July 21 - July 29, 2000
Troop 764 Crew Journal
Crew #: E072200G
St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church
Dunwoody, Georgia
Crew Members:
Mitch S, Crew Leader
Matt P, Asst. Crew Leader & Navigator
Matt F, Navigator
Justin C, Historian & Chef
Scott O, Chaplain Aide & Medic Adults:
Earl Owens, Lead Adviser
Steve French, Advisor
Paul Porwoll, Advisor
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Click on any of the photos for a full-sized picture!
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Day 1 - Atlanta to Ely, Minnesota (July 21)
 World's Largest Hockey Stick |
Day 2 - Ely to Northern Tier
(July 22)
 Crew Photo |
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Day 3 - Sommers to Birch Lake (July 23)  Lunch Time Swim |
Day 4 - Birch Lake to Kekekabic Lake (July 24)  Portage |
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Day 5 - Kekekabic Lake to Ima Lake (July 25)  Peaceful Waterway |
Day 6 - Layover Day at Ima Lake (July 26)  A Walleye! |
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Day 7 - Ima Lake to Newfound Lake (July 27)  Jumping Rock |
Day 8 - Newfound Lake to Sommers (July 28)  The Swing! |
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Day 9 - Sommers to Atlanta (July 29)  Sun Sets On Our Trip |
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| See the entire photo album -- Click here! |
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The Wildlife We Saw On Our Trip: |
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bald eagles loons otters turkey vultures |
ruffed grouse chipmunks great blue heron beavers |
black ducks herring gulls turtles white birds (with black heads?) |
rabbits field mouse pelican owl (heard it) |
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We did not see: |
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wolves (at IWC only) moose bears |
coyotes deer snakes |
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Day 1 - Friday, July 21 (Atlanta to Ely, Minnesota):
8:10am (EDT) - I sleep late, but four of our crew members (Scott, Matt F., Matt P., & Justin), plus one of our Philmont trekkers (Peter), meet at 7:30am at Waffle House for breakfast.
9:25am - We say goodbye to Sally, our dog. Sally is dying of kidney failure. This is a bittersweet moment for my son and me. We are excited about going to Northern Tier, but we both know in our hearts that she will not be here to greet us when we return. It seems that every time I go out out of town I leave my wonderful wife with some issue to deal with.
9:28am - We leave to pick up Mitch.
9:35am - Arrive at Mitch's, then head to MARTA for a train to the airport.
9:48am - We are on the train.
10:26am - We arrive at the airport. We do not check anything, so we have all of our gear, yet the only thing airport security questions is my bag with the trip paperwork.
10:42am - We are at the terminal gate.
11:10am - We are issued our boarding passes. We are still waiting for the rest of the crew, though the agent says they must be in the airport, because they were issued boarding passes at baggage check-in.
11:20am - The rest of the crew arrives.
12:08am - Pushed back from the gate. Northern Tier here we come!
1:42pm (CDT) - At the gate in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. It was an uneventful flight.
2:10pm - We have all of our bags except Steve's fishing pole. We look everywhere and go to claims. No sign of his pole.
2:30pm - After filing a claim we head to National Car Rental. It's a long walk through the airport and a short shuttle ride.
2:40pm - We are in an incredibly long line at National. Every rental car line has at least 25 or more people. This is the worst I've ever seen.
3:10pm - We are finally finished getting our car assigned.
3:17pm - We leave the National lot at MSP. The traffic in downtown St. Paul is really bad. This looks more like Atlanta. We are in heavy, stop and go traffic for over an hour - not what I expected at this time of day.
5:28pm - Highway 33 exit from I-35 (2:11, 138.5 miles)
5:29pm - Stop to eat at Dairy Queen and Subway in Cloquet. Steve and Paul go to Wal-Mart to buy a new fishing pole while the rest of us get something to eat.
6:14pm - We are back on the road.
7:03-7:24pm - We take a short break to go see the World's Largest Hockey Stick in Eveleth, MN. The United States Hockey Hall of Fame is also here.
We are blessed with 4-lane roads for 205.2 miles (3:12 driving time) from Minneapolis until past Virginia, MN, at Highway 169. But even on the 2-lane roads there is little traffic and it moves quickly.
8:22pm - We are at our hotel in Ely - Boundary Waters Motel, 1323 E. Sheridan St. The total distance was 249.7 miles and the driving time, excluding stops, was 3:58. Total trip time from MSP was 5:05.
At first we're not sure what to do. The hotel office and outfitter store are closed. We drive around the hotel, then go back to the store. Someone spies a note on the door that says we are in room #1, in the back and upstairs. The room key is in the door. We're not used to this small town hospitality. Our room has 13 beds (6 bunk beds and one rollaway).
