Camping 2008 Part 1

Here we go, first few days of the camping journal. Nothing real exciting, but maybe that's the point. For us it is. Just a chill, relaxing trip into the woods. Oddly enough, this trip opens with probably our only competitive incident in a decade. I can only think of 2 times we've gotten into an unofficial race with a canoe. This was #2.

And to avoid confusion, "alpha" and "beta" refer to fishing spots and were spawned as jokes. We typically give our best spots nicknames so we can keep them straight. After finding alpha we went back and forth on names. After having most of mine rejected by Dad I jokingly said something about naming 'location alpha' and made some other Navy Seal joke. The name just kinda stuck. After that, beta was a pretty easy move. Yes, we get a bit strange after all that time in the woods. Might not come up in today's post, but I wanted it out there. I think I'll just do the travel days today and start next time with fishing/camping days.
Janice is the Quetico Park ranger who is almost always at the Cache Bay Station. She's only gone for 2 weeks when she gets her vacation.




A lot has happened since last year’s trip. Emily & Mike got married in October 2007, Emily and Mike bought a house in Arlington Heights, and Jarod and Hayley got married in July 2008. I felt privileged that Jarod was going to go camping with me before he even went on his own honeymoon.

9-29-08. Friday.
Jarod flew in at about 9:30 A.M. which gave us time to do some shopping. We bought a new metal gas bottle after going to several places. Last year our original plastic bottle started to leak after many years, so we replaced it with 2 new metal cans. That would give us enough fuel to cook breakfast with gas plus do our daily shore lunch. On cold days it was nice to have a fire in the morning to get warm, but if is warm or wet, using the gas sure sped up the process.

Emily got a new Boston terrier, Zinny, at the start of summer so that she could have it house broken before she went back to school in the fall. It is a high energy chewing machine and we looked after it all day. Needless to say, Zinny and Jarod got along well. We had everything packed and in the car before Mike and Emily came over for a pizza supper.

It has been very dry at home and I have been watering for several weeks. The park website said that there was no fire ban, but we never know what to expect when we actually set foot in the park.

8-30-08. Saturday.
We did the traditional up at 4 AM and on the road by 4:45 AM. The sky was clear all the way with the temperature in the 80’s. There was much more traffic than normal because Labor Day weekend was in full swing. Grand Marais was full of people as we just stopped for gas and kept on going to Clearwater. The help were all out working when we arrived at 3 PM, so we just went to BlackBear for supper a little early. It was good we did because the locals all started showing up between 4 and 5. When we got back to Clearwater, we checked in, got settled in the bunk house, and got the canoe. It was completely overgrown by wild raspberry bushes but in good shape. We noticed that the Clearwater people had been patching canoes on the back porch and left some Bondo. After Lynn gave us permission to use what was left, we mixed it up and put it on the front and back of our canoe to cover the exposed fabric. It worked very well and was dry before we put the canoe back on the car.

In the lodge we met a couple from just north of Louisville who were going to do a fly-in the next day. They had camped for years and now flew in and stayed in a cabin. No cold and wet camping for them anymore. It did sound nice. The night before entry is always an anxious time knowing that we were just sitting around killing time now but in a few hours we were going to have a huge amount of work to do. Everything in its own time and now all we could do was wait. It always seems like a treat to be in the bunk house. It has a solid roof, solid wood floors, windows, and indoor plumbing plus lots of room to walk around and a light switch. It started to get dark around 9 PM and so we got our pillows from the lodge and went to bed.

8-31-08. Sunday.
The night was dry and cool which made for good sleeping. I was already awake when the alarm rang at 5AM. Getting dressed we knew that this was the last time we would be so comfortable for quite a while. It was still dark as we walked to the lodge to use their milk with the cereal we brought with us. We left Clearwater by 6 AM and were at the landing by 6:45 in time for our 7AM pickup. We quickly loaded our gear into the tow boat and pushed off. The boat was newer than we were used to and even had a two way radio for the pilot. The radio was calling before we ever got more than 20 yards from the shore. When the pilot asked who we were, I knew what was up. We were on the wrong boat; this one was a Seagull boat and intended to take a different group. Our boat was just now coming into the bay. We circled around and unloaded all our gear just as a vehicle from Seagull came and unloaded a canoe and two people.

This was the first time anyone else had gone out the same time we had. They did not act gracious and let us get out first. They loaded their boat right next to ours with a sense of urgency that seemed they felt we were in their way. We got our gear loaded into the correct boat and left just seconds before they did. I felt very competitive at that point and found myself unhappy at the prospect that we got up in the dark, arrived at the landing 30 minutes before they did but yet they might leave first. My civilization ways hadn’t left me yet and for some reason it was important to be first.

