IOU Boundary Waters Canoe Area...

8/5/06

The drive up to Ely, MN from Des Moines, IA is just over 500 miles. Ten IOU members met at 6:00am to begin our journey up north, to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area ‘don’t ya know’!

We decided to take the scenic drive along the shore of Lake Superior. While we were passing by Gooseberry Falls State Park we decided to get out and put our toes into the Lake, just so we could say we did it. The stop took a bit longer than we thought it would because there were so many things to look at. Gooseberry Falls itself is very beautiful. It actually contains three separate falls (maybe four I can’t remember). The park was very busy but we looked around the visitor center for a few minutes than wandered over to the falls. People were swimming and playing in the falls which looked like a lot of fun.

After climbing around for a while on the rocks around the falls we decided to head down to the lake. It was a bit further walk than we though it would be but it was worth it to get out of the car and stretch for a while. The lake shore was beautiful. The outlet of the stream provided a perfect little backwater and place to wade through to a beach. Most of Lake Superior’s shore line was rocky with deep water. We waded in the lake and crawled around on the rocky shoreline.

The stop took a bit longer than we anticipated and so we were now running late. We made a bee line to the Wolf Center in Ely. Well I wish it was a bee line because it would have been a lot straighter than the road we took. I would have loved to watch the scenery go by, but for the next hour I hid my head under a blanket in the back seat hoping I would fall asleep before the queasiness kicked in. The road was hilly and very curvy and I am not known for my tolerance of twisty roads. The ill effects began to creep in but thankfully never reached their normal proportions and I am happy to report that I did not get car sick! 

The wolf center was pretty neat. After we got our permits taken care of we purchased entrance to the wolf center and began to explore. Our first stop was wolf program which was about to begin. The young lady doing the program told us about the problems of human and wolf interaction. Why wolves are an important part of the ecosystem and important to have around. If you want to know more about wolves and wolf conservation visit their website to learn more http://www.wolf.org/wolves/index.asp.

The wolves were relaxing when we first got their. Actually, at first glace I didn’t even see the gray wolves. I looked into the structure and saw the white arctic wolves because they stood out like sore thumbs but the gray wolves were laying right next to each other looking much like rocks. In fact, it took me a minute to realize that they were wolves, not rocks. In a short time the wolves became active. The day was cooling down and the wolves were becoming frisky. They stopped lounging around and began to explore and play. It was fun to watch. I even got a few cute photos, which the wolves were nice enough to pose for.

The exhibits were very interesting to look through as well. The kids room has some great interactive exhibits to look through. There is a great room in which the history of wolves is explained in great deal. It tells how wolves got such a bad rap and shows their more curious and important roles to the ecosystem. By the way, I am including a photo taken inside the wolf center of their diorama. I didn’t notice the sign that said no flash photography until after the photo was taken. So if you go and want to take a similar picture, don’t use your flash.

The wolf center closed at 7:00 pm but they were having a wolf howl that night. We didn’t have enough time to go to that but it sounded cool. Basically, the staff and visitors participating in the event would howl to the wolves and hope they would howl back.

Outside the wolf center we got Biner (Mike’s dog named after a carabineer, crazy climbers) out of the car. We wanted to get a photo of him with the bronze statues outside the wolf center. It was funny to see him approach the statues. They looked like wolves and he was very cautious thinking they may attack. In fact, he even cowered at first then tentatively sniffed one’s nose then it’s butt. It was pretty funny.

We checked in with the outfitter, got settled into our bunkhouse for the evening then went out for pizza. When we got back to the bunk house and worked until very late to repack our bags into the Duluth packs. That night I put ear plugs in and hoped the other nine people and one dog would not keep me awake. When we went to bed it was very hot in the bunkhouse but the fans and cool temperatures outside cooled it down quickly and it was a bit cool when we got up in the morning.

8/6/06

In the morning the outfitters made us pancakes before we loaded up our gear and hit the road. That morning we took the last shower we would for a week. Because there were ten of us we had to divide into two groups. BWCA only allows 9 people to travel together in a maximum of our boats. We had five boats and 10 people which can equal a $250 fine if you are caught together. So from here on out we were in one group of six and one group of four. I was in the group of four.

Here are a couple of things you should remember when visiting the BWCA. It is a “Leave no Trace Area” which means if you bring it in you need to bring it out. This includes any leftover food. If you don’t finish your dinner you should put it in your garbage bag. Providing an artificial source of food can be bad for wild animals. That also means you should not burn anything other than the dead wood you find around your camp. This includes paper, plastic, batteries, foil, or food, all of which our group found in the fire pits.

Another thing to remember is that soap is not allowed in the lake. Any washing you do should be with biodegradable soap at least 200 feet from a water source. And only put TP in the toilets.

