Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - 2015
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Given the magnificence of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, it was about time to go there again. We intended to leave Chicago on Wednesday, September 9th at 9:00-9:30pm, and drive straight through to Ely, MN. Unfortunately, delays of the Amtrak line between St. Louis and Joliet, delayed Rob's arrival. After some adjustment of plans, we picked up Rob at the Amtrak station at about 10:30pm. We checked in at Voyageur North Outfitters and obtained out fishing permits. Once completed, we had a great breakfast at Britton's Cafe. Now that all details have been completed, and the team well fed, it was time to head out.
We started at Entry Point #24 on Fall Lake. Shortly after starting we completed the short portage around Newton Falls. The lakes were a nice size, and the wind was particularly too strong. We continued through Newton Lake and Pipestone Bay. Before the portage east to Back Bay, we make camp.
After a filling amount of pancakes on Friday morning, we completed the portage into Back Bay. From Back Bay, we entered Hoist Bay to the south, and then turned north into Basswood Lake. Basswood Lake is very large, and the winds and resultant waves, tired us out. We stopped on the landmass north of Half Dog Island and Washington Island. The stop allowed us to rehydrate, eat, and even fish a bit. With that much needed break, we continued northeast to our campsite near the United States Point. It was a fortunate location, as we caught 7-8 fish; more than enough for us. On Saturday, we resumed our trek northeast, around United States Point, near the US/Canada border. In the morning, the winds were lighter, and we moved a lot quicker. It was very pleasant and serene moving though the north end of Basswood Lake and into Jackfish Bay. Once we entered Jackfish Bay, it seemed our day was nearly over. Here the deception of the great size of the BWCAW came upon us. What looked like maybe a 30 minute to the largest island in Jackfish Bay, took close to two hours. Although we disliked cleaning up the garbage from previous parties, this was a very nice campsite. Hearing wolves howl in the distance was a surprisingly pleasant sound. Sunday unfortunately came too quickly, and we started our "short" paddle out. However, as we moved to the east of Jackfish Bay and Sandpit Lake, the lower water volumes slowed us down considerably. While we thought we had hours to spare, we arrived at our pickup at nearly our Noon pickup.
Once again, another enjoyable and magical time in the BWCAW.