We got to Hook Island and spent about 10 minutes talking to the pilot about good fishing spots and techniques he knew about on Kawnipi. I had to dig a hole and leave a present on the island before we started out for Janice. I knew that the other boat would be coming right behind us so we shouldn’t waist time, but our 3 packs were ready to just drop into the canoe as soon as they would pull into the bay. To our surprise, they didn’t pull into the bay but instead they stopped out in the opening, dropped their canoe into the water and loaded it from the tow boat. I was correct; they were deliberately trying to beat us to Janice. That hole was going to have to wait.

As we saw them start to paddle, it was our turn to just let them go first, or not. NOT. We jumped into our canoe and started after them. They were clearly trying to beat us and now it was an issue of honor. The west wind was picking up as they headed straight into it towards Janice. Although we were racing, I didn’t want to run them down in such an obvious fashion so I headed for the shoreline on the right. It was a longer course but we could get out of the wind and I knew that we could really fly on calm water.

Jarod knew what I was doing but expressed his belief that it wasn’t going to work. They were pulling away as we headed North rather than West. It was quite a dilemma to figure out the correct course. To just cut over and get into calmer water sooner, we would have to travel farther. To cut the angle and travel a shorter distance, we had to stay in the wind and intersect the shore farther up. I was determined to pay the distance price and work our way over sooner and get into the calm or else my plan had no advantage at all. By the time we were in the shelter of the shoreline, it seemed that we had managed to keep the distance between canoes about the same as when we started. Now we closed the gap and managed to get to the point entering Cache Bay in front of them. We were very careful to not make eye contact with them but they knew we were racing and we knew they were racing. I could see in my peripheral vision that once we got to the point their stroke count dropped and they knew they were beat.

It still was a couple miles in the wind to the ranger island and I always was wondering if they would try a last ditch effort and pass us. We kept paddling strong so as to not let them get any ideas of making a run for it. In the end, we were successful in getting to the dock first. It was a good feeling. These guys were not amateurs and we beat them.
Janice was on vacation for the week so we had a nice talk with Lisa. While we filled out the paperwork, the radio told Lisa that the forecast was for strong winds and the temperatures highs were going down to 50 later in the week. Yikes!

There was so much snow last winter and then so much spring rain that they had 50 year high water in the early summer. Only experienced people were allowed to go through the Falls Chain. First timers were not allowed to go through and had to change their trip plans. The water for us was only about two feet lower than the spring highs. The BWCA had a total fire ban but the Quetico had none although the fire danger was high.

The other canoe came in a short time after we did and they sat outside the ranger house while we finished with Lisa. I took the time to take advantage of the latrine behind the ranger cabin. It was long overdue and I knew that I couldn’t make it to Silver Falls without a stop. This way I got to sit on the throne of the victorious.

We pulled our canoe and gear over to the side of the Silver Falls portage and took time to rest. It is always fun to mix up the Gatorade, take 4 granola bars, and sit on the rocks right by the edge of the falls. It is the first time in the trip that getting wet or dirty doesn’t matter; we start to just do whatever feels right at the time. If we are tired, just sit on the dirty ground.

After about 20 minutes or so, we finished and walked back to our canoe. The other canoe was just coming into the portage as we were closing our pack. A couple minutes sooner and we would have hiked over the portage in front of them, but now we just stood there and watched them. They were very good and we were correct in thinking they were experienced. The first person got out, took a big pack, some gear, and started to portage. The other guy put the canoe on his shoulders while it was still in the water and he followed on the portage. No chance of passing them on their return trip, they were single portaging like us. That was the last time we ever saw them.

We had the wind at our backs all the way down Saganagons which really helped with our energy levels. It was hot and clear all day long; what a beautiful day. Jarod was so pleased with the BWJ pack I got him last year that he got me one this year. It did a really good job of getting the weight off my shoulders and onto my hips. Thanks son.

We mentioned to Lisa that we saw a green canoe last year in Canyon Falls when we were coming out. She told us that it had gotten away from a group of girls, nobody was hurt. After the high water washed it down in the spring, people had been breaking it up and carrying it out. We saw pieces of it on the campsite at the base of the falls as we passed by.

We were into a strong wind all the way down Wet Lake which always is very tiring by that point in the day. By the time we got the Kawnipi, there were white caps forming. We stayed close to the south shore but it took a real effort to cross the white caps to get to our camp. The water level was so high we just paddled right up to the front of camp. Jarod made the decision to move the tent to a small space just to the west of the normal spot. It worked out well as we avoided sleeping on a tree root and a rock.

