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      Trip Report - “Something is dreadfully wrong!” Mesaba, Dent, Wine loop from Sawbill
 
  Last Visit: 05/18/2024 01:01AM

Entry Point 38 - Sawbill Lake

Sawbill Lake entry point allows overnight paddle only. This entry point is supported by Tofte Ranger Station near the city of Tofte, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 25 miles. Access is a boat landing at Sawbill Lake. This area was affected by blowdown in 1999.

Number of Permits per Day: 11
Elevation: 1802 feet
Latitude: 47.8699
Longitude: -90.8858
Author Message Text
OneMatch
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07/30/2011 02:01PM
 
New Trip Report posted by OneMatch

Trip Name: “Something is dreadfully wrong!” Mesaba, Dent, Wine loop from Sawbill .

Entry Point: 38

Click Here to View Trip Report

We all have to believe in something. I believe I'll go paddle.
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PortageKeeper
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07/30/2011 04:00PM
 
Great report Jerry!
We had one of those "something is dreadfully wrong" portages when we did the Louse Route back in 2004. Not the same portage, but just as bad. That will be one of my favorite areas... though a little tough to get into. Got some of my best pic's in the Louse area, one of which is hanging on my living room wall (Trail Lake at 6 a.m.). Stayed at the same site on Dent, as you did.
Thanks for posting!
Joe

“The more you know, the less you carry” Mors Kochanski
tremolo
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07/30/2011 05:11PM
 
Pretty sure my paddling prowess was over-praised. I recall, "Shut up and Paddle!"


As to the supervised tent set-up: who needed to borrow my tent stakes????


Nice report, great to see you in your postr-trip glow.


Savage Voyageur
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07/30/2011 05:42PM
 
Nice report Jerry. I did not know that those fly strips worked, I will be picking them up. I have been in the same spot as you tring to find the portage/lake. It is no fun bushwhacking with half of your gear. Still sounds like a good trip. Thanks.

"So many lakes, so little time." WWJD
Boppa
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07/30/2011 08:04PM
 
OneMatch,
A very enjoyable trip report. Boy you pack a lot of different activities into your trip North.
I have always laughed at the vulnerable feeling that comes over me when I am momentarily, directionally confused. It certainly adds to the experience, or so it is said. Pleased it worked out OK.


Nice that you were able to achieve that remote feeling on your trip and during a heavily traveled time. Your portaging efforts paid off from my view point.


Meeting some fine members and friends and having an enjoyable time together is a great way to end your trip.


Thanks for the TR and pics and I am looking forward to some new songs down the road.
Boppa

"Yesterday is the past, Tomorrow is the future, Today is a GIFT, that is why it is called the present".
drnatus
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07/30/2011 08:08PM
 
nice report. way to keep your wits about you!


Never criticize someone until you walk a mile in their shoes....by then you'll be a mile away and they will be shoeless!
muddy
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07/30/2011 08:08PM
 
Sounds like a heck of a trip!!!


Thanks for being so open and honest!





Ho Ho
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07/30/2011 10:21PM
 
It was great to hear about your trip straight from the horse's mouth in Ely right afterwards, Jerry! Funny, though, I seem to remember that you used a different word than "dreadfully' to describe how much something went wrong when you were telling the story here. More like "something was *^$*^%#)_@!^%^ing wrong."


WhiteWolf
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07/30/2011 10:29PM
 
Sweet trip solo!!! Wouldn't mind trying it myself someday. Does anyone know if Dent has any fish in it at all. Even slimers???




The two loudest sounds known to man: a gun that goes bang when it is supposed to go click and a gun that goes click when it is supposed to go bang.
nojobro
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07/31/2011 06:59AM
 
Awesome, Jerry! Makes me yearn for my own solo trip. But I must wait. Waiting for a trip, not wanting to leave, wanting to turn back but knowing you can't....all these things come along wilderness tripping and we must have patience and fortitude. (sigh)
OneMatch
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07/31/2011 12:43PM
 
quote tremolo: "Pretty sure my paddling prowess was over-praised. I recall, "Shut up and Paddle!"



As to the supervised tent set-up: who needed to borrow my tent stakes????



Nice report, great to see you in your postr-trip glow.



"



no over praise at all. I recall that pretty timely to our conversation.


As to the tent pegs - touche. "Supervision was required!" Once again I stand corrected. :-)




We all have to believe in something. I believe I'll go paddle.
Rob Johnson
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07/31/2011 03:53PM
 
Thanks for sharing the report. I know (and dread) that feeling you get when the landscape does not seem to match logic.


I love the deerfly traps! I will definetly be adding that to the gear for my next trip.


RoJo

I always wondered why somebody didn't do something about that. Then I realized I am somebody. Lily Tomlin
tremolo
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07/31/2011 06:02PM
 
quote Ho Ho: "It was great to hear about your trip straight from the horse's mouth in Ely right afterwards, Jerry! Funny, though, I seem to remember that you used a different word than "dreadfully' to describe how much something went wrong when you were telling the story here. More like "something was *^$*^%#)_@!^%^ing wrong."



"



You should have heard him curse the wind on Fenske-- it went something like: "^%#*(^&f&^%g(*&^s%$#f...wind


OneMatch
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07/31/2011 08:32PM
 
quote tremolo: "quote Ho Ho: "It was great to hear about your trip straight from the horse's mouth in Ely right afterwards, Jerry! Funny, though, I seem to remember that you used a different word than "dreadfully' to describe how much something went wrong when you were telling the story here. More like "something was *^$*^%#)_@!^%^ing wrong."




