pathandpaddle

Lakes Free 09

2009-10-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

September's trip was a group of men from my own church, Lakes Free in Lindstrom Minnesota. For this month's trip we headed to Winchell Lake which I consider to be in one of the most, if not the most, beautiful regions in the BWCA. There are a variety of ways to get there, most come from the south by way of the Brule Lake entry point (entry point 41). You can also come from the west by way of the Morgan Lake entry point (entry point 45). We choose to start our journey from the north putting in on Poplar Lake off the Gunflint Trail and entering the wilderness on Lizz Lake (entry point 47).

We met at the church around 2pm and sorted through the gear and loaded the trailer. We arrived at The Canoeist in Two Harbors around 6:30 to get our permit for entry the next day. Mike Keller operates The Canoeist and I encourage anyone headed to the BWCA to stop and check out his shop. You can purchase gear, permits, maps etc. Also check out The Canoeist website at http://www.thecanoeist.com/. Mike is very knowledgeable of the eastern region of the BWCA after guiding for Adventurous Christians in Grand Marias. Mike pointed out a couple of the nicer campsites in Winchell and bid us farewell.

We spent the first evening on the Gunflint Trail at a forest service campground on East Bearskin Lake so we would be close to our entry point the next morning.

Day 1

We awoke to a brisk morning, but a sunny one. The day turned out to be beautiful; perfect weather for the time of year. The leaves were beginning to turn and many were also falling on the portage trails. We spent to majority of the day traveling to Winchell Lake and conversing with a few other parties along the way. It seemed the weather had been very nice for them and we hoped it continued for us as well.

We chose a campsite on a point close to the middle of the lake. This was a great site with a good landing area for the canoes, lots of tent pads, and plenty of room. Across from us on the south shore was a high cliff with a bald knob at the top so some of us made plans for a trek there the next day. For dinner we had the traditional steak and potatoes for supper with some blueberry and pear cobbler for dessert. Later, we enjoyed some time around the fire getting to know each other better by sharing everything from how we came to Christ to some of our child hood antics.

Day 2

We were in no hurry because we were where we wanted to be, so we all took our time getting the ready for the day. I worked on breakfast while the others gathered wood. Kevin was our resident fisherman so he started beating the water around camp with a myriad of lures. It wasn't long berfore he had hooked a good size northern pike. No one was left unaware as we all heard Kevin yelling; "I've got one, I've got one." We enjoyed the fish for dinner later that night. Most of the day was spent in leisure, some went out fishing and exploring the lake while others hung out around camp. Later four of us paddled our way to the other side of the lake to hike up to the top of the cliff. We explored the shore line till we found a place where we could bush whack our way up to the top. Ken became our guide and found a trail that would lead us to the top. Along the way we found several interesting rock formations and a cave. When we arrived at the top we weren't disappointed; the view was beautiful, to say the least. You can view the photo album at the link provided below. That evening we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset and more conversation around the fire.

Day 3

We had another great day of fishing, exploring, eating and fellowship.

Day 4

We prepared to move camp back closer to our entry point knowing we would be leaving the next day. After breakfast we discussed our route back and broke camp. A funny thing happened, however, when shortly after each canoe launched people were headed in opposite directions. Apparently, there was some misunderstanding about the route back. Some being more adventurous thought we were headed back a different way which added several more portages while some were headed back the way we came in with just one little nuance in the route we took in. After we got everyone together we got our plan straighted out and began our paddle back. We paddled back to Horshoe Lake and found a nice campsite with three fairly flat tent pads, (a real luxury in the wilderness) to stay for the night. We enjoyed a couple different kinds of soup and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies from the dutch oven (see photo on the photo album page). As usual we enjoyed some edifying conversation around the campfire.

Day 5

Today we woke up and started packing. We got breakfast in just before it started to rain. Since it was Sunday we had "church" under the rain tarp before heading out onto water. The message was on Jesus use of parables. We prayed for the worship service back home going on at the same time.

After sharing it was time to pack up and head out. After packing up and loading the canoes I took one last look around to make sure we had everything and that our campsite was clean. Then we headed for our entry point. We had two portages and about three miles of water to cross. Things went smoothly until we got to Poplar's open water where we had to paddle into a strong head wind. It was a tough haul but we made good time back to the landing considering the wind. We changed shoes and loaded the trailer and off we went. This is the time I always call bittersweet. I'm always excited about going home to my family but start missing the wilderness as soon has I leave.

Can't wait till next time.

Swift Family Trip

2009-07-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

This month's trip was another for Piragis Northwoods Company in Ely. Come on you churches and youth groups out there!

The Swifts consist of Byron, Valeria, Gigi and Carl. Byron and Valeria live in Washington DC. Gigi lives in Brooklyn, NY and Carl is headed to China in a few weeks.

