July 28, 2023
Alarms go off just before 3. Everyone is up and ready to hit the water by 3:30AM for our sunrise paddle on Indiana. As we’re getting ready to go I realize that the GPS on the canoe is running low on batteries – I forgot to turn the unit off yesterday when we got to camp. Oh no! I quickly grab my spare pair and swap them out.
Dawn comes early to the Northwoods. It isn’t even 4AM yet and already there’s a glow off to the East. Stars overhead are beginning to be washed out by the impending sunrise. Our group quietly paddles around the center of the lake until around 5 when the sun’s officially up.
One by one the boats return to camp and everyone quietly strikes camp. Breakfast is passed out and before long we’re loading the canoes to continue our voyage.
Today we’re headed to Wind Lake to our East. The exit from the lake is an ancient beaver dam that has solidified and grew trees and grass. The portage trail drops quickly, and on the other end is a stream filled with large floating pieces of bog. Because of these pieces, the path isn’t exactly clear and is always changing. We pick and swerve our way until a large bog island seems to be blocking the right direction according to the map. We poke at the island a little with our paddles and it moves slightly… I push and sweep it aside and it reveals the precipice of another beaver dam.
This is a pull over for us but a pretty impressive dam for ones I’ve encountered. The drop is easily 4′, maybe closer to 5′ if we had measured. Footing was dicy on both sides. On the lip it was muddy and slippery. Down on the bottom of the dam it wasn’t much better, but at least there were logs and branches to help with footing. Pull overs differ from portages because you don’t unload the canoe at all. You just get out of the canoe and with your partner(s), slide the canoe over the edge and guide it to the stream beneath the dam. Once the boat’s past the dam, jump back in and watch everyone else navigate the obstacle.
After the group is past the dam we have winding river travel as we head into Wind Bay of Basswood. The portage into Wind Lake is in the SE corner of the bay.
Once on Wind, the campsite search begins. The first several we pass are taken, and we turn into the large bay to the North to continue our campsite search. Luckily, one of the campsites on the little zigzag shaped island, which is maybe connected to land on the NW side, is open. And, it’s a nice site, too. Large sandy landing, open bowl-shaped area for the kitchen. Several tent pads in various places, and a perfect hang for my hammock right in camp. The latrine is just over the hill, and unfortunately it’s a little close to camp.
One of the Scouts wants to head out fishing, so he & I partner up with another boat and head out into the expansive bay to our North. We cast around and jig near these sunken trees (vertical logs?) and are eventually rewarded with some keepers! We keep fishing for a bit, but the wind and some sprinkles chase us back to camp.
The fish are promptly filleted, breaded, and then fried over the fire. It’s a perfect appetizer for our final trail dinner.
At sunset, our interpreter Thomas has all of us line up at the landing, looking out upon the lake. We receive a baptism, of sorts, with a bowl of water and a balsam spring as he proclaims us to now be “Hommes du Nord” – Men of the North.
Miles paddled today: , 56.6 miles total
Portages today: 2, 12 total
Lakes traveled: Indiana, Basswood (Wind Bay), Wind
Today’s GPS track
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