Solo September Darky to Brent and back LaCroix

[intrepidcamper]

September Solo 9-8 thru 9-22-2005

9/8 10:00 am
Made a tiny fire and am having coffee near Black Robe portage. Received a tow across LaCroix with Anderson’s Outfitters, Captain John was the pilot. Extremely smoky on LaCroix from the DNR “controlled” burns south of here taking place off the Echo Trail and near Gunflint Trail areas. Some spots on the lake were so smoky that it was very hard to see the route across the wider bays. Good thing John knew the route by heart.
Water levels were low on Loon River and on Lac LaCroix. Now it is very quiet; calm, sunny and warm on the lake. I can hear some geese nearby. A father/son pair were on the tow with me; they went on to Bottle Portage and Crooked Lake.

PM…Now it is 4:00 and I have reached today’s planned objective. I am camped on an excellent site at the mouth of the Darky River where it enters Minn Lake. The site, hidden somewhat by a small landing, is a very nice level point with huge Red and White pine trees all around. Today remained sunny and clear with light NE winds. I had an enjoyable, leisurely paddle. The portages were well used and fairly easy. The water level was low in McAree but high in Minn Lake. Saw beaver, loons, geese; fresh and large wolf scat on the 16 rod portage. . Now as I write, I see some large fish swirls going on near the landing of this campsite. Another party is camped south of me on an island.
Enjoyed a very pretty pink and purple sunset about 8:00 pm. The fire smoke is thick and in places making everything tinted in reds. Many red squirrels are busy harvesting cones and chasing one another around in the huge pine trees. Very quiet, calm and clear along the river. Found mica rock sheets and crystals and large feldspar crystal forms and also sparkling coppery color pyrite silica around camp. Lots of big crystal (rough) rock on south shorelines.

9/9 Started fairly slowly this morning. I made French toast out of my dinner rolls; they were already stale but still very good as FT. Today is a beautiful sunny warm day. On the first portage I carried my heaviest pack load to the end. The second trip I took a load on my back and towed the kayak about half way up the shallow water creek. I could intermittently get in and paddle or walk the kayak and load; and had to pull over at one beaver dam/ large rock. I repeated this method through the next short portages. Darky is a Black Spruce swampy low-land river full of hair grass and white water lily pads. It is wide but shallow with a sandy mucky bottom, and is rockier at the portage areas. I walked up two more portages and paddled past a corner with a campsite and past the mouth of Wicksteed Creek. On the second to last portage on the left, I could walk up the rocks along the river shore. The actual portage trail here was uselessly steep at each end. On the last portage I again tried walking up and managed 2/3 of the way. I don’t recommend the walking/towing method here…the portage trail isn’t much better traveling but was somewhat less work than towing the kayak in the shallow rocky river. At the Darky end I met a couple on the portage who had had trouble flying into LLC from Ely due to the ever present, thick smoke from the controlled (?) burns on Echo Trail and eastward. I proceeded on into Darky along the NE shore trying to stay out of a stiff SW wind. After some searching I found a nice 2 level campsite at east end of the largest island which had a great fireplace area and lots of dry wood left for me by the last campers. It seemed to be threatening to rain and was so smoky I was unsure of what the weather or time of day actually was. I put up 2 tarps, one over my tent and the other over the fire area and unpacked. It is windy this evening but I am tucked in among some small cedar trees and under my tent tarp.
I hung “Pink” on the shoreline in case Clouserminnow happened by and sure enough, he and his son came by shortly afterward, also looking for a campsite. He said they were late due to the smoke and ash from the fires keeping his planned ride via sea plane from leaving from Ely and they had had to drive over to Crane Lake and leave from there. We made plans to meet up again for coffee and breakfast tomorrow and they traveled on to find a campsite before dark. I ate in the near dark by the time I got supper done

[intrepidcamper]