After we stow our gear the Scouts take off to explore the town and play frisbee in Whiteside Park. The adults drive out to the Holiday Inn to watch the sunset. We drive around Ely on our way back. We stop at Dairy Queen for some refreshment. There are mosquitoes flying all over the inside of the DQ. No one seems to pay them any attention, except us. Our motel is between the DQ and a Subway. There is an IGA Supermarket across the street.
10:50pm - We go to bed excited looking forward to tomorrow!
Day 2 - Saturday, July 22 (Ely to Northern Tier):
6:15am - Our agreed upon wake-up time is 7:00am, but people are already up and making noise. I try to rest until 7:00, but it is hard.
7:00am - I get up to take my turn in the bathroom. After dressing I go to the outfitter store to browse. I check us out of the motel. The cost for our crew of 8 is only $118.26 (including tax!).
8:06am - We arrive at Britton's Cafe for breakfast (#5 East Chapman St. - one block off Sheridan St., open from 5am-7pm every day). The day is overcast and cool, but it does not look like rain. At the time we didn't know it, but this would be indicative of the typical weather pattern we would experience.
9:10am - After a scrumptious and filling breakfast we leave Britton's and head for the Piragis Northwoods Outfitters store to browse.
9:42am - We arrive at the International Wolf Center on Highway 169 (on the right, east of Ely .8 miles from our hotel). I have known for years about the work of the IWC and am anxious to visit. They have an interesting exhibit and we hear a talk about wolves. Later we attend the "Meet the Pups" session where we get to see 10 week old arctic wolf pups, Malik and Shadow.
11:42am - We head back into town for lunch at Hardee's. A short ways from the Wolf Center is the Dorothy Molter Museum, also on Highway 169, so we stop briefly to see it, but time does not allow us to go inside. Maybe next time!
12:40pm - We leave Hardee's and head for Northern Tier! From Ely center it is 17.7 miles to Moose Lake Road and another 2.7 miles to the Sommers Canoe Base entrance at the end of the road.
1:05pm - We arrive at Sommers and stop for crew photos at the entrance sign before going through check in. At the Stockade entrance we meet our interpreter (Charlie Guide), Curt Gibbs, who is from Kansas.
I go with Curt to the Welcome Cabin to turn in the medical forms, National Tour Permit, crew roster, other paperwork, and to pay our final BWCAW camping/permit fees (payable by Visa or MasterCard only!). I sign a paper that says if our crew screws up, I will be the one who is tarred and feathered. A comforting feeling.
1:53pm - We arrive at "off-road" cabin #3 (Fort Charles) and stow our gear. There are four wooden platforms and cots for sleeping.
2:07pm - We arrive at the Commissary for our food issue. We ask for a few extra items, but basically trust our interpreter's judgment about quantities. We are a crew with voracious appetites.
After food pickup Steve goes to the Ely airport to retrieve his fishing pole which has finally arrived.
2:30pm - Head to Bay Post for our crew gear. I meet Karl Krueger, the Bay Post manager, who had been so helpful with our trip planning via email.
3:30pm - We have all our crew gear assigned and have set up and taken down our tents. Our tents are Eureka! Timberline Outfitter (green). We take 2-four man and 1-two man tents. The gear packs are the gray Granite Gear packs. The food and crew gear goes in Rubbermaid ActionPackers which slip into green Kondos Outdoor packs. Our interpreter carries a Duluth Pack (army green) for his gear.
3:32pm - In the Lodge (Great Hall) we plan our itinerary.
4:10pm - We head to the Trading Post to buy souvenirs, fuel, and maps. The maps we will use are Fisher F-10 and F-11 (mostly F-11).
4:50pm - I call home. Sally is doing poorly. My wife, Marjorie, says Sally will have to be put to sleep on Monday. I want to be home right now. I know I can't help Sally, but I feel terrible not being there to say goodbye and to give my wife the moral support she needs. This is a difficult time for me.
5:00pm - Arriving crews eat dinner at 5pm, departing crews at 6pm.
5:55pm - Crew photo. We are complimented on how sharp our crew looks. Will they say the same thing in six days?!?
6:15pm - Orientation in the Lodge. The Lodge has some great things to see - old canoes, old photos, dog sled, snowshoes, mounted fish, birds, traps and old tools.
They tell us fires in the BWCAW in the blowdown area are allowed only between 7pm-midnight (our interpreter has a list of affected lakes). Otherwise there are no restrictions. No fires are allowed at all in the southern Quetico.
