Interesting reading. Thanks for the report.

So I was wondering why it seems like a lot of old timers are now going to WCPP instead of BW/Q. Is it just for different scenery?

jimmar wrote on Jul 1^st, 2010 at 11:24am:


For me the solitude was the biggest thing followed by the remoteness and little use by others. All of these have been enhanced by doing a lot of my paddling in the region between the Gammon and Bloodvein River systems.

Enjoyed reading the trip report DD. Nicely done. 

Day 7:  Sunday, June 13th

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The rain continued until the early morning hours, with a brief break around 10:00.  I remember lying in my sleeping bag trying to establish whether the drops hitting the rain fly on my tent were actual rain drops or drops falling from the trees surrounding my tent.  Each kind of drop produced a uniquely different sound.  Rain hitting the fly was a higher-pitched, staccato while the drops falling from the trees was more like a dull splat.  I finally awoke around 5:30, on this travel day, but knew that the pack-up would be slow and wet!  I rolled over in my sleeping bag and finally started moving around 6:15.

I’d chosen not to take my cooking fly down the previous evening and had strategically placed gear in a dry spot for overnight safekeeping.  Unfortunately, the wind had slightly shifted overnight, which translated into most of the gear being AT LEAST damp, if not downright wet.  And, there was no chance that any of it could be dried before my departure.  Although it wasn’t raining any longer, a dense fog at set in, sufficiently dense that I could not make out any of the adjacent shore from my island home.

In any case, I whipped together the standard morning breakfast (oatmeal and coffee) and set about breaking camp between bites of oatmeal and sips of coffee.  I guess I could have waited for more desirable conditions to break camp, but when it’s time to move, it’s time to move!  Packing up wet was a bit slow going, but I was ready to paddle by 8:45.

My route today leads me mostly due east, with a jog north when I reach Optic Lake.  The day is still thick and overcast, so much so that I begin my paddling in my rain gear.  It takes me about an hour and a half to reach the first portage that will put me on Optic Lake.  There are two portages here, separated by a small inverted-U shaped channel.   Claire had advised me, pre-trip, that I’d run into a series of boat caches in this stretch.  She was dead on!  As I approach the first portage, I notice two v-hulled boats along the left shore, with the cascade of a small waterfall a bit further up the channel.  These boats mark the beginning of the portage, but nearly block my access to the shore.  But, I finally succeed in my tugging match with my canoe and it is soon secured on the grass and sand beaching area.

These portages turn out to be among the sloppiest of my trip.  Of course, the conditions aren’t helping because the air is still heavy, although no rain is falling.  The good news is that, although wet, most of the submerged places are mostly solid, with either sand or clay at their base.  As I reached the end of the first portage, I don’t find boat, but rather a pair of cached canoes.  Well, yes.  That makes sense; the small channel to the next portage is not long and probably doesn’t warrant having an actual boat to cross.  Sure enough, when I reach the other end, I find another pair of canoes and after reaching the far side of the second portage into Optic, I find another pair of boats.  With so much equipment, clearly this ear receives a lot of traffic, by both boat AND canoe travelers.

After finishing the portage and before I do a put-in, I inspect the skies.  No rain is falling and it is unclear what the future holds in that regard.  In addition, I’ve expended some effort to make these portages and it getting a little stuffy under the rain suit … so, off it comes.  The morning air still holds a bit of coolness and it feels refreshing against my body.  Now super-charged, it push off to make my traverse of Optic Lake (so called, I presume, because its shape is reminiscent of a pair of spectacles … lying north/south).

