BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
June 01 2024
Entry Point 30 - Lake One
Number of Permits per Day: 13
Elevation: 1230 feet
Latitude: 47.9391
Longitude: -91.4792
My son Remy and I, and my friend Keith and his son Charlie put our canoes into Lake one at 9:30 Monday morning after dropping off a car at the Snowbank Lake landing. Lake One can be tricky to navigate. On our way to Lake Two we turned East too early and ended up paddling about a mile out of our way into a dead-end bay before we realized our mistake. We blamed the fact that Lake One was split between Fisher Maps #10 and #4 for our error. If the entire lake had been visible at once on a single map, we would not have made the wrong turn. Once we got back on course we portaged the 30 rods into a pond and then portaged the 40 rods into Lake Two. The weather was nice, and there was a bit of a tail wind out of the West. We stopped for lunch on the shore of Lake Two. After lunch we canoed through the North end of Lake Three and into Lake Four. We stopped for the night at a campsite on the West shore of Lake Four, just North of the channel heading toward Hudson Lake. We had to battle swarms of mosquitoes as we set up the tents. We then had a nice refreshing swim. Because we had brought steaks along for the first night, we didn't go fishing.
On Tuesday morning we had a bacon and eggs breakfast then packed up camp and headed out in our canoes. As we canoed past our campsite, we realized that Remy & I had left our hammocks pitched between trees. We landed again and quickly packed them up. Once again we had beautiful weather. We paddled East and completed 3 short portages before entering Hudson Lake. The 105 rod portage into Lake Insula was exhausting! Lake Insula is a large gorgeous lake broken up by multiple islands and penninsulas. We had lunch at a campsite on a large island just East of Hudson Lake. It felt like we had a tail wind as we were heading East, and then as we turned North it seemed like the wind shifted and was at our backs once again. We navigated Lake Insula flawlessly and camped for the night on the island just West of Williamson Island. After setting up the tents and a refreshing swim, Remy & I got back into the canoe and tried to catch some fish. We had no luck! At 9PM that night, just as we were going to bed, a thunderstorm rolled through. That night I was awakened several times by the loud croaking of bullfrogs from the shallows around our island. What noisy neighbors!
By Wednesday morning the weather had cleared, but the wind was now coming from the Northwest, pretty much in our faces. We paddled to the North end of Lake Insula and tackled the largest portage of our trip. The 180 rod walk to Kiana Lake actually seemed easier than the 105 rod carry into Lake Insula. We headed onward into Thomas Lake where we really started feeling the headwind. We finally made it to the campsite just Northeast of the portage into Thomas Pond in time for lunch. After lunch we proceeded across Thomas Pond and into Thomas Creek after hiking across the famous Kekekabic Trail. We managed to easily run the rapids in Thomas Creek and avoid the 2 short portages. We camped for the night on Hatchet Lake at the northern campsite. It was cool and windy, so we didn't swim. There was lots of threatening weather going by to the North of us, but we stayed dry. After supper we canoed back to Thomas Creek to fish and look for moose. No luck on either count, but we did see a beaver swimmming.
The weather was nice again Thursday morning, but the wind was out of the West which was the direction we were heading. We portaged into Ima Lake and canoed across it. Before portaging into Jordan Lake, we watched a bald eagle sitting in a tree get harrassed repeatedly by a seagull. The narrow channel leading into Jordan Lake is quite beautiful. It is narrow like a river with big rock outcroppings. We paddled across Jordan, Cattyman, Adventure, and Jitterbug Lakes. We found the Eastern campsite on Ahsub Lake taken, so we camped at the Western campsite which had a great place for swimming in front of it. There was a very brave loon in front of the campsite who didn't seem to mind if we got close to it. We tried our luck at fishing, but only caught 1 smallmouth which was too small to eat. Between 5:00 and 7:30 that evening we saw a number of canoes heading across Ahsub Lake from Disappointment Lake to Jitterbug Lake. We weren't sure where they were planning to camp, but it was getting late.
On Friday we awoke again to good weather. We paddled the length of Disappointment Lake and portaged into to Parent Lake and then on to Snowbank Lake. It was July 4th, and as we entered Snowbank Lake the sounfd of firecrackers reminded us we weren't in the wilderness anaymore. After a brief splash war on our way across Snowbank, we made it to the landing and our car was still there. What a great trip!
