BWCA – Richard Rathe's Reflections

BWCA Canoe Trip 2024

This year we decided to base our trip out of Ely. We spent the night in the bunkhouse on Snowbank Lake. The next day we took the short drive to the official entry point #27 to head out into the wilderness. Complete Photo Gallery

Route Map 2024, Click to Enlarge — *Route Map 2024 (Click to Enlarge*)

The weather forecast was windy with a dash of rain in the middle. This mostly came to pass with temps dropping near freezing on the final night.

Long First Day

The first portage was the longest at 140 rods (2310 ft, 0.44 mile). There were seven portages in all on the way to Ima Lake. Several of these are very short between small connector lakes.

The smaller lakes where part of extensive wetlands with lots of fall flowers, sphagnum moss, tamarack just starting to turn yellow, and even a few spent pitcher plants.

We got to Ima in the late afternoon and proceeded to the large campsite on the north end of the major island. This is fronted by an impressive dome of rock more than 100 yards wide.

I pitched my tent on the windward side and it was (no surprise) very windy. So much so I decided to move before the predicted rain storm rolled in. It was warm enough to sleep with the sleeping bag loosely draped around me. That would change also.

Settling In

The next day we started out with a hot breakfast of bagels an eggs. Most of our cooking took place behind a large rock to keep the stoves out of the wind.

In the afternoon we had nine Spruce Grouse wander through our camp. We think it was a hen with her nearly-grown brood.

The second hammock site was a bit of a challenge, but a real confirmation of how flexible hammock camping can be. I was pitched over a fallen log and a large rock! It turned out to be a perfect place to weather the storm that blew in overnight! (The rain fly is folded back in this photo. The brown fabric is an inexpensive underquilt I brought to help keep out the cold.)

The rain ended and the temperature started to drop as the wind shifted to the northeast. It was not a good day to go out in the canoes so we mostly hung out, read our books, and napped. In the evening we hunkered down in a sheltered spot and had an excellent taco dinner.

Side Trip

On the fourth day the wind dropped off and we went on a day trip south to Alworth Lake. There is a nice campsite just off the portage in a grove of large white pines. It faces south and has a nice view through the trees.

There is also a nice, but rarely used campsite on a small island. We stopped there for a snack and took this group photo.

*Group Photo on Alworth Island Campsite*

Starting Back

We decided to move camp for the last night to get some of the portaging out of the way. We retraced our path through this narrows (part of Lake Jordan) with several interesting cliffs.

Our initial goal was a campsite with a beach on Jordan, but it was occupied so we kept going. We ended up at a high, “compact” site on Lake Ahsub. It’s on the side of a rock outcrop with several unusual tree species, including this maple, cherry, and mountain ash.

For the first time on this trip the wind died down so we could have a fire. It was also clear and cold! We think it touched freezing by morning.

Complete Photo Gallery

BWCA Canoe & Hiking Trip 2023

This year’s trip was a return to a familiar locale…

Duncan and Rose Lakes!

*BWCA Route Map, Source USGS (Click to Enlarge*)

Video with Loons and Beavers

Complete Photo Gallery

Day 1 (Portage to Duncan Lake)

We started at Bearskin Lake and paddled across to the Duncan Lake Portage.

After exploring options on the north shore of Duncan we decided to stay on the campsite closest to the portage on the south shore (conveniently vacated by the prior group as we waited).

Overall this was a great site and not affected by blowdowns like the others we looked at. It had a nice fire area, lots of big trees, adequate tentsites, and a small pebble beach. (4/5 rating)

I’ve been a Hammock Camper for the past ten years. This was the first trip where I used an Underquilt and it performed very well. On the warmer nights (50s) I barely needed a sleeping bag. Going to bed felt like entering a warm bath!

After setting up camp, we had Happy Hour and veggie burgers for dinner!

The smoke haze from the Canadian Forest Fires gave us a very red sunset that night.

Day 2 (Canoe to Rose Lake)

The next morning we were treated to the largest gathering of Loons I’ve ever seen! We counted nine in all. It started with three or four calling and others flying in over about twenty minutes. Then they socialized and fished together for at least an hour. I called it the Loon equivalent of a breakfast club!

We read that at this time of year Loons are after fish called Cisco or lake herring. These are very oily and help the birds fatten up before they fly a thousand miles to the ocean for the winter.

We paddled down the long eastern arm of the lake to the famous “Staircase Portage” to Rose Lake.