We entered the BWCA at entry point #16 Moose River north and paddled up to Lake Agnes, then through part of Lac La Croix, over to Pocket creek, down to Rocky Lake and spent the last night on Ramshead and then back out through the Moose river.

Here's the play by play:

Day 1 Moose River north to Lake Agnes

We arrived at the entry point around 9am. Gave a little lesson on how to portage and away we went. This first portage was a virtual sidewalk compared to the others we would walk in the coming days. Everyone did great. There were a few people at the river but we had enough space to put the canoes in and I showed everyone how to load them. Down the Moose River we went. It is a small intimate stream with great scenery and lots of birds for Byron. Byron is an avid bird watcher so he was having a good time. After arriving at Nina Moose Lake we paddled to the north end of the lake where there is a beautiful sandy beach. It made a great lunch stop. A good size deer appeared across the river. One was a buck with velvet antlers, being this early in the year. Headed on down the river to Lake Agnes where we took the campsite on the point of the northeast peninsula (#1803 I believe). Pretty nice site, tons of space. The funny thing is Carl and Gigi really wanted to go to this site because I had marked it with a star on my map. I think they were under the impression that this was the lake's best site. I explained that points and peninsulas typically have decent campsites and that some of my sources (http://www.bwca.com/) suggested this was a great site. It was a good site, but I wouldn't call it great.

We set up camp and enjoyed steak and potatoes for dinner. Great first day.

Day 2 Lake Agnes to Lac La Croix north of Lady Boot Bay

After a good night's rest it was a little hard to get out of the sleeping bag. For some reason I'm one of those guys that finds it easier to get out of a soft bed at home than out of my sleeping bag in the wilderness. That said, I always seem to be the first one up. We were in no hurry anyway--the Swifts were pretty laid back, which I can appreciate. It was a beautiful morning and the day would be perfect. When I learned of our route choice I was concerned about the weather we might face when we had to paddle Lac La Croix. The Lord blessed us with the perfect day--warm and calm.

We enjoyed our fresh food breakfast of bacon and eggs. From here on out it would be dehydrated/packaged foods. After breakfast we broke camp and hit the water around ten. I had been impressed with Carl and Gigi so far and they didn't disappoint that morning. They were always raring to go.

Cruised over the two portages to Boulder Bay and I was thrilled to see the big lake like glass. We ran into a group of teenage girls (Girl Scouts, I think) from IL. They were first-timers to the BWCA. Their leader was very experienced, however, so they were in good hands. They where headed over to see Warrior Hill. Legend has it that young Ojibwa braves would have to prove their manhood by racing up the steep hill of granite. I think that's how the story goes anyway. Warrior Hill is on Canadian soil,which legally US citizens aren't allowed on without a RBC (remote border crossing). They talked about climbing the hill so I warned them about doing that, although I'm sure people do it all the time. We were interested in seeing the pictographs on the cliffs to the northwest of Warrior Hill, so that's were we set our course for. But first we stopped to eat lunch on a nice island with a great flat rock to park our canoes. Byron and Gigi also enjoyed a swim.

We made it over to the cliffs to see the pictographs. Pictographs are ancient Indian paintings on cliff faces--usually close to the water line--and can be found at several locations throughout the BWCA and Quetico. They are usually paintings of animals, people in canoes, and other various symbols. We couldn't find the first set but the second set was very distinguishable. What I found cool besides the paintings themselves was the cliff they were on. It was high and hung over the water like a mini amphitheater. All in all they were worth checking out. Some hold these sites to be sacred and don't want them disturbed or pictures taken. I'm sure they have religious significance for native people, but I have no problem taking pictures. I am glad that people have not defaced them like in some places. Now it was on to camp.

Next we made camp on an island north of Lady Boot Bay so we could be close to Pocket Creek where we would be headed the next morning. After setting up camp everyone kind of enjoyed some leisure time. Byron and I took a swim and cleaned up with some bio-degradable soap. Carl and Gigi were reading Harry Potter since the new movie was coming out. Carl and Byron also went out to try their hand at some fishing.

We did a light dinner of potato soup and chowder since everyone was kind of doing their own thing. A little later we enjoyed some apple cobbler. Delicious!

Because of the limited tent pads available, I had decided to sleep in the screen tent. Unfortunately, we must have kept the zipper open too long. I think there were more mosquitoes in the screen tent than outside! I finally ended up putting up my tent inside the screen tent. My tent is just a little two man and the screen tent is 15x15. It would have been quite comical to see me try to sleep and swat at mosquitoes.

Day 3 Lac La Croix to Rocky Lake

This day began our breakfast of dehydrated foods--Rancho Huevos. I don't remember who prepared it, but it was way better than when I had cooked them last time. We took our time breaking camp and then headed for Pocket Creek. The weather was very windy, exact opposite of the day before. This, I thought, would work out perfect for us since we would be on creeks and smaller lakes. However, the wind blew down the small valley of the creeks we were on like a wind tunnel. I guess the creek corridor acted like a funnel for the wind. All in all it wasn't too bad.

