7/21/24 – A little over 2 weeks, our crew member Isabelle ventured out on her first ever solo canoe trip! She decided to do the Cherokee loop starting at Baker (EP 39) and ending here at Sawbill. Here is her trip report!
Day 1 (7/1/24):
The trip started at about 8 am when my fellow crew member and roommate, Luna, drove me to the Baker entry point. I was on the water by 8:30 and feeling good, the weather forecast looked great, and I was excited to try a new kind of adventure in an area of the BWCA that is relatively new to me. I didn’t have a plan for where I wanted to camp my first night since I wasn’t sure how fast I would travel solo. A quick paddle across Baker Lake brought me to my first portage (10 rd). This first portage was a little uncoordinated but helped me strategize my plan for the rest of the portages on my trip. After loading the canoe again, I paddled up Peterson Lake expecting to hit a 3rd portage on the way into Kelly Lake. With the amount of rain we have had in the early season water levels have been very high. This 3rd portage seemed to be built to bypass a beaver dam, but I was able to float over it very easily due to the high water (temps have begun heating up here at Sawbill and we’ve gone a week at least without any significant rain so this may no longer be the case. It is always best practice to get out of the canoe and portage around a dam when needed). I then continued to paddle up Kelly, saw a Bald Eagle, and started to settle into a flow for the day. I hit my next portage into Jack Lake (65 rd) and started to set a better system for consolidating my gear. I paddled up Jack and stopped at the portage into Weird Lake and had lunch. The water flowing from Weird Lake into Jack was going pretty strong with the higher water levels and it made a beautiful quick lunch spot.
I got back into my canoe around 1 pm and decided I was going to try to land on either South Temperance or North Temperance for the night. I paddled across Weird, portaged into a small unnamed lake, and then faced the longest portage on this loop. The 240 rd into South Temperance was long and a bit challenging but once I finished it I felt so proud of myself for pushing through and doing it alone. I paddled onto South Temperance and began scoping out sites and found that the two sites that are more directly in the path crossing the lake to the next portage were taken, so instead of paddling to the other corners of South Temperance I decided to continue to North Temperance. It was about 3 pm at this point and after a short 55 rd portage I was again scoping out sites. The first site right after that portage was open so I took it and decided to set up camp. This site is on the smaller side but is perfect for one person. I settled in a bit and the reality of what I was doing began to set in.
I have been coming up to the BWCA since I was 5 years old and feel very comfortable in Minnesota’s Northern Wilderness. Having freshly turned 20 and being out here alone brought out some new feelings that I hadn’t experienced before on trips. I had only seen 2 other people on my journey this first day and I felt very isolated once I set up camp. Looking at the map and seeing how far in I was, I could feel the dense forest surrounding me and some anxiety set in. I decided to go for a swim to see if that would ground me a bit, and then I ended up crawling into my tent and reading until hunger from the day’s adventure pulled me out. I made my dinner and paced around my site swatting away the mosquitos. I packed up dinner and made sure camp was all zipped up. It was quite cloudy in the evening so alas no sunset to watch. I again ventured back into my tent and read until I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
Day 2 (7/2/24):
I woke up around 7 am and debated my plan for the day. I had two options I was considering, heading to Cherokee Lake and setting up camp there and having a chill day at camp, or pushing through back to the northern part of Sawbill. I made breakfast and checked the weather forecast on my Garmin. It looked like the misting rain I woke up to was going to persist for most of the day. I decided that I would rather travel through the mist and spend the next day with some beautiful weather at camp, so I decided I was going to paddle through Cherokee to Sawbill. I was on the water by 9:30 am and began my second day of travel. I portaged (105 rd) into Sitka Lake, watched a pair of loons while I had a snack, and then portaged again (140 rd) into Cherokee. I paddled across the lower part of Cherokee, appreciating some beautiful moss-covered rocks and keeping my eyes peeled for Moose. Another Sawbill crew member, Feliks, did the Cherokee loop a few weeks prior to my trip and saw a moose and her calf. Additionally, a few returners also reported seeing moose on the southern part of Cherokee, so if you’re heading up that way soon you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them.
What I saw of Cherokee was beautiful, the lakes up until this point had been mostly swampy and it was nice to see some bigger rocks again. I paddled through Cherokee Creek following a few ducks and appreciated how beautiful this section was. There was a beaver dam that I needed to exit the canoe to get over, but was able to pass without a lot of difficulty. Once I was through the creek I portaged into Skoop Lake (180 rd) and paddled over to shore so I could sit in the canoe and eat a quick lunch. After a short paddle across Skoop, I prepared for my last longer portage on this loop. With the high water levels this portage, which is supposed to be 110 rds, ended up being about 30 rds. The portage ended quickly with a clear place to put in a canoe and no path to the left or right. We’ve been hearing reports of this from other returning paddlers; the high water levels at this time have definitely been playing a major role in changing this area.
After paddling through the marshy area that was supposed to be a portage I was in Ada Lake. After another quick paddle across this lake, it was time for one 80 rd portage, another short paddle down a creek, and then the final 80 rd portage back into Sawbill. It was around 12:45 when I began my paddle on Sawbill and started scoping out a site for the night. There was a slight headwind so I decided to scope out the northern sites, and I ended up snagging the only island site on Sawbill. This site was one that I stayed at on a trip when I was a younger child, and it was amazing to be able to stay on that site again some 13 years later. I set up camp and hung out until It was time to make dinner. Free time at camp when you’re alone I found to be a very different experience than trips with other people around. I found myself feeling kind of lonely and reading a lot. Once I deemed it an appropriate time to make dinner I settled onto one of the big rocks that this site has to offer and made myself a feast. Then I straightened up camp and headed into my tent for bed.
Day 3 (7/3/24):
I woke up bright and early on my last day at about 5:30, and knowing I only had to paddle down Sawbill I decided to have a slow morning. I lay in my tent reading for a while until I was hungry enough to venture out of my tent. I set up my coffee so it would be ready to brew once I finished a morning swim. Refreshed, I sat, drank my coffee, and enjoyed the view, then began to make breakfast. Once I was fueled for the day I packed up camp and set out on the water. Battling another headwind on Sawbill I began my paddle back. The wind wasn’t too bad until I padded past the boundary marking the beginning of the wilderness. Once I passed that island the wind was much stronger. After a tiring paddle, I portaged my canoe and gear back up to Sawbill and began the joys of unpacking from a trip, with a wonderful welcome home from my fellow Sawbill crew.
This experience was a very new one for me but I knew going into this summer that I wanted to try a solo trip. I think with any alone time there is an art to it, not being too in your head, and honoring how special it is to be with yourself. There were many times on this trip that I found myself trying to keep busy or find things to do to fill the gaps that others normally fill. The jury is still out for me on just how much I enjoy solo trips over group trips. But all in all this trip was a wonderful experience and I am so grateful to be blessed with the opportunity to continue to spend time in the BWCA.
As our crew continues to go on trips into the BWCA throughout the rest of the summer and fall season we will keep updating the newsletter with trip reports like this one. If you ever have questions about routes and about crew members personal experience in the lovely BWCA and Sawbill area please don’t hesitate to call and ask or chat with us in the store. -Luna