Wanted some soliude...northwoods feel, new country, few portages.  Therefore what better place than the CrownLands adjoining the Q and BW!  I considered last falls adventure into Northern light a hit...so I was bound to discover the secrets of Redhorse creek...starting at Thompson lake...ending at the mouth of the river in Sandpoint.

Travel was from May 24th---May 29th.

I was unable to travel when desired due to daughters HS graduation.  I also needed to exit before June 1, as I don't yet hold a passport.  This required me to attend graduation ceremonies...and exit from there....left central MN at 9:30 PM...arrived in Orr about 1AM.  I needed to be at Anderson's by 6:30 AM....you can see I was very tired.  I also hadn't slept much due to the need to put in long overtime at work to catch up on paperwork.

I had selected Mark Anderson as driver and pickup as he was the only one to help me with info on the desired area of travel.  If you're going anywhere on Crane, Sandpoint, LLC...he'd be a first class choice for you.

Anderson's base is about a mile before reaching the shores of Crane Lake.
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You shuttle your stuff down to his slips on Crane...then back to park your vehicle at his place...then shurttle back to the boat for take-off.  He groups travlers into LLC.  5 guys from IN?  They rented a Champlain...and brought with three small kayak type crafts...I wonder how those worked out?  They were headed to Bottle portage/Crooked for a week after the walleyes, with plenty of leeches.
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We headed for customs on Sandpoint...then the other guys had to wait through a ride up to Sanpoint lodge (1 bay to the N), so I could purchase my Crown Land camping permits (about $9 US/night).


Took about an hour to travel up Loon river to LLC.  Here's Loon falls at the first mechanized portage.
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and the first mechanized portage.
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We then speed acrcross Loon lake to Beatty portage
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About 10 more minutes up to Thompson bay on LLC.  I was to try and get dropped on a "portage" trail to Thompson.  Just shy of a mile through the woods from LLC.  Anderson and his kid (driving)...neither knew for sure where the trail was....nor if it still existed.  Mark's last words to me before we left the dock instilled confidence...."man, I wouldn't wish that trail on my worst enemy..".

They dropped me off on the side of a hill and they were gone!  No trail, no one around...silence.  It took about 30 minutes to calm the butterflies, move the bowels...before I had enough fortitude to proceed.  Spent some time looking for any signs of a "winter snowmobile trail"...none were present.  So how hard could a 300 rd bushwhack be I thought?  I formulated a plan to carry about 100-200 yds..drop a load..."mark" the GPS, and head back for the rest of the stuff.

Well, 2 hours later I had managed to travel just about 100 rds according to the GPS.  I was mentally whipped.  Drenched, covered in bugs and mud to the thighs.  Dehydrated and hungry.  I was close to bagging it and going back to LLC...spend the next 5 days fishing and traveling back to Crane that way.  As I sat in my misery, fearing a night in the forrest, I saw no way I could traverse the remaining 200 rds in the fashion I was using....with the energy I had left, and get to thompson by nightfall.

Through the trees I saw an open swamp pond.  I decided that if I could get to the water...it looked like I could tavel about 100 rds near the direction I wanted to go.  30 minutes later I was floating in 6 in. of water and gliding accross the pond.   Near the other side...thjere it was...a sort of "trail".  Definatly not a portage...but man made trail nun the less.  Mark had said these were really winter snowmobile trails.  Much overgrowth and no thought of anyone footing their way accross them.  After a scout...it definatly was some kind of trail...GPS showed it heading my way...that's my ticket I thought.  2 hrs later I was finally standing on the shores of Thompson lake.  Both McKenzie maps were wrong as to the location of this trail...and the bay it enters Thompson into.  Anderson also said he believed the McKenzie map to be in error with reguard to the "trail" from Wilkin's bay on LLC to Blue..then on to Thompson.

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Total time to traverse the 300 rds was 5.5 hours!  I glided accross to the N to the first island...a Campbell's fish camp site was present and empty.  I took it for the next 3 days.  Instantly fell asleep.

Grabbed some nice sunset pics I'll post later in this thread.  Truth..I slept until 1PM the next afternoon!

and so ended day 1

Kool! by boat, by train, by foot, by canoe.....the boy would love the engineering ;D Cant wait to see more! Congrats on the graduation!

Your the man Wally, obviously YOUR Man-Card is in good standing ;)

Funny...I would have thought about turning my Man-Card in if it could have got me out of that situation.

Indeed...this one was by boat, rail, foot and boat!  Too true.