I no sooner paddle to the end of a short “ear piece” when I spot a motor boat and its two occupants moving at trolling speed in my direction.  My route is such that I’ll be in close proximity to them in my northerly run.  It isn’t long before they obviously spot me, reel in their trolls and alter their route to make a clear intersection with mine.  Within perhaps a minute, we are within shouting distance, and we exchange distant “Good Mornings.”  We each stop in unison, lying parallel but separated by just a couple of feet so the continuing conversation is without projective effort.  The driver was an older gentleman (who did all of the talking) and was perhaps in his early 70’s.  His companion, who was more lake late 40’s/early 50’s, shared enough facial similarities that I took them for father and son.  Although we didn’t share names in our introductions, I did establish that they were from the south-side of Chicago and had been coming to this lake for several years.  As we continued our chat, one absolute piece of golden news was revealed.  They had arrived the day before, but they had heard that the weather was supposed to be clearing by tomorrow.  HALLEUJAH!!!  Maybe there will be some sun on this trip after all.

We closed our conversation and wished each other well.  They proceeded in the direction from which I had just come and I continued my northerly path.  I’d not paddled 20 minutes before I started to spot small round circles on the water’s surface all around my craft and in the distance, I could clearly hear the very distinct sound of rain hitting the water.  Again, I donned my rain gear and continued my paddle.  It wasn’t but a minute or two before I was in a full-ledged downpour.  I repeated to myself “Clearing, TOMORROW!”  But the clearing was going to have to wait, as the rain became even harder, this time accompanied by a stiffening wind.  It took no time before white caps started to appear.  The good news was that I was headed into the wind and the “eye piece of the spectacles” wasn’t too far away.  I continued to pull into the wind, waves and rain as I started to be able to make out the sound of a boat motor straining to make headway.  I guess straining is a bit of exaggeration because they seemed to pass on my left as if I was standing still!  I remember thinking that they would reach the far end of the lake in the amount of time it would likely take me to pass through the “eye piece.”

I labored on, and I’d not much more than passed the “eye piece” when the weather begin to abate.  First the rain slacked and finally died.  Then the wind abated a bit to make the paddling somewhat less effort, although there was still a significant chop on the water.  Another 20 minutes or so put me within sight of my objective … a point of land that I would have to circumnavigate to reach the channel for leading to the next portage.  As I paddled closer, I could make out an outline of something clearly not of nature … it’s a cabin and as I get closer, it’s clearly of a newer generation that the lodge on Hansen, in fact it looks quite modern.  A bit closer, I make out the younger man.  He is out on the front deck having a smoke and is dressed like he might be back home on a cool day … jeans, plaid shirt, no hat and clearly dry as a bone!  Before I’m within conversation distance, he finishes his smoke and heads in doors to the warmth of his cozy abode.  But as I near the end of the peninsula, the older man appears.  “I see you finally made it”, he says.  I reply that “Yes.  Just a tad slower in my craft.”  We exchange farewells and waves and I continue on and he returned to the cabin, where I can now see a whiff of smoke rising from the chimney.   The scene was almost enough for me to reverse my course and invite myself in for a while … well, ALMOST!

I rounded the peninsula and instantly I could hear the rush of water coming tumbling down a waterfall just beyond the anticipated portage location.  I spot the portage without difficulty and quickly unload and begin my march to Telescope Lake which lies just beyond.  I’m immediately aware that the trail is very wet.  Well DUH, it has been raining!  So, I carefully and cautiously make my way down the soggy track.  It ends on a sizable rock hump with a manageable put-in point.  I quickly return and get my second load across.  Then, as I’m in the process of loading my canoe I notice an odd looking smudge on the ground … and it’s moving!   Wait!  It’s moving at the same time I’M moving!  It’s a faint shadow!!!  I quickly look skyward and through the haze I can make out the golden orb in the sky.  And then … it’s gone!  Nature can be a real teaser at times!

I finish my loading and I’m soon off down Telescope Lake, so called because it appears as a series of graduated series of increasingly smaller bodies of water, like sections of an expandable telescope.  As I enter the lake, I’m on the “big end” of this body of water which stretches east-west.  I remember from a few trip reports I’ve read that traversing this lake can be a bit dicey when the winds are running out of the west (or east I suppose).  This very much reminds me of Pickerel Lake in Quetico Provincial Park, although Pickerel is significantly larger.  

