Boundary Waters Magic

The weather forecast for our 5 days in the Boundary Waters was as good as we could hope for: Cooler than the first two weeks of our Minnesota vacation. In Minneapolis we had temperatures in the upper 90s, at the Farm in the upper 80s, and now the forecast said that we could expect temperatures in the 70s for the Ely region from Tuesday morning.

Monday morning Patti, Cornell and Linda arrived at the Farm at 8 AM with the van and the Honda, and after a pleasant drive from the Farm, we arrived at Ely Monday around 1 PM. It was hot and humid, but at least that's what was predicted. We walked around Ely for a while, browsing shops and getting our permits and fishing licences. We also found time for drinks at Piragis Northwoods Company.

In the afternoon the skies got gradually darker, almost blue, and suddenly a storm was over us. It rained, hailed and blew like I've never seen before, sirens wailing and people scrambling for shelter. After a while we managed to get to the car and drive back to the hotel.

We spent the night at the Grand Lodge in Ely, and after dinner we sat out on the porch for a game of Cribbage and drinks. The storm was pretty much over, and the temperature was delightful.

Tuesday morning started as clear and crisp as the weather forecast had predicted. We met for breakfast at 6 AM, and managed to be in the water by 9:30. 5 portages and 6 hours later we arrived at our camp site on Heritage Lake.

After camp was set up, Cornell opened and served the wine and then prepared stew for breakfast. Needless to say that it tasted delicious after the days workout. After supper Cornell fixed us drinks: Cosmopolitan for Patti and Rob Roys for the rest of us adults. The ice lasted a long time that evening, so we were pretty happy by the time we retired to our tents.

Waking up around six in the Boundary Waters is just in time for the sunrise. Critters and birds yelling and hollering, fog lifting from the lake, the sun coming true the clouds and the coffee brewing on the stove is a perfect start to any day. We spent most of Wednesday fishing, organizing the camp site, swimming and paddling around on Heritage Lake.

Thursday was the day for major hiking. We took the canoes up the river from Heritage, and portaged 240 rods into Loon Lake. After playing around on the beach and in the water for a while, we paddled to a camp site on the lake and had tortillas for lunch. Tortillas go good with honey too :-)

Friday we hung around camp reading, swimming and fishing. Just as the beans and tortillas were ready, it started to rain. We brought our food and juice and beers (hehe) under the tarp and ate it there. 4 hours later the rain stopped, and we began preparing for the evening camp fire. Even though everything was wet, Cornell managed to get the fire going with one match. What a man!

Going out is never the coolest thing to do, but all good things must come to an end. Saturday we woke up to another beautiful morning, had coffee and breakfast, and then packed all our stuff together. The trip back was fun though, with strong winds and portages with amazing scenery. Especially the falls in the Little Sioux River after Upper Pauness are beautiful.

Arriving at the car, Cornell brought out beers and juice for everybody - the traditional treat at the end of the trip. We made it back to the Farm at 8 PM, and left Patti and Cornell with 2,5 more hours of driving and all the grubby gear in the van.

Going to the BWCA is our favourite thing to do. Thanks for taking us Patti and Cornell!


Knut