miles to the trailhead to hike up to the top of the bluffs. Josh's mood was immediately altered when we saw our first waterfall. Until that point the scenery looked a lot like Canada where he goes to fish, but this was a differentiator and he was suddenly much more excited about our journey! We stopped and had lunch near the falls and the continued on to our campsite.
After we set up camp we paddled to the trail head knowing that the return trip was going to be challenging. We had the wind in our favor the 2 ish miles East on the lake. The scenery was gorgeous with huge rock formations jutting out of the water. To us they looked like stone faces overseeing the lake - simply gorgeous!
Once we located the hiking trail head we were excited. Some hiking with the promise of an awesome view at the top! So we got a few hundred feet in and came upon a pristine log cabin - weird. Until this point we had seen zero signs that humans existed beyond canoers and we were a little taken aback. I made many references to the television show "Lost" and this was no exception - creepy cabin in the woods, lets just keep walking! But, upon further inspection, it appeared to be a ranger station that was built in the 50s. I am sure they may use it during winter months or something, was definitely shocking to see!
So, we continued along the rarely traveled hiking trail - completely wearing the wrong clothes. We are pretty certain both of us got some sort of poison ivy during this journey. We traversed through mud, decaying logs, up steep inclines knowing that the vista had to be just on the horizon. We kept going and going and going....and we never got there. The map told us we should have reached the top a long time ago. We calculated that we hiked about 1.5 miles up...when we should have reached the top in about .5. So, we decided to turn around thinking that perhaps the outfitter didn't tell us there was a vista view...but that it was just a nice hike. I did manage to snap the picture below...a little underwhelming but at least I got something!
So as if our disappointing hike wasn't enough...we now had 2 miles of very difficult rowing ahead directly into the strong wind. Josh said there were like 400 strokes to go 1/4 mile.....we were pretty fried by the time we got back to camp that late afternoon!
Because there are no other people anywhere, Josh took a skinny dip in the lake and I took a sponge bath - man did that feel good! This was by far one of the most gorgeous sites! I just loved the sunset and could have shot 100s of more pictures! It turns out that this was one of the rare nights where the northern lights were in full view....darn it we went to our tent when it was dark...we missed them!
The next morning was another gorgeous day - but did look like rain. We got our raingear on and I attempted to take pictures of josh upside down with my camera, I was in front and had to shoot over my head...hard to keep your DSLR dry in this environment!
This was the first day I was realllly cold and wet. We started off in the morning and had some decent weather, but one lake in it was evident we were going to have some rain. It started pouring and I was not doing a good job of keeping dry. The water was getting into my coat through my arm holes, and I wore cotton pants that day that were absolutely soaked. I became really cold really fast and Josh said to pull over for a break.
We made some hot chocolate and hot cider while it continued to pour and I continued to shiver. We hunkered down in the trees and he put up the rain fly. I sort of sat and tried to get warm and made some lunch. I was miserable. Learned a lesson that day that proper clothing is essential, and that when the lake water feels warm, you are too cold!
Josh walked around the campsite that we stopped at and was debating on trying to set up camp in the rain. I was hoping we would as I was envisioning a nice warm sleeping bag and fire. But the storm appeared to be passing and we had planned to make it to Thomas Lake that night....so decided to pack up and move on. After we started paddling I was so happy we did. I warmed up and the storm blew over and the sun came out!
We encountered some very rocky terrain. The portages weren't ones where we had to get out, but i had to be extra aware of the rocks directly below us. I was on high alert. At one point I really wanted to take the picture below so focused on that and nearly capsized us as I didn't see a giant bolder that josh narrowly avoided...oops!
Thomas was just a gorgeous lake. It was rocky and interesting with giant rocks shooting out of the lake. It was so bizarre that Josh actually got lost for a moment! He said the words "Um, that island is NOT on the map." Again...just like Lost!! Once we found some landmarks in campsites and peninsulas we headed in the right direction and found what I feel was the best campsite of the trip on the south side of Thomas Lake. That day we traveled through Strup, Wisini, Gerund, Frasier and Thomas.
Our campsite that evening was something out of a native american handbook. It was out on a peninsula with steps that went down into the water, almost like a wading pool. The night was gorgeous and we dried everything out and had a fire. We slept in a little the next day as we were ahead of schedule and in an attempt to avoid the early morning portage mosquitos.
Our last long day was our absolute favorite. We were a little confused because there were portage lines on the map with no numbers...what does that mean? It turns out there were a series of narrow streams and passageways leading between lakes. So we were able to stay in our canoe and just had to maneuver around rocks. Josh especially loved walking the canoe and at one point we even missed a portage and ended up in some small rapids. I exited and Josh pushed the canoe downstream.