Although a relatively expansive body of water, I only have about 5 campsites marked on my map.  One is in the first section of the lake … a bit too soon to stop and I want to push a little deeper.  My next opportunity is an island in the second section.  Camping here will put me about one-third the way down the lake.  The other campsites are at the far end of the lake, more distance than I want to travel today.  So, I set my sights on the island campsites and hope one, if not both, will be available when I get there.  

By 2:15 I’ve reached the island.  I do a quick visual inspection of the campsite on the extreme western end of the island.  It looks to be a first rate campsite, but I’d hate to pass up a true 5-star site that is just around the corner to the north.  So, I paddle the short distance to site #2.  This site is OK but it is tucked back into the woods, the water in front is shallow and weedy and it faces north, which happens to be the direction that the current breeze is coming from.  I decide that #1 is easily the better choice.  

By 2:45, I’ve return to the first campsite and set into campsite set-up mode with a fury.  Before long the tent is up and I’ve started spreading some of my wet gear (including my tent fly) around so that it can begin to dry.   The wind is an able assistant in this drying task; even better, the sky beginning to clear.  For the first time on this trip, I am not able to completely obscure the blue patch by covering it by my extended hand … and the gaps between the clouds are getting larger!
It is at about this point that I find myself in the lake, AGAIN!  However, this time it is with a wash cloth in hand!!!  Although it is still a bit breezy, it’s time for at least a head to toe rinse without benefit of clothing.  The water is cool, but any discomfort quickly drifts to the back of my brain and the rapture of relaxation washes over me with each scoop of water over my head.  And the final reward at the end of my heavenly dip … clean clothes!

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Doesn't this look like an inviting bathing spot?

While I could have stayed and “played” in the water indefinitely, I did need to get back to work.  While bathing, I was aware that the wind was beginning to stiffen.  I did a quick assessment around camp and decided to opt for a cooking fly lean to setup.  I strung a line between two trees slightly below the mid-point of my fly so that one half of the fly would reach the ground.  As it turned out, there was a birch log and a couple of handy rocks that I could use to anchor that side of the structure that would be a wind screen.  The other half was pitched up at an angle so if the rains did return, it would be able to protect gear placed up against the backdrop.

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SUNSHINE!  I cast a shadow.  (Cooking fly pitched to the right)

After rigging, I set my stool under the structure and had a seat.  I need to check to make sure there were not any gaps along the bottom that would interfere with cooking.  Amazingly, there were no gaps at all.  The bottom was completely sealed off by the log and a couple of rocks.  And despite the later gusty winds, the structure continued to hold tight.

With my cooking station established, I soon set about the task of preparing the evening meal.  But the focal point of THIS evening was not about food, it was about SUNSHINE!  At every opportunity, I’d take a few minutes away from my chores and head for an open space on the western point of my campsite or a mostly open ledge on the southern side.  Eat my meal … let’s do that in the sunshine.  Wash dishes … in the sunshine.  Have an after dinner drink … sunshine, although by this time the sun was beginning to sink behind a distant shore.  And during this series of sun worshiping events, the wind died away completely, leaving glass smooth water.

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Ah!  Sunshine!!

So, at the close of the day, I sat and watched my sunset of this trip.  It was not overly spectacular, as sunsets go, but when you haven’t seen one in a week, it was still pretty special!  The sun was completely set when I decided to turned in around 9:30.

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A relaxing evening.

Next:  Day 8:  A day to lounge on Telescope Lake (What?  MORE cabins?)

Day 8:  Monday, June 14th

Overnight the winds remained light and the sky remained clear.  With the slightly cool temperature overnight, it was an excellent night for sleeping.  And since this was a layover day I took full advantage of this occasion; I slept in until 7:30.  Moving slowly after I departed my tent, the first order of business was to cook up the standard breakfast (oatmeal and coffee).  I relaxed a bit with breakfast and just kicked back and slowly sipped my morning coffee.  However, by 9:30 I was ready to see what fish I could come up with for my dinner.  