We consolidated into one canoe to cruise around Rose. We saw where Ross and I camped during the The Boys 40th Birthday Trip back in 1996.

We stopped by Rose Falls to have lunch before heading up the stairs and back to Duncan.

Day 3 (Caribou Rock Trail, 4.3 Miles)

The next day we decided to hike on the nearby Caribou Rock Trail. This would ultimately take us to Rose Lake, but we did not go that far. Afterwards we read this is one of the “most difficult trails in Minnesota!”

That night we recovered with an elaborate taco meal prepared by Ross.

Day 4 (Rose Lake Cliffs, 6.5 Miles)

Our final full day was a mix of canoeing and hiking the Border Route Trail to the Cliffs over Rose Lake. It was difficult at times, but the view once we got there was worth it!

Way down on the lake we noticed two large white birds. These turned out to be a pair of [Trumpeter?] Swans! At the top I was able to take a photo through the binoculars with my phone.

Day 5 (Return to Civilization)

The next day was pretty simple. We broke camp early because the day was going to be hot (high 80s). When we later drove through Duluth the dash thermometer said it was 101!

Knots of Note

Bear Rope Hitch

We saw this one on a video about bear ropes. It is somewhat counter-intuitive as you get started and may require two people if the rope is heavily loaded. The first loop eliminates the need to “wrap the tree” with a long rope. The second vertical loop locks under the taught working end. As a slip knot it is extremely easy to untie so you can add one or two half-hitches for more security when needed.

Soft Shackle

These are referred to “Aussie Bowlines”. They are specifically used to secure a loaded line to a sail or other object. The cinch cords shown here already have stopper knots on their ends so it is easy to “shackle” them to the hammock strap.

Treehugger Hitch (or Tree-Hook Knot)

This is an idea I’ve been incubating for some time as a non-destructive “place anywhere” alternative to nails in trees or breaking branches to hang things on. Shown here is my first successful field test! It is tied using a short stick or similar object found locally.

Starting with the middle of the rope, wrap the tree at least twice and tie loosely with a reef (square) knot.
Catch the lower loop with the stick and add turns to partially tighten the loops.
Tie the upper end of the stick as tightly as possible in front of the reef knot.
Adjust everything to use the resulting hook to best advantage.
The excess rope will just hang down out of the way.

It performed well holding about ten pounds of equipment and it even let me hang up my hat! The main flaws with this implementation are the stretch in the second reef knot and the tendency for the loops to converge, allowing the hook to turn sideways. I plan to address these in the next version.

Once perfected this bit of knot-craft should help eliminate the need for nails in trees!

BWCA Canoe Trip 2022

This was a return to a familiar area with lots of options. Gaskin and Winchell are particularly nice lakes accessible from the Gunflint Trail. This area has also been burned more than once in recent times. [Full Gallery] [2019 Trip]

After driving most of the day we pulled up to the Bunkhouse at Rockwood Lodge on Poplar Lake. In addition to an economical place to stay we left our vehicle there while we were in the backcountry.

Short Video with Loon Calls, Snake Hunting, and Slo-Mo Waterfall!

We got a reasonably early start the next day, entering via the portage to skinny little Lizz Lake. We proceeded to portage thru Caribou and Horseshoe Lakes before snagging the primo campsite on Gaskin (located on an island with 180º views down the lake).

*Gaskin Kitchen Area (Ross Cooking Veggie Burgers)*

We then proceeded to take day trips all around the area lakes.

*Waterfall on Winchell (Click to Enlarge)*

Each evening a group of large flat rocks provided a commodious spot for our happy hour before we sat down to delicious vegetarian meals prepared by Ross. (Did I mention our food pack weighed over sixty pounds?!)

Our sojourn had an unfortunate coda however. Terese slipped on rocks and twisted her ankle on the last afternoon. After resting it for twelve hours she bravely walked the four portages back to civilization using the spare paddle as a crutch. Xrays later revealed a non-displaced fracture!

We had excellent weather throughout our stay, but it got windy on the day we left and thunderstorms rolled in that night, perfect timing!

Environmental Notes: Many of the small Fir and Spruce trees on our site were either dead or dying from disease. The White Pines in the area looked very healthy. The Burned Areas appeared to be recovering slowly. The Loons remained active and we saw at least one Bald Eagle. The “Tent Spider” was something new. We saw two of them on different lakes, so probably not an anomaly.