Flambeau River Trip Recap

Day 1: Oct. 8, 2010

Drive up

Like every time I load two canoes rather than one I struggled a bit before figuring out how to route ropes and straps around canoes and bars, but as always I figured it out. The result was my Galyan's Woodsman III and Paul's brother's Old Town solidly welded to my trusty Yakima rack. Since I had started putting the canoes on the car before everyone was there we had to finish loading the car the hard way, i.e. stuffing the Odyssey through the side doors. Ben volunteered to sit in outer Siberia, in the sole third-row seat. In spite of the various logistics challenges we managed a punctual departure at 10:00 sharp. We stopped for lunch at the Turtle Lake Subway and resisted the urge to gamble away our shuttle money at the St. Croix Casino. After one more short map reading stop in Winter, WI, we arrived at Big Bear Lodge 1:33, just a few minutes after Craig.

Note the Big Bear Protecting the Lodge 

Shuttle

Upon arrival we loaded the canoe trailer with gear and canoes. Craig and I followed Al TePaske, owner of Big Bear Lodge, to Camp 41 Landing and dropped our cars. Then we returned to the lodge, switching to the shuttle vehicle for the drive to Deadman's Slough. Al told us of a hatch of arctic mosquitoes that had survived three consecutive nights of frost and warned us of the beer ticks. He could have said bear ticks or deer ticks, too. Was a little worried that my fleece pullover would fall out of open canoe bag and end up on the road. Loaded canoes under war sun, just after some muskie fishermen took off in rowboat.

Ready to shove off at Deadman's Slough

Deadman's Slough to Oxbo Camp 

Left the bank at Deadman's Slough at 3:00 sharp. Swift currents carried us along and made for easy paddling. We passed the muskie anglers, it looked like they were casting beer cans for lures (after our return, Lynn heard a news report about a guy from Ladysmith catching a 51" albino muskie). We saw little wildlife, not even birds. Maybe everyone kept a low profile because of the frequent shots.

Gorgeous Indian Summer PM on North Fork of Flambeau River

Most of the leaves were gone in this part of Wisconsin. Amazing, since this is barely further north than the Twin Cities. Must be because the most common trees are poplars and birch. The odd hemlock and maple were lit up in blazing yellow or orange.  After only 1:07 hrs, a little after 4:00, we arrived at Oxbo where we put up camp for night one. This is the same camp site where we pitched tents in the pouring rain 5 or 6 years ago with Carlos.

Al's warning of the mosquitoes proved accurate, everyone was soon doing a slapping dance. A good cold beer helped a little, at least to quench our thirst. Gnats or not, we needed to gather firewood.

Hunting Couple and Firewood Gathering

I started to bushwhack away from the water in search of firewood. I almost immediately chanced upon a recently fallen dead tree, the branches still dry and not yet rotted. My pack saw made quick work of the long branches still attached to the mighty trunk and Joel dragged them off camp-wards. All of a sudden I heard dogs barking and a female voice beckoning the dogs to stay near. I spotted a black lab on the service road, noticing immediately that it was not Mel, because of the red collar. Pretty soon I also made out the owners, she in jeans and a shirt and he in blaze orange with bird gun. I wondered whether to hit the ground or to announce myself. I quickly decided for the latter, started waving my arms in the air while yelling "I'm not a deer, I'm not a deer!" These were serious people or else they did not get that I was just jesting, they greeted me with poise and gravitas and ambled on, still yelling for their dogs, the aforementioned lab and a golden retriever, who were befriending Mellie.

Steak sandwiches from Widmer’s

Since we had enough firewood I returned to camp and started dinner prep, which was not really much. Craig had gotten the fire going and the pre-mixed Martinis were waiting in a row. Since nobody volunteered to sit on the half-frozen steaks, I dipped the zip-loc bag in the river and just waited, moved Joel's tripod grill to the fire and waited some more.

