One Last Paddle in the Boundary Waters

It is Memorial Day in Ely and it is hot and humid.  Just a week ago it was 30 in the morning and today the highs are suppose to get up into the low 90s or high 80s.  We are hot and getting tired of packing for our trip to San Miguel so we decide to take a break and do one last paddle into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.  It took Jo Ann probably two or three nanoseconds to agree that we needed to get out and away from the chores of packing.

So we loaded up the ATV with the kayaks to head down to our landing at Farm Lake which is one of the entrances to the BWCA.

As we head out to cross Farm Lake the winds are strong and in crossing against us.  It is exhausting but we do get across relatively quickly but we do need to take a break from the paddling.

Where we stop is one of the many cabins on the edge of the BWCA that have no power and are accessible solely by boat.  These places are truly wilderness cabins compared to our “log cabin”.

We enter the BWCA through the Kawishiwi River which is a beautiful place to paddle a kayak or a canoe.  The river never flows too strong and the trees along the river keep the winds down.

While we are slowing down for another rest I pull out the camera again and shoot this image of the paddle and the water with Jo Ann’s reflection in the background.  It is so serene and peaceful in the BWCA.

We finally turn around at one of the portages along the river as we are having Jo Ann’s parents over for Memorial Day’s dinner.  As we are leaving the BWCA I have so stop and say good bye.  This is one of the world’s truly beautiful places and such an enjoyable place.  It is one of the many great things that Ely has to offer and I will greatly miss it.

So as we are leaving the BWCA we come to a place that will always have a special spot for me.  Two summers ago we had our niece Alexa up for a visit.  We took her out for a paddle and a picnic.  It was a beautiful day when we left, however as can happen up here the weather changed and the winds picked up.  Well as Alexa and I were trying to paddle our canoe we just could not make any progress and in fact many times were flowing backwards until we pushed ourselves ashore.  Jo Ann was able to navigate her kayak back to our landing and was able to get our great neighbor Frank who is a regular at rescuing wayward paddlers who are leaving the BWCA and trying to cross Farm Lake.

Well while we were waiting for Frank to come with his power boat, Alexa (who is a drama queen of the grand cru) kept telling me that we were going to die.  Well of course we did not die or get eaten by a wolf or a bear, but were rescued like many others.

So as we left the BWCA I had to shot a picture of the location were Alexa and I were waiting for certain death.  I was sad to see that the lot is now for sale, maybe Alexa will want to come up and buy it, not.

So I say good bye to the BWCA.  It is beautiful and if you want to really see what nature is like without man’s intervention, please come up and paddle in God’s country.