They talk to us about Leave No Trace principles and other rules, regulations, and expectations. Then the chaplain discusses the religious aspects of our trip. He goes through the Northern Passages worship guide. We end with a vespers service.
7:11pm - We head back to our cabin to finish organizing our gear. Curt talks with us briefly about the gear we need.
8:15pm - Everyone is finished and they carry their non-trek things to our cars for storage. I stay behind to take care of some administrative work. I also go through the crew gear we brought from home and I fold the maps.
8:45pm - I take my things to the car.
9:00pm - I go back to the car to get something out of my wallet. I can't find my wallet. I go back to our cabin. I unpack and re-pack everything. Still no wallet. I go back to the car and rip everything apart. I find my wallet stuck inside my bath towel. All this time I am getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.
10:00pm - I return to the cabin where everyone is already in bed.
10:15pm - I finally go to bed.
I can't fall asleep. All I can think about is my dog, Sally, and my wife. I still feel like I should be home during this traumatic time. If I had known Sally would go this quickly I might have stayed home. This is one of those times when family needs to be together. I am glad my son is here with me. It helps. This is not going to be the kind of week I had hoped for. It will be an emotional struggle.
Justin and Steve are having a snoring contest. Justin's snoring pattern is unusual, while Steve's is clearly the loudest. They keep this up most of the night. I brought ear plugs, but forgot to get them out before retiring. It is impossible to sleep.
1:00am - I finally doze off.
3:13am - I am awakened by talking. I think it is time to get up. I immediately start thinking about Sally again and cannot fall back to sleep. I am awake the rest of the night.
All night the mosquitoes buzz around my head and bite any exposed flesh. There is a low volume hum outside the cabin. I know later this will all fade into one wonderful memory of Northern Tier, but right now it's the pits.
Day 3 - Sunday, July 23 (Sommers to Birch Lake):
6:00am - Time to wake up. There are 1000's of mosquitoes up against the window screening. It's an amazing sight. I notice Justin wore his mosquito headnet while sleeping. Wish I had thought of that. Matt P. has his entire body covered with clothing from head to toe, including his face.
6:57am - We are at the Dining Hall for breakfast.
7:35am - I call home. Marjorie says Sally had a very bad night. She will have to be put to sleep today. Sally was more than just a dog to us - she was family. I don't think I'll ever be able to have another pet. We have been through this twice - that's enough.
8:45am - We are finished getting all of our gear, except PFDs, paddles and canoes. We hear the emergency radio talk. We take our things to the Lodge.
9:00am - We go to paddle/PFD pickup, then we get the rest of our gear and take it to the put in. We get our canoes.
9:32am - We push off into Moose Lake and our adventure begins. It is a beautiful morning, but it gets hot in the canoes. Less than an hour into our trip we see a bald eagle. Later we see a canoe (not one of ours) swamped by a motorboat.
Two hours into our trip we see Prairie Portage (U.S./Canadian Customs). This is about six miles from Sommers. We head east before Prairie Portage toward Birch Lake. At this point no motors are allowed. After paddling another 1/2 mile we stop for lunch.
11:47am - Lunch is on a beautiful island in Canada. Lunch is turkey, bologna and cheese sandwiches with apples and oranges. We go for a refreshing swim and watch the otters nearby.
12:51pm - We head farther into Birch Lake.
1:47pm - After another three miles of paddling we arrive at the eastern end of Birch lake. Our first campsite choice is occupied, and so is our second, so we head to our third choice which appears vacant. When we arrive we quickly learn why it isn't occupied - there are four dead fish right in the middle of camp. Since we have no other option we dispose of the fish properly and then set up camp, hoping the strong fish scent does not attract intruders.
We paddled about 9 miles today in 3:19 paddling time (excludes our stop). This seemed like an easy day.
3:00pm - We are all set up and everyone does their thing - fishing, cards, swimming, or nothing at all. I find there is a great view of the lake from the latrine.
3:40pm - I decide to go swimming. The water is wonderful. Very refreshing. Cool but not cold. This is a pleasant surprise. I thought the water would be freezing.
7:00pm - We have dinner which is beef stew and chocolate pudding. I am still hungry. At Philmont I had plenty to eat, so I am a little worried. Maybe I should have brought those PowerBars I left in the car.
8:00pm - We discuss our plans for tomorrow and hold a vespers service.
8:15pm - We begin our cleanup and bear bag assembly. So far the mosquitoes are not a problem this evening.