Day #2...woke up at 7AM...did the whiz thing, tired..back to the sack....arose about 11AM...still tired, back to sleep, crawlled out of the tent at 1PM.  Was a glorious day....lounged, listened to the pure silence on Thompson and the beauty of the place.  Very special lake, large, trout, pike, walleye....Gorgeous islands.  I'd show you some pics...but if you want to see it, then you should go there yourself.  It's kind of like "protecting" something you worked hard to achieve.  I'd tell any of you that it's worth going in should you ever desire.

I napped all afternoon on the rocks...caught some shoreline pike for dinner.  I absolutly swallowed them whole.

Begin to plan the remainder of my trip that evening....figured 3 nights on Thompson, then 2 nights on Redhorse...then exit to Sandpoint.  Sunset was phenomenal and got some pics I liked.  Was somewhat worried about the water levels and beaver dams on the crick....After a nightcap of Nestle's....I drifted off to the sound of drizzle...awoke to rain about 11 PM...."hmmmm, put up my tarp or not?"  I decided to go sans-tarp.  My fly is adequate but it's a Kelty solo...adequate but not top shelf IMO...for most Kelty products.  I had a good ground tarp as an outie.

"Heck, I'll be fine in this....I bet I'm dry in the morning"...

end of day #2....will post a couple of pics tonight when I get home...

pics....sorry....quickie-touchups were oversharpening and much too "colorized"

sunsets
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anyway....you get the point...it was one of those Terry Redlin moments....I felt like I was in one of his paintings...and all was right with my life!

I love that feeling....I often refer to those moments in Redlin's name.....it's the feeling I seek after when on a trip...and rarely captured or experienced....maybe only 2X a year do I seem to "obtain it".  It's the same feeling I get when gazing into some of his paintings.  Reminds me of my childhood memories of the outdoors....always a little more dramatic and romantic than real life seems to be.

enough sappy stuff here.....more later

KOOL!

really nice wally :)...looking forward to the rest [smiley=dankk2.gif]

I like that you got something silhouetted against the sky. Nice

Thanks


Woke up to pouring rain all night...ran out in the dark to do buisness.  Got soaked in just that time.  Sleeping bag was still dry but I was worried about it's condition by morning.  Slowly awoke by 7....drifted in and out and by 8AM it was apparant that this was going to look like a wet day.

I started counting how much backup dry clothing I had....the prospect of another wet day (nothing drys)...and a possible very cold night ahead.  I bit the bullet and went out and set up the tarp over the tent.....curssing myself all the while as to why I ignored it earlier.  As soon as I crawlled back in my solo....the downpour started...lasted a good 1-2 hours....flooded most everything.

By 11AM it had stopped and the remainder of the day was drizzle off and on.  The kind of wet day where you just see the mist hang in the air.  I made futile attempts at getting stuff to dry...no good.  I was frustrated at my laziness...my unwillingness to bring more clothing for a May trip.  As I was attempting to dry stuff.....out shakes my Under Armor longjohns.....I had stuffed them down in the bottom of my bag last fall on the other side of the Q....they'd been in there the whole time!  Was like a little present from God to me!  No cold night for me now!

Whole day consisted of hiding from the rain....my mood was not ready to go and solo fish in the rain and wind.  Layed around again till dark.  Only grabbed a couple of pics of this gull and one of the weather.

I was prepared for a rainey day....and consumed the reading material I had brought along.


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I went to bed with a sour mood, and skipped my evening routine of hot chocholate.

Wally,
TARP first, everything else can wait ;D

Solo....that makes sense...but I'm just a slacker by nature...that's why I go alone now.  You'd have thought I'd have learned....but we'll see?


Next AM I was deciding on hanging around another day and see the rest of the lake vs. get out of Dodge.  I decided to beat it and was up at 6AM to grey skies...BUT drizzle and mist were gone and so was the wind.  Mirror flat water.  This was too inviting and I decided I was bugging out down the Redhorse.  Took a lazy breakfast of blueberry cakes and bacon.  Lazy bath and finally was on the water by 8AM.  Was a 45 min paddle up to the "trail" to Deer lake at the NW end of the lake.  As I paddled, the sun slowly came out and by portage time, it was your typical mostly cloudy, some sunny kind of a day.

I started on the N side of the outlet as my McKenzie map shows....I spent 20 minutes up and down and beached 2X checking possible good leads on a "winter trail".  Found none.  Went back to the other side and looked closer....Just to the S of the outlet there appeared to be an opening in the trees.  I checked it out and indeed it was a "trail"....really just a path, overgrown through the woods...makes sense to me now as these are just snowmobile trails for the winter Lake Trout fisherman.  Here's what it looked like....

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And Deer lake mudhole at the other side.....Beaver City would be a good moniker for the Redhorse river and lakes.  Here's the Deer lake side....

