This photo, of me tending a fire on Fourtown Lake, was taken on a cool September night when mother nature was cooperating- light breeze, very few mosquitos, and enough moisture throughout the summer that there was not a fire ban.
Well, I recently started a new job, and today I noticed a reproduction of a portage marker sign in a co-workers office. The sign was a great conversation piece and it also got my imagination going regarding the coming paddling and fishing seasons. Will there be a BWCA fire ban in 2012? Will water levels be so low that some river travel is difficult? Will the water temperatures warming earlier push lake trout out deeper than normal in early May? Part of what makes a BW trip so mentally refreshing for me is that no matter how much you plan, or how much you think that you are in control of your trip, mother nature always has the final word.
This photo was taken on Lac LaCroix around the Fourth of July, 2009, on a day when mother nature had dealt us a royal flush. Two years later, I found myself wind-bound on the shores of the same lake, looking across at the same camp site, with no way to get there. We had paddled from Iron Lake and made the portage, then the wind picked up to over 40 mph sustained. I would estimate the wave height at 6 to 8 feet- we were on the east shore, and the wind was barreling down the big lake from the west. After one brief attempt, which ranks in my top 3 most frightening canoe experiences, it was back to the portage landing, which was in a protected bay. We sat and watched the lake for at least 10 hours before we could finally paddle just before dusk. We made the paddle to this 5-star site and by the time we got there, the lake was glass, just like in this photo.
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