We did the one short portage on Pocket Creek (where I left my life jacket and had to go back for) and then made the turn south into Ge-be-on-e-quet Creek where we decided to break for lunch since there were white caps on the lake with the strong wind blowing in our faces. Besides, there was a wonderful little waterfall to eat lunch by.

We waited out the wind for awhile after lunch, but with a storm moving in I made the decision to at least head to the campsite just down from the portage. That way if we did get hit by the storm and the wind didn't die down, we could at least make camp. The hardest part was getting the canoes loaded in the pounding waves, but we managed and headed out. Once on the lake the wind died down a bit so we kept going across the lake to the next portage. Only one little hiccup along the way: our canoe (Byron, Velaria and mine) got hung up on a boulder just under the surface of the water. The scary part was that the wind turned us broadside and I thought we might be taking a swim. We were able to free ourselves, however, and move on. We did have to stop on an island for a little spell because of lightning, but moved on after the storm.

We portaged into Green Lake, paddled down to the next portage and then over land to Rocky Lake. By this time it was getting late so we took the one campsite on the lake and had Rocky Lake all to ourselves. It was a nice little campsite with a lot of pine trees. The only drawback was the location of the latrine (aptly named the volcano by Carl and Gigi). It was up at the top of a steep hill. It was a dangerous proposition to use the volcano, let me tell ya.

That day turned into a longer day than expected with the wind and storm, but it put us in good position for the next leg of our trip.

Day 4 Rocky Lake to Ramshead

On that day we would paddle two lakes and two rivers. We began by leaving our private little campsite to see the one pictograph located on the west side of the lake. It was some kind of symbol, a plus sign with two lines. Maybe the Ojibwa were into math equations. I don't know what it was called and I guess I'm too lazy to research it.

We portaged into Oyster Lake, paddled around the long peninsula, and turned east towards the portage into Oyster River. Over land and into the river we went and traveled--I believe--upriver. The Oyster River connected us to the Moose River again. This short section was the only part of our route that we had already been on. But we then paddled into Ramshead creek and into Ramshead Lake. Our last campsite of the trip was on the northwest part of the lake. Pretty decent site, although no good tent pads. Most of the site was granite but flat, and I sent up my tent on the large slab.

Day 5 Ramshead back to the entry point and on to Ely

The last day of a BWCA trip is always bittersweet to me. I'm always excited to get home to see Dawn and the kids, but I always hope it's not too long till I get back again. I love going home but don't care to be back working for a living.

That day would be much harder than I--or probably any of us--had expected. There were two fairly long portages but they turned out to be very difficult terrain, so the fact that they were long only added to the misery. I must say, this entire route had many difficult portages made more arduous by the fact that most of them didn't have any good landing areas. We had our fair share of beaver dams to pull over as well. That said, my crew took it all in stride and never complained. Anyway, we paddled three lakes, one river and walked five portages. A little excitement at the end which caused me to lose my cool. After the long 22o rod portages the kids (Gigi and Carl) took off ahead of us into Nina Moose Lake. Nina Moose has two rivers that come into it at the south end--the Moose River and the Portage River. Both rivers lead out of the wilderness; however, the Portage River is a much longer trip out. And not to mention it goes to a different parking lot! We were at the west end of the lake headed east. The first river--not far from the portage--is the Moose River, which is the one we were supposed to take. I was so used to the kids going ahead of us and us following them. Then I looked up and saw a canoe--which I thought was them--and headed toward it. I watched this canoe go down the wrong river. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to ring their necks. While stopping and trying to decide what to do next--follow them, or hope they turn around when we don't show up--we saw a canoe emerge from the reeds behide us. It was Carl and Gigi! They had gone down the right river and we had paddled right past them. And of course they were wondering why we did that. Pweh! That was close. I learned a lesson that day: stay together! We hadn't seen anyone (except on a portage) for the last couple days, so when I saw the canoe in the distance that was the same color as the ones we were using, I thought it was them. We got back together and headed toward the entry point.

On the last leg of the trip up the Moose River there is a granite cliff that overlooks the whole valley. We passed it up on the way in since we wanted to get some miles behind us, but I was able to talk everyone into stopping and making the climb to the top to take in the view. We were all glad we took the time since it gave a great panoramic view of the valley. We could see the winding Moose River as it made its way to Nina Moose Lake. A must do if you take this route. We took some pictures and made our way back down the trail. A little while longer on the river and one last portage, and we were back at the parking lot. WE tied up the canoes and made it back to Piragis just before closing. I had to apologize to Laura, Adam and Wade for making their night a little longer but I will try to make it up to them next time.