9/10
I am writing while “brunch” is cooking on the first portage to Brent Lake via the Darky River. I was up early and packed and soon off to find Clouserminnow and son for breakfast. I could not locate them along my route to this portage, and because I was bucking the wind, decided not to back track to find them. I’ve stopped on the west side of the portage out of the stiff breeze and made coffee and ate breakfast. It must be about 10:00 am by now and still no one in sight. I am ready to move on, dressed to splash all day in shallow streams.
3:00 pm. I splashed, carried and pulled my kayak and gear 2/3 of the way through this long 180 rod portage, walking in and along the river. Because it was debatable which was worse, the trail or the river, I generally stayed in the water. Finally gave that up and found the trail near the third pond and sat down in the middle of the trail for lunch. Soon Clouserminnow came along; they had traveled beyond the bay leading to Darky River, then got off the trail by taking a wrong portage to a different lake and finally back tracking to find Darky River. We all finished the portage together at the Brent Lake end and decided to share a campsite tonight. We met a couple of camper/fishermen going south at the end.
Today was clear, sunny and HOT! A gusty to stiff E-SE wind against us most of the time. We located a very nice but well used campsite on the West end of Brent Lake on an island. Clouserminnow fed me and shared a bourbon drink. We finished supper just as dark fell. Tonight is warm, windy, and dry.

9/11
VERY warm this morning for a fall day. I had delicious pancakes with Clouserminnow and then (Bill & Jeff) they packed up and went on their way. Since there was a west wind I decided to continue on also, since it was going to be behind me. I paddled leisurely down the length of Brent, enjoying a perfect sunny morning and early afternoon. It was HOT, the wind was light but pushing me along; I hugged the southern shoreline to stay in the shade when I could.
About mid-lake I was surprised to find a forest fire actively burning. It was in the area of a hidden bay about mid-lake and south. The south shore of Brent was burnt to almost the McIntyre route. I paddled around the east end of the lake, among the islands, looking for a good campsite. I finally settled on a barely used, rocky spot on the north shore. It is very clean with lots of dry wood close at hand. It faces south so is very warm and I sat in the shade a while until the sun and heat subsided as afternoon wore on.
At bedtime I cannot decide if it is going to rain or not; the clouds and smoke make it impossible to predict the weather or time. Another group is camped across the lake, due south of me.

9/12
Got up late this morning. It started to rain last night, after dark, and several thunderstorms passed overhead throughout the night and into the morning hours. I have no idea what time it is, due to the haze, smoke and cloud cover.
I’ll make breakfast and then move on to Suzanette….(later)…..It quit raining long enough to build a small fire and make coffee. Soon it began to rain again but I am snug under my tarp and have my hot coffee (with Amaretto!) to console me. I have just two short portages and a short paddle into the middle of Suzanette where I plan to to set up a base camp for 2 or 3 days.
(Still later)…I may not be going anywhere today. It is still raining hard and steady. Small thunderstorms are passing by.
(Later yet)…It is STILL raining, a serious soaker! I just remembered how the ground smelled last night when it began to rain…very “mushroomy”. Probably the Reindeer moss, which was dry when I set up camp, and became broken where I walked.
It finally stopped raining around 3 or 4:00 pm. I made supper and coffee. The wind has been calm since noon. This afternoon it tried to clear up but is now overcast again, or maybe “still overcast” would be more accurate. The temps are quite warm and comfortable, still probably low 70’s after 2-3 days of warmer days and nights. Two people still at camp south of me; one goes out fishing in the canoe whenever it quits raining.
What I though was a nice clean site turns out to be a “garbage” site. I have located big black and white garbage bags (second occurrence), two large what appear to be building-plastic tarps are over the hill in what would have been set up out of a stiff south wind, a cloth Gilligan hat, candy wrappers, newer metal spoon and shreds of duct tape.

[intrepidcamper]

9/13
Now at the NE end of Suzanette on a nice, but small sloping rock point. It rained again last night and tried to clear today but still kept low grey clouds most of the day. All day it seemed on the verge of raining, with W-NW winds all day. Wind was strong mid-day although I was never in much wind on the small lake stretches. Saw no other campers today. The NW wind is still lightly gusting at dark. It again tried to clear at sunset but got cloudy. Since it is starting to get seriously cooler the clouds will be good tonight, keeping the temperature warmer. Most of today was warm enough to paddle in shirt and shorts until late in the afternoon.

