“What if we went on a canoe trip tomorrow?” – Lea, Monday 08/31/26.

And that’s all it took for the Sawbill Crew to find themselves headed to Baker Lake the following evening after the store closed. The plan was to paddle from Baker Lake to Sawbill Lake. One canoe, for the crew members that valued their own bed and more sleep, would paddle straight through that evening. The other two canoes would make a stop on Burnt Lake for an overnight adventure. Last-minute permit cancellations often make spontaneous trips like this possible, and we were able to grab an overnight Baker permit.

We managed to get on the water at about 8:15 pm Tuesday night. It was starting to get dark, so we moved as quickly as we could to get through Baker-Peterson portage. Due to low water levels, the portage is longer than usual and incredibly rocky. Paddling in the dark is a different experience from day-time paddling. Balancing on rocky terrain with a canoe on your shoulders can be tricky. We relied on large features such as islands and outcroppings/bays on the shoreline as we paddled since more subtle markings are impossible to spot in the dark. While not always the case, portages are often located at low points in the tree-line, another night-time navigation tool.

You also can’t see the wildlife in the dark, but they can see you. Slaps in the water near our canoes let us know beavers were around.

We reached Burnt lake around 10:15 and said goodbye to Sawyer, Jessica, and Mike, who continued on towards Sawbill. They reached Sawbill at around 11:45 completing the Flame Lakes route in about 3 and a half hours. I was more than ready to find a campsite. Thankfully, Damon had some insider information on the perfect sight for us. The southern site on Burnt is spacious and has a great sunrise view.

We made it safely to the campsite after portaging 230 rods between Kelly and Burnt. The only casualty so far was Rube’s sandal, a lesson to everyone to always carry duck tape.

The obvious next step after setting up camp was to make s’mores.

Stories by the fire are an essential camping experience. That night was extra special, with the trumpet-like calls of swans accompanying us as we sat around the fire. The older you get, the more stories you have to share. Rube and Damon could have talked all night.

We had an early morning the next day to get back in time before the store opened. The water was calm with a slight mist rising up, and the rising sun colored the sky in brilliant reds and oranges.

Paddling to the sunrise made the portages much easier to find, and we could see the wildlife this time. Four eagles flew over us, and we met the swans on Burnt from the night before.

The paddle back to Sawbill took us 1 hour and 45 minutes. Our arrival time at the Sawbill landing was 7:30 am, perfectly timed for the crew members who had an opening 8 am shift.

The opportunity to go into the wilderness after a long day’s work, spend the night sleeping under the stars, then commute via paddling to start a new day’s work is a unique experience. And as fun as these spontaneous trips are, we also get to learn about the routes that you, fellow readers, may go on someday. If you’re interested in paddling the Flames Lakes, ask us about it! We are more than happy to share what we know!

-Megan and Kay