After getting cleaned up we all met back at the Chocolate Moose for the traditional bacon cheeseburger and exchanged email address so we could share pictures. We then said our good-byes.

Another great trip in the books.

2009-06-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

This month's trip was not for Path and Paddle, but a trip I guided for Piragis Northwoods Company out of Ely. A group of five folks from the great state of Virginia came up to celebrate an 80th birthday. Rich and Lynn, Bill M., Bill T. and Walt-the birthday boy-were great to work for. We had a wonderful time and the weather wasn't that bad either.

We entered the BWCA at Moose Lake (entry point 25) and headed up through Newfound Lake then to Splash and base camped on Ensign. We found a spacious campsite to accommodate our tents, and most importantly, our Cooke Custom Sewing's tundra screen tarp (gotta give Dan Cooke his props). The screen tarp saved us from all the black flies.

A few events of note: We had a camp grouse that lived nearby. There was a big log in camp that he loved to jump up on and call for a mate. He didn't seem too concerned about us being there. A group of four geese with goslings parked next to our canoes one evening. A bear made off with our butter and pancake mix one night. Fortunately, he left us the rest of our food. And we have yet to determine an interesting sound or call we heard each evening. We are not sure if the sound we heard came from the vocal cords of a bird or if it was made by its wings. We could hear the sound and it seemed to move, but we never saw anything flying around.

The most amazing thing that happened to us was the wind direction, it was at our backs on the way in and the way out. First time that's ever happened.

All in all we had a great time and more importantly, so did the birthday boy. Here's to you Walt, happy birthday.

Sportsmans Show

2009-04-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the 11th annual Polk County Sportsman's Show. Path and Paddle along with Centuria Assembly of God was there in force. I say "in force" because we not only had a display to promote Path and Paddle but we also brought fifteen people (kids and adults) to help operate some of the Sportsman's Club's kid activities. The kids worked the trout pond and concessions while the adults helped with the parking. All in all it was a productive weekend. We generated some interest in P&P and raised some money. I want to say thanks to everyone who helped out to make it all happen.

I've been working together with the Polk County Sportsman's Club for a while now to help make it possible for kids from around the area to make a canoe trip to the BWCA. I will be giving a presentation at their next monthly meeting. I hope to create more interest and discuss fundraising ideas to help kids who normally wouldn't be able to afford to go on a trip. God willing this will help get P&P rolling so we can minister to more people this summer.

2009-04-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was privileged to be able to go up to the Fargo/Moorhead area to help save the city from the flood of 2009. I am grateful to my wife Dawn and my boss Jeremy for allowing me to be away for a few days. I am also grateful to our friends Jerry and Leah Oswald for housing me and feeding me during the three nights I stayed with them.

It was quite the event as some of you may know from news reports. By God's grace the cities have been spared so far.

For the most part I spent the few days I was there helping make sand bags. Jerry and I were able to help build a small dike in a Moorhead neighborhood. It was very hard work but very rewarding. I meet some great people from all over the Midwest and enjoyed making new friends.

In the past two days the Fargo/Moorhead area has been hammered with snow. This is not a problem for now. God willing the temperature will stay down and the snow will melt slowly. Hat's off to the thousands of volunteers who made sand bags, build dikes, provide food and equipment and dozens of services to help save those cities.

Canoecopia

2009-03-14T21:05:00.000-07:00

Made it back from Canoecopia 2009 in Madison, Wisconsin. My pal Steve and I had a great time visiting with old friends, making new ones and hearing all the reports about all the places people paddled last year. Oh, and all the cool canoeing stuff was fun too.

We attended some pretty interesting, educational and entertaining presentations from various trippers, authors and characters. My personal favorite was a presentation by Allen Barsema from Illinois. Allen celebrated his 60th birthday by taking a 90 mile canoe trip from the top (north) of Quetico to the bottom (south) end of the BWCA. He called this venture "Solo at 60: Atikokan to Ely". Allen had a great story but more importantly he was bold enough to include his faith in Jesus Christ into his presentation. It was very encouraging to hear someone explain that they see the Creator in the creation all around them. Allen had a great presentation.

Steve and I also enjoyed checking out all the new camping gadgets and the latest canoe models.

All in all another good year at Canoecopia. God willing my networking will help me get some new bookings for Path and Paddle too.

Can't wait till next year!

J & H Loggers

2009-03-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

J & H is well on it's way to having one hundred cord of fire wood to sell next season. After a snowy December and doing more snow plowing than wood cutting we have been making up for lost time. Jack and Jeremy do most of the harvesting and hauling and Tanner and I do the cutting and splitting. You can see in the picture that the wood is piling up. God willing we'll have it all stacked on pallets before mowing season starts.

