Boundary Waters: Never a disappointment
Jun 16, 2021 04:42AM ● By Editor
By Chuck Vukonich of the Fergus Falls Daily Journal - June 15, 2021
The first time I saw a wolf in the wild was in 1972. It had crossed the dry and dusty Sawbill Trail north of Tofte. Now nearly 50 years later a paved surface covers that portion of road. Also changed over those years were the ease of the portages that now seemed more strenuous and the paddling more of a chore than it once was. That was the case after our group of six slipped canoes into Homer Lake on our way to a distant campsite on Vern Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) Wilderness. What had not changed, and thankfully so, was the lure of that wilderness and the adventure of being there.
Joining me was son Mark, granddaughter Evelina (7), and friends Landon (10), Cora (9) and Cody McCorkle of Greenwood, Arkansas. The trip was initially planned for last year but we all know how COVID changed so many of those plans. For the McCorkles it was a long drive and quite the change from their shale-laden soil and catfish creeks of razorback country. This was to be their first experience of far-north canoe country.
Being it was Memorial Day weekend we were apprehensive but hopeful that the campsite we were headed to would be open and available and to our good fortune it was. While in college I was part of a four-person crew hired by the Tofte Ranger District to construct and maintain portages and campsites within the BWCA including the campsite where we were to spend the coming days. That same spot where I had camped and worked years ago offered the same sloping slippery bedrock, profusion of clintonia flowers, and moist storybook setting of a dense boreal forest.
Carrying packs and canoes builds both character and appetite so once at camp a hastily prepared meal of hot dogs and brats was eagerly devoured. Tent pads were claimed and our rain tarp was securely set in place. One thing I have learned about being in the BWCA is that the visitor can usually count on two things, some rain and an active following of biting bugs. This trip held true on both accounts. By the second morning the tender young faces of both Evelina and Cora reminded us of Rocky Balboa after his match with Apollo Creed. To their credit there was no complaining.
The lakes of the BWCA that lie within the Canadian Shield are as beautiful as any in North America. Fishing pressure is minimal and catching fish for a shore lunch is most often without much effort and automatic. Not this trip. If it was the passing thunderstorms and rain I’m not certain, but fish for the pan were hard to come by. The wonderful fishing reported in blogs of previous paddlers seemed like fiction with each new day fishing nearby lakes.
Words of reassurance were offered to the young people that their chances of catching a fish would greatly improve if their lines and slip bobbers were left soaking and not continually recast to where the fish really “were.” Try as they did, and for long periods – no bites. With hope for a fish waning, casting was quickly replaced with the fun of exploring the limits of the camp and writing in their nature log books.
Then finally, late one day we had a bit of success and placed two pike and two eater walleyes on the stringer. Since we had already eaten supper those fish were to be our shore lunch the following noon. So the next morning as with the days before, we fixed a breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, coffee and cocoa then paddled and fished our way down the lake with the confidence that a good walleye bite was about to happen — but that was not to be.
Then as fortune would have it, on the approach to our camp that morning we all watched with new found excitement as a large adult bald eagle was leaving the bounds of our campsite. The joy of seeing the noble bird soon led to dismay as Evelina held up the fish stringer that now only held the remains of two pike heads, the smallest walleye, and tail remnants of the other. I have had issues with snapping turtles stripping away fish but never an eagle. Extra food from the pack provided supplement to the loss of fresh fillets.
I like to think that my greatest adventure into this land of the white throated sparrow and stained water will always be my next one. Having shared this experience with family and people like our Arkansan friends in spite of the poor fishing, bugs and rain confirmed that to be true. The privilege of breathing the pine scented air, watching friends like the McCorkles see their first ever moose and black bear, and regarding the heralds of wild country in the quarters of the timber wolf is certain to never disappoint. My desire is that a new generation of canoeists was hatched during our time there and that many new adventures will come to them all.
To see the original story and read related outdoors reporting, follow this link to the Fergus Falls Daily Journal. https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/sports/outdoors/boundary-waters-never-a-disappointment/article_31...