9/14
This morning I had to evacuate my campsite point before making coffee. It was too windy from the N-NW to deal with a fire. I retreated to the bay north of here for coffee and breakfast fire on a calm and roomy sloping rocky shoreline and to decide my next move. I will go south to Burt narrows for the night; I have been told there is a nice campsite there, and pictographs to see.
PM…I got lazy about hauling my stuff over portages, then probably back over the same route the next day so stopped at the south end of Suzanette. I may day trip to Burt tomorrow if the weather is favorable. I am undecided on my return route; I want to avoid Paulene and the longer portages into McIntyre and am wondering if the portages from Brent to McIntyre are burnt up from that local fire.
So now I am on a small “bushwacked” site on the south side of a small gravel island in the southeast arm of Suzanette. Someone else, probably solo, has been here recently in the same spot judging by the small, recently trampled tent spot. The island is a glacial esker, with a steep center of gravel and boulders, covered in some huge pine and scrubby spruce. It makes a shallow sand bar “bridge” across the narrow arm…maybe I will have animal visitors passing through tonight? The island also has a larger site on its north end, with a good fireplace and enough room for two small tents. If the center of the island ridge was less boulder-y and a little more level it would be a great vantage point for a tent among the huge pine. It was very windy today, from the N-NW all day. I paddled south and finally settled on this site as about the last chance for a spot out of the wind for the night. Now at sunset it is calm and a beautiful ¾ moon is rising. A small motored (helicopter?) just passed by to the NW almost at dark.
Pink is guarding camp and sporting a white Eagle feather. She has earned it as the most traveled Quetico Pinkus Flamingus Jimboreous of 2005.

9/15 AM
A hard wind has come up from the South. It rained lightly this morning but is now clearing up. I tried to wait out a wind shift or let-up, reading in my tent, to no avail. Now I may have to move my kitchen to the north end of the island to make coffee!

PM…I took my coffee and cooking equipment to the north end of the island where the better campsite was. Made coffee and ate a breakfast/lunch of cold wild rice and pecan pancakes with stewed apples; leftovers from last night’s dinner. They were very good!
I decided to move camp and retrace my steps through no-name lake to Brent. I broke camp in the howling south wind, packed up and left the island.
As the day wore on it turned cloudless, warm, and sunny and the stiff SW wind began to calm down. I reached Brent around 5:00 pm and was still in the mood to keep paddling. I set the west campsite of Brent as my goal, knowing I could find may way around it in the dark and could set up camp there late, without much trouble.
I had a really nice evening paddle. On the way I saw two campers in solo canoes, about mid-point of the length of the lake. They were on the other side of the channel and I didn’t cross to talk to them, but we waved at each other. I couldn’t see where they were camped; probably back in the second bay to the south. There was lots of fish action in the channel this evening; little fish running from big ones? On the way also saw a big Mama beaver with her four little Beeves. Heard a moose moving in the woods on the peninsula on eastern shore.
It was easy to set up camp on the west campsite in the very last bits of day light and by the light of a bright moon. Hung the food pack. Threw out my eggs. I broke them earlier today on a portage when I slid and landed on them with a knee.

[intrepidcamper]

9/16
It dawned calm but a little cloudy this morning. By mid-day it warmed up to a beautiful cloudless blue sky with warm, light SW winds. I started out after an early lunch and paddled around, exploring most of the shores of the west end of Brent and finally settled on a little sandy gravel knoll on the channel near the portage to Cone Lake. I will try to get into Argo, and maybe as far as the Roland Lakes tomorrow. There are two long portages and one 30 rod portage, plus some very short ones into the Roland Lakes to cover. I get up and get going early tomorrow. Just as I settled on my campsite I saw two canoes of two men each finishing the portage into Brent from Cone. They paddled by and disappeared into Brent.