This coming weekend my pal Steve and I are headed on our annual pilgrimage to Canoecopia in Madison Wisconsin. Canoecopia is the Mecca of the paddle sport industry. It's had to believe this will be are sixth year in a row attending this event. Check it out at http://www.canoecopia.com/ I'll have pics and a report next week.

Booking Season

2009-02-26T10:53:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. I've been making the rounds, knocking on doors and talking to any church group that will listen about taking a Path and Paddle trip. This past weekend Dawn and I were in Pulaski Wisconsin at New Life church. This is our third consecutive year at New Life. They are always very gracious and fun to visit with. We talked with a good number of people about joining us this summer on one of our trips. God willing we'll be seeing a group from New Life along with several other churches this summer.

Work continues on raising funds to acquire more equipment. Having all our own equipment helps keep cost down. Now that we have a new canoe trailer getting some more canoes are the biggest need as they are the biggest expense. I am grateful for close friends who have been gracious enough to offer to lend or lease (at low cost) canoes for Path and Paddle trips. It would be nice to replace some tents as well. If you would like to donate let me know.

On the preaching side of things I have been busy filling in for our Pastor while he has been gone from time to time. As some of you know I'm still searching for a church to pastor. I have posted my resume on a few church staffing websites and have also applied for six positions here in the Midwest. I have churches checking out the resume but know invitations as of yet. Keep praying. I know God has the right place out there in His time. If you know anyone who can help place me let me know.

Well, that's what happening. It has just starting snowing here in Shafer. We've been anticipating this storm all morning and it's finally here. So I'm going to be jumping in the plow truck and get ready for a long night. Summer can't come soon enough.

Journey to Manhood

2009-01-15T13:46:00.000-08:00

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 05/26/2006
Entry & Exit Point: Sawbill Lake (Entry Point 38)
Number of Days: 4
Group Size: 2

Trip Introduction:
Every father who has a son experiences that time when he realizes the boy is growing up fast. There comes a time for that man-to-man talk. Well, I decided it was about that time--and what better way to induct my oldest son (Jaryd, almost 11) into manhood than a real loop through the BWCA. I have taken both of my sons to the BWCA, but we have only base camped. I asked Jaryd if he was ready for such a trip and he said yes. I chose the Temperance River loop. Four days and three nights, just the two of us. Well, it turned out to be a good plan because neither of us will ever forget it.

Day 1 of 4
Friday, May 26, 2006

We spent last night in the van in the parking lot of Sawbill Outfitters, then got the canoe and gear down to the landing just before the outfitter opened up. We were the first ones on the water . The first portage was no problem. Jaryd did great--he was really pumped. He carried the food pack the whole 80 rods. Second portage was a little harder–more rocks and hills. Third was a brutally rocky 92 rods. Fourth one was brutally long but we made it without incident. Boy, was I proud of Jaryd! He never complained, we both just kept on pushing. Some nice folk from Eau Claire told us about a nice campsite on Cherokee straight across from the entrance to Cherokee Creek. We were happy to see that it was available. Set up camp and ate lunch, which was peanut butter sandwiches because I forgot the jelly. We went out fishing for awhile but had no luck. After dinner we sat by the fire enjoying the sunset and watched the stars come out. It was at that point we had our man to man talk, well I talked he listened. Good first day.

Day 2 of 4
Saturday, May 27, 2006
We were up before 6:00. You would think after a tough first day we would have slept longer. Made a great breakfast: egg and sausage bagel sandwiches with o.j. Took our time packing up and were on the water by about 9:00. First portage to Sitka Lake was brutally hilly and kind of long, the hardest one of the day. We leapfrogged it. We met two guys and a boy from Two Harbors who were coming from Brule. Sitka is a beautiful lake; I’d like to come back and fish it. A guy could come in from Brule and North Temperance pretty easily. Portage from Sitka to North Temperance was next–not bad. Next portage was from North Temperance to South Temperance–piece of cake. Jaryd and I both reveled in it after the other ones we had been on. The first site on the north shore closest to the portage was taken by a couple from The Cities with two dogs. The one English Springer tried to hitch a ride on our canoe, nearly causing our first spill. We moved on to the site on the northwest corner. It was a pretty nice site; however, some previous campers forgot their bait bucket or were too lazy to carry it out. I’m guessing it was the latter and if that was you–shame on you! It’s been somewhat windy since we arrived around 1 pm. After setting up camp Jaryd and I thought we’d take a swim. We thought the same thing yesterday with the same results: the water was too cold. So we just waded in and got our heads wet and washed off our pants. Tomorrow’s the big one: the Temperance River portage. I was praying that we could just float the river, but the Fisher map says it’s 240 rods and I assumed the portage was there for a reason. The river must be too shallow or clogged with timber to get through. We went to go check it out. After checking out the river, it looked like it could be floatable, but after talking to the couple with the dogs, they convinced us to just use the portage instead. We went out fishing and caught one bass. Talked to two guys staying on Brule and they said the fishing hasn’t been that good for them either. We had a good dinner of Rice-a-Roni and potatoes, saving some potatoes for breakfast. Man, this is great! Jaryd did very well today for having one of the harder portages–I’m very impressed with his good attitude as he keeps on plugging away. Hopefully we have gotten rid of some more weight foodwise, so each day should be easier. The big one was first thing tomorrow. It’s great just hanging out with my son by the fire, watching the stars come out. What an awesome place!