We entered at entry point 30. It is easy to miss the turn and go into a dead end area. So hug the south shore and go into the finger on the south which looks like it dead ends. We passed a resort on the way into the Boundary Waters, also the last building we would see for the week.

The BWCA is very beautiful. We paddled through lakes 1, 2, 3, 4, and into Hudson Lake. We went through several portages throughout the day. We stopped at the Hudson Lake portages and looked around for a while. In one place I tried to ride the rapids on but butt wearing a lifejacket. It was sort of fun but would have been even better if the water a little higher. We watched a female mallard with her chicks feeding in the rapids and saw a mink attempting to sneak up on them. We camped on the south shore of Hudson Lake and camped on the south shore. We were on the first campsite next to a lotus bed.

We set up camp and relaxed for a while and had dinner. Around sunset we paddled through the lotus bed and saw some beaver. It looked like it would be a great place to see wildlife in morning or in the evening.

A quick dip in the lake and we headed to bed for the evening.

Menu:
Breakfast: Pancakes at the Outfitters
Lunch: Crackers, summer sausage, cheese in a can, chex mix and lemonade.
Dinner – Mashed potatoes, gravy, chicken bits (added to gravy), canned corn and vanilla pudding.

Note: Put items that can leak (like our dehydrated mashed potatoes or vanilla powder) into a freezer bag so that it won’t get wet or leak if it gets squished.

Weather: Very windy, clear, 80’s, night was in the upper 50’s.

Wildlife Sightings:
- Common Mergansers
- Mink
- Ducks
- Hawks
- Mouse or Shrew
- Beavers

8/7/06

Our camp got up at about 8 am. We had lost radio contact with the other group the day before when they stopped because of the wind. Our group kept going so we could pass the portages on the to Lake Hudson and only need to portage the 105 rod portage (a rod is 16 ½ feet). We had camped just on the other side of the Hudson Portage.

While packing up the campsite, me taking a lonely dip (as everyone else was too wimpy to do so;-)) and eating breakfast the other group got a hold of us. They were on their way across the portage. We greeted them as they passed our campsite then followed after them a few minutes later.

That day we canoed from Hudson Lake into Lake Insula and set up camp. We saw a cow moose! It was pretty cool until a group of boy scouts ruined the moment by canoeing right up to the moose making lots of noise. It upset the moose and made her very nervous. Besides being inconsiderate of our wildlife viewing and the moose, it was also very dangerous for them. Moose are wild animals and can be very aggressive especially if she had a calf in the area.

After setting up camp we canoed over to the other camp (always making sure not to violate the 9 person rule). We went swimming and exploring some of the islands in the area. Doug and I even found a small cliff to jump off of. Oh yeah, I think Melissa and Doug both did some fishing and each caught a few fish.

It was probably one of our most relaxing days. We were saving up our energy for a big paddle the next day.

We ate later and then watched the moon rise over the lake. It was so beautiful!

Menu:
Breakfast: Granola and hot chocolate
Lunch: Bagels and Peanut Butter and Jelly, Dried Apples and Granola Bars
Dinner: Lasagna, canned green beans, blueberry cheesecake

Weather: Gentle Breeze, Partly Cloudy, High: 86, Low 53 (in a tent)

Wildlife Sightings:
- Hawk
- Cow Moose
- Bald Eagle
- Common Merganser
- Gray Jay
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Loons
- Toads
- Clams
- Painted Turtle
- Snapping Turtle
- Mallards
- Dragonflies eating mosquitoes
- Red Squirrels
- White Admiral
8/8/06

Well despite our hope to get on the lake early we didn’t. We were definitely the late riser group. After breakfast we visited the other camp and borrowed the GPS unit before we set off for Fishdance Lake.

As we canoed to Fishdance we paddled past several campsites marking them on the GPS unit. We had lunch at Williamson lake which would be a very nice place to camp, maybe next trip. Our whole group agreed that Alice Lake would not be the best place to camp. It was very large and if there was wind it would be very windy and miserable.

We reached Fishdance Lake after two portages (the second which was supposed to be a 70 rod portage felt much longer). We left around 11 am and reached our destination around 4:00. We thought there were more glyphs and some caves to be found by walking around but we never found them. Someone had told us of a legend of some caves that Ojibwe women would hide in during an Indian war.

The picture rock area is actually a cliff that was whitewashed sometime in the past and red images were painted. According to the book “Magic of the Rocks: Canoe Country Pictographs” the different symbols are hard to read because of their age. What we should have been able to see was a hand print, a couple of humans or Maymaygwayshi (a mythological race of people that were very tiny and lived in the cliffs). There was also a moose and the symbol I this photo. This symbol represents a deadfall trap (it is a type of trap where animals would fall into a pit then the hunters would drop heavy objects on them like a log). Fishdance isn’t the only area you can see these glyphs there are several places throughout the BWCA.

