Wilderness Wind Paddle-a-thon 2005: Travel Log
From Moose Lake to Saganaga and Back
What is it like to paddle 50 or 60 miles in a day? At Wilderness Wind, we decided to find out. The idea came from a mixing a fun fundraising event with personal challenge. The funds raised for this year's event will go towards scholarships and operating costs. This travel log will give you a glimpse but without the muscle screams and sore backsides! Read on and visit some of the sites and smells. Laugh with us, realizing that tiredness made us laugh very easily. Imagine yourself in the canoe. It was a momentous day. One that we won't forget. Dip in your paddle and feel the rush.
4:20 am -
Mary Ruth, Aubrey and Kathy arrive at the canoe landing in the dark. We are astounded by the northern lights whisping green across the horizon. Among the Eskimos of northern Canada, the northern lights are believed to be the spirits of the dead greeting their living relatives. We are quieted by that thought. Quickly they had arrived and without much lingering, they have vanished.
4:25 am -
We are joined by James and Zeb who quickly put their canoe on the water and are gone.
4:30 am -
We take our first strokes into the blackness below while being surrounded by the blackness above. Compass reading by flashlight.
5:10 am -
This is the second glorious scene of the morning, another that we will simply hold within our minds. The sky is bright pink and orange, the lake reflecting back what the sun already sees. Mary Ruth, in the bow, is silhouetted against the colors on the lake. The tree line horizon pitch black and nondescript. Hungry bats start swooping around us, lightly touching the lake surface as they feed. Tiny silhouettes of vibrating life against the backdrop of morning hues. Carried well by these images we paddle on.
5:45 am -
The wind is coming from the N/NE. The weather predictions proposed
S/SW. Soooo, what does that mean for our day?
6:00 am -
Our first portage: We note that it usually takes two hours to get to this point (6 miles from the put in point). For the last half hour, we have noticed Peter and Nathan paddling in the distance behind us. They are right behind us as we push away from the portage.
6:10 am -
The sun is edging its way above the tree line.
6:25 am -
Our first calculation: How many strokes per mile? 415. What does it say that we are trying to entertain ourselves so early in the day? We keep playing with the calculation. "Lets just say between the three canoes we average 350 strokes per mile. Since there are seven of us paddling then how much is each stroke worth given the amount we have raised so far?"
6:45 am -
Peter and Nathan pass us.
8:00 am -
We finish the last portage in the series, paddle out into the bay and acknowledge that this is the bay where we usually camp the first day with our groups. Out in the bay, we see other people paddling. This is the first time we have seen people besides our team.
8:15 am -
We pass Robbins Island and can see five miles as we look down the south arm of Knife Lake. Kathy exclaims, "It looks like the other end of the world over there."
8:30 am -
James and Zeb notice smoke rising on the horizon of Knife Lake. They wonder whether it is from the famed Sea Gull Lake fires (with over 800 acres burned), but James' compass reading tells them they are headed straight for the smoke.
9:00 am -
We paddle past Thunder point. Three and a half hours into the
journey. We typically climb Thunder point on day two of a trip! The wind
continues to be N/NE, so we are heading into the wind and it is picking
up.
9:05 am -
A familiar figure stands on the shoreline. James sensed us coming, came out to the waters edge and waved. Our comrades on this mission, Zeb and James, have stopped to take a break at a campsite. We join them, but all get back on the water quickly.
9:45 am -
We are going slower now and decide to do another stroke per mile count. 500. Hmm! 85 more strokes on that mile than the last time. What will it be by the end of the day?! We decide that back rubs will be in order at our turn around point.
10:00 am -
A single canoe paddles quickly towards us. No green shirts on their backs so we know they aren't part of our team. They are Canadian Rangers; paddling to inform us that there is a managed forest fire ahead. They recognize that we are on a paddle-a-thon as they have already spoken to two of our team members. They wish us well and speed on. I wonder how many miles they have gone today. The wind is picking up speed and it is still from the N/NE. No white caps yet though.
10:15 am -
Passing through a narrow point, we notice the smell in the air. As the lake opens up again we can see the smoke gently and slowly rising. The fire has burned many hours before our arrival to this lake. Underbrush is charred, a few white pines stand brown against the backdrop of green, no flames are visible, simply exhausting embers adding contrast to the bright cloudless sky.
10:30 am -
Time for lunch. Sounds of gratitude for hummus, apricots, bagels and Becca's energy bars ring across the lake.
