From our first learning experience in 1969 to our last paddle in 2018, we visited the BWCA over 20 times.
1969 Fall Lake to Jackfish Bay
In 1969 we decided to take Tom's parents canoe and headed north to explore the canoe country of northern Minnesota. We had received a large tent as a Christmas gift, but since it was too heavy to take canoe camping we made a tent from parachute material and bought a couple of rain poncho's to handle bad weather. When we arrived in Ely, Minnesota we bought a simple map, bought some canned food - this was before cans were banned from the area - and headed into the wilderness.
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| The map we used in 1969 to navigate to Jackfish Bay |
We started at Fall Lake campground and paddled to Jackfish Bay, where we settled into a campsite and started a fire. After a dinner that included canned bacon, we filled the empty can with water and heated it over the fire to help clean up after dinner. Unfortunately the bacon odor attracted a bear into our campsite. We backed up and tried to decide what to do while the bear explored our cooking area. Eventually the bear decided to check out the can with the great smell and stuck it's nose into very hot water. There was a yelp and the bear tore off, leaving us and our campground alone.
We took the backpack containing food and put it up in a tree - on a branch, not hanging from a rope. Not surprisingly, chipmunks found the pack that night and chewed into it, nibbling most of our nuts and snack food. But we had a bigger problem - rain. We strung the ponchos over the parachute tent and sat inside trying to stay dry, not just for the night, but for most of the next day. By the second morning our sleeping bags were quite damp, so we were glad to see the sun.
We decided to leave the lake with the bear and our map showed a nearby path that looked like a portage to Horse Lake. As it turned out, the path faded into a marsh and disappeared. We spent a long time trying to navigate the false portage with a heavy canoe that we didn't know how to carry properly. Eventually, we abandoned the portage and bushwhacked back to Jackfish Bay. That was enough for us; we headed back to the car.
After an afternoon of paddling upwind, we reached the entry point and drove back to Ely. We found a laundromat, but we were so exhausted that we fell asleep in the car - waking up just before the laundromat closed. We had just enough time to dry the sleeping bags in a dryer, then drove back to Fall Lake campground and set up our big tent for the night. It was a nice campground, so we stayed for a few days to recover from our misadventure.
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Mary, Fall Lake campsite after bailing out of our first canoe trip, 1969
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1973 Trout Lake
Four summers later a friend, Vance Nelson, invited us to join his family camping on Trout Lake in the canoe wilderness near Ely. Based on our experience with the heavy canoe, we bought the lightest canoe we could find - a 15 foot Grumman canoe made of aircraft aluminum weighing 55 pounds. It was an easy trip - we crossed the only portage with our gear and boats in a truck and then Vance towed our canoe behind his motor boat. So perhaps our new canoe did not need to be light weight for this trip, but it has been carried over many, many portages over the years and it still in use today.
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| Getting a tow to our canoe camp, 1973 |
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Trout Lake Camping with Vance Nelson's Family, 1973
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1973 Fenske Lake
After Trout Lake, we set up our tent at the Fenske Lake campground north of Ely. We spent a few days hiking, canoeing and touring the nearby Tower Sudan Iron Mine. We picked so many blueberries that we decided to preserve them. An evening run into Ely yielded the necessary supplies to make a dozen jars of jam, which we gave to our families at Christmas.
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| Mary, Dustin, & Andrea, Fenske Lake campground, 1973 |
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| Dustin, Mary, & Andrea hiking near Fenske Lake, 1973 |
1979 Frost Lake Loop
Six years later, in 1979. the Boundary Waters Canoe Area had just been established. We set out on an ambitious circle route with two children, age six and nine. We had learned our lesson - we invested in lightweight waterproof gear, a critter-proof food box that could be hoisted into a tree, and detailed maps. But our 15 foot canoe was too small, so we borrowed a 19 foot canoe from a friend that fit all four of us and our gear. Tom used a backpack frame to carry the heavy canoe while I used a similar frame to portage a big yellow waterproof box.
The most exciting events on the trip were caused by moose. At the long portage to Frost Lake we left Andrea and Dustin at Frost Lake with the first load of gear and went back for another load. When we were almost back we heard them shouting - and we were worried! But they were fine, just excited about the moose they saw in the swamp near the portage.
We found a beautiful campsite with a beach and stayed a couple nights. One of those nights we heard something BIG outside our tent, but couldn't tell what it was until the next morning, when we saw a lot of moose prints in the sand near out tent.
