At 5:00 I put the water on to boil and started to pack up under mostly cloudy skies and with a little breeze making its way down into my little bay. The rapids provided a nice backdrop for my breakfast time. The fishermen will have to excuse me for not taking the time to fish for the good sized fish taking food right off the surface. What can I say? I fish to eat and I was not hungry for fish after last nights fish fry.

Push-off came at 6:30 and soon shoulder muscles sore from the last 50 miles of paddling were voicing there discomfort. Finally, another canoeist was camped on the island site on the east end of Carroll. In an amazingly short time the sky cleared, my shoulders limbered up and it is a different kind of day. The rest spot I have chosen along Carroll’s shore would make a superb campsite for a group. It has everything, sand beach, view of the island studded lake, tent pads and open rock with built in seating. It is evident that someone has camped here in the past or at least made a fire. This is spoiling me for the other canoe areas. There are fish feeding here too. So far Carroll is the nicest lake that I have been on. The trees are older and it is all islands and small passages. There will definitely be a trip into here from the West side of the park sometime in the future. I lingered a while before moving on and heading up the creeks. A pair of Merlins and two otters added to the pleasure of soaking up the morning sun on the rocks.

Paddling my way up the creeks has been tougher than the lake travel. Two beaver dams above Carroll required me to use a rope and pull the canoe up the sluice ways of the dams. The first 50 meter portage was a little hard to do because of the steepness of the creek banks. The second 50 meter portage was covered up by a downed spruce tree. The beavers has a dam across the rapids which was backing the water up enough that it was coming down the portage trail. The situation was handled by paddling up the shallow rapids and raising my gear and canoe up and over a big rock to the right of the beaver dam. A little later I took a break at the base of a nice falls and rapids combination. The creek has been full of ducks and there are rails calling also. It is a little hard not to get complacent about the beautiful spots in here. The spot where I took the break would be a star attraction in most areas. Up here it is far enough off the beaten path and not as grand as the rapids coming into Carroll so is probably seldom seen. Navigating the creeks presents new challenges when it comes to keeping track of your position on the park map. Patience seemed to be the best medicine. The winding waterways cause you to spend a lot of time with little progress on the map to show for it. Using patience I was able to make my way up the creek forks without getting out my GPS and topo map. Finding the 150 meter portage connecting two creeks midway between Carroll and Terry Lakes was solved when I paddled up to the base of a roaring rapids and there was the sought after portage.

The creeks were flowing hard and it was wearing me down fighting the current and a stiff wind coming down the channels of swamp grass that the creeks meandered around in. Back at the MNR headquarters I had copied from their maps the locations of some possible campsites. As I entered a no name lake west of Terry Lake the fire ring from one of these campsites could be seen up on a big rock. My arms were in need of a rest and I pulled up into a shallow grassy area below the site. Upon examining the site it was evident that no one had really camped here. It was possible but you would have had to move a lot of rotted timber aside to put up a tent. The fire ring had not been used in a long time either.

If you took everyone out of the BWCAW and after 15 years went back and opened up the portages it might come close to this area. Campsites are lichen and moss covered, dead wood has to be moved just to make camp and as for tent pads, just forget it. Tent pads are easily made by moving the dead wood aside and picking up a few rocks but you do have to prep your own site out here off the well used canoe trails.

The going got a lot easier after the break. When I next entered a stream the current was not nearly as strong as the earlier ones. There were some stretches going East that I could lean back and let the wind do the work. The 225 meter portage north of Terry Lake was pretty blown in so I took some time and did some trail clearing. When I finished there were still a lot of logs to step over but the overhead and waist high obstacles were gone. Most of the portages had a small amount of debris from winter storms on them. I would carry my pack and pail on the first trip through so I could get around the down wood and then with my pocket saw I would clear the trail on my way back to get my canoe and other pack. The change of venue was an added advantage of the trail work.

There was a marked campsite on Wanda Lake and that was my destination. As I crossed the lake I could see no other likely sites. As I approached the marked site it was very evident. A peninsula jutting out into the lake with a nice view from well above the water showed it to be the obvious spot to camp. There was a nice canoe landing spot at the bottom of the big rock that rose from the waters edge on the north side of the peninsula. When I peered into the fire ring at the top of the rock I got a surprise. Instead of black coals there was a nice garden of mosses and small plant life. No one had been here in a long, long time. I carefully walked around and cleared the rocks and sticks away from a spot for my tent. The rocky surface was covered with a thick layer of lichen and it was hard not to step on some of it.

The spot provided a good breeze to keep the flys at bay. It was really hot and the bugs were annoying. If the wind let up I did not know what it would be like.