9/17
Up at the crack of dawn. It was warm with light SE winds and a red sky. I packed up camp without breakfast of coffee and started off to the first 90 rod portage. It was very muddy at the start. I walked slimy logs to avoid stepping into knee deep mud, making two trips to dry land with the heaviest of my load and finally could drag the kayak up to dry footing with the rest of my gear still in it. This first portage was very rough, lots of up and down sections, and rocky footing.
I crossed Cone with an east wind. The sky was overcast and threatened with a few drops of rain now and then. Cone is a very clear lake and appeared to have campable shoreline.
Then onto the long second portage, 180 rods. It did not seem as long as that. I crossed it with four leap-frog trips. Overall it was an excellent path with no serious mud, a few short uphill climbs, and only a couple difficult rock strewn areas. It was well used, as all the “historic portages” have been. I guess it is more refined from steady use.
I crossed a no-name lake, also very clear, and noted some (two ?) possible nice campsites. Now I am marooned on a white sand beach at the Argo end of the 28 rod portage. A very stiff, 20/30 mph wind is blowing straight into the bay from the lake proper. The day has cleared up and is mostly sunny and nicely warm in the low 70’s. I will sit and wait out a wind shift in speed or direction by reading a book, and writing in my journal.

I became impatient after about an hour of waiting and made a break to get out of the bay. With careful, slow paddling I picked my way across the worst of the windy area to the north end of Birch Island. I found a very nice site here where I will cook an early dinner and maybe move on later if the wind and weather permit.

PM…The wind let up some and switched slightly W-SW so after eating I went on, carefully picking my way across two more open stretches of water into the Siobhan River. Now I am set up for the night on a small flat rock point in the crook of a bay on the river, just NE of the first 8 rod portage. It is very nice here on this small, pine needle carpeted flat rock. It is a perfect evening, warm with light winds, quiet and with a full moon. I saw no one during my travels today. Many mushrooms are in bloom in the woods, the fall leaves are beginning to turn color, lots of White Pine needles are falling, carpeting the ground.
I ended up short of my hoped for destination today. It was a long day, but I took some long breaks also.

[intrepidcamper]

9/18
Up at the crack of dawn again. Cloudy, NE winds. Packed up and left without coffee or breakfast. I paddled and portaged to west end of Crooked Lake and the lower end of Curtain Falls. Here I saw several (10-12) other campers around 1:30 pm. I moved on to a nearby, large beach on the north shore of Iron, just west of Curtain Falls and made coffee and a hot lunch. I will continue on when I am rested. There is a tow ride at Bottle portage this afternoon, but I doubt if I will make it in time. I am not sure I have another portage left in me for today. I can try to intercept a tow again tomorrow at Bell Island.
While I ate and rested I watched several beavers working at packing sticks into a big new house banked up against a sloping ledge rock at the end of the beach, about 150 feet away from me. One is a very black, very large beaver; the others are brown and smaller.

PM…After eating and resting I paddled the north shore of Iron Lake to Bottle portage; did the Bottle portage and then paddled up the north shore of LaCroix to the old site of the Quetico Ranger cabins, arriving an hour after dark. I knew I could set up here easily in the dark, having stayed here not long ago in August. It was a calm and chilly evening, clear sky, bright moon, lone wolf howling in the distance. On LaCroix I saw a couple of canoes and some boat traffic on the lake but saw no one camping on the Canada side. I quickly pitched my tent, draping my tarp over it, in case it rained later. I rolled my kayak over on the beach with the rest of my packs still in it, too tired to worry about hanging any packs, and then dove into my warm sleeping bag. I’ll get up at dawn again tomorrow to find a tow ride home at Bell Island.

A few more days yet to report.....IC

[intrepidcamper]

9/19
Woke up to a steady soaking rain. I’m not moving until it stops; so I may miss a ride unless they come looking for me. It is fairly dry and warm in the tent even though I did not do a good job of hanging the tarp over it last night. I’ll make coffee when it lets up. I have a white T-shirt out to flag a boat if it should come by. At least this is a good spot to be stuck at on a rainy day.
PM…After a while it stopped raining and some blue sky showed through the clouds. I packed up and left as it cleared. All my gear is dry except for the wet tent tarp. I paddled Lac LaCroix up to Eastbend Narrows but either I am late, or the tow didn’t run due to the rain. Saw other fishing boats but no canoes or kayaks and saw several campers in their respective campsites on shore.
I found a US campsite out of the persistent NW wind. I stumbled upon it accidentally late in the afternoon. I was having trouble finding an inviting looking spot and couldn’t see anything west because of the setting sun in my eyes. Finally found a flat spot I thought I could make camp on, and decided to stop regardless of whether it was a site or not; as it turned out it was!