9:20pm - We are all in bed. It is still light outside. I have a hard time falling asleep. I should be dead tired, but I know my dog, Sally, was put to sleep today, and it weighs heavily on my mind.
Day 4 - Monday, July 24 (Birch Lake to Kekekabic Lake):
5:30am - I wake up. My alarm was set for 5:00am, but my ear plugs keep me from hearing it. Voices wake me up.
6:55am - I am ready to go, but we are still waiting for our eggs and hash browns. Our troop doesn't usually cook breakfast on the trail, so it seems like we are taking a long time. I don't mind because this is all part of the experience.
Earlier I had paddled out into the lake to get water. We have only buckets and pots for water (no closed containers). Had I known this I would have brought a 2.5 gallon collapsible plastic container to purify water as we paddle and so we could have more water on hand for our personal needs.
8:07am - We hit the water. Putting on damp socks and boots first thing in the morning and doing a wet entry is not all that bad. It seems a lot worse than it is.
As we paddle past the other two campsites it appears we may have had the best site at this section of the lake. We paddle just 13 minutes before our 1st portage of the trip.
8:20am - 40 rod portage to Carp Lake. 320 rods equals one mile, so we portage 660 feet or 220 yards.
8:37am - We paddle into Carp Lake back into Canada.
9:31am - Our 2nd portage is only 10 rods to Crawford Lake. I carry the canoe. It's easier than the crew gear pack.
9:46am - We paddle across Crawford Lake to our 3rd portage before lunch.
10:05am - 180 rod Knife Portage to Knife Lake. By far this will be the most hellacious portage of the trip. It is incredibly difficult. The trail is rough, rocky, muddy, has soft peat moss-like material, it's overgrown, with steep, twisting trails, and generally bad. Paul carries the canoe which, at one point, must be handed down a steep embankment. The bugs descend on us like they haven't eaten in weeks. Scott's exposed arms are bitten and swollen everywhere. The walking time is 27 minutes and the entire portage takes 58 minutes.
11:03am - We paddle into Knife Lake. As we approach Robbins Island we see a huge blowdown area in front of us. This is the most devastating destruction of the BWCAW we will see. As we paddle Knife Lake the wind picks up but thankfully it is a tailwind.
11:51am - We stop for lunch. I paddle out into the lake to get water, but find the wind makes it impossible for me to paddle back, so I paddle to shore and walk the canoe back to our rest spot.
Lunch consists of pita bread, cheese spread, salami, and trail mix. We paddled about 6 1/2 - 7 miles before lunch. I really like these microfiber zip-off pants from The Sportman's Guide. Thirty minutes after coming out of the water my pants are dry. For $14.97 they were quite a buy. Some of the other guys bought the $12.97 tactel nylon zips and they like those too. At those prices they are practically throw away clothes.
1:08pm - We head on for a short distance to our 4th portage today.
1:12pm - 33 rod portage to Bonnie Lake.
1:20pm - We head across Bonnie Lake.
1:32pm - 25 rod portage to Spoon Lake is our 5th today.
1:42pm - We paddle across Spoon Lake.
1:54pm - 25 rod portage to Pickle Lake is our 6th today.
2:02pm - We paddle across Pickle Lake.
2:12pm - 80 rod portage to Kekekabic Lake is our 7th today.
2:30pm - We head across Kekekabic Lake to find a campsite. We are heading toward the big island in the middle of the lake. The campsite on the island is taken so we paddle on another 1/2 mile.
3:28pm - We arrive at our site. It is in pretty bad shape from the blowdown. Not the prettiest site, but we didn't want to portage again to look for another. It was almost impossible to find a tree for the bear bag. It did have a great view of the lake and sunset. We paddled about 11 miles today.
5:00pm - Dinner is a rice, corn, and MRE mystery meat mixture with cheesecake for dessert. The adults do dinner and cleanup.
6:50pm - We are all cleaned up. I go for a swim.
7:25pm - We hang the bear bag.
7:35pm - We start our campfire. Another beautiful evening! The mosquitoes are almost non-existent tonight.
8:55pm - I go to bed. Paul and Steve have already turned in. The Scouts and our guide continue their crackerbarrel.
Day 5 - Tuesday, July 25 (Kekekabic Lake to Ima Lake):
5:00am - We wake up but don't get moving until 5:20. Getting up this early turns out to be a big mistake. Mosquitoes are all over our tent. Outside they swarm all over us. They bite through our clothes.
Last night the Scouts stayed up until 9:20, but were forced to their tents because they said the sqeeters were even worse than this morning. It probably would be better to sleep in each morning until the wind picks up a little.