"




You should have heard him curse the wind on Fenske-- it went something like: "^%#*(^&f&^%g(*&^s%$#f...wind



"



Yes, but I think the word "Holy" was in it, so it was ok.

We all have to believe in something. I believe I'll go paddle.
boonie
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08/01/2011 07:43AM
 
Enjoyed your report. That's an area I'd like to trip in sometime. I also hate that feeling of not being able to figure it out - like "why am I standing in front of the cupboard with the door half open"? I'll have to remember those deer fly patches, too.
alpine525
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08/01/2011 08:25AM
 
Loved your trip report - very entertaining!

Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace. Dalai Lama
misqua
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08/01/2011 09:54AM
 
Thanks for the fun trip report. I also was wondering about the deer fly strip, and since you showed proof that they work, I'm getting some.
wawasee
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08/01/2011 12:45PM
 
Enjoyed your trip report! It was good for a laugh which I could use today!
GSP
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08/01/2011 05:25PM
 
quote OneMatch: "quote tremolo: "quote Ho Ho: "It was great to hear about your trip straight from the horse's mouth in Ely right afterwards, Jerry! Funny, though, I seem to remember that you used a different word than "dreadfully' to describe how much something went wrong when you were telling the story here. More like "something was *^$*^%#)_@!^%^ing wrong."





"





You should have heard him curse the wind on Fenske-- it went something like: "^%#*(^&f&^%g(*&^s%$#f...wind




"




Yes, but I think the word "Holy" was in it, so it was ok."



Sounds like the making of a *%^&$^#(*^&*#%# song.


thanks for the report.

German Shorthair Pointers Rule Serenity is found in your mind, not somewhere you seek.
rlhedlund
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08/01/2011 06:56PM
 
Enjoyed reading your report.

Life is Good, Living is Better. Everlasting Life is Best! Pray for Us Amok.
serenityseeker
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08/01/2011 08:20PM
 
quote tremolo: "Pretty sure my paddling prowess was over-praised. I recall, "Shut up and Paddle!"



As to the supervised tent set-up: who needed to borrow my tent stakes????



Nice report, great to see you in your postr-trip glow.



"



LOL!!


Great Report OneMatch!! glad you had a good time despite the inaccurate maps and having headwinds all the time!!
arctic
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08/01/2011 08:26PM
 
Very nice report! I know that Wine-Mug-Louse-Dent area well. Great solitude and plenty of ticks early in the year! The Wine-Mug portage is a scenic trail.

“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” -Edward Abbey
bruceye
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08/02/2011 05:02AM
 
Nice Jerry! By the title of your report, I was fearful that maybe the whole trip was a flop. Do you keep a tablet and pen with you for those song inspiring moments? I have a hard time finding my way back to them once I'm back in the 'unreal' world. Ely is definately a music town. I think that has mostly to do with the college. Greg and I played at Cranberries a couple of times. Not sure if its still there or has the same name. Be well!

Bruceye
cheesewiz
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08/03/2011 10:21AM
 
Nice report, I've got to do a solo sometime!

I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal labotomy!
Minnesotian
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08/03/2011 11:50AM
 
Great report. Sounds like you and I might have crossed paths. I was soloing and putting into Sawbill the morning of the 26th and heading up to the Frost River. Eventually I stayed at the western site on Mesaba and then took the 480 rod portage south.
I have also done the Louse River and I agree with you on the Mug Lake description. Very pretty little lake. And that Wine island campsite is where I saw the Perseid Meteor Shower from last year.

"It is more important to live for the possibilities that lie ahead than to die in despair over what has been lost." -Barry Lopez
tremolo
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08/04/2011 12:40PM
 
One Match and Ho Ho discussing the route:



TomT
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08/06/2011 07:29AM
 
Very entertaininbg trip report. Sounds like you experienced a little bit of everything. And I definitely can relate to taking the wrong trail, unsure what to do all the while it is getting late and you are tired.


It's like life itself though, it's better to be out there having an adventure than just taking the cushy easy way. That would just be boring. You had a true adventure!


Thanks for posting and the pics were wonderful.

"Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." --- George Bernard Shaw
AndySG
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08/07/2011 11:43AM
 
Wow Jerry! What a fantastic solo trip. Please tell another "old timer" what you do to stay in shape for such grueling adventures. I envy your stamina.


Thanks for sharing your trip including the workshop, Tuscarora concert, and time in Ely. Very, very, well done.
HowardSprague
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08/18/2011 12:30PM
 
Hey, that was fun - glad I clicked on this section!


"Enjoy every sandwich"
fitgers1
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08/19/2011 08:22AM
 
Thanks for that great read!

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson...and...“Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".
Mongo65
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08/20/2011 08:31AM
 
Great trip report and pictures. Thank you for sharing.

Sit back, relax, have a home brew.
OldScout48
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09/01/2011 04:04PM
 
Very good, enjoyed your take on getting "confused". Since I have been to the waterfall previously I could picture your crawl up the phantom portage.

Old Scout
papasmurf
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09/02/2011 08:10AM
 
Wonderful report! I did the Dent lake loop out of Sawbill (solo) and it was nice to see those lakes again.
BWPaddler
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09/02/2011 10:06AM
 
Enjoyed the report and the pics... can totally relate to seeing a ranger and not being able to find permit - that's the first thing I panic about when spotting the uniform, ha!


Glad you kept your cool, used your skills, and added plenty of memories (and song ideas) to your repertoire. No song for "we have all day, the mergansers showed the way"? Sounds like a winner to me!

Wherever there is a channel for water, there is a road for the canoe. -Thoreau
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