11:20 am -
With Knife lake behind us and Ottertrack before us, we enter the
last expanse of water before our goal of Monument Portage. Ottertrack has
several rock ledges on the Canadian side. We stop to enjoy them. On the
first one we notice two faces looking at each other. On the second one, Mary
Ruth exclaims, "look, there is another face". Silence. Aubrey joins in with
the one she sees. Kathy, seeing no faces at all, confesses, " If I didn't
know you two better, I would think you were paranoid."
11:55 am -
Mary Ruth and Kathy are wondering how much farther to the portage since it seems like we should be there soon. Aubrey has the map and clarifies, "It is just around the next point to the right."
12:15 pm -
After passing several points (by our definition) and hearing that three more times, we begin to wonder!
12:45 pm -
We arrive at Monument Portage, 27.5 miles from our put in point. Time for that backrub! Very creative monuments.
1:15 pm -
Ahh! The return begins. We wonder how much further the other canoes went and when they will catch up to us. Secretly we hope we can get to Thunder Point before they pass us. The wind has now changed direction and is coming from the S/SE. Once again we head into it.
2:00 pm -
We stop at the cliffs and look at a plaque acknowledging Ben Ambrose born 1886, died 1982. We wonder what his stories of this lake country were like. (We found out later that he was one of the three last residents who lived within the Boundary Waters. Ben was a trapper by trade and apparently had a prolific raspberry patch). Aubrey upon viewing harebells growing on the rock says, "Wow, harebells. You are my favorite flower this moment."
2:25 pm -
Mary Ruth suggests that we start singing. The songs we all know are great but we realize that we are too tired to learn new ones with too many words. OOOing lullabies and four line rounds are doable.
2:40 pm -
Now we leave Ottertrack and are back into Knife Lake. The wind has picked up considerably and the forest fire is being stoked into small flames. Smoke clouds the lake's hollow. As we leave the portage, we notice one of the other canoes just arriving on the other side.
2:50 pm -
We decide to put bandanas over our nose and mouth, just to be on the safe side, in case the smokey air is pungent and sharp.
3:00 pm -
The Canadian rangers are camped on an island. As we pass they ask us how our adventure is going. We are pretty upbeat even though we are tired. They share words of encouragement and are impressed with how far we have gone. We suggest that they should ask the guys for their permit in order to slow them down.
3:15 pm -
The "I'm pretty sure" moment. With our level of tiredness, a few letters got switched around, which made it quite comical.
4:00 pm -
Pass Thunder point. We can see the other two canoes far behind us.
6:00 pm -
From 3:00 until now we have been downing energy bars as
often as we feel even a slight bit of hunger as we try to keep the energy
up. Now, it IS time to stop for supper. We stop at the end of the series of
portages and as we eat we watch a group of Outward Bounders cross the
portage. They are still on the move and haven't set up camp yet.
6:15 pm -
Nathan, Peter, James and Zeb cross the portage trail. All of us are tired, but we laugh and are encouraged by seeing each other doing so well...relatively that is.
7:00 pm -
Back on the lake we notice four loons: two adults with two chicks. The adults head off for better fishing grounds. The young adults hang out together bobbing with the waves. One starts flapping its one foot, then the other, then does a back flip and starts kicking so it is "gliding" with the white belly up. This strange behavior continues for quite some time. Is this loon OK? We stop, watch for awhile, turn around to go check it out. Once we get a bit closer all activity returns to normal. They both dive and come back up together. Clowns exist even in the wilderness.
8:00 pm -
The short five rod portage is behind us. Now we have the stretch back across Birch, Newfound and Moose Lakes to the landing. This morning it took us 1 hour. What will it take us now with 49 miles behind us? Whatever the case we will arrive past dark.
8:30 pm -
The sun takes its last breath before slipping down
below the tree line as the earth continues on its universal path. A light
pink returns to the sky and the lake becomes a celebration of light before
us.
8:45 pm -
The sliver of the moon starts to reflect across the lake.
9:10 pm -
As we make our way into Moose Lake from the narrow opening between Newfound and Moose, we can see the lights of the buildings surrounding the landing which is still two miles away. It is enchanting crossing this lake by moon light, the water lit up by the last bit of light in the night sky.
9:40 pm -
We come around our last point. The water now is darkened and the shoreline is pitch dark. Suddenly a flashlight shines! James and Zeb made it back an hour before us; Nathan and Peter a half an hour later. Their light welcoming the weary travelers back. How significant and kind such as small gesture feels at this moment.
9:45 pm -
The landing, cheers all the way around. 55 to 61 miles of the Boundary Waters and Quetico paddled in one day. Anyone for a day off?
Slowly echoed the waning day
Slips down clouds hung the way
Of suns sinking silent still
though pastel passion senses fill
To slip down the darkening shade
Until another evening's made
- Roy Hange, camper 2005