We don't eat breakfast before leaving. As soon as each canoe is ready they paddle out into the lake to escape the biting. It turns out this will be the worst experience we have with mosquitoes. Most of the trip they are not all that bad.
6:40am - We are off for today's adventure.
6:52am - Our 1st portage (85 rods) of the day from Kekekabic Lake to Strup Lake.
7:12am - As we prepare to shove off a thunderstorm hits and the rain comes down hard, pelting us. We just sit there in the rain watching the storm and getting wet. No one minds since we are wet most of the time anyway. It does start to get chilly after a while, but soon the storm begins to break up.
8:00am - We paddle across Strup Lake.
8:10am - 10 rod portage to Wisini Lake is our 2nd today.
8:24am - We paddle Wisini Lake hoping to camp at the "Hilton" and have our layover day there. As we approach we can see it is occupied. People are carrying packs, so we hope they are breaking camp. Unfortunately they camped there last night and are spending today as their layover day.
We look for another camp on the lake. We find one that is occupied, but they say they will be gone in a couple of hours. We get our boats together to discuss our options. We decide to push on to Ima Lake today.
8:54am - 90 rod portage to Ahmakose Lake is our 3rd today. But first we eat breakfast, which consists of a granola bar, loose granola, and raisins.
9:35am - We paddle across Ahmakose Lake.
9:44am - 30 rod portage to Gerund Lake is our 4th today.
9:54am - We cross Gerund Lake.
9:59am - 15 rod portage to Fraser Lake is our 5th today.
10:10am - We paddle into big and beautiful Fraser Lake. So far this is the most scenic lake we've seen. Lots of rocks, islands, and cliffs. Simply gorgeous! At the end of Fraser Lake we enter a narrow, but scenic, waterway to Thomas Lake. We paddle across Thomas Lake to lunch.
11:50am - We have lunch in a campsite near Thomas Pond. Lunch is peanut butter & jelly with bagels and gorp. This is very filling. I have found there is plenty to eat when we have cheese or peanut butter -- if you don't mind eating it by the spoonful. Thankfully I am not a picky eater. Matt F. squirts all of the extra jelly into his mouth.
12:38pm - We finish Thomas Lake.
12:43pm - 10 rod portage to Thomas Pond is our 6th today.
12:49pm - It takes all of 45 paddle strokes to get across Thomas Pond. It's hardly worth the effort.
12:52pm - 40 rod portage to waterway going to Hatchet Lake is our 7th today.
1:03pm - We enter a beautiful narrow waterway unlike anything we've seen so far. The trees are close in and we go through grass beds and lilly pads. Absolutely breathtaking! Back home we would be looking for alligators in water like this.
1:29pm - 50 rod portage to Ima Lake is our 8th today. This is the best trail we've been on. It has recently been maintained. Fine work by someone.
1:41pm - We enter Ima Lake to look for a campsite. We paddle out to an island in the middle, but both campsites are taken. We are disappointed. We go back to the portage area and find a site near there.
2:08pm - What a great location -- level tent areas, good fishing (we hope), great swimming, and a good jumping rock! Before dinner everyone has a great time in the water.
5:05pm - Dinner is served. As we eat it starts to rain, but doesn't last long. Dinner is a noodles, corn, and MRE mystery meat (ham?) mixture. I haven't been getting enough to eat and tonight I am starved. I didn't do a good enough job convincing our interpreter what big eaters we were. I wish I hadn't left those PowerBars behind. I had been told beforehand that we would get plenty to eat, but they didn't know this group. I've been trying to lose some weight, so maybe this is my silver lining. I eat too much anyway.
Our total mileage today is about 11 or 12 miles.
6:45pm - We hang the bear bag. It starts to rain again.
6:55pm - Everyone is in their tent.
7:30pm - I hear people outside again. I guess this is a little too early to go to sleep.
8:00pm - I fall asleep as the rain continues to come down.
10:40pm - I wake up thinking it is time to get up. Thankfully I easily fall back to sleep.
Day 6 - Wednesday, July 26 (Layover Day at Ima Lake):
6:40am - I wake up but drift back off to sleep.
7:10am - Again I wake up but fall back to sleep. This exercise in the outdoors is tiring.
7:45am - I am finally awake for good, and so are most, but not all of the crew. This is our layover day so we can all move at our own pace. It is not raining this morning, but it is overcast. It rained hard and long last night, but only a small amount of water got into our tent. Everything under the dining fly stayed dry.
10:00am - Breakfast is over and we're finished cleaning. We had pancakes with fresh picked blueberries. This was a substitute meal we requested.
