Day 1: Wed, September 16th, 2020 -Drove up late in the evening and stayind in Beaver Bunkhouse at Voyageur Outfitters.
Day 2: Thu, September 17th, 2020 -Woke up around 0600, organized the gear and got coffee and breakfast at the outfitter. The plan was to get a tow out to American Point and start the paddle from there. Breakfast was finished around 0715 and we were packed and on the tow boat by 0740. Trip to American Point was about 20 minutes. It was cold, windy, and wet, but much faster than paddling big water like Saganaga. Completely worth the fee to save time and energy.
After the drop off, we settled into the canoes, double checked the map, and started paddling west into Sagana around 0830. The goal was to reach Lake Gijikiki and camp on the island site (#2007) assuming it was open. The paddle from American Point to our first portage was about 4 miles and took roughly 80 minutes. We reached portage #23 (12 rods) around 10am. The portage was a quick up and over into Swamp Lake and we were back to paddling within minutes. The paddle west, across Swamp, was a quick 15-20 minutes to portage #24 (79 rods). This portage took us about 15 mintues total to cross into Ottertrack. The paddle from portage #24 to portage #282 (47 rods) into Gijikiki took about 80 minutes. It was a nice calm paddle with little breeze and clear skies. Then we arrived at portage #282, known as a "Billygoat Portage." Travelling south from Ottertrack into Gijikiki, was a challenge. The first 25 rods presented about a 35m climb in elevation, much of it steep and rocky, hence the Billygoat reference. Once we peaked, the trail leveled out a bit as we continued south in Gijikiki. Even though the portage is relatively short, it still took a solid 15 minutes to trek due to difficulty. After a quick rest, we packed up and headed into the lake. The goal was to get campsite #2007 on the island. As we paddled around the east side of the island, we saw that the campsite was occupied. However, the campers noticed us scouting the site and waved us over. They mentioned that they would be leaving the site the next morning around 10am and that the shore site, on the north side of the lake, was currently unoccupied. We thanked them, and headed back north to site #320. We landed around 1230 and started to set up camp. The rest of the day was choring and relaxing. We knew the next morning we would break camp to move to the island site, so we didn't get too comfortable at this site.
Evening weather was nice, clouds cleared and the stars were out.
Day 3: Friday, September 18th, 2020 -Woke up to clear skies around 0730 and ate breakfast and made coffee. We knew the island site was going to be vacated by 10am, so the goal was to hit the water right around that time. The paddle from our site to the island was only a 5 minute trek, but we had to make sure no one else happened to be landing in the lake from portage #282 right around that time. After breaking down camp, we were packed and ready to launch right as the campers were paddling out of site #2007. We hit the water and made a dash for the island. Aaron and Andy were in the lead canoe, with Lee, Pat, and myself if the trailing canoe. As we paddled, we were relatively even, just chatting as we went. But it became pretty apparent that a competition was brewing. Both canoes started paddling harder and faster and it was clear we had started a race without saying anything. As we all dug in, the 3-man canoe started to pull away. Even with the extra weight, it was clear that the extra paddle was an advantage. We landed first on the island and declared ourselves the Champions of the Boundary Waters, a title which, to this day, remains unchallenged despite repeated protests from the inferior B-team and their so-called "leader," Aaron Larsen.
The rest of the day was spent setting up camp, with the plan to stay two nights. Once camp was setup, we decided to do a day trip, targeting some scenery on Knife Lake. Because of a later start, we knew the round trip was going to be tight. But, we headed out anyway and started the trip around 1300. We headed north out of Gijikiki, back out portage #282 and into Ottertrack. From there, we headed west into Little Knife Lake via portage #731 (15 rods). This portage was short but very picturesque. The paddle from Ottertrack to the north end of this portage was also very beautiful as we paddled through a quiet, narrow channel as we approached the portage. After the quick portage into Little Knife we continued west targeting Knife Lake. We arrived at a small lagoon/bay, just east of site #1998. We decided to stop here and check the route and time, right around 1530. This stretch of the trip took about 2 hours, and our final goal was another 2 hours away, totaling 4 hours one way. Given the time of day and the season, we knew our daylilght was getting shorter. We decided to hang out at the lagoon and fish for a while and then turn back. We left around 1630 and started making the trek back east, following the same route. It was a good thing we did turn back because by the time we got back near portage #282, it was clear the sun was setting. We even had a bit of trouble locating the portage entrance and had to double back about 5 minutes. Eventually we found the portage, trekked back over the Billygoat route, and landed back in Gijikiki. We landed back at camp #2007 around 1830, with a little daylight to spare.
