2023-08-26, 03:07 PM
I was going to start this as "and now, for something completely different" but after seeing all the flooded DV pictures, my lake photos should fit right in.
I spent five July days canoe camping in Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) near Ely, Minnesota. It's an interesting challenge; you have to pack everything you are going to need, because there's no stores, roads, electricity, anything, but at the same time, bring nothing extra because you're going to have to paddle and sometimes carry it all. It's easier than backpacking in DV, because it's mostly paddling with few portages, depending on your route. Also, there's plenty of water all around; you just need to filter it.
My permit was for entry on Lake One, and after portaging into Lake Two, our campsite turned out to be on a hidden bay off Lake Three. (Most of the BWCA lakes have real names; I'm unsure why One through Four were left out.)
This picture is representative of most of the scenery we encountered. I found the huge rock to be interesting; it evidently had split in half, and only the left side was still standing.
![[Image: 53142175278_8652a11220_b.jpg]](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53142175278_8652a11220_b.jpg)
Not a lot of wildlife around, but some beautiful swans.
![[Image: 53141910394_3ea79ce2f2_b.jpg]](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53141910394_3ea79ce2f2_b.jpg)
Oh, and every night you have to hang all your food, toothpaste, and deodorant high in a tree so the bears and ground squirrels (especially) don't get into it. Not a Death Valley problem.
On the way back, I noticed these incredibly straight lines in the rocks along the water. I'm not sure if they're water lines or sedimentation layers, or something else.
![[Image: 53141706006_f96549f483_b.jpg]](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53141706006_f96549f483_b.jpg)
The south shores of Lakes Two and Three were heavily burned back in 2011's Pagami Creek fire, so the trees on those shores are newer, shorter, and lighter green. Our outfitter knew a lot about the fire, and he told us how on Lake Three's shore there are two spots that still have the old dark green pine trees, unburned. Both spots are campsites, and were thoroughly cleared of anything flammable on the ground by campers trying to cook a meal or enjoy an evening. (The Forest Service provides fire grates at each site.)
My other humorous observation was that of our group of four people, two were there for their first time, and we had the most wonderful weather. It only rained at night, and we had nice flat water to paddle on, with hardly any wind resistance. Just so not fair. I've been there many times when we had to hug the shore and fight like heck to get anywhere, with no breaks because the wind would just blow you back to start. Great memories! Anyway, I hope they don't think it's always that perfect.
Sad to see the DV flood damage, again. It doesn't look like I'll make it there this fall. Good luck to all the rest of you!
I spent five July days canoe camping in Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) near Ely, Minnesota. It's an interesting challenge; you have to pack everything you are going to need, because there's no stores, roads, electricity, anything, but at the same time, bring nothing extra because you're going to have to paddle and sometimes carry it all. It's easier than backpacking in DV, because it's mostly paddling with few portages, depending on your route. Also, there's plenty of water all around; you just need to filter it.
My permit was for entry on Lake One, and after portaging into Lake Two, our campsite turned out to be on a hidden bay off Lake Three. (Most of the BWCA lakes have real names; I'm unsure why One through Four were left out.)
This picture is representative of most of the scenery we encountered. I found the huge rock to be interesting; it evidently had split in half, and only the left side was still standing.
Not a lot of wildlife around, but some beautiful swans.
Oh, and every night you have to hang all your food, toothpaste, and deodorant high in a tree so the bears and ground squirrels (especially) don't get into it. Not a Death Valley problem.
On the way back, I noticed these incredibly straight lines in the rocks along the water. I'm not sure if they're water lines or sedimentation layers, or something else.
The south shores of Lakes Two and Three were heavily burned back in 2011's Pagami Creek fire, so the trees on those shores are newer, shorter, and lighter green. Our outfitter knew a lot about the fire, and he told us how on Lake Three's shore there are two spots that still have the old dark green pine trees, unburned. Both spots are campsites, and were thoroughly cleared of anything flammable on the ground by campers trying to cook a meal or enjoy an evening. (The Forest Service provides fire grates at each site.)
My other humorous observation was that of our group of four people, two were there for their first time, and we had the most wonderful weather. It only rained at night, and we had nice flat water to paddle on, with hardly any wind resistance. Just so not fair. I've been there many times when we had to hug the shore and fight like heck to get anywhere, with no breaks because the wind would just blow you back to start. Great memories! Anyway, I hope they don't think it's always that perfect.
Sad to see the DV flood damage, again. It doesn't look like I'll make it there this fall. Good luck to all the rest of you!