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| Frost Lake Loop, 1979 |
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| One canoe for four people and all of our gear, Frost Lake Loop, 1979 |
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| Mary carrying the waterproof gear box. The critter-proof food box is nearby. |
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| Dustin, ready to travel, Frost Lake Loop, 1979 |
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| Andrea at a portage, Frost Lake Loop, 1979 |
1987 Brule Lake
Four years later, just before school started in 1987, Andrea and Dustin each wanted to take a friend canoeing in the Boundary Waters. However, neither one was 18, the minimum age for a permit, so I agreed to come along. All went well until we headed home the third day - the wind picked up and Brule is a big lake. Halfway across the lake we stopped at an island campsite to wait for the wind to die down at sunset. But the wind never stopped, so we decided the safest approach was to stay for the night. We had extra food for just such a situation.
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| We spent a windy night on an island in the middle of Brule Lake, Labor Day Weekend, 1987 |
It was difficult to sleep because the wind howled for hours, but it let up a bit just before sunrise. I got everyone up at the crack of dawn and we set off for our car as the sun came up. With the sun came more wind, but we were on our way and managed to paddle to the next set of islands before it got too bad. The wind forced our canoes to take different routs around the islands, but both made it to the parking lot. The wind continued to howl, but we were safe in the car and on our way home.
1988 Discovering Quiteco
The next summer Tom and I decided to check out Quiteco Provincial Park - the Canadian canoe area just north of the BWCA. We started at Moose lake and paddled to Prairie Portage, where we could get Canadian permits. Several shuttles taking canoes and and paddlers to prairie Portage passed us on thy way - and we were jealous.
After some lengthy portages, we ended up on Agnes Lake, where we enjoyed Louisa Falls. When we got back to Prairie Portage a few days later, we found a shuttle taking a canoe going back to outfitter near our car hitched a ride.
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| Mary enjoying Louisa Falls, Agnes Lake, Quiteco, 1988 |
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| Campsites were easier to find, but less well developed than in the US. Quiteco, 1988 |
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| Of course, the scenery was amazing. Quiteco, 1988 |
1989 Quiteco
The next year Dustin and his friend Mike Mills joined us. We rented our first Kevlar canoe at Top of the Trail Outfitters, and took a shuttle to the Cache Bay entry point into Quiteco. This gave us access to the Falls Chain, a beautiful part of the park.
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| Mike & Dustin, Quiteco, 1989 |
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| Mike & Dustin, Quiteco, 1989 |
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| When Tom fell out of the canoe, Dustin grabbed a camera, Quiteco, 1989 |
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| Falls Chain, Quiteco, 1989 |
1993 Quiteco Lake Agnes Loop
Four years later we rented another Kevlar canoe and took a shuttle from Canadian Border Outfitters on Moose Lake to Prairie Portage. We intended to do a great south to north circle loop with loads light enough to single trip the many portages we would encounter. The advice was to take the western portion of the loop first, so we could take the very long portage between Sunday Lake and Lake Agnes on the way back, after most of the food was gone.
But it was not to be. The wind in Bayley Bay was so strong that we had to turn into Sunday Bay, and start the route on its eastern side. We survived the long portage to Agnes, then portaged to the top of Louisa Falls and continued north. After a long paddle and many portages, we ended up at the north end of Agnes Lake. We were worried about battling a strong wind as we headed south, but we were lucky - the 22 mile long Lake Agnes was about as peaceful as it gets on our way back.
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| Mary, ready for the portage, Quiteco Lake Agnes Loop, 1993 |
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| Tom at the end of the portage, Quiteco Lake Agnes Loop, 1993 |
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| Quiteco Lake Agnes Loop, 1993 |
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| Quiteco Lake Agnes Loop, 1993 |
1994 Basswood Lake
We were convinced - it was time to get our own Kevlar canoe. The next year, joined by Andrea and her husband Brian, we took our new red canoe and our old lightweight 15 foot Grumman canoe to the south end of Moose lake and caught a shuttle to Prairie Portage. We did not go into Quiteco however, we paddled west on Basswood Lake past Jackfish Bay to the cascades at Horse River.
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| Mary and Andrea take a shuttle to Prairie Portage, 1994 |
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| Our new red canoe, Basswood Lake, 1994 |
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| Andrea and Brian fishing, Basswood Lake, 1994 |
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| Brian pumping water, Basswood Lake, 1994 |
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| Andrea on Basswood Lake, 1994 |
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| Cascades near Horse River, 1994 |
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| Andy & Brian, 1994 |
1996 Isabella River Loop
Two years later we were ready for another ambitious loop. On Labor Day weekend we started out at the Hog Creek entry point, about two miles from our endpoint, Kawishiwi Lake. We paddled up the Isabella River for a couple of days, with a few lakes along the way. Eventually we got to Bald Eagle Lake, Gabbro Lake, and the Kawishiwi River. Then we paddled through lakes One, Two, Three, and Four, Insula, Alice, and finally Malberg, where we turned south through Lake Polly and over some long portages to Kawishiwi Lake.