As I put-in, I decided, again, to follow a clockwise route around my island, but this time, I headed in a more northerly direction.  As I cleared the end of my island home, I soon realized that the wind had shifted from the previous evening.  What had been a north-northwesterly wind was now coming out of the east.  I thought to myself, “That’s just great!  If the wind stays out of this quarter and builds in intensity, tomorrow (or even this afternoon) could get real interesting.”  Of course, this was just day 8 and I wasn’t scheduled to exit until day 10, so if I had to layover tomorrow I could still push and get out on schedule … although I’d be pretty late to reach day 10’s destination (Super 8 Motel in Kenora).  But why buy trouble I didn’t really have.  The current light breeze, while noticeable, was not going to interfere with my fishing.

I continued with my clockwise fishing circle and as I entered the narrowest part of the channel, I immediately noticed reeds poking their heads out of the water everywhere … from island to shoreline and for some distance ahead.  I pulled in my trailing bait and continued to maneuver through the “weeds” with the intent of navigating toward the portage to Lac Lamont … around the corner and north.  However, as I continued to plod through the weeds, it soon became obvious that the entire channel in that direction continued to show the ever-present vegetation.  Knowing that this could only mean shallow water, I decided to reverse my route and head back toward a small peninsula just to my south.  

I hadn’t really paid too much attention to this peninsula as I made my swing north.  I must have been focusing on what lay ahead.  However, as I neared the peninsula, again I started to make out shapes that were not natural.  As I pulled closer, it became abundantly clear that this was yet ANOTHER set of cabins.  I continued to work closer and within a few minutes, I could make out a dock with a couple of motor boats moored alongside.  However, something was not quite right with this picture.  The end of the dock looked a bit be shoveled and the motor boat seemed to be sitting unnaturally low in the water.

As I reached the dock, it was obvious that the boats were partially to mostly swamped.  In fact, the motor housing of the nearest boat was half submerged.  On closer inspection, this boat was full of water almost up to the top of the transom.  The boat near shore was riding a little higher, but also full of water.  So, how did this situation occur?  Has this camp been abandoned?  At least the outboard motors looked to be fairly new and the outbuilding I could see on shore looked in good repair.  There were even a couple more boats stored upside-down on shore.  Perhaps a previous guest had not pulled their boats on to the land before they departed and a storm came up.  (I’ve had this happen to me before when an unanticipated overnight storm blew in.)  Yet, there was no one about to solve this riddle.  I backed away without landing.  Even though no one appears to be home, they might be using other craft and be further up the lake … no sense in me making an uninvited visit.  

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Partially submerged motor boats at a nearby dock

Since I’d pulled to a halt, and since I’d not had a single bite so far, I decided that I might as well try another lure.  I tied on a new lure and proceeded on around the peninsula.  To my amazement, there were MORE buildings.  The first encountered looked to be the most disused of the encampment.  A set of antlers hung askew above the door of this windowless building and a small 5 foot sapling was growing less than a foot in front of the door.  Clearly this building wasn’t getting much (if any) use.  So, maybe this camp HAS BEEN abandoned.  A few more strokes of my paddle put me on the south side of the peninsula and it produced a likely answer to my question.  Here, set back and a bit higher than the other buildings was a cabin which appeared to be of more contemporary construction.  Apparently, even electricity was provided with the solar panel on the roof and the front of the dwelling offer a nice southern view from an expansive, railed front porch.  This spot looks completely livable!

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Dis-used out building
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The "main" cabin?

I reached for my camera to take a picture, but before I could unlatch it from its mooring, I felt the line on my fishing rod become taut.  Well, more than taut … it wasn’t a snag because I had slowed down.  I had connected to a sizable walleye.  Soon it was in the canoe and on the stringer.  YES!  There will be fish for dinner.  

With my catch secured, I did snap a few pictures of the cabin before I did a turn-about to see if my walleye had any brothers or sisters in the area.  Finding none, I continued eastward down the lake running parallel to the north shore.  While the action was not overwhelming, over the next couple of hours, I continued to tie into more walleye.  