Slim Lake
Entry Date:
August 21, 2023
Entry Point:
Slim Lake
Number of Days:
6
Group Size:
1
I never sleep good the night before a trip, and this was no exception. Usually not a big deal, as I tend to wake up with the birds. This time I woke up late. So I rush to get everything loaded into the truck, and I realize that I had no TP ! So I snagged one out of the campgrounds bathrooms(I offered Ryan a buck for it when I got back, he just laughed at me)and headed for the EP. Got there, and there were about 6 cars in the lot. I was concerned about that, but since it was starting to rain (of course) I started down to the lake. From the parking lot to the lake is an easy 10 minute or so walk, so I made good time. Gathering my pack, I remembered that I needed to take one of my meds, so I dug that out, popped the little pill, and proceeded to put the bottle in the console of the truck. Got down to the lake, loaded up, and launched. The rain was a little harder when I got out on the lake, but there was hardly any wind. I thought about heading down to the two sites on the south end, but decided to head north and see if the rain would stop. I got up to site near the island, and since the rain had become steady, I pulled in to check it, and it was empty. Fairly decent landing, though it is a bit of a rooty, windy trail up to the site. It was fairly dry up by the fire grate, so I sat there waiting for the rain to stop. As it got closer to mid-day, the rain let up a little, so I decided to eat a quick bite and get back out. No such luck. I had just repacked the food, and the rain started again. So I said some unkind things about the weather gods, got the tent, and set up. Decided that since it was dry by the fire grate, I wouldn't need a tarp to sit under, nor would I be building a fire since there was wood, if you looked hard enough, but it was wet. I did gather some anyway, for the next group, and stashed it under some brush . While doing that, I came across a first (for me). A boombox with a lid ! No wet cheeks ! 
I stashed my bear vaults away from camp, went back to the kitchen, turned on my weather radio, and got the forecast, which was more rain. It was moving along towards evening, so I boiled some water for dinner and ate, along with a cup of tea. Then I had my nightcap and a smoke and called it a day as the light faded.
Got up around 6, and didn't hear any rain, and a quick peak out confirmed this. Put on my sandals and moseyed out to the kitchen to heat some water. I went back and retrieved a pouch o' breakfast, returned, and made it, along with a cup of tea. After I ate, I went looking for my meds and guess what ? They were back in my truck. I should explain that I can't take this one until 2 hours after I eat, so I would take this one at about 9, which is when I would be on my way. So I grab my rain jacket since it looked like rain, and headed back to the EP. Mission accomplished, I start back to my site. The wind had picked up a bit, and about halfway there the rain returned. Saying a few choice words, I landed and headed to the kitchen area. Nope, with the wind the rain was blowing in, so no dry spot. I headed for the tent, since I left it up, and read one of my books while waiting for at least the rain to stop, which it did after about an hour. It was still windy and overcast, but I spotted a canoe coming from the EP. It was a family of four, two little kids about ? and their parents. They came between the the island and my site, and we chatted for a bit. I told them that I didn't know if the site further up was occupied (it wasn't) and I hadn't seen anyone up there. They thanked me, and went on their way. So, it was getting on towards mid-day, weather was not promising, I decided that I wasn't going anywhere and the best thing to do was to fish. In between wind gusts, I managed to cast out from shore (I almost hit the island on one) . I had seen baitfish hitting the surface the day before, so I thought my luck would be pretty good. After about an hour, with one little pike caught, I gave it up. I pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready for an early departure in the morning, repacking the pack and just generally tidying up. By evening the wind had died, and despite little ten minute sprinkles, so had the rain. Ate a little dinner, listened to the radio a bit, no stars to look at, so I had my nightcap and called it a day. 
I awoke to what is becoming normal on this trip. I didn't even have it in me to utter a few choice words. Nevertheless, I ate quickly, grabbed my rain jacket, and hit the water. I knew the portage was a quick paddle away, so I wanted to scout it out before I tried it, and I was curious about the family I saw on Tuesday. They were at the next site up from me. I waved at them and headed to the portage. The landing was not the best 
I got the canoe in very carefully, and started up over the rocks to the stream. Now, I don't know what happened crossing that stream. I know I felt a rock move under my foot, and then I was fighting for balance. I slipped on the rocks (after all the rain they were a little wet) and went down. A sore wrist and wet bum later, I continued on to the other end of the portage and sat on a dry rock. I will admit that what had just happened scared me. If I was carrying the canoe, or the pack, it might have been worse. I'm 64, I don't bounce, I break, and I am alone. This is the midway point of my trip, and I really wanted to go further. The weather had been crap so far, and I had set up my camp pretty much completely, plus I really liked that site. So, cussing at myself for being timid, I decided that I would spend the rest of my time exploring Slim, and fishing. Went back to the canoe, and headed up to the marsh at the end of the lake, and went back down the opposite shore. Now, I haven't been to very many lakes, but I think that Slim is the most beautiful one I have been on so far. Big granite bluffs right down to the shoreline. I went down the shoreline until I came to my site, crossed over and grabbed my fishing gear, and went back out. I crossed back and drifted while fishing. Didn't catch anything, got down to near the EP, and crossed over to the opposite shore, and headed back up. I will say that the fishing was terrible the entire week. I threw everything out there, spinners, spoons, raps of all types, different colors and nothing. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was my turn to get skunked, I have no idea. I did manage to catch a couple of small smallies in the bay south of my site, but that was it. Headed back to camp, made a little snack, and decided to go over to the island across from my site. I thought about swimming over, since it was close enough to hit with a cast from my fishing pole, but decided to see if there was a spot I could land the canoe. Found a spot, directly opposite from my camp 
Not much on the island for firewood, but it was interesting. A couple of boulders aroused my interest, probably left over from the glaciers. I did try the smaller island, but I couldn't find a good landing. So I headed back to camp and read a little til dinnertime. Still haven't seen the sun, so I ate and waited for dark, had my nightcap, and called it a day. 