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Isabella River Loop, Red dots = camping locations 1996
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| Rapids on the Isabella River, 1996 |
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| Hanging the food and paddles, Isabella River Loop, 1996 |
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| Isabella River Loop, 1996 |
1997 Quiteco
The next year, Tom's sister Jan and two of her children, Andrew and Claire, joined us for a canoe trip. Dustin and Mike came along too. Remember that heavy canoe we borrowed in 1969 from Tom's parents? Unfortunately, Jan brought it; we should have rented a lightweight canoe. Dustin and Mike didn't want to carry such a heavy canoe, so young Andrew ended up hoisting it across every portage.
We started with a shuttle to Prairie Portage, took mostly short portages, and fond some lovely campsites. But on the way back we stumbled through a particularly difficult portage, had a drenching overnight rain, and fought stiff winds in Bayley Bay as we approached Prairie Portage. (Those same winds caused us to change our route four years earlier.)
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| Dustin helps Mike with a heavy pack, Quiteco, 1997 |
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| Dustin and Andrew, Quiteco, 1997 |
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| A spacious campsite, Quiteco, 1997 |
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| Dustin and Mike raising the food, Quiteco, 1997 |
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Jan and Claire swimming, Quiteco, 1997
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| Andrew, Claire, Jan, Mike, Dustin, Quiteco, 1997 |
1999 Beartrap River Loop
Two years later we took another aggressive river trip through the BWCA, parking at the Chainsaw Sisters Saloon near the Mudro Lake entry point. We went through Fourtown Lake to Bear Lake, where we had difficulty finding the portage north. A chain of remote lakes took us to Beartrap Lake, then we traveled up the Beartrap River for a long distance, ending up at Iron Lake on the Canadian border. We turned east and traveled through Crooked Lake, past Sunday Bay, Saturday Bay, Friday Bay, and Thursday Bay. Eventually we came to the rapids at Horse River (which we had seen with Andy and Brian five years earlier). We headed south through Horse Lake (the same lake we were trying to reach in 1969) to our Mudro Lake entry point.
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| For 18 years, the Chainsaw Sisters Saloon provided parking for the Mudro Lake Entry Point, 1999 |
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| Beartrap River Loop, 1999 |
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| Beartrap River Loop, 1999 |
2001 Golden Eagle Lodge
In 2001 Karen was 5 and Becca and was 2.5 - old enough for short canoe trips. Dustin joined us at Golden Eagle Lodge, where we could canoe right from our deck or drive to an entry point. We took a few day trips, including a paddle through Duncan lake to Rose Falls, and a canoe trip to the end of Pine Lake followed by a long hike to Johnson Falls.
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| Becca, Brian, and Karen, Golden Eagle Lodge, 2001 |
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| Karen helps Brian go fishing, Golden Eagle Lodge, 2001 |
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| On a canoe trip, BWCA, 2001 |
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| Becca and Andy, Karen and Brian, Rose Falls from Duncan Lake, 2001 |
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| Dustin carrying the canoe, Pine Lake Trip to Johnson Falls, 2001 |
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| Dustin at Johnson Falls, BWCA, 2001 |
2002 Lake Polly
The next year we decided to take a leisurely trip to explore the lakes which we had dashed through at the end of our Isabella River loop six years earlier. The landing at Kawishiwi Lake is an easy put-in spot, but two back-to-back portages totaling 300 rods keep the traffic on Lake Polly light.
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| The Kawashong-Polly Portage looked familiar, 2002 |
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| The Kawashong-Polly Portage, 2002 |
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| You can't cook on a Kevlar Canoe. Lake Polly, 2002 |
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| A good time to read Harry Potter, Lake Polly, 2002. |
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| Lake Polly sunset |
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| Kawishiwi Lake at the end of the Lake Polly trip, 2002 |
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| Kawishiwi Lake at the end of the Lake Polly trip, 2002 |
2003 Lake One Loop
In 2003 Karen was 7 and Becca and was almost 5 - old enough for a longer canoe trip. Dustin joined us again as we put in at Lake One. We had a couple of easy portages and ended up at a beautiful island campsite at the end of Lake Three. It had everything from a jumping rock to glorious sunsets. We took a long circle daytrip which wore Becca out.
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| Becca jumps off the jumping rock, Lake 3 basecamp, 2003 |
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| Becca & Dustin swmming to the island near Lake Three Basecamp, 2003 |
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| Karen & Becca learning to paddle, Lake Three Basecamp, 2003 |
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| Tom & Karen, relaxing at Lake Three Basecamp, 2003 |
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| Mary, Karen, Becca, & Dustin roasting marshmallows, Lake Three Basecamp, 2003 |
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| Daytrip from Lake One Basecamp, 2003 |
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| Becca sleeping after a long day trip, Lake Three Basecamp, 2003 |
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| Karen & Mary enjoying the sunset at Lake Three Basecamp, 2003 |
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| Mary, Karen, Becca, Andy, Dustin, Tom, Lake Three Basecamp, 2003 |
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| Dawn at Lake Three Basecamp, 2003 |
2004 Fenske Lake
Fenske Lake is the same car campground we stayed at in 1973 when Dustin was a half year old. Thirty years later it gave us quick access to the BWCA for a couple of days. We picked a lot of blueberries and took a day trip to South Hegman Lake to see on of the finest pictographs in the Boundary Waters.