Some folks have gone fishing, others have been looking at the map planning the rest of our trip, others are sitting on the rocks watching the lake and trees and other canoeists on their journeys. We have wet clothes and gear laid out on the rocks drying in the sun.
10:30 - My son and I go out into Ima Lake to do a little fishing. We are out two hours and catch nothing -- not even a nibble. No one in our crew has caught anything except a few very small fish. This is disappointing. We thought we would be pulling them out like crazy. I had been told to take lots of oil and breading for all the fish we would catch. Yeah, right!
While on the lake my son and I get to talk about father-son things that may be awkward to talk about otherwise. This is a great bonding experience.
Also while on the lake we hear female voices singing church hymns. It is quite stirring to hear this while surrounded by so much of God's beautiful creation. Sound travels great distances over water. We can hear conversations from our camp a half mile away.
12:45pm - Lunch is Hudson Bay Bread with PB&J and trail mix. I get to eat the leftover PB&J, so I am quite satisfied at this meal.
2:20pm - My son and I go up to the northern end of the lake to Snatch Lake to fish. We see a beaver and a great blue heron. After paddling through a beautiful lilly pad filled waterway we enter Snatch Lake. Ima and Snatch Lakes are the only lakes we visit where the flies bite. The house flies are the worst. The big black horseflies are not a terrible bother.
3:20pm - My son catches the crew's first edible fish - a walleye! He used a roostertail for a lure. The fish is about 12-14 inches long and weighs about a pound. We decide to release it, but not until I took a picture. We hope to catch a bigger one, but we don't and head back at 4:10.
4:45pm - We arrive back at camp and no one's there.
6:00pm - Our last two fishing parties return (with no fish). The sun is out and it is a beautiful evening.
One of Justin's jungle boots is coming apart in the heel after just four days. We were warned to buy the American made boots and not the cheap foreign ones, but for one time use it didn't seem to make much sense spending a lot of money (at least until now). Most of us have the cheap boots and hope we do not have similar problems. As it turns out Justin's one boot is the only problem we have, and he says it's no big deal. He can still walk and portage without any problems. Maybe he just had bad luck. Our Charlie Guide wears Coleman Goretex hiking boots and says they have served him well. Maybe next time I'll try a pair of old hiking boots.
Our Scouts are enjoying this location so much they want to have another layover day here. This is a great spot!
Dinner is macaroni noodles with spaghetti sauce and italian sausage. We also had banneck bread. This was our best and most filling meal. As we finish cleaning up dinner we experience one of the most beautiful sunsets. This is quite inspiring. They are so right when they say Canoe Country is also God's Country.
9:00pm - While the mosquitoes seem lighter than usual tonight, they suddenly descend upon us.
9:20pm - Everyone is in their tents. Since the trip began we have the most mosquitoes in our tent tonight. We play "smash the bug". The humming outside is deafening and maddening. Sounds like bees swarming.
Day 7 - Thursday, July 27 (Ima Lake to Newfound Lake):
6:00am - Our alarms go off.
6:15am - We start to move. The mosquitoes don't look as bad outside today. We'll soon find out. While we pack up we get a light rain. We thought we had seen the last of this wet stuff.
7:35am - We are packed and ready to go. We are going to eat a cold breakfast before we leave. Our breakfast consists of oats (which are very difficult to eat dry!), Trek strawberry energy bar, and dried fruit.
8:20am - We finally hit the water and paddle across Ima Lake. We are in a light rain.
8:53am - Our first portage is 5 rods to Jordan Lake. We carry the canoes with the gear inside. It seems to take about as long as the regular way.
9:05am - We enter a narrow and very scenic finger of Jordan Lake. One of the rocks on the right side soon after we enter the water looks like the face of a dog sleeping. It reminds me of Sally.
As we paddle this beautiful waterway, our guide, Curt, says that he likes to take his time here. It makes me realize that all too often on this trip, as well as many of our other outings, our goal has often been the destination, when it really should be the journey. Afterall, it's not a race. The scenery and experiencing the wilderness are why we are here.
9:21am - 55 rod portage to Cattyman Lake is our 2nd today.
9:39am - Enter Cattyman Lake. It has quit raining, but is still overcast.
9:46am - 25 rod portage to Gibson Lake is our 3rd today.
10:00am - We have completed the portage but go back to view the falls and take pictures.
10:20am - Paddle across Gibson Lake.
10:24am - 105 rod portage to Ashigan Lake is our 4th today.
10:49am - Enter Ashigan Lake.
11:02am - 55 rod portage to Ensign Lake is our 5th today.