No, that's not from last night. Thursday morning greeted me with what is becoming normal. I also woke up with a sore right shoulder. I guess from all the casting I did the day before. Ate some breakfast, and since I hadn't really looked at the south end of the lake, I hopped in the canoe and started off. Testing the shoulder, I headed south along the shore. It wasn't bothering me, so I continued on. I noticed that under the water along the shore it seemed like there were shelves of rock going out. Made for interesting depth changes underneath. Came across a dead head in the bay, but I just continued on. I was looking for a place to land so I could get up on the big bluff (Old Baldy?). I knew I could get there from a hiking trail, but I didn't want to do that, so I searched fruitlessly for a landing. No such luck. I saw another deadhead nearby, so I decided to check this one out. It seemed to have a stamp on the end of it. 
I wondered how long it had been floating in the lake. I continued on, bypassing the two sites further down and headed back up for some lunch. After lunch, I decided to check out the trail network behind the camp. I hadn't done much of that, other than look over the other spots for my tent. I knew from stashing my BV's that there were a lot of them. Spent a couple hours doing that. I found what looked like an old campsite, complete with two trunks laid out in kind of a half square shape. I also found the remains of a fire. The logs looked like they had been there for a while, but the fire looked to be no more than a year old. Maybe skiers or snowmobilers ? Anyway, I continued on, climbing up on some huge rocks, and finding some boulders scattered throughout the area. But not much in the way of firewood, so if you want some firewood at this site, you're going to have to look very hard. Got back to camp, and my companion at the site decided to come out. 
When I first arrived, he let me know that he was not happy. But he later decided to be a good neighbor, and quit chattering so much. He is hard to see, but he is there in the pic. It was about at this time that the sun decided to shine 
I did a little dance, and almost started singing "Here comes the Sun" the old Beatles tune. Okay, I did hum it a little. What a difference though. I hunkered down on the rocks near the shore, and just soaked up the sunlight. My stomach reminded me that I was hungry, so I ate, and had my first view of the moon in 4 days. 
Of course, this meant that, once again, I had cloudy skies. But an hour later, I saw my first, and only, sunrise. 
And it seemed it was going to last. I decided that I was going to spend the day reading and soaking up some rays, maybe a little fishing, but for sure getting some sun. The temps throughout the trip were fairly mild, 60's to 70's in the day, 50's at night, but the sun made it seem so much warmer. So I got my book, made a cup of tea, found a dry rock and proceeded to be lazy. But I was a tad early, it seemed. 
Clouds rolled in, and for the next couple of hours I sat and waited for the inevitable rain. But it never materialized, and after lunch the sun returned and I got on with my tanning session. And surprise, surprise, it lasted most of the rest of the day. I got some reading done, did a little fishing, and accomplished what I set out to do--be lazy.
I'm sure those that read this are getting tired of cloudy pictures. Well, so was I. Departure day dawned like every other day. I ate some breakfast, packed up my stuff, loaded up the canoe, and headed for the EP. There was little to no wind and I made good time. Came across a paddleboarder heading the same way, so I let him land first. Nice guy, we chit-chatted for awhile. I never did get the straight on where he stayed the night before, since he did have some gear with him. Maybe a hiker. So I unload and head back to my truck, load up, and head to Cliff Wolds. Talked to Ryan about next years trip, went next door, filled the tank, bought some fritters(yay)and got home about 1 P.M. Well, that's it. Did I do what I set out to do ? No, but I did get to explore a beautiful lake. Yeah, the weather could have been better, but it was nothing to compare to the weather that arrived in the month since my trip. As for the portage incident, it is still eating at me. I'm pretty pissed at myself on one hand, but on the other hand, I could have been hurt. I saw the thread about injuries, and that kind of made me feel a little less PO'd, but...but...but. It is in mind to do a repeat, and follow through on my trip plan. Of course, my wife will have something to say about it. Several somethings, if I know her. I may get a device for emergencies. Anyway, that is in the future. I hope you enjoyed my rather lengthy tale of my trials and tribulations. And yes, the boombox pic was necessary, because I hate wet buns.