It was now nearly 11:00.  From my position, I could see the narrowing of my section of the telescope, with the next (and final) section just beyond.  I decided continue to fish my way east until I reached the choke point and then make all deliberate speed to the far end of the lake to inspect the campsite availability there.  The wind was a little more obvious now and I still had the nagging suspicion that I might be facing a stiffer wind tomorrow for my departure.  This was likely the last lake on my exit path that could cause me to be wind bound.  And, if I was on the extreme eastern end, even that would not be a problem since the exit portage was in a more protected part of that end.

So, as I hit the choke point, I reeled in and took my dinner, still hanging over the side, for a ride.  It took perhaps an hour to reach the far end of the lake and start to look for the campsite(s) that were supposed to be there.  One campsite I was seeking comes from the park campsite database.  The other was related to me by Claire to be on a point and a bit nearer to my direction of travel.  So I aimed my craft toward the first of these marked spots.  I picked around the shore line, moving back and forth until I was satisfied that I’d covered all the shoreline with any likelihood of hosting a campsite.  Nothing!   So, I proceeded down the shoreline to where the database suggested the location of a campsite.  Again, I followed the same back and forth search technique.  Nothing!  Well, I guess that is that!  If there are no campsites on this end of the lake then I’ll not need to worry about moving tomorrow.  

Just as I was about to convince myself to stay put tomorrow, my gaze fell upon a small island perhaps 100 yards away.  Almost instantly, the obvious signs of a campsite started to emerge … low, gently sloping rock slab, clearing beyond, maybe a hint of a pile of rocks (as in fire ring).  I decided to investigate.  Sure enough, the spot was apparently a frequently used campsite.  I spotted at least two tent pads and two fire rings (one of which was the pile of rocks I’d spotted from a distance).  Overall the campsite was very compact because the island was very small … but completely serviceable.  OK.  If I decide to move to tomorrow, I can certainly make use of this site.  

Before putting back in, I decided to take advantage of the site for a little lunch.  This gave me time to munch a few goodies and walk around, stretching my legs and checking out the campsite in more detail.  It was perhaps 1:00 before I decide to re-board my canoe.  Since I was very close to the end of the lake (and the portage out of it), I decided to locate the portage and at least walk it.  I hunted for a couple of minutes before I realized that the spot was a bit further north.  But soon I was at the landing.  It had a sandy bottom, but some drift wood made it impossible for me to just paddle up and step out.  So, I stepped out and pulled some of the obstruction away before dragging my canoe up on the grass.

The portage itself was mostly flat and narrow.  The only challenge on this portage would be the wet conditions.  On my return to my canoe, I regretted not bringing my portage yoke along.  I theorized that I might check out the next portage as well.  Perhaps there would be a nice campsite on Hjlarmar Lakes … the last lake on my route officially within the park.  But alas, the portage yoke was back at camp.  

I put back in and decided to find a remote place to clean my catch of the day and deposit the remains of last evening’s meal … I’m still only eating about 2/3rds of what I’m preparing and leftovers have yet to be my choice for lunch.  Finding an appropriate spot isn’t easy.  Much on the growth comes right down to the water line and when there are rocks along shore, then seem to be relatively vertical and offer little chance of disembarking my canoe successfully.  But I finally find a convenient spot and within a couple of minutes my catch has turned into fillets and is bagged up for transport.  I also find a spot to deposit my leftovers.  I can help but think that some creature will likely have a major feast on these remains.  And the good news is that they are not anywhere near either the campsite or portage.

It is 2:30 by the time I start making my way back west.  Initially I think I’ll spend some time fishing, but before long, the itch to move on strikes.  I’m not enticing any fish to my lure, I’ve having to occasionally navigate through weedy patches, and the water doesn’t appear to be deep enough to hold trout (only occasionally does by depth finder mark anything deeper than 30 feet and then the depth is only slightly over 40 feet).  

By 3:30 I’d returned to the eastern end of my island.  From previous experience, I know that this area is shallow.  However, I want to re-visit the campsite on the north side of my island and do a more complete inspection.  Upon my arrival, I do find a landing (although not as inviting as the one at my current home) and pop out for a walk around.  It turns out to be a very acceptable site.  However, it provides little cross-breeze opportunities, which would likely make it extremely buggy, if the bugs were out … but then to this point in my trip, the bugs ARE NOT out!