To me, this area reminded me of Yellowstone again. Sort of marshy and narrow, with waterfalls and beautiful scenery. Josh found a great spot for lunch. We waded through some water that was heading toward a small falls and had lunch on a log near the top.
After I mentioned that we had such calm water and been with the current all day we portaged into Ima.....and fought the wind for nearly an hour. As we were maneuvering around the lake we saw what looked like someone in trouble on an island. We paddled up to them, but turned out to be a teenager walking along the cliffs chasing seagulls....his dad did not look impressed.
After we made it through Ima - what I would consider the grand finale of our trip, was heard in the distance. I 30+ foot falls....it was SOOO loud! We found a way to hike down to it. Of course Josh wanted to climb all over it, I am envisioning him losing his footing and being swept away. I stayed back but tried to capture pictures of him being silly. Later our shuttle driver told us the most deaths are caused by people playing in waterfalls....interesting! :p
We had another gorgeous campsite that evening, but it was quite the hike to get up there! Josh thought it would be fun to go fishing in the turbulent water and nearly capsized....but did get his lure back that was snagged! I made jokes about granite countertops as this was the best "kitchen" I had the whole time!
After we got camp set up we heard some extreme rumbling....it was most definitely thunder. Josh was giddy as he loves thunder, I was panicked trying to throw everything in our tent or under the rain fly. At one point the wind blew right down the middle of our campsite and I was sure our tent was going to go flying. I told josh that we better get in there before it took off! We hunkered down for an hour or so and the storm blew over. Luckily most of our stuff stayed dry. That night we had decided to make whatever food was still left in our bag. So we made 3 servings of pudding...holy cow it was a lot of pudding, and we only made it through about half. Josh was regretting it later when he had to walk like 1/4 mile to get to the bathroom in the rain!
This is the only picture I captured of our bag up in a tree. We had to tie it up every night to deter the bears. We never heard/saw one, but didn't want to risk it! Another wildlife oddity was this crazy rapid thumping noise. It got progressively faster and louder with each occurrence. We thought it was a motor someone was starting somewhere. Later we found out it was actually a mating call of a wren that beat his wings on his side faster and faster...nature is amazing!
The next morning we woke up to more thunder and lightening. We decided to push of early as we had a rendezvous meeting at 1pm where we entered Ensign Lake originally. We made it a few miles before we saw lightening hitting near by. That was code for get the heck off the water. We pulled over into a nearby campsite, tied the canoe up and headed for the trees. We hung out there getting feasted on by mosquitos. After 30-45 minutes we decided to push on - always worried about missing our shuttle and not knowing what time it was with no watch!!!
While it was rainy and chilly there was no more lightening. We saw lots of people camping on "hotel lake" once we made it back to Ensign. It was nice to see familiar water, knowing we were going to be home soon! We reached our last portage 3 hours before we were to meet or boat....crud. What are we going to do?
We consolidated our stuff, found a place off the trail for a quick pitstop and made some hot chocolate. It was great since we were pretty soaked - and just about that time the sun came out! We took our raingear off and just enjoyed the heat. While we sat there waiting we saw quite a few groups come through - mostly scouts from all over the country! Once group was led by a small female guide. She obviously had something to prove because once everyone was portaging she grabbed the canoe and was preparing to get it up on her shoulders. Some of the big men with her offered help - which she adamantly refused! She did some sort of hip rocking action counting 1, 2, 3 then immediately thrusting it up and then we watched attempting not to laugh as it came crashing down inverted on her head. Josh still laughs telling this story as she could have obviously asked for help...silly girl.
Willy was right on time and we enjoyed traveling at fast speed back to our outfitter. We took a very lovely shower checking for ticks and washing off a week of stink. I spoke to a lady in the shower who had been doing this for 15 years. She said this was the coldest and wettest it had ever been for her. Normally they would swim and have a fire every night, so she was kind of bummed. Good to know for our future adventures here!
We spent the night in Duluth. After Josh almost fell asleep driving - I took over. We were both pooped from being on high alert the whole time!! We enjoyed an awesome meal, soft bed and walking through the area down by the water. We got some gifts for the kids/grandmas and salivated in the store Duluth Pack who had every amazing camping/canoeing device you could imagine. Hand sewn canoe bags that were like $450...definitely fought the urge to buy the whole store!
I would say it was a very successful trip. We learned a lot and I am so happy I got to share it with Josh! We make quite the traveling companions! I cannot wait to take the kids there in a few years!!
No comments:
Post a Comment