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| Fenske Lake campsite, 2004 |
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| Becca and Karen paddling with some help from Andrea, Fenske Lake, 2004 |
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| Karen Picking Blueberries on Fenske Lake. 2004 |
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| Pictograph at South Hegman Lake, 2004 |
2006 Isabella River
In 2006 we took another quick trip to the Boundary Waters, pitting in at an entry point on the Little Isabella River. After winding our way north, we landed at a prime campsite on the Isabella River that had just been abandoned. It had one of the best jumping rocks in the BWCA, so we stayed there and took a daytrip to explore a nearby lake.
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| Little Isabella River, 2006 |
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| Karen & Becca found the prefect jumping rock, Isabella River campsite, 2006 |
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| Karen and Becca tend the fire, Isabella River campsite, 2006 |
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| It was rainy the last day on Isabella River campsite, 2006 |
2008 Ham Lake to Poplar Lake
Two years later Karen was 12 and Becca was 9, old enough for a serious canoe trip. Dustin joined us and we rented a third canoe from Tuscarora outfitters on Round Lake. We started at nearby Ham Lake and traveled east to Poplar Lake. With Becca as Dustin's bow paddler and Karen as Andy's bow paddler, we traveled a good distance every day. By the end of the trip, Karen and Becca could handle a canoe by themselves. On the last day we ran into a group of teenaged boys who were just learning to paddle. Karen and Becca confidently passed all the struggling canoes and beat them to the next portage.
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| Becca, Tom & Mary, Karen & Andrea, Ham Lake to Poplar Lake, 2008 |
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| S'mores, Mary, Andrea, Dustin, Becca, Ham Lake to Poplar Lake, 2008 |
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| Becca, Ham Lake to Poplar Lake, 2008 |
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| Karen, Ham Lake to Poplar Lake, 2008 |
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| Ham Lake to Poplar Lake, 2008 |
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| Becca, Ham Lake to Poplar Lake, 2008 |
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| Andrea & Karen, Ham Lake to Poplar Lake, 2008 |
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| Becca & Karen, Ham Lake to Poplar Lake, 2008 |
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| Mary and Tom, Ham Lake to Poplar Lake, 2008 |
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| Karen and Becca show a group of teenage boys how to paddle, Ham Lake to Poplar Lake, 2008 |
2011 Fourtown Lake with Four Canoes
In 2011 we went back to the Mudro Lake entry point and found that the Chain Sisters Saloon had been replaced by a parking lot. We had eight people in four canoes. Dustin brought his friend Annie Yarberry and Karen brought her friend Amy. Becca and Andrea were in the third canoe, and Tom and I were in our red Kevlar canoe. We found a great site for a basecamp on Fourtown Lake. One day half of our group took a trip to Bear Lake (the start of our Beartrap River trip 12 years earlier). Another day we all went to Horse Lake and north on the Horse River to the cascades at the Canadian border.
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| Karen & Amy, Dustin & Annie, Andrea & Becca, Tom & Mary, Fourtown Lake, 2011 |
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| Tom, Fourtown Lake, 2011 |
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| Rapids at the Canadian border, Fourtown Lake trip, 2011 |
2016 Insula
It was five years before we went back to the Boundary Waters, and by then Dustin and Annie were married and brought two-year-old Kiera; two of their friends also joined us. We got an entry permit for Lake One and traveled as far as Insula, where we found a lovely campsite on a hill that had a beach as a bonus.
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| Dustin, Kiera, and Annie, Insula trip, 2016 |
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Dustin, Kiera, & Annie, at a Insula campsite, Insula, 2016
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| Dustin photographs the sunset at our Insula campsite, 2013 |
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| Sunset, Insula campsite, 2013 |
2018 Hungry Jack
Two years later Kai had joined the family and was too young to camp. So we returned to Hungry Jack Lodge, where Annie and Dustin were married and did a day trip up Duncan Lake to Rose Falls, the same place we had gone with Andy's family in 2001.
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| On the way to Duncan Lake, 2018 |
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Kiera rides with her grandparents, Duncan Lake, 2018
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| Annie and Kai, Duncan Lake, 2018 |
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Dustin & Kiera, Rose Falls from Duncan Lake, 2018
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