I bought a new rain fly for camp and got the next larger size. It turned out to be huge. We laughed as we put it up and joked that if it were just a little bit bigger, we could move the tent under it. It was very nice to not have any leaks and it served us well the entire time we were there.

We used the gas stove to cook noodles for supper and then had our cigars while watching the night sky. There was no moon so we just watched stars and eventually were amazed at the size and brightness of the Milky Way. I had spent the summer cutting down at least a dozen trees buy hand and chopping them up into fire wood. My cardio was off the charts and it really helped me today. I was tired but not exhausted like some years.

I bought new portage shoes which worked out very well. They provided good traction, dried quickly, and offered good support. A couple weeks earlier Genelle had put a patch on the knees of my pants which she told me wouldn’t hold but I knew better. As I sat in camp at the end of the first day, both knees had already blown out. Man, I hate it when she is right like that. Now I have to go the whole trip with only one pair of pants.

Old Camping Journal

Most of you probably don't know that every summer around Labor Day my dad and I head up into the Canadian wilderness for a 1.5-2 week camping trip in the Quetico Park. And no, this is nothing like Jellystone Park or other camp grounds you may be thinking of. It's pure, untouched wilderness that has been designated as a wilderness park to keep it that way. The little island we spend our time is here: 48.377713,-91.209903. The trek begins roughly 10 miles (as the eagle flies) south east in Saganaga Lake. There is a little island, Hook Island, on US-Canada boarder (48.225049,-90.963367). We get dropped off there at ~7:30am with our 3 packs and our canoe. These are packs weighing 70, 35, and 30 lbs each, along with an extra 65lbs for the canoe once the roads and other gear gets lashed in. From there we paddle out south west, around Cache Point, and into Cache Bay to stop at the ranger station for our camping and fishing permits and to catch up with Ranger Janice. She's been manning that station for 26 years now, and we've seen her all but 1 of our ~14 trips there. After that we head north and up what is known as the "Falls Chain" route into the park. It gets it's name from the 8 or so waterfalls/rapids that must be portaged around in order to make it to Kawnipi Lake. Portages are best described as poorly-maintained trails through the woods. They are rocky, rooty, marshy, terrible things. As long as you can physically get a canoe from start to finish, no maintenance is done. You often find downed trees you have to step over, creeks you need to leap across, along with some truly dangerous drops less than a foot off of the narrow portage. All while carrying over 100lbs of gear (2 packs or a pack and the canoe). All in all, we travel something like 20 miles of portages and paddling in a really long, 10-12 hour travel day. Much longer than any outfitter would recommend, but we want to get to our little island asap so we can set up for some fishing and only make camp once.
Lucky for us, that first day is the most energy we'll have to expend for quite awhile. We'll spend the next 5-8 days just chilling on Kawnipi and fishing. We've even cut down our exploring over the years as we find more and more great fishing spots in close proximity. Each one works better/worse in various weather conditions, so we just wake up and see what mother nature has in store for us and head out to the appropriate spot. Fish for a few hours keeping only enough for lunch, then pull off at any number of great spots for shore lunch of fresh fried fillets. You really can't get any better fish than what we have. Within about 30 minutes the fish for from swimming around on the stringer to being fried and on our plates. Typically we eat mainly walleye, but depending on what we get first it could also be smallmouth bass or northern pike. You never know what they day will bring, so we just keep the first 2-3 fish we catch. After lunch and the occasional short nap we repeat the sequence for dinner. 1 less fish and a side dish is really the only difference. It's the perfect life.
Dad wisely keeps a journal during the trips so we can actually remember what happened when afterwards. It's shocking how everything just blends together even after a couple days. And you see so many incredible things, it's easy to forget some of them. Everything including fishing highlights, weather conditions, wildlife seen gets written down. Dad will then type it all up in later in a more concise and flowing form. It's always interesting to see how many comments we make about the weather when we're there. Unlike home life, it really is the driving factor in everything you do. Where you fish, what you wear, even whether or not it's safe to even leave camp. We usually have at least 1 day every trip where a front moves in and the wind/waves prevent us from safely being out in the canoe. So the journal has constant references to temperature, cloud cover, wind speed and direction, etc.
So that's the gist of what we do. And for the first time, I'm going to start publishing the journal entries here. I'll start with the 2008 trip while dad assembles the official 2010 version. (We had to skip 2009 due to my shitty job working for hellish IQuum. Not that I'm bitter or anything...)
I'll start this week and put them out there in reasonable chunks with some edits made. I'm sure no one really wants to read every detail about the trip. Anyone that wants to hear more can just let me know and you can get the unedited version. And of course I can offer up many many stories from trips past.