Day 3 of 4
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Jaryd and I were both up early and weren’t very hungry, so we broke camp and were on the water by 6:15. We paddled to our first portage of the day, which was the longest of the trip–240 rods. It actually wasn’t that bad, just long. I mentioned earlier that we thought about trying to float the river, but decided the portage was there for a reason. Definitely the right move. The portage parallels the river and you can see that even at high water it’s shallow and clogged with timber, and has a series of small, staircase-like rapids. Weather that morning was beautiful, but we would see later that it can change in a hurry. There were one or two more portages before Weird Lake–no problem. We wondered how that lake got its’ name...do weird things happen here? We arrived at Jack Lake and still hadn’t seen anyone...just a canoe on a site at the north end of the lake. Paddling down Jack Lake and just before we could make it into the portage into Kelly, a nasty thunderstorm hit. We were just a few hundreds yard from the portage we would find out later, but we had to get off the water fast and throw our rain gear on and wait it out. Thunder, lightening and, of all things, hail (pea to superball size) came down on us. Jaryd and I just laughed. We were experiencing all that the BWCA could offer. After getting bonked on the head by some big ones, we threw our lifejackets over our heads and waited about an hour till it stopped. We were once again on our way. I thought that in my hurry to get to shore before the storm hit I had missed the portage, but after closer inspection of the map I could see it was just around the corner. We portaged into Kelly and by the time we were halfway down the lake it was getting hot and muggy. Jaryd tried some fishing here, but it was more an exercise in frustration. Back on our first day, Jaryd had lost his pole in the lake on the first cast. Poor guy–he was miserable. He was so looking forward to catching some fish and using his new floating pliers to unhook them. He must have just sat there for about twenty minutes in silence. That left us with just my two spinning outfits, which Jaryd doesn’t do well with. He had trouble keeping the line from tangling. It was also pretty shallow and he kept hanging up lures. We paddled down Kelly to the portage into Burnt...”the big one”. Yes, I know I said before that the Temperance River was the big one, and it was the longest. This one was actually ten rods shorter, but very narrow and somewhat hilly. Since it had rained earlier, half the portage was a running stream. No fear! My man, Jaryd, kept on encouraging me that we could make it–and we did. We leapfrogged this portage as well. This technique works great on long portages. We were packed efficiently: two personal packs, one food pack, paddles, lifevests and fishing poles. My lifevest has a lot of pockets, so I eliminated the need for a tackle bag by putting all my fishing gear in it. We made it through to Burnt, then the 90 rod from Burnt to Smoke, so tomorrow we’ll have just one 100 yard portage to Sawbill and we’re back where we started. We took the first campsite closest to the portage on Smoke. This is a very spacious site, but somewhat abused. There were woodchips scattered everywhere, halfcut logs. We tried to clean up a little bit anyway. The bugs, in my opinion, haven’t been bad at all, but this site was definitely the buggiest of all. You could hear a constant hum of the hordes of mosquitos. It was like being in a production plant and hearing the constant buzz of machinery. But we were good...just wore a bug net and a BuzzOff hat that I got for Christmas. (Thanks, Jon!) We set up camp and since it had rained most of the wood was wet. Dad decided to show Son how to build a fire when all the wood’s wet. We found some nice pieces of cedar and pine to split up to get to the dry part of the wood. I split the cedar into kindling, shaved off some tinder the slick way Cliff Jacobson does. The fire started going and so Dad says, “See, Son, that’s how you do it.” However, the fire just couldn’t seem to keep on going. It would burn good and then just die out. The only way I could keep enough heat to cook was to feed it birch bark. We got most of dinner cooked, but I finally broke out the stove to finish up the job. We had eggs and sausage for dinner because Friday Jaryd had knocked our shells and cheese into the dirt while it was cooking and we had to use an extra meal. It’s funny now. After dinner Jaryd read his Gentle Ben book while I did dishes and put away the gear. After dusk we went down to the shore since the bugs had abated and watched the stars come out. I just sat there in silence stargazing and asking my Lord, “Why is this place so compelling to me?” There’s something about the wilderness that can’t be explained. When I look at these stars tonight, Psalm 19:1-2 come to mind: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.” What a beautiful last night!