As I continue the short paddle to my campsite, I can hear the drone of an aircraft engine.  It seems to be getting louder.  I scan the sky, but I’m initially unable to locate the craft … perhaps it is below the tree line.  As I reach my campsite, I look up again.  There, low on the horizon and at less than a mile, I spot twin pontoons hanging below a Cessna.  It can’t be 400 feet up and it flies right over my head.  I think about waving, but he is so close, the pilot probably wouldn’t be able to see me this far below his aircraft.  “Well, that was interesting”, I thought.  “Does this count as a person sighting?  I didn’t really SEE a person, but obviously the plane wasn’t flying itself.”  

As I pulled my canoe from the water, further though about the even moves into the background of my thinking.  Near 4:00, I my mind again turns to the flyover as I hear the engine of the float plane back in the general direction of the cabins.  After the initial engine rev and run-up, it doesn’t take long for the pilot to get airborne and cut back on the throttle.  In minutes, the presence of the float plane is just a memory and the sound of the craft quickly dies away.  Clearly the plane had landed.  It was a small craft, but it would be large enough to have one or two passengers so long as they were not carrying a lot of heavy gear.  Perhaps the pilot was just doing a check on the conditions at the cabins and didn’t drop off anyone.  Was I still alone on the lake?  Only time would tell!

Once settled back into my campsite, I started doing some preliminary gathering in preparation for a potential move tomorrow.  The temperature had warmed substantially during the day and by this hour it was warm, possibly as high as 75 degrees.  Even with the existing breeze, I could feel an occasional trickle of sweat running down my forehead and back.  

By 5:00 I started the initial preparation for my dinner.  The walleye fillets wouldn’t take any time to cook, but I wanted to have a pasta salad as a side dish.  The pasta would take a while to cook properly and then I wanted to allow time for the pasta to cool to an appropriate temperature for a salad.  I whipped up the pesto-like dressing for the salad while I waited on the pasta to cool.  Then I turned to preparations for cooking up the fillets.  I used the same technique as earlier in the trip … Prudhomme’s Blacked Red Fish seasonings with a lightly oiled fry pan to sear the fillets.  As I started up the first batch, I also gave the pasta salad and dressing a quick stir.  Within a few minutes the first batch of fillets were ready and the feasting began.  Even the “ice tea” (cold brewed tea with cool lake water) tasted especially nice as I sipped it from my nalgene bottle between bites of fillet and salad.  And, as usual, I was completely stuffed when the last fillets were consumed and about 1/3rd of the salad remained.  But stuffed as I was, I was determined to make room for the strawberry cheese cake I had whipped up for this last fish meal of the trip.  And make room I did!  

I was now waddling around camp, doing my final chores.  And believe me, it was a bit of a challenge to bend at the waist to do the dinner dishes.  But I “suffered” through!  I even had time to build a small fire this evening.  There was more than sufficient wood to make a fire; some left by previous campers, some I’d gathered in the hopes of having this opportunity.  As it turns out, it wasn’t much of a fire.  I guess my heart wasn’t really into it; after all it was a warm day.  But at least I was able to burn off a little of my trash before letting the flames die away.

Around 8:00, I could begin to see clouds building to the south.  Am I about to get yet another rain shower?  The clouds only built slightly and then slide away toward the west.  By 8:45, the western sky was providing the some interesting patterns as the sun dipped below the horizon.   The wind has diminished and it’s a near perfect evening since the bugs have apparently gone on vacation.  Again, I stay up until the sun has sets completely and begins to back-light the clouds near the horizon.  FINALLY, an above average sunset!  By 9:30, my sleeping bag is calling me and I make the short trek back into the woods where my tent has been erected.  I must have been ready for bed since I don’t remember much until the next morning.  It was a warm, but pleasant night.

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A nice sunset to end the day.

Next:  Day 9:  Moving on to Hjlarmar