So the question is how old are these pictographs. It is impossible to know for sure but it is thought that some are four to five hundred years old. Some may be only around 100 years old.

The paddle back was really pretty but a bit windy. We got back to camp around 8:00 ate. It was a beautiful night again and we watch the moon rise while relaxing by the fire for a little while. We were all so tired but we cashed out quickly.

Menu:
Breakfast: Oatmeal and Hot Chocolate
Lunch: Peanut Butter and Jelly Roll-ups, dried fruit
Dinner: Chicken and Rice, Peas, and Chocolate Pudding

Weather: mostly sunny with light to moderate breeze, High: 89, Low 50

Wildlife Sightings:
- White-throated sparrows
- Vole
- Loons
- Bald Eagles
- Broad Winged Hawk
- White-tailed Deer
- Red Squirrels
- Painted Turtles

8/9/06

We were still recovering from our long trip the day before so we took our time packing up camp. In the morning we could hear the bald eagles chattering near our camp.

We paddled back to the portage and went back into Hudson Lake. We found Mike’s glasses at the portage. Thank goodness Stacey thought she recognized the case and I looked at the glasses. We gave him a hard time about losing them but really I am just thankful for all the time he spent planning the trip and taking care of all the details. These types of trips are very time intensive (planning).

We took a different way back to Lake Four. We decided to go up and into Fire Lake. It was a nice side trip and a very beautiful paddle. We watched a loon taking a bath in the middle of the week. It was so cute!

We camped out in Lake Four. Doug and I swam out to an island near our campsite to explore a bit. Two of the rocks on the islands look a lot like heads so we dubbed it “Talking Heads” island. Doug had the only leach of the trip attach itself to his heal – then he peeled it off. Bad boy! Always use salt.

Mike and Melissa came for a visit. Melissa fished off our beach. She caught a small walleye. Mike and I talked for a while. While talking he suddenly exclaimed “That was awesome. I just saw a dragonfly eat a mosquito in from of my nose!” It was pretty cool to see them darting around eating the pesky insects. Mike said it is the only trip he has ever taken to the BWCA that he didn’t have to put on bug spray. I did that night.

It looked as though we may get hit by a thunderstorm but the only thing that happened was a slight sprinkle in the middle of the night. My first rain in my hammock.

Menu:
Breakfast: Blueberry Pancakes and Bacon
Lunch: Cheese and Crackers with pepperoni
Dinner: Beef Teriyaki and Oreos

Weather: Mostly sunny until sunset. Some thunderheads rolled in and their wasn’t much of a breeze. The mosquitoes came out so we went to bed. It rained a bit overnight but not too much. High: upper 80’s, Low: around 60 or so. It was warm to sleep.

Wildlife sightings:
Not much new. Saw a cool beaver dam and a red-bellied snake.


8/10/06

It was an early morning for us. We were actually on the water before the other group. A record for our camp. We actually probably hit the water at about the same time since they came around the corner just after we passed “Talking Heads” Island.

We switched the group up a little bit for the final day of paddling so we got to spend a bit of time with the other group. Our group was thinking about camping in Lake Two but decided at the last minute to do our last portages and camp in Lake One. We sent Doug and Ken to see if any sites were left. As luck had it there was one so our group camped in Lake One and the other group stayed in Lake Two.

We were all pretty tired and settled down and took a nap when we reached our campsite, except Doug who made a sail with his poncho and sailed around the lake. It was a very relaxing day. That night a squirrel raided our camp and licked our plates. We chased it away several times but it was so persistent that after the 6th or 7th time of trying to get it out of the camp we took a couple of photos then washed the dishes which took care of the problem. Shame on us.

Menu:
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Pizza roll-ups, dried fruit
Dinner: Beef Stroganoff and Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies.

Weather: Overcast, morning was cool and breezy but later it warmed and cleared. High in the 80’s, Low: was lower 50’s or possibly upper 40’s. It was a cool night.

Wildlife Sightings:
- Sea Gulls
- Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
- Other animals already listed.

8/11/06

The last day – I wasn’t really ready to head home yet, but I was ready for a shower, one of the only things that I missed while I was in the BWCA. I could be singing a different song if the weather was cold and rainy like it was last time I was in the BWCA but we had a perfect trip. We even rounded out the experience by seeing a wolf along the road on the way back to Ely!

After the shower we had pizza and looked around town for a little while. Then headed for home arriving around midnight, we did make one little stop at REI.

Menu:
Breakfast: Granola and Hot Chocolate
Lunch: Pizza in town

Weather: Sunny and slight breeze, High: in the 80’s
Wildlife Sightings:
- Wolf on the side of the road running into the woods.

~Sara – Photos to come.