Got rollin' about 9:00 this morning. An uneventful drive north was only punctuated by a short stop at the Kettle River rest area to change - then feed - Aurora. While the rest of us (Vickie, Hannah, & Hannahs' friend Morgan) took turns getting out to stretch, use the "facilities", & grab a cold drink. Traffic didn't seem to bad? Considering it was the beginning of a holiday weekend.[paragraph break]

Stopped in at my parents before continuing on to Ely. Unfortunately Mom had several errands to run, so Dad was the only one around. After a short visit we pressed on. [paragraph break]

I had called ahead and learned that the Dorothy Molter museum would not be open today. As the director would be helping out with graduation in town. An unfortunate circumstance considering the nature of our trip. But, there are plenty of other things to see & do in and around Ely.[paragraph break]

We grabbed some last minute items & browsed at some of the local shops. My brother Ross & his daughter Megan were to meet us at LaTourell's Outfitters. They were still aways out. So as we headed out of town we decided to kill a little time on a side trip.[paragraph break]

The Kawishiwi Falls Hiking Trail is just off of the Fernberg Trail right before the Fall Lake campground. A easy hike back is rewarded by a breathtaking view of this spectacular drop. Further enhanced by all the recent rains the area has gotten. Hard to believe that a fire was threatening Ely just a week, or so, earlier.

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Not being exactly sure how far along Ross & Megan were, we headed to LaTourell's Outfitters without further delay.[paragraph break]

Bob & Missy warmly greeted us upon arrival. Ross & Megan pulled in shortly there after as we were finishing up the details of our outfitting package. I feel compelled to divulge an instance of unsolicited generosity. Not only did they waive Auroras' tow fee. But, since one of their heated bunkhouses was unoccupied, they offered that for us to use along with the yurt we had reserved at no extra charge! Also, we really appreciated LaTourell's practice of using a large booklet to quickly cover the LNT ethics. IMHO a much more efficient presentation than having to sit through the video first. Still achieving the same end result. Really an all-around top notch business.[paragraph break]

Bob lead us up to our accomodations, showed us where, & how everything worked. After getting settled in, we went over the game plan for tomorrow with everyone then wandered around awhile. Afterwards, everyone came together for a game of Apples to Apples which served as our nightcap. [paragraph break]

It rained on & off all night. The rain intensified some as morning arrived. Keeping us in the tent awhile longer than our bladders would have liked. Mercifully the rain finally relented and everyone emerged from their respective sanctuaries to have some breakfast.[paragraph break]

Needless to say our site was absolutely soaked! To adequately define our current state of affairs would be more akin to wallowing in muck & mire vs. camping. Everyones tent had, at least some, standing water in the low corner. Fortunately no ones sleep systems had been compromised. (nor were for the duration of the trip) But, we were right on the brink. And extreme diligence needed to be maintained at all times to prevent this from happening. I think it safe to say that all our tents were on 1-2 inches of standing water & mud. With no way of avoiding doing so. While we did see loons, turtles, beavers, & even a small northern patroling the shoreline out on the lake. It seemed the small animals & birds that are commonly seen at/in most campsites were avoiding this one. I don't recall seeing one squirrel, chipmunk, or any birds while here. What Mother Nature withheld regarding these usual visitors. She made up for tenfold with slugs and the occasional gigantic earthworm. I guess you could say we perservered?[paragraph break]

Under these present conditions Aurora was able to complete, what I believe is, a rite of passage for all young children. I mean what red blooded person hasn't, at some point during their formative years, exulted at the absolute zenith of exuberation while rolling & playing carefree in filthy muck? While their parents spirits plummet to the nadir of exasperation upon discovery of this activity. [paragraph break]

Since we were using the tarp we had brought to lay down for Aurora to play on as our "innie?" Vickie had to be a bit creative when it came to keeping her out of the mud. [paragraph break]

Despite the awful weather conditions. Ross & I decide to do some exploring & maybe fishing. No one else even attempts to feign any interest in wanting to come along.[paragraph break]

In choppy conditions we make our way to the Vera portage. In my estimation Voyageur map is a bit off on the location of this portage. It is located more to the east out in the bay. Not at the narrowing arm as the map indicated. Never the less, it is still quite noticeable once you paddle upon it.[paragraph break]

This is a portage of extremes. It climbs up out of Knife. There are a few spots where obvious improvements have been made. Across these sections the trail is perfectly smooth & flat. As accomodating as a portage could be. Then further along are some nasty hills. Not trying to scare anybody away & by no means impossible....but, I will say that there is a section that has a very difficult rock face to go up/down. Especially in wet conditions as we had. There simply are not alot of good footholds & the exposed rock faced gradient is of such an angle that extra caution & patience absolutely need to be exercised. To add to the excitement. With all the recent rains, there was even a small creek the rushed past in this section. [paragraph break]

Once on Vera a short paddle over to the Trader lake portage. The trail is somewhat obscured, as you actually have to paddle into the mouth of a small stream that runs between the two lakes before reaching the landing. [paragraph break]