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I crossed the lake to the creek....this plsace could be very difficult in the later summer in shallow water...I never grounded...but MANY lengths of river had only inches under my craft.  Pulled over and scooted over 5 dams....entered a "pinch" with steeper walls...a more permanent dam was here with a "sluce-like" structure beyond it...I think to foil the rodents attempts to rebuild it.  I decided to shoot through the 2 foot drop and short whitewater opening....only then did I see the manmade structure...about tipped me in the current and could have been disasterous.  Here's a pic of ther Upper Redhorse (from Thompson to Redhorse lake)....

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If you look at your maps..they might designate "dam" on this section...It turns out that these are long-standing beaver dams at pinches that seem to have "Earthed-in" over the centuries.  They do require a short portage to get around.  Problem is that the downstream side is floating marsh and bog.  Ok with a tandem crew but could be very dangerous alone.  I managed by crawlling from green looking footing to another good footing spot.  I bet I looked like a 260 lb easter bunny.  At one poinht I did go through with a pack on  I was carrying with only 1 shoulder strap for that very reason....as I sunk, I quick dumped the bag and threw my arms out...stopped at my crotch.  Couldn't feel the bottom....took (seemed like)...2 minutes to extricate myself.  That could have been bad....as I saw NO ONE for 6 days.

Further downstream...at a pinch, just before Redhorse, I was floating silently in the current enjoying the glorious sun which had now returned....heard some running water around a bend....just decided to float.  another dam beaver dam was coming into view as I slowly floated the corner.  Must be a chute open as I could hear the water.  As the end of the dam comes into view....it reveals a timber wolf not more than 15 yds from me......out across the river on the far side of the dam....staring intently into the shute.  he had not seen nor heard me.....I flinched as I was getting worried at our rapidly shortening distance between each other.....if I float the shute...he could step right into my craft.  I flinched and he turned, looked me in the eyes......an in an instant did a 180 on that little dam and trotted in an annoyed fashion back to the other side and turned to look at me from the security of the woods.  If I hadn't known what to look for in the trees...I would have paddled right by.  Made me wonder how many I've paddled by already.  I presumed he was waiting for a "beaver-dinner" to come along and try and repair the open-water shute in the dam.

I entered Redhorse about 4 hours after leaving Thompson.  The lake looked wild and saw no developed campsites the whole way N...checked out the bays and islands.  2, maybe 3 marginal spots.  Near the N shore a high cliff looked inviting and as I got closer I could see it was a developed site.....I pulled in, indeed a 5-star site...but it is a developed fish-camp (for the boaters who come upstream from Sandpoint...an easy trip).....I decided I was going to check-in to the "RedHorse Hilton", but I would not be paying for my stay......Here's the Hilton sign......

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A couple of views of Redhorse....looking from the campsite...and again later in the sunny evening.  I thought the site was glorious (you purists would not have liked it)....


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This time I set up my tarp , with my tent...you can see the fishcamp tables which I used.

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Truely a day I remember...a glorious day that is etched in my memory.  Being alone there for 2 days in the sun was reinvigorating!

Wally, Fishcamp reminds me of one on Wolseley. No sign though, but it does have the tables.

That floating bog stuff. Sometimes I've been able to pry it away, small mats. Larger mats, sometimes I've been able to stand on them till they sink enough to paddle over. They rise very slowly too, about as fast as they sink. Just don't wait to get back into your boat too long. You want a nice easy step, not a dump. Each situation is different. So it might not of worked for you. I didn't discover this technique till I decided I had to get out. Testing it to see if it would hold me, I saw it sinking.

Thanks for the advice Jim....

and now, the end of the story

That night on Redhorse was cold....thermals on to boot.  at my 3AM break I stumbled out to the cliff...looked up and the view of the sky took my breath away.  I can't remember the last time I've had such a southern clear view.  All the stars were new to me.  Miilky Way ran right down the lake.  Was an incredible sight I'll not soon forget.  Back in the tent I heard the wolves crying to each other not far down the shoreline.  I wonder if they knerw I had invaded their "home"?

Next AM was heavy fog...had a late brunch of blueberry cakes again....along with the last of the bacon.  Spent the afternoon fishing in the lees of the wind...but did poorly.  It was a bluebird day alright.

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Spent the day in deet and headnet...black flies were starting to get nasty.....flies in the ears, mouth, nose....I was worried about the flies...but without the heat....having long-sleeves and headnet was really quite enjoyable....I was not bothered at all.  I would be singing a different tune though, had the temps reached into the 80's.

I meditated all day and began to decide that a 5 day trip is about right for me....I found myself talking outloud as I ran my mumblings through my head.  Thoughts of my home were seeping through.  Caught some small pike but decided to spare their lives.

