BWCA 1991

We drove up in the Wolf-mobile, a name Dick gave the VW. Westfalia from the commercial on TV with the Ware-wolf howling in the back ground, got to Ely and picked up the permit so we could put in early the next morning, it was raining so we stayed at Smitty's on Snowbank lake in a bunkhouse room rather than camp and pack wet tents. When we got up it was still raining, not what we wanted for the boy's first trip. We drove over to lake one put in (only about 1/4 mile and that is the reason for choosing Smitty's) unloaded, loaded the canoes, Jim's Grumman and my Mad River TW. Special, Paddled the Number Lakes 1,2,3,4 and Hudson, portaged into Insula lake to camp #1, the first one on the South side, on a point at the mouth of a small bay. We were a little damp so we set the dining fly, used an old mountaineers trick for the two front tie outs, using a rock to wedge in a crack in the bed rock to use as a Chock to tie off the guy-line, it was a pretty good site, and the last rain for the trip. Day two, paddled up Insula to the Kawishiwi river and the south end of Alice lake and back in the river a portage and then we turned south to see the Pictographs on the west side of the river, we turned back north up the river to a short portage and stopped at the second campsite on the west shore some maps show only one, just short of the outflow of a stream on the east shore that comes from River Lake. Don't remember much about that site, I'm sure it was a good one, if we ever get back that way again will stop in for a look. Day three up and on the way to Boulder Lake -- Paddling North past the Island camp sites and Northwest to Elbow Lake or Beaver Lake, different maps different names! A bad day for me! At the Northeast end of the lake is the 90rd. portage to Adams lake in a small bay, the one on left not the one on the right, right next to it, Dick was day dreaming and had not checked the map so we saw an open spot and paddled over Eric grabbed a pack and headed up the path which was really a Moose trail or a bushwhack to an unnamed lake over the hill, we stopped at the top of the small hill and went back, looked at the map and thought Oh my God, as a leader this we will never live this down the portage is a couple hundred feet over in the next little bay, and there it is, starting behind a boulder the size of a car and it is wide and clear all the way to Adams, out of Adams into Boulder creek and over several beaver dams up and into Boulder lake, saw the Island and there is a canoe on the site, so we head on past the island to the one on the north side next to the portage we will take tomorrow. Day Four starts with a quick paddle to the portage, it's a good walk on a smooth trail to a creek that may or may not have water that you can paddle and short cut the rest of the portage to Cap lake, we have water so we do the creek till we get to the short carry up and over to Cap lake, then its West through smaller lakes to Fraser Lake where we stop at the Island where Nordall Anderson lived, the cabin and all are gone but we can see where they were and there is a small sign noting that he lived there.( He was one of three that were allowed to remain living in the BWCA for their remaining years, He was not as well known as Dorthy Molter, the rootbeer lady on Knife Lake, or Benny Ambrose on Ottertrack Lake, Cypress Lake on some maps.)

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[schad440]

Great video, i love the BWCA!