Once again, we encountered another cacophony of rapids in the small creek that the trail followed closely along for a good portion of the walk. For the most part the trail was in great shape with only some minor undulation. The landing on the Trader end was less than perfect. It dropped nearly straight down about three feet. Fortunately the water was neither deep nor had any troublesome rocks along the shoreline to stumble on. [paragraph break]

Next we headed for Neglige which is part of the Spider lake PMA. My Voyageur map doesn't show the portage. But, older maps, & the Google map on bwca.com show precisely where it is. The landing was quite easy to locate. It's in the SW corner of Trader lake right where the terrain switches from a swampy boggy environment to more of the typical rocky shoreline. Nothing like the previous landing. But, it was still fairly steep.[paragraph break]

There was a pleasant surprise waiting for us as we exited the canoe. A couple of pink lady slippers were just starting to bloom. Cool beans! The portage itself was easily followed. Lots of overhanging branches were the main deterrrent. The trail was quite narrow & squeezing the canoe through took some nimble manuevering in a few spots. There were no hills per say. But, there where a few short, steep, slippery (when wet) rock slopes to overcome as well. All & all I'd say a very good trail considering this was a PMA.[paragraph break]

There's an interesting story on how Neglige lake got it's name. According to a story in "A Wonderful Country ~ The Quetico - Superior stories of Bill Magie" by Dave Olesen. A young indian girl was murdered and left there, floating on the shore, dressed in a yellow neglige by her jealous lumberjack boyfriend. If you are interested? There's more to this story & there are many others included in this great book. So check it out. Bill Magie was certainly a canoe country legend.[paragraph break]

Explored the entire lake including the old campsite in the NW corner. It had a gently sloping rock face running down to the lake which made for a nice landing. The tent pad located just above was completely saturated. (Glad to see we weren't the only site) Could probably squeeze 2 small tents in there if you had to? There was even a faint trail running up behind camp which provided a marginal overlook of the lake. [paragraph break]

Further explorations revealed another viable site. The small peninusula that juts out from the north & seperates the two lobes of the lake is also home to a decent prospective campsite. Indeed it appears it has been used for just that. A small rock fire pit has been constructed. And there are two small but, viable tent pads. IMHO this would be my preferred camp if I were to spend a night or two here. Being a peninsula, it also offers shore fishing opportunities in several different directions. [paragraph break] There were several spots around the lake that provided evidence that others had been there. Later, when looking at the photos taken of our day here on Neglige, Vickie commented that the weather was much more placid that what they had experienced while at camp on Knife lake. Still we had the occasional shower & the wind picked up now & again. So, it wasn't all roses here either. Just pink lady slippers. :)[paragraph break]

As we started paddling back across Trader lake we could see a couple of canoes headed for the Vera portage. Our arrival at the landing coincided with theirs. Weather dominated the conversation. We all complained but, I must admit, their story of woe easily trumped ours. They had been in for the past week. And gave us a detailed account of their shared misfortune & misery. Finding out the hard way that putting a tarp under the tent really pools the water up quickly. Almost all of their gear was wet & had been for the past couple of days. If there was any doubt of the credibility of this story? The weary, beleaguered expressions written across their faces more than confirmed it as gospel truth. They had aspirations of making it all the way back to Moose lake yet today. (It was after 4:00) In parting we wished each other well & hoped for some sunshine in the near future.[paragraph break]

The weather seemed to worsen the closer we got to Knife. Paddled through some walleye chop on Knife before pulling into our back bay. Supper was already on the grate. Perfect timing! (at least for Ross & I)[paragraph break]

We had put together some foil packs of hamburger with various vegetables. Added to that, was the fresh fish filets we grilled up as well. Megan & Morgan marveled at the orange meat. The finished product disappeared quickly so no one must've had any qualms about the taste of "orange" filets. [paragraph break]

Undoubtedly what saved us from an almost certain mutiny on this trip was the fact that the girls had brought some various electronic gadgets to keep their minds occupied. What with all the cold & rain we had, it's a wonder the batteries held out! Everyone taking time to keep an eye on Aurora, even if just for a short while, was also a tremendous help. And, simply keeping a positive attitude through these trying conditions. While everyone complained about the cold & rain at one time or another. No one did so much so, that they crossed the line & began to drag the group morale down. [paragraph break] Vera Lake, Trader Lake, Neglige Lake

Today our goal was to move camp somewhere near Indian portage on Birch lake. In that way we would only have one very short portage tomorrow on our way out. With the way the weather had played out so far & the miserable condition of our current site. I think everyone would've been happy just taking our chances with most any other site regardless of location.[paragraph break]

Of course it was still overcast this morning. Initially, at least, it wasn't raining. That came as we started to tear down camp! Motivation was easy to come by as everyone had grown tired of this site & were eager to move. [paragraph break]

Knife lake was still slumbering, so we had an easy paddle over to Big Knife portage. Here we met the only 2 people we would cross paths with on portages today. A couple of fishermen headed for Knife. The portages were even wetter this time through but, they went by quickly. [paragraph break]

Soon we were back at Birch lake. Since Hannah & Morgan were our weakest paddling tandem, we had been making a point to get them loaded up & on their way before the rest of us. There was some chop developing on Birch lake, so we gave them instructions to stay fairly close to shore in case things suddenly worsened. [paragraph break]