Supper was garlic mashed...and "dirty rice" and cheescake puddin'.  Stayed up late.  Contemplated paddling down shore to get a view of the sunset but was too lazy.  I layed on the cliff for hours and thought about life....and my paddle out tomorrow.

Day 6....perfect lazy AM rise, have 5 hours to get to Redhorse mouth on Sandpoint....figure a 3 hr paddle if all goes well.  weather and temps were stunning for a solo....

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Here's another spot at a pinch just before another "dam" marked on the map.....bout 5 dams to negotiate here also

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And looking back at the "dam" that is marked on your maps....

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The last 1/2 mile of the redhorse is spectacular and deeper waters from backflow up from the big lake...yet protected from winds.  Would make a great get away not far off the beaten trail of the main lake....and provide fish, shelter from wind, etc.  Was very picturesqe.  As I rounded the very last corner looking for the bluff Mr. Anderson wanted to park me on....there were 2 boats fishing the mouth of the river for 'eyes...they too said it had been a slow week.  They were the first folks I'd seen in 6 days.

Climbed the bluff....sacked out for a snack and a snooze.  30 minutes later Mark pulls up....a nice 1 hour early to boot!  made my day as I had a cross-state journey to Thief river Falls ahead...to see my middle gal run in the section finals in Warren on Sat AM.

Rest of trip was uneventful.  Nice customs gal at the dock asked me only my name....had no problem with my birth certificate and ID...(passport would be required in 2 days...).  Took about an hour to pay the bill, shower up and return to Crane to load up.   I stopped at the bar just N of Buyck....about 4 miles? down the raod from Andersons for a burger.....great burgers indeed!  The guys in there gave me all the info I needed on the lakes I had travled....where to fish and camp....and how to get winter access for the Lake Trout via snowmobile.

I'm now convinced that the next time you need info on a "lesser travled" part of the country.  You go up a few months early.  have a few meals at the local pubs.....and you'll be miles ahead of the game.

Got lazy with the pics on the way out....

considering a fall trip in the Oct colors down the Namakan from the LLC village to Namakan proper.....but still playing my options.

Thanks for reading.

Thanks Wally. Enjoyed a report from a different part of canoe country.

Your encounter with the wolf was a lucky one. Looks like it was a fine trip, I especially liked the mechanized portages. Great report, thanks for sharing.

Quote:

I'm now convinced that the next time you need info on a "lesser travled" part of the country.  You go up a few months early.  have a few meals at the local pubs.....and you'll be miles ahead of the game.

I'll be hanging handbills with your face on it from Orr to Ely - "Do NOT divest canoe route information to this man"  Kidding - this is exactly how I get some of my "tips" for crown land north of Atikokan.  There are secrets up there that not even the local Boy Scouts know . . .

Nice report Wally - a little schmaltzy at times but worth the read.   ;)

Thanks guys...and PJ...I had to go back to the dictionary to look up Schmaltzy.....too funny ;D    I'd say that characterizes me entirely!

Schmaltzy--->derivate of "schmaltz":

some synonyms...

bathetic
gushy
maudlin
mawkish
romantic
slushy
sobby
soft
soppy

:D   --->make sure you post a pic of this schmaltz on your handbills
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Good report Wally. Nice to discover something for yourself. I was up in Q during the same time. Same weather different lakes.

 I'm picturing a musical hand bill, the Schmaltz in all his glory, banjo's playing in the background, Ned Beatty squealing along with the music.
Yup, that was one helluva canoe trip. Burt with Man card and trusty bow ;D

Reminds an occurrence last week of my red headed sister driven her father in law's '80's chevy PU and yelling YEE HAW as she exited my folk's drive way ;D. Nice photos Wally-have to put this one on the "to Do" list....I'll be sure to place the JW cut out into the gear ;D

Thanks for taking us along Wally and sharing the info with us.  Seems like a great alternative area to visit, may have to check it out myself someday.  Glad you made it in and out safely and had an awesome adventure.

Kevin, didn't I teach you anything? The tarp goes up when it looks like rain!  Serious, I really enjoyed reading your report and cringing as you bushwacked to Thompson and sloshed in the loon sh...  Your photos are all terrific" You ARE the man !

johnny...have I ever done anything the way it should be done?  Heck, I even argue with myself!

Glad you like the pics....make sure to post yours now after trip with ya big bruddah!

OK

wally wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2009 at 2:26pm:

Heck, I even argue with myself!

Yah...Like I tell everyone too. "The best part about soloing. There's only one idiot to argue with."  ;D

that's right Jim...unless you've got this guy's problem...

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The MIND boggles at the thought of TWIN Wally's/ bibs ;D