Day 4 of 4
Monday, May 29, 2006
Jaryd and I were both up early. We packed up camp and headed for the portage between Smoke and Sawbill. It was sunny and beautiful. Knowing this was our last portage and we’re back where we started was plenty of motivation to breeze through the 90 rods. From the portage to Sawbill landing we saw several other groups heading in. There were two rangers headed out on patrol. We exchanged hellos. That was the first time in four years that I have seen forest rangers in the Boundary Waters. We arrived at the landing around 8:30 am. I bought Jaryd a t-shirt, we took some pictures, and we’re off down the Sawbill trail. One interesting note: a few miles or so from camp was a depression in the road filled with water. Any of you who have been to Sawbill probably know what I’m talking about–it’s like a small pond. Anyway, I was caught off guard because my attention was drawn to the little red flags on the four corners marking the pond. Splash! At about 35 mph, it was like the log ride at an amusement park. It was only then that I remembered seeing the pond on the way in. The difference was that it had been dark and I was already driving slow. It was a “unique” experience. We made it through.
So that’s our trip. I took a boy to the wilderness and brought back a man, well a small man, but a man none the less. We were headed home down the North Shore to I-35 and all the holiday traffic waiting for us. I love the North Shore drive–it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Happy paddling!

Warmer Days

2008-12-15T16:40:00.000-08:00

The high today was -4. I spent the night plowing snow and dreaming of warmer days.

This past summer one of the trips I guided was a couple from Germany, Claus and Amut. We had a wonderful time together and we stay in contact via email. I took a lot of pictures on the trip and they did as well. I have been anxiously waiting to see their pictures. So just in time for the cold, they sent me a link to view their photo album. Made me warm just to see them and remember the trip. You can see my photo album of the trip on the photo gallery page.

Here are the trip highlights:

Entry point #14 Little Indian Sioux River

I guided this trip for an outfitter out of Ely so it was a 4/day 3/night trip

Day 1
Made out our way down the Little Indian Sioux to Upper Pauness Lake and had a lunch of gorp and PBJ on some interesting Swedish crackers. Portaged into Lower Pauness and then into Shell Lake and found a great camp site at the north end of Con Island. Set up camp, enjoyed a swim and cooked some steak and potatoes for dinner--with apple crisp for dessert. Mmm! That night we also enjoy watching some beavers in the little inlet right next to us. I want to add that Claus and Amut really did well paddling for their first time in the BWCA. They seemed to pick up on things fast. I enjoyed their eagerness to learn all the facets of canoeing and camping in the BWCA.

Day 2

We all enjoyed a good night's sleep then had an interesting breakfast of dehydrated eggs. I usually bring fresh eggs, so this was a new experience for me. Let's just say I'll stick with fresh eggs and sausage. We got packed up and on the water just before the wind kicked up. Fortunately, we only had to paddle about 300 yards to the first portage. Claus and Amut, as I said, picked up on things fast so we made it across fine. Made the 50 rod portage to Heritage and got on the water. A thunderstorm was moving in fast so we paddled to a vacant campsite and got a tarp up just before the downpour hit. We spent the next two hours getting to know each other a little more and looking at the pics we had taken on our digital cameras. After the storm we paddle north up the lake and into Heritage creek. There was a campsite on the point of the creek with some little boys playing. I think one was five, the other seven. They were having a great time, as most kids do, just hanging around camp. The funny thing I found out after talking to their dad, was that they were here with another gentlemen because Mom wouldn't let Dad take the boys off to the wilderness without someone who had more experience. When he found out that I was guiding the couple I was with, he asked for my name and number so he had someone to bring them back next time. (Of course I gave him my business card.) It's funny what guys will do to get another trip in the BWCA. Anyway, found the long portage (220 rods) to Loon Lake and headed off down the trail. This was the only time we put on any head nets since it was pretty humid and buggy on the trail. The trail was somewhat over grown in some spots so I assume it's not used a whole lot. Towards the west end of the portage, it opens up into a small prairie and then a nice beach on beautiful Loon Lake. I spoke with one of the other guides who had been there just a few days before doing the loop from the opposite direction. He and his client had some difficultly finding the beginning of the portage. I could see why! The path was not distinguishable from the beach or even when you walked into the prairie. Claus and Amut came along and found some wild strawberries. We took a few pics on the beach and got on the water. Loon has some very nice beach campsites; however, they were mostly taken. We found a campsite on a point northwest of the portage. Once again, enjoyed a good dinner and dessert and some time around the fire before going to bed.