11:12am - Enter Ensign Lake. This is a big lake with lots of canoes. Looks like lots of weekenders, day trippers, and families with small children. We later learn that outfitters bring these folks up here in their motorboats.
11:52am - As we stop for lunch at some rocks the sun is trying to come out. We have crackers, cheese spread, salami, and party mix. We catch some crawfish. One was as big as a small lobster.
12:50pm - We're back on the water. As we near the end of Ensign Lake we see more bald eagles.
1:24pm - We exit Ensign Lake through a narrow and shallow passageway to Splash Lake.
1:37pm - After a pleasant paddle on Splash Lake we have a 30 rod portage to Newfound Lake. This is our 6th portage today and the final one of our trip. At this portage we have our first traffic jam. There is a lot of outfitter traffic.
1:52pm - We enter Newfound Lake and our loop is complete. We are jolted back to reality with the buzzing of motorboats. This is one sight and sound we have not missed!
2:18pm - Our first campsite choices are taken, but we find one on the backside of Horseshoe Island. It is another nice one. It has a great rock for jumping into the water. This is a huge hit with the Scouts and the adults.
One of our guys catches a perch. We traveled about 11 miles today. It rained early, but turned into a nice day.
5:45pm - Dinner is served. We have macaroni & cheese with sliced meat, green peas, banneck bread, and brownies. Even though I wish I had brought my PowerBars to snack on and supplement my meals, I have made it through the week, and am none the worse for it.
The crew finally gives the candy bars to our interpreter. We have carried them all week.
I hate to see our trip come to an end, but I am anxious to return home to my family. Next time we come we will do the full 10 day adventure, instead of the 7 day we did. We are having another beautiful evening.
8:15pm - Most of us go to the jumping rock to enjoy the scenery and silence. The lake is glassy smooth and filled with reflections of the colorful sky. While we enjoy this incredible view, we watch three of our Scouts out in canoes fishing. One of our Scouts catches a perch which we keep overnight in a partially submerged canoe. The mosquitoes have not been bad tonight. There are no biting flies either.
9:00pm - We head back to camp.
9:10pm - We are in our tents and just beat the mosquito swarms. Again, we go through our nightly killing ritual.
Day 8 - Friday, July 28 (Newfound Lake to Sommers):
6:00am - Despite wearing ear plugs I hear a motorboat heading up the lake. I can't believe I have made it through the week without once having to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. I had dreaded this, since I would have to climb over the other two adult advisors, and then be eaten alive by mosquitoes. As I drift back off to sleep I hear one of our canoes going out into the lake to fish.
6:40am - I wake up and just lie in my sleeping bag. Not once this week have I worn more than a pair of running shorts to bed. I never even needed a t-shirt. The temperatures both during the day and night have been perfect. Like every day since arriving in Minnesota, we wake up to a gray, overcast morning. Our guys catch one more fish this morning, but we let all of them go. We caught more fish in this one spot than during our entire trip.
7:35am - We finally decide to get up and get moving.
8:45am - We eat breakfast of eggs, hash browns, and ham.
9:00am - We work on our skit for the Rendezvous. It's called, "The Top 10 Reasons How You Will Know You've Been to Northern Tier..." This is a great way to end the trip. We have to paddle only a few miles back to Sommers, so we are relaxing and socializing. Our skit gives us a chance to reflect on the trip.
10:50am - We are packed and ready to go. Our Scouts head to the jumping rock for one last swim.
11:00am - I finally give in and go to the rock myself. It is so refreshing.
11:20am - We have a devotional, prayer, and thorns-and-roses. It is very emotional for me, as I think about home and Sally. I can hardly talk.
11:44am - We shove off. The skies soon clear and we have a nice day.
12:45pm - We see Sommers, but paddle on to the island with the rope swing for lunch. We are not in any hurry, since we are not supposed to return to base camp before 3:00pm.
1:16pm - Lunch is Hudson Bay Bread, PB&J, and peanuts. We have a great time swinging on the rope. A great ending to a great trip!
2:17pm - We head for Sommers. We paddle into a strong wind and choppy water. This is the most difficult paddling of the trip. I am paddling hard and hurt my left shoulder. I had previously torn my rotator cuff paddling in the Okefenokee Swamp in February and it was almost better.
2:41pm - We are back at base camp. We have paddled 6 miles today. We clean and rack our canoes, then return the rest of our gear. I pick up the things in the safe deposit box.
3:27pm - We are in "off-water"cabin #4 (Hearn). During our trip we went to 26 different lakes. We portaged on only three of our six days on the water, but had a total of 21 portages. None of our portage days were that bad, even the day we did eight. Our total trip mileage, including layover day paddling, is about 53 miles.