The good steaks from Widmer’s introduced us to the "Word of the Trip," which Joel remembers as dilateral. However, it was sagittal, referring to how I cut the steaks to make thinner, more edible slices. It turns out that this was only partially correct as sagittal cuts divide a body with bilateral symmetry into slices. In anatomy, this would be the plane passing through midline defined by e.g. the navel and spine. "Transverse cut" dividing an item into superior and inferior parts might have been more accurate. I just hope that everyone had the “superior” portions of the steak. I assume my steak seasoning, a teryaki-like concoction I prepared at home found general approval since the bbq-sauce offered as a condiment was scoffed.

Nice rib-eye in the transverse or saggitarious or whatever plane.  

While eating the various cookies Ben had brought for dessert, we discussed various topics and turned in when the chill of the night finally got to us. I distributed some ear plugs and retreated to the tent, Mellie and Paul in tow. Joel shared his tent with Ben and David while Craig, ever concerned with his loud breathing and everyone else's night rest retreated to his very expedition-looking mountaineering shelter. Soon, the silence of the night was only interrupted by various loud breathers.


Day 2: October 9, 2010

Mountain Breakfast in Dutch Oven

I awoke 6:00 or so when the plug fell out of my left ear. I snuggled in my sleeping bag for a few more minutes until the pressure in my bladder got to be too much to bear. Mellie was all in favor of getting up, too, so up and at 'em, before sunrise. I got coffee water going and was soon joined by Joel, who busied himself around the fire. During these morning chores Joel suggested a snoring-level rating for the various sleepers. Ben scored a gentle 2, David a slightly better 2-3, preceded by Paul with a respectable 6 and Craig's freight train-like performance scored a solid 10, both for volume and consistency.  It was later suggested to bring recording equipment along to document these nightly performances.

When the aroma of freshly brewed Joe wafted through the chill morning air, the rest of the group quickly emerged. This year we had dueling French presses between Craig and my own. I was using Ben's Dunn Bros. Kenyan and Craig was brewing something from the South Shore of Lake Superior with a hint of hazelnut. Between both of us we kept the group well caffeinated.

Dutch Oven Mountain Breakfast in the Making

Craig and Ben started an amazing  culinary production called Mountain Breakfast, from Craig's Dutch oven recipe book. From what I recall it was a cocktail (meaning layered) of pork sausage, hash browns, eggs, peppers and cheese. When the still slightly frozen pre-beaten eggs were added I wasn't so sure, but appearances can be deceiving, especially before cooking. The final result was as delicious as it was substantial, laying a solid foundation for the day's activities. I think everyone had seconds and I volunteered to finish off the leftovers. Take no prisoners, as my grandma used to say.

We made quick work of breaking camp and were on the river by 10:30. After the morning coolness, it promised to be another warm fall day. Our little convoy moved towards Hwy 70, enjoying the swift current and the occasional bald eagle. When the highway bridge came into view, a gang of at least 20 four-wheelers passed the parallel bridge for the recreational trail and we were glad that their route crossed ours instead of going along the river.

Spill South of Hwy 70

Reloading the canoe after spill on sleeper rock

We had barely gone a few hundred yards when disaster struck. As mentioned before, the river was high and many rocks and gravel banks were submerged. Except for few swifts and riffles the river had a smooth and quiet appearance, even in places where the gradient was a little steeper. This tended to hide some of the rocks that were just below the surface. The inverted Vs downstream of these boulders were almost invisible when approaching. Paul and I had just passed one of these sleepers and alerted the others. Craig and Joel passed but Ben and David weren't able to avoid a collision. The middle of their canoe got stuck, making it difficult to slide off. Slowly, the canoe tilted upstream and the strong current soon pushed water over the gunwales. David and Ben found themselves in the water and we all went into rescue mode. Craig shouted instructions and guided our unfortunate companions to the river's edge while Paul and I retrieved miscellaneous items. The canoe was quickly emptied of water and reloaded. In spite of our suggestion to change into something dry, Ben and David insisted that it was warm enough for them to let their clothes dry on their bodies. We relented because, according to a formula cited by Craig, the sum of  water and air temps were not in the danger zone, i.e. below 120F. With an air temp of well above 70F and a water temp of around 60F, we were well within the safe zone.