This whole day has been spent traveling through some really nice country. The last stream I was on threaded its way through a Black Spruce Swamp. As near as I can figure I traveled about 13 miles today with about 585 meters of portage trail.

Sunday May 20

A few rain drops fell on my cereal this morning. At night I am able to get some AM radio stations and they were predicting some passing showers. Last evening I was awakened by some noises around my camp. It was not dark yet so I got up to have a look around. There was a moose on the north shore of the lake but it was too far away to have been the source of the noise. While checking around I spotted some caribou droppings around the campsite. I used my binoculars to scan the area in hopes of seeing one but had no such luck. The little brown flies that had pestered but not bitten me earlier were gone. I had not bothered to dress and it was getting chilly out there in my BVD’s.

At 4:05 I awoke as it just started to brighten. I told myself that there was no hurry this morning and next opened my eyes a 6:50. The mosquitos were bothersome until a breeze off the lake pushed them away. When I pushed off the rain had stopped but the clouds sent the message that it would be back. Moving up the creek above Wanda Lake was really slow going . The creek really had a lot of kinks in it. The 175 meter portage above Wanda needed some of the alders cut away so that those following me could easily spot it. Once you were out on the bank the animals had the portage well tramped down but from the water there was hardly a hint as to where it was. The suckers were bunched up against the rapids and it looked like the bears had been feeding there regularly.

It is Sunday and I know that back in Illinois our Home Church will be starting. I joined in their praise time but from quite a distance. I knew that they would be praying for my safety. My prayer for them was that they might enjoy peace. It is so easy to be at peace out here but the only true peace is through Jesus Christ. Through him you can have the peace you experience out here, even in the midst of your travails. I finished my service in thanking God for the health and opportunity to do something like this trip.

The creek I was on kept getting smaller every time I passed one of the tributaries feeding it. At one point I had to turn up one of those tributaries. When I first saw it I thought that maybe there was a bigger part of it over in the marsh grass. I pushed into it with grass rubbing both sides of the canoe and my kayak paddle only touching grass as I paddled on. In a short ways I entered the last lake that would drain into the Gammon River. After the 700 meter portage into Dunston Lake I would be going downstream into the Bloodvein River system.

The portage over the divide is a real walk in the park. A nice walk through a Jack Pine forest. There is no underbrush and the ground in carpeted in lichen. I leisurely walked back for my remaining gear until the rain returned and I hustled to my canoe and used it as an umbrella for the second trip over the portage. I felt like a fish fry so I trolled a spoon as I headed up Dunston Lake in a pretty solid rain. The lake is about 4 miles long with long slivers of islands in it. As I neared the marked campsite I was without a fish but the rain was letting up. The marked site was pretty vulnerable to lightning so I paddled over to a point that looked promising. There was an old fire ring there and it seemed to have what I needed for features.

The lake is so pretty that I have decided to spend the night here. I have only traveled 5 miles but the lake is too pretty to pass up. My tent fly was strung up as a rain shelter for the afternoon. A Northern almost ended up in the frying pan as I fished from camp. He grabbed that Dardevle so many times that I think his mouth was getting sore. When he refused to try any more I put the canoe in the water to fish some other spots. I caught a small Northern after losing a number of others. My other fishing lures did not entice anything else so I put the Dardevle back on and trolled over toward camp again. The rod bent back and I was very pleased to see a nice Walleye come to the surface. A rock ledge well away from my camp provided a nice place to clean the fish. That way my camp stayed fish odor free. The bears up here are no problem yet and they won’t be if we keep clean camps.

The rain had soaked through my worn out Goretex parka and I was getting chilled. Back at camp I cut some wood with my pocket saw and used a little light weight hatchet to expose the dry wood in the center. The rain stopped long enough for me to enjoy a good fish fry beside the fire that dried my clothes and warmed me up. I was very thankful for that opportunity. When the rains returned I settled in under my rain fly with a mug of hot tea.

The evening turned out to be cloudy but calm and dry. No one had camped here so once again I had to fix up a smooth place for my tent. Another spot that is a great campsite but has never been used.

Monday May 21

The morning is calm in this time before the sun comes up. A loons call from the north reverberates past me and down the lake. The Ravens are up and some song birds. These sounds are so tranquil compared to the goose that flew in last night just as I was ready to doze off. It continued to honk for the longest time.

It is 5:30 and time to paddle on. As I sit here sipping my coffee the mist has appeared and is rolling across the water. And some people cannot understand why people come to places such as this!! As I am nearing the portage off Dunston Lake I am forced to cease paddling and listen. A loon is calling a short ways off in the mist and the echo is coming back stronger and fuller than the original. Other loons out on the main lake have now joined the concert.