Ross & Megan were off at essentially the same time, while Vickie, Aurora & I finished loading up the Black Pearl. Once out on the water, as we neared the eastern point of the large SW orientated bay, we had to deal with something of an emergency. [paragraph break]

A ways off I noticed that neither Hannah or Morgan were even attempting to paddle. They were about 30-40 feet out from shore. They had gotten stuck on a large log just under the surface. Of course it started raining as we pulled up alongside. I tried tugging them free. To no avail. In something of a risky move. We positioned ourselves so Morgan could hop over to our canoe on top of our Duluth Packs. Then, Hannah was able to easily back paddle off the log. We both drifted into shore so Morgan could reverse the process. [paragraph break]

It was just one of those flukey things. I believe it would've happened to anyone paddling that line. Being overcast, windy & rainy made it very difficult to see anything below the surface. Fortunately we were behind them & were able to give them a hand.[paragraph break]

As we continued west down the lake, every so often there was a tantalizing glimpse of better weather. Alas, that would be about as good as it got today.[paragraph break]

We paddled to the sites just south of the large islands before deciding to pull off for a short break. Got out, stretched our legs & had a snack. [paragraph break]

After our brief respite we were back on the water. But, not for long! As we came around the point just past the last (western most) campsite south of the large island, Birch lake opened up and revealed that she had whipped herself up into a tempestuous froth.[paragraph break]

It appeared there was a decent landing & trail on the shore. I surmised it must be the backside of the campsite we recently paddled past. Vickie got out & confirmed my suspicion. We hadn't traveled quite as far as we had hoped. But, not knowing how long it would take for the wind to die down, It was determined that this would be home for the night.[paragraph break]

We ended up having to portage our packs a short distance back to the actual campsite. Vickie then pulled some "real" snacks out of the barrel. Having recharged our batteries, we proceeded to get camp setup.[paragraph break]

Compared to our last site, this is the Taj Mahal! In reality, I'd say it was above average (3.5 stars) Most importantly, the tent pads, though a bit rocky, were dry. The wind continued with frequent gusts out of the north which made getting the tarp setup more of a chore than it needed to be. Also, the wind had more bite to it than previous nights. Apparently things were cooling down even more? (Vickie later verified that Ely reported it's overnight low as 35) We were just happy not to be sloshing around everywhere we walked. Cold, without the rain, was easier to deal with. [paragraph break]

Buffalo chicken & rice wraps for supper. Spent a good deal of time gathered around the fire. Ross was relieved to find out that the sizable animal he had heard thrashing around in the woods while he was setting up their tent, turned out to be just a rabbit. As we monitored the evening sky there was the unmistakable hue of crimson present. We hoped the old sailors tale would hold true. "Red at night sailors delight." [paragraph break]

Seed Lake, Melon Lake, Carp Lake, Birch Lake

Sunshine! Glorious sunshine! It remained mostly overcast. But, we were treated to a brief, fleeting glimpse as we woke this morning. Across the way there was a rainbow. [paragraph break]

All told, staying at this site probably only cost us an extra 15-20 minutes of paddling this morning. After crossing over Indian portage the navigational instructions were quite easy. Just paddle to where you see the motor boats coming from. [paragraph break]

By no means unbearable. But, it was one of the colder mornings of paddling I can recall having to endure. We wound up waiting for Hannah & Morgan on a few occasions. (as we wanted to keep them within eyeshot) Along with the steady stream of motorboats, we passed a number of canoes headed in the other direction. There were no real rest stops taken along the way. Just a slow steady pace as everyone was anxious to get back.[paragraph break]

I'm sure not soon enough? The LaTourell docks were within sight. We paddled up and ended our travels, via watercraft, on this vacation. [paragraph break]

After loading up, buying Hannah a sweatshirt, & thanking Missy for everything, we headed for the Ely Steakhouse where it was Bucky Burgers all-around. Much to the delight of everyone.[paragraph break]

Obviously, as most anyone would assume, this was a very trying trip. I thought everyone did a stand up job keeping their important gear dry. In fact, I don't recall anyone complaining that they were uncomfortable because they didn't have warm clothes/gear etc. But, the cold temperatures & persistant rain really kept us in (or close to camp) far more often than we would have liked. Couple that with an absolutely crummy campsite. (soaked & much too small of a kitchen area for our larger group) Looking back, I can't say enough about how well everyone handled these tough conditions. It would have been very easy, and quite understandable, for someone to totally lose it at some point. I guess the silver lining was that there were no bugs? [paragraph break]

Of course this will always be a memorable trip for alot of the wrong reasons. But, I think, we were still able to squeeze some fun & adventure out of it as well? And, Aurora probably handled it all better than the rest of us? (Ignorance is bliss!) At the very least we learned alot about ourselves & abilities to handle some extreme conditions, while still managing to enjoy ourselves enough to prevent a minor (if not total) trip implosion. [paragraph break]

Birch Lake, Sucker Lake, Newfound Lake, Moose Lake