During the stretch that followed we checked in with David an Ben but they kept insisting that they were drying alright. Craig wanted to show us one of the sites that had been obliterated in 2003, while he was camping with a group of young teens at a different site nearby. He is convinced that they avoided disaster by a hair, they could have easily picked the site hit by the storm, or the storm could have passed through the site where they stayed. When we closed in on the site, two muskie fishermen were working that side of the river. When we asked whether we could sneak through to get to the site, they said they had already decided on that same spot for their lunch. Since we weren't going to arm wrestle them over it, we kept going. We stopped at a different site, and had a quick lunch and stretched our legs. I decided to pass on lunch because breakfast had me still sated.

Camp 2 at Boy Scout Camp, South of County Road W

The paddling stretch after lunch passed very quickly. We went under the CR W bridge and passed Big Bear Lodge. Craig suggested we pick the first or second camp site as they were nice and open and would provide some sun to dry the wet clothing and gear. We decided on the second site, Boy Scout Camp 2, because it was just that much further away from CR W and the road noise. Our first find was a beer bong fashioned out of a hose and a bottomless plastic water bottle. It lay neatly curled around the fire pit as if the previous users intended to return for some more funneling. Far from using it for its intended purpose, we pressed it into service for dog feces removal when Mellie decided to "go" a little too close for comfort. The sturdy plastic hose was great to fling the excrement far into the bushes. We made sure to leave the instrument in a handy spot in case some other traveler or the original owners had an urgent need for it.

Pitching tents at this level and roomy location was easy. Firewood was plentiful and soon the camp was set up. Ben had most of his spare clothes in a simple duffle, consequently, they wer soaked and some water had found its way even into David's dry bag. Our camp site was thus transformed into a drying area for all sorts of items. The fire we had lit was alos helping to dry and in the case of some socks to roast some of the wet gear. Lesson learned: Good to take an extra precaution by wrapping fresh clothes in an extra layer of plastic, be it a simple garbage bag or one of those fancy Ziploc 5 gallon bags that David had sparing him the extra work Ben had had to deal with. The mid-afternoon heat (I can't believe I am using this expression in October) made more than one of us drowsy and some retreated to their tent, if only to escape the gnats. When the sun started setting, David began with dinner preparations.

David's Most Excellent Chili

He had prepared a hearty chili with meat cubes, based on a recipe from Alice's Restaurant Cook Book which we heated on the Coleman two-burner stove in the two biggest pots we could find. It looked and smelled delicious and tasted even better. Again, cookies, this time Paul's, for dessert and a shot of Luxembourgish Quetsch, a local rot-gut plum spirit. The biting insects fled the chill of the night and we were able to enjoy some stories, political discussions, an incredible starry night sky and coyotes yipping in the distance undisturbed. After this bucolic and by any measure satisfying evening we turned in and soon, the coyotes were outdone by the snorers.

Mellie isn't so sure about the coyotes in a distance

Day 3: October 10, 2010

I spent a good night, probably thanks to the well seated ear plugs for my tent mate Paul was in fine form, maybe courtesy of the firewater and chili? Later, the others would rave about the coyotes they heard all night long. I only heard the one during the previous night while sitting around the fire.

Boy Scout Camp, just South of CR W. Note the foggy center of the lens,
courtesy of the chilly morning and my inattentiveness.

I got up a little before 6:00 and mounted a little wood gathering expedition. I dragged some nice dry branches out of the woods. During my first wood run out I heard a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) and on my second a truck with a pack of bear hounds drove by. When I returned to camp, Joel was up. I started the fire and busied myself with the coffee press while Joel began his blueberry pancake breakfast preparation. Like on the previous morning, the smell of coffee got everyone to emerge from their cocoons. Joel prepared three packs of bacon in the dutch oven and fried cakes in the griddle on the Coleman. The second burner kept providing us with more hot coffee water and breakfast was another great success. We kept eating until everything was gone.

The Girl Who Played With Fire--Literally or Literary?

