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

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

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

really nice wally ...looking forward to the rest

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.