Once we were back ventured into Lake Gijikiki to fish (unsuccessfully), before nightfall, using the last bits of daylight we had left. As we were fishing on Gijikiki just before dusk, there was a loud noise that swept over the entire area. It started as a low humming/buzzing noise and quickly got louder and louder. Soon it filled the entire lake. At first we thought it was the wind through the trees, but it was too constant and too loud for that. The wind through the trees sounds more like a whisper and this was a clear buzzing/humming noise. It lasted about 15 seconds and then slowly dwindled back to silence. It was a strange experience, especially with no way to research the cause until we were back to civilization. We fished a bit more with no luck and headed back into camp to settle in for the night.
The plan was to stay at site 2007 for two nights, but as we sat around the fire and discussed the next day, we realized that it might make more sense to break camp on Saturday and venture back east, targeting Ashdick Lake. Doing so would significantly reduce our travel time on Sunday, when we had to paddle-out and meet our tow on American Point at 1200. We agreed that this was our best plan because staying at 2007 until Sunday morning would mean a wakeup call at 0530 to break camp by 0700 so we could get back to American Point with time to spare. None of us were impressed by that idea, so we agreed to move on Saturday morning.
Day 4: Saturday, September 19th, 2020 -We woke up around 0800 and started the process of breaking camp. We wanted to hit water by 10am, estimating a 2-3 hour trip back east toward Ashdick Lake. We launched right around 10am, headed north to portage #282 and traversed it for the fourth and final time on this trip. Going northbound on this portage was a little easier as it was mostly downhill after a short incline on the way in. The portage took roughtly 15 minutes and we were back on Ottertrack. We continued east, targeting portage #269 (69 rods) into Ester Lake. This was a relatively flat portage for the first 40 rods and then elevated about 20m for the last 25 rods or so. It took about 10 minutes after unloading/loading. Then we headed south into Ester following the eastern shoreline and targeted portage #28 (50 rods) into Ashdick. This portage was a relative constant incline for about 35 rods, going up about 20 meters, then a quicker decline for the last 15 rods. Overall it was pretty easy and took about 10 minutes total. We launched into Ashdick and targeted site #333 at the north end of the lake. The lake was quiet and secluded and as we round the bend and got eyes on the site, we realized it was unoccupied. We paddled up around 1230, inspected the site, and immediately realized we had made the right choice. The site was great, with a large open kitchen area, plenty of space for tents, and great shore fishing opportunities. We set up camp and spent the rest of the day choring, fishing, relaxing and enjoying the weather during our last full day in the park.
As we explored the site before it got dark, we found and nice opening behind the tents, tucked back into the woods. It turned out to be a great spot for stargazing. We also got into a lively debate about whether the moon rotates on its axis. The smart ones in the group acknowledged that it does, but its tidal lock with the earth gives the appearance that it does not.
Day 5: Sunday, September 20th, 2020 -Our last day in the park. We estimated our trip back to American point would be around 3 hours, so we wanted to break camp and launch by 0900 to make it back by 1200. It was an earlier wake up call so we could eat breakfast and break at a leisurely pace. We launched a little late, around 0915, but we built in extra time just to be safe. Our first portage was a quick 10 minute paddle alond the north shore of Ashdick. We hit portage #264 (163 rods) right before 0930. We knew this was a long one, but it was the most direct route back to Ottertrack. It was also the longest portage we had done over the 2 trips we had taken to this point. It took us about 25 minutes to complete and wasn't too terrible. The first 70 rods was a steady incline, about 20m, but then it leveled out until the decline into Swamp Lake. We then headed east for a quick 15 minute paddle to portage #23 back into Ottertrack. This was a quick up and over again and we were back into Ottertrack on our way toward American Point. That paddle through Ottertrack and Saganaga to American Point was relatively calm. It took about 90 minutes, and we landed at American Point right around 1130, with plenty of time to spare before our 1200 pickup. We hungout around American Point and enjoyed the clear weather before leaving the park. The tow came just before 1200, loaded up the canoes and gear and we headed back to Voyageur Outfitter, landing around 1230. From there we loaded our gear into the truck and headed out for Ely.
We stayed in Grand Marais for one night and then drove home on Monday morning, September 21st, 2020.