The south portion of Simeon Creek was really rocky and shallow. The current was taking me along but braking and sharp turns are hard on the shoulders. The northern section of the creek was really pretty with high rock walls on the west side. 9:00 finds me on Simeon Lake with about 7 miles covered. Progress was about 2 mph in the creeks and small lakes. That was at a very easy pace too. The day is gray and overcast with a slight breeze. When I get out in the open I will find out if it is really a wind.

I have stopped for lunch at the 70 meter portage on the Bloodvein River. The wind is blowing hard enough that I know I will not be crossing Larus Lake which lies a few miles ahead. The travel to here has been fairly easy. A lot of the miles this morning have been traveled with a strong tailwind. This gave me the opportunity to settle back and look for wildlife. A moose and her calf left an island when I passed by. A good reminder to stay as far away from the islands as you can. While I was taking a long lunch at the beautiful rapids at the portage two men came along in a boat to stock the woodpile that is used to cook shore lunches. They said that sometimes there will be four or five boats in there having lunch. Back on Simeon Lake I had passed a trap line cabin which was another example of the north woods economy.

With a stiff wind from the NW I headed for the big waters of Larus Lake. My plan was to sneak in as close as I could and then wait too cross in the evening or morning calm. As I neared the lake the winds were definitely dying down. I crossed some good sized bays on the way to the main body to see it the water really was getting calmed down. When I paddled out onto the open water I paused briefly to survey the sky and look across the lake at the distant shoreline. The lake was still quite choppy but there were no white caps showing. I headed to the north of an island out in the middle of the lake so that if things went sour I could make my way to it. All the way to the island things went well. Once there I could see that the wind was coming up again but decided to head on across. I had angled north to get above the island and that now proved to have been a very wise move. It allowed my travel line to the bay I needed to enter to be a lot safer. As I headed for that bay the wind started to really push me from the rear. The water got rougher and the progress seemed to slow to a crawl even though I knew that I was really traveling fast across the water. The waves would carry my canoe forward in great thrusts as I surfed towards my destination. As I paddled and prayed I thought of the disciples when they were in rough seas. When it was over I thanked the Lord for an invigorating but safe journey.

The half mile portage to Murdock Lake passes many nice rapids. The portage itself was rather nasty with a lot of big timber down that I could do nothing about. After I pushed off I still had to paddle through the spot the map marks as "small current." This was spring and it had been raining a lot. I was just able to paddle my way up the chute. A short ways down the lake I saw the pictographs I had been told about.

It had been a long day and I was looking for a good spot to camp. The first good spot was a rock shelf in a little bay that was protected from the wind. Camp was set up and a quick supper eaten before heading to bed. I was very thankful to have gotten across Larus Lake as the wind kept picking up speed into the night. I traveled about 25 miles from Dunston to my camp on Murdock Lake with 1175 meters of portaging.

Tuesday May 22

I had planned on sleeping in this morning but not that I would be forced to do so. It started to rain early last night and is still coming down lightly at 7:30. It alternates from wet snow to rain. The wind is still barreling down Murdock Lake producing big rolling waves with whitecaps. Above the waves are white sheets of rain and snow blowing horizontally down the lake.

Fortunately my tent is well protected from the wind. I will be able to open the front and fix breakfast. But that can wait so I crawled back into my warm sleeping bag and dozed until 10:00. The rain had let up and I went outside and used the 3X5 foot ground cloth from my cook pail to make a little annex off the front of my tent. Now I can unzip the flap and reach into my new kitchen. It has a stove, pan of water and built in refrigeration. It first production of hot oatmeal and cinnamon tea are helping to make things cozy. There are trees crashing down but I am far enough out of the winds path that I should be OK. The last one that went sounded close but when I looked out I could not see it. I scanned the trees in my area and could see that they were not going to be a problem.

Of all my trips I have never had to spend a day in the tent. Usually you have so few days that you go outside and hang around doing something. After traveling for six days and with yesterday being a very long day I am actually enjoying it. A little reading, a little nap, another hot soup and tea and its past 4:00. The sleet and snow really came down the last few hours. I had to go out and shake it off the fly so it would not be pushing into the tent interior. That produced a pile of snow around the tent about four inches high. the rocks are warm enough from all the previous sunny days that it only builds up on the lichen and mossy areas.

As bed time approaches things are calming down. The birds are coming out of their hiding places and the lake is returning to normal. If it is like this in the morning I will be able to travel. Just as I was ready to doze off there was an otter snorting at me from the water by the tent. Since I cannot tell the difference between the snort of an otter and the sniff of a bear I was instantly wide awake. When I was able to get the flap open I was pleased to see that it was just an otter displeased to have to share his shoreline with me.