Day 3

Woke up to a sunny haze and the sound of a motor boat. Loon Lake is one of the few border lakes which allows a 25 horsepower motor limit. There are several outfitters who shuttle clients from Crane Lake up to Lac La Croix to get them stared on their canoe trips. They have boats with canoe racks on them (there are a couple pics of one in the photo album). We also had some fishermen trolling by the camp. At one point they caught a fish right out in front of camp. We quickly tried to lay claim to it siting that each camp has an easement out into the water. The fishermen didn't buy it, however. Had a good breakfast anyway, packed up camp and headed south back to the Little Indian Sioux and Devil's cascade. Enjoyed a great paddle on a great sunny day. There was a little wind but nothing we couldn't handle. Made it to Devil's cascade for lunch. The portage from the LIS to Upper Pauness is around a deep ravine through which the river runs, creating several cascades. The portage itself is one big uphill. Once at the top, a trail leads to a campsite from which you can see the largest of the cascades. The campsite was vacant so we enjoyed our lunch and the scenery. It was pretty windy up there though. Devil's cascade was about halfway down the trail so we finished lunch and headed down the rest of the way. At the end of the portage we met a party of two families. Clearly it was their first time in the BWCA. All their gear was loose (not in a pack). They had coolers, lawn chairs, Wal-mart and garbage bags, etc. We talked for awhile and they headed down the portage. They seemed in good spirits so I hoped that after the long portages and bad weather they would still be enjoying themselves. A lot of people come to the wilderness without the knowledge of what to bring or how to pack it. However, like all of us they somehow still have a great time and learn something--and come better prepared the next time. Took some pics and paddled to look for our last night's camp. We checked out quite a few sites till we found an open one. Upper and Lower Pauness Lakes hold the first available campsites from the #14 entry point so most of them are usually occupied. We were fortunate enough to come across a party just leaving one of the better sites. We checked out a lot of sites on these lakes on the way through the first time and to tell you the truth, I wasn't impressed with most of them. So we set up camp for the last night. Claus and Amut were pros by now at this aspect of wilderness camping. They decided they wanted to cook dinner that night. We decided on some dehydrated stir fry. This meal was the one meal I would remove from the outfitter's menu. Let's just say it left some bad "after effects". At least we were outside. Enjoyed a beautiful sunset and some time around the fire before turning in for the night.

Day 4

The great thing about this day is that we weren't too far from the entry point so we could take our time heading out. The Little Indian Souix is more of a lazy, weedy river so there's not much current. The water level was good so we had no problems paddling. On the way out we started meeting a lot of parties coming into the wilderness. We met one couple (Craig and Beth) and their two little girls who were paddling a beautiful custom built ceder strip canoe. I asked them about it and if I could take their picture, to which they graciously agreed. Craig told me that it was a graduation present from his Dad and brother. Wow! Now that's some graduation present. We ended up following them out and also ran into them at dinner. They ended up sitting right next to us at the Chocolate Moose in Ely. Another interesting group we ran into was a group of teenage girls with their counselor from a camp of some kind. What was interesting was that they were dressed to go to the beach--not the wilderness. We ran into them on the portage into the wilderness. We said hi and talked a little. We offered to help with some of their "luggage" but they declined. The look on a few of their faces said, "What in the world did I sign up for?" I trust they survived and had a good time doing it. The portage runs alongside the river and had a small waterfall about the halfway point. It was pretty hot and while taking some pictures I almost decided to jump in. After making it to the parking lot we took some more pictures, tied up the canoes and made our way back to Ely. Claus and Amut invited me to dinner where we meet up with some of their friends from Virginia, Minnesota. We had a great time reviewing our trip with them. I'm happy to say that Claus and Amut were very happy with their first BWCA trip and looked forward to sharing their stories with their friends back home in Germany.

Here We Go!

2008-12-14T14:44:00.000-08:00

So, now that the Path & Paddle website is live I guess it's time for me to learn how to blog. This seems like a great way to keep people updated on the Path & Paddle ministry so here's what's been happening.

The new website is live thanks to Brent, Craig and Jon. Love the layout! There are a few corrections to be made but I'm excited about how this will help move the ministry forward.

I'm am so fired up about our new canoe trailer. There are several people who helped this happen. First Ken Rosenthal. Ken is the one who really encouraged me to start guiding groups in the BWCA. Last year Ken donated a trailer to help with carrying canoes. Although this particular trailer was to heavy duty for a canoe trailer I was able to sell it and buy a new trailer frame and the hitch. Second, Kevin Bristlin. Kevin donated all the tube steel and lumber to make the trailer. He also allows me to keep it at their property. Third, Mike Glenna. Mike was the mastermind who drew up the plans and welded it all together. I just told him what I wanted, showed him a few pics of some other trailers and he made it. It is awsome! I'll be the envy of every outfitter in Ely when I drive through town.

I continue to make new contacts and meet new people interested in getting their church involved in taking a Boundary Waters canoe trip. I have also had talks with other non-profit youth organizations interested in taking groups to the BWCA. If our Lord so wills I should have at least several groups for the up coming season. I'm excited about speaking at some new churches and going back to others. My goal is one group each month from June through October. Here are this year's trip dates.

June 10-14

July 8-12

August 12-16

September 9-13

September 30-October 4