9/20
Today dawned a perfect sunny fall day. A light SW wind meant I would be protected from the wind if I stayed close to the south shore and I could make good progress on that route. It remained cloudless and comfortably warm but the wind kept slowly increasing and shifting more out of the west and then from the northwest. I made it to just west of 45 Island and am now wind bound in the lee of a point in a small cove. I wisely decided not to venture out into the open bay after peeking around the point and seeing a mile or two of hard, wavy paddling. Since I stopped the wind has increased to something over 25 mph. I retreated back behind the point and am now on shore, making coffee and lunch/dinner in a sunny protected spot out of the wind.
PM…The wind kept up at least two hours longer and finally abated about 6:00 pm. I headed out, continuing west on LaCroix. I paddled until well after dark, hugging the shoreline to keep from getting lost until the moon came up. It is a clear and chilly night. I found a small flat knob of rock lit by the moonlight and set up my tent only. I again left the rest of my packs in the kayak and rolled it over on the ledge rock, tying it to a nearby fallen tree. I am in sight of Beatty Portage and am on the boat route in plain sight, should Anderson’s happen to come by in the morning with a tow.

[intrepidcamper]

9/21
Today dawned almost clear and was quite chilly, but soon began to warm up. I like to camp facing east, that way it will warm up the campsite quickly on a sunny morning. I made coffee and breakfast, then headed south down Loon River. With any luck I may make it home today.
I was in a T-shirt by the end of the first trip across the portage and was warm the rest of the day. Didn’t see anyone on this portage, it is closed now, except by special arrangement with the “keeper”. The paddle down Loon River was very pleasant, quiet, pretty. The river was thick with rice beds, already depleted of rice. The water was muddy, the river bottom shallow and sandy. Lots of beaver activity going on, mostly making their winter feed beds near their houses. Didn’t see any other boats moving on the river today.
I ran into “Charlie” at Belgian Fred’s portage around 2:00 pm. The temperature on the thermometer said it was 70+ degrees. I asked him for a job for next year, he didn’t seem inclined to offer his. He said “Most people think it is more interesting than it is, you have to stay here on the portage almost all of the time.” I could do that. Charlie said it was still 16 miles to Crane Lake, which was kind of disappointing, since I doubted I could make that many more miles even if I paddled into the night. My average distance has been something like 13 to 14 miles per day lately.
I covered about 8 more miles against the wind and in the late afternoon I chose a nice sloping ledge rock point and huge ridge on the Canada shore, about half way up Little Vermilion Lake for my campsite. It is very quiet and protected here. I quit in time to cook a hot meal and watched a few canoeists heading east with a stiff wind pushing them along. There were no good trees to hang the food pack in so I rolled the kayak over with the food packs in it again and tied it to a big driftwood log. By dark it has calmed down completely and is very cloudy, warm and humid and is threatening to rain.

9/22
I baked gingerbread last night in my Bakepacker and enjoyed the leftovers for breakfast. I didn’t make a fire so missed my coffee this morning. I was soon packed up and moving on, happy to have a light east wind to push me along. Soon the wind turned northwest and steadily increased to 20+ mph, making it a slow laborious paddle toward Crane Lake. I carefully paddled around the point in big waves at King William Narrows and finally had the wind behind me once again. When I reached Crane Lake the wind had switched to the west/southwest and I had to travel out of my way along the west shore and south end of Crane Lake to stay out of the still very strong wind, as much as possible. I reached Anderson’s Landing at Crane Lake village about 2:00 pm, just as John was returning by boat from doing some chores across the lake. He gave me, my gear and kayak a ride up to Anderson’s store where I quickly packed my car and headed for home. Reached my house about 4:00 pm; my last trip of the year over.

[Bannock]

Nice report. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I have to tell ya, my hat is off to you. As much as I like soloing, I can't do it for more than a few days (the boogy men come out after that).