5:13pm - We are checked in, all of our gear is stowed and organized, we are clean, and we are ready to head to Ely for dinner and Dairy Queen. We first stop at the Ely Steakhouse, but they have no seats in the non-smoking section. It is Blueberry Arts Festival in Ely so things are a bit crowded. We head back to Britton's where we had breakfast on Saturday. This is a good choice. We finally have a fish dinner! Our Charlie Guide, Curt, is with us. We buy him dinner. We decide to skip DQ because we are all stuffed.
7:50pm - We're back at Sommers. We quickly sign the crew t-shirt we brought for Curt, and I run by the Trading Post to get the crew advisor's packet and Northern Tier patches.
8:00pm - Time for Rendezvous in the Lodge. We learn a lot about the history of the area we have just visited. It is entertaining. We do our skit.
9:15pm - End of Rendezvous.
9:20pm - We say goodbye to Curt, give him a crew t-shirt, and distribute the patches.
9:35pm - My son and I call home. Marjorie tells us that Sally was put to sleep on Sunday at 9:55am. Both of us are torn up over this. We knew Sally was dying, but not being there was hard. I am really anxious to get home. We walk to the car and talk. I'm glad we have each other.
10:20pm - We are back in our cabin and everyone goes to bed. We try to sleep, but most of us can't. I don't sleep one wink. This cabin isn't as hot or mosquito infested like the first night, but we still can't sleep. You can hear people tossing and turning.
1:15am - This "off-water" cabin has bunkbeds, and even though I am on top, I notice it is comfortably cool. This cabin is much nicer than the first night "off-road" cabin.
Day 9 - Saturday, July 29 (Sommers to Atlanta):
2:00am - I hear someone moving around.
2:10am - Others start to get up.
2:25am - We could easily sleep another 30 minutes, that is, if we could sleep, but I finally get up. We are up way too early, but I just go with the flow. I hope I can stay awake driving to the airport.
2:43am - I am dressed, brush my teeth, pack my gear, and walk to the car with several others. Since I was the last one up I expected to be the last ready, but that's not the case. We wait at the cars for the others.
2:53am - We leave for Minneapolis-St. Paul. My original plan was to leave around 3:15 or 3:30, which to me still seems like a good time.
When we arrive in Ely one of our cars stops for food. The guys in my car just want to sleep and head on, so they stay put.
6:34am - We stop for breakfast at Hardee's.
7:06am - We head for the airport. I make a quick stop for gas because the gas guage suddenly went from an 1/8 tank to below empty.
7:45am - We arrive at National Car Rental. Check-in is very quick, though we are shocked at the final rental car fee. I had reserved the cars for a weekly rate of $189.99. After they hit us with an extra day's rental, refueling charges, and $77.13 in miscellaneous fees and taxes, the total bill was $324.90. It ought to be the law that these outrageous charges are identified at the time one makes a reservation.
The driving time from Sommers to I-35 was 2:07. The total driving time to National is 4:04. Total trip time is 4:52.
8:10am - We are in the terminal and have our boarding passes. Since we have time to kill I go with Mitch to see if we can get a refund on the unused return portion of his ticket (he is flying to Wisconsin to visit family). After standing in line 40 minutes they tell us it might be worth $10 or $15 toward another Northwest flight.
8:50am - We head to meet up with the rest of the crew at the gate. At security they see something suspicious in one of my bags. I have to unpack it, but they don't find anything. They are not going to let me through. Mitch asks if I had purchased a bolo tie. I did not, but my son did. It is in with my paperwork. That's what they were looking for. Being in a Scout uniform didn't help us much, but since we are not in a hurry, I am glad they are diligent in carrying out their duties.
9:05am - We arrive at the gate and board shortly thereafter. Mitch goes to his flight.
9:26am - We push away from the gate on time. I am thankful for this because when we arrive home I have to take my son immediately to the National Order of the Arrow Conference in Knoxville, TN. What a day this is going to be. No sleep and 7 or 8 hours additional driving (on the way back from NOAC my car breaks down and I end up spending the night in Cleveland, TN).
12:53pm(EDT) - We are at the gate in Atlanta. Going into the terminal I distribute the crew photos and we say goodbye to our fellow crew members.
1:22pm - The MARTA train begins the final leg of our journey to our home and family.
1:58pm - Our family greets us at the Chamblee Station and we head home.
2:13pm - Our Northern Tier journey is over. We are home. Now we get ready to drive to NOAC. And on the way we can begin planning our next high adventure trip!
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