Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

1981 Border Route Revisited
by woodpecker

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 07/18/2011
Entry & Exit Point: Fall Lake (EP 24)
Number of Days: 6
Group Size: 3
Trip Introduction:
Our trip this year actually inclcuded part of the "Voyageur's Highway" and also reminded me of the album title by Minnesota's Bob Dylan "Hwy 61 Revisited".

In July 1981 a friend of mine and I made our 1st trip to Crooked Lake after seeing a program on TV about the great smallmouth fishing on Thursday Bay of Crooked Lake.

Well, I always told my sons that we should make that route (or part of it) sometime... We would see the pictographs and table rock, plus some real good canoeing, and not to forget, good fishing.... 30 years later, we made it back!
Day 1 of 6
After a good drive up and getting our permit and checking in at VNO for our canoe and use of the Bunkhouse there....We, Adam, Nick, and I, decided on SirG's for supper on Sunday evening... Pizza to die for and I'm not kidding...Great stuff.

Monday, July 18, 2011....

We were on the water at Fall Lake #24 at 8:00 AM and paddled through Pipestone Bay of Basswood Lake by shortly afternoon......It was extremely hot and humid and the filtered water flowed well, except it just wouldn't quench the thirst....

but the flask came out and.....
"Up Pipestone Bay and hang to the left".....well we hung to the left all right and missed our turn to the gaging station....ending up in Jackfish Bay and almost an hour out of our way before talking to three canoes of cliff divers to straighten out our directions....

We finally made it to the mile portage at the Basswood Falls and drained what was left of our (my) energy in the heat....We told each other let's take the first open campsite and "captured" the first one we came to .......up on a huge rock point....not far from Wheelbarrow Falls.

We set up camp and went swimming....the water was a lifesaver and rejevenated us to an extent... Not feeling like cooking...we filtered a bunch of water and had some Indian rice foil pouches (cold) and raspberry lemonade....had a small fire and turned in a little after 9 PM...