just got back from our first BWCAW trip of 2001...which turned out to be two days and quite a few lakes shorter than planned.

our planned route was entry pt. 23 to mudro > sandpit > tin can mike > horse lake > horse river > basswood river > crooked lake through niki/wagosh/chippewa to gun, boot and fourtown, then back to mudro.

on the second day of the trip, 30 mph winds blew in rain that lasted 4 days without more than a couple of hours respite. we holed up on horse lake for most of the time it was raining, and made the best of it by fishing horse lake and the upper horse river (smallies and pike, but few walleyes).

the revised route became mudro > sandpit > tin can mike > horse > fourtown > mudro.

now...i've been through a couple of 3-day soakers in my time, but this is the first time it's lasted for more than that.

when it rains like that, there's little to do but hole up, break out the rain gear, split some firewood, and get the fishing rod.

a couple of other things: put your groundsheet INSIDE the tent. there were two tents in our party. my wife and i put the sheet inside the tent and the others did not. we were bone dry inside the tent, while they were eventually sleeping on a waterbed. and, don't forget the tarp for shelter (for cooking out of the wind and rain...and sun, if we would have had any...).

all in all, it was still a great trip. it just ended too soon. just another reason to go back, if you ask me.

Posted by j-stroke on May 28, 2001 at 10:05