Even or rather especially during short trips it is amazing how the packs get smaller and lighter. It seemed like we were down by about 1/3 of bulk and weight when everything was packed and loaded. Of course it helped that we got rid of unnecessary bulk, like e.g. the read and water-logged 2/3 of The Girl Who Played With Fire.

We were back on the river before 10:00, for what we anticipated to be a 2:00 hr. paddle. I had finally figured out how to set up the little GoPro HD Camera and made good use of it as we were moving towards Porcupine Rapids. The guide books rated them as C1-C2 but we did not know what the high water would do to them. If anything we felt like we needed to be prepared for more sleepers under the surface.


En route to the rapids we saw a good number of bald eagles, an eagle's nest and king fishers. a tree crashing into the forest river right startled us and we paddled by a few cabins. On one of the larger islands stood an abandoned cabin. The rapids were indeed a little larger than the ones we had seen during the previous days but they were still quite tame. Craig led the way and he was an excellent guide. Needing to pay attention for submerged rocks kept this stretch interesting and following the line drawn by Craig's canoe kept us out of trouble. It seemed that we saw the sign of Camp 41 Landing much too early, but there it was, the end of this year's fall trip.

I do have to say that traveling with a larger group has its advantages. Moving gear and canoes to the cars seemed like child's play. much easier to load the car before lifting the canoes on the rack and fortunately, I had not forgotten how to rig the canoes to the carrier. Within about 30 minutes we were ready to take off. We decided to stop at CR W landing for one last picture. We bade farewell to Craig and were homeward bound as well.

Homeward bound, not quite. Joel had sparked my curiosity about an American icon in nearby Phillips, Concrete Park when he told me about a bike trip on which he and Peggy had stumbled over this place.

When do you get to rub shoulders with a genuine copy of Silver?

Concrete Park, Phillips, WI

We decided to take the 15 mile detour and were glad that we did. We were much amused by Fred Smith's sculptures though Craig, who wasn't along, thought we might have been abducted by aliens upon seeing the photographs.

Prehistoric Mammals? No, a moose family including
papa moose, mama moose  and suckling moose.

As an epilogue we need to mention the many welts we had sustained from the arctic gnats and skeeters. However, nobody had it as bad as smelly Mellie, I picked at least two dozens of beer or deer or wood or dog ticks from her during the week following our adventure.

Mellie and Bear Hounds at Fred Smith's Concrete Park

Fall 2010: Two Weeks Out: Flambeau Selected!

We made the final selection of river: Flambeau, from Deadman’s Slough to Camp 41

Big Bear Lodge will be providing the shuttle at a total cost of $65. Everyone please bring $12 (+tip) in cash to pay the livery.

The Twin Cities group will meet on Friday, October 8 around 9:30 AM at Christian's for a 10:00 AM departure. According to various mapping resources, the trip will take a little more than 3 hours.


View St. Paul to Big Bear Lodge in a larger map

We'll meet up with Craig at 1:30 PM at Big Bear Lodge. They will follow us to Camp 41, load our gear and us and bring us to Deadman’s Slough.


View St. Paul to Big Bear Lodge in a larger map

The green dot is our starting point at Deadman's Slough and the red dot is our end point at Camp 41. Maps can be found at here: Flambeau River State Forest.

We should be on the water by 4:00 at the latest which gives us plenty of time for a leisurely 4-5 mile paddle to our first camp.

Fall 2010 Trip: Four Weeks Out

We are four weeks out. I just checked water levels for the upper St. Croix, they are just below OK whereas the levels for the Flambeau they are great as of yesterday, Sep 8. It looks like we are closing in on the Flambeau!

As we move closer, please consider the following:

1. Meals: People self-selected for one of the slots, sorry Ben, you were late for Saturday morning.

• Lunches, from your personal stash. I like to bring whole weat bread, cheese and sausage. Everyone as they like it.
• Friday dinner: Christian will do his traditional first night steak dinner, i.e. BLT with steak instead of B. 
• Saturday breakfast: Craig
• Saturday dinner: David
• Sunday breakfast: Joel

Paul and Ben will be assistant cooks. Dish duty is shared by those who are not involved in preparing the meal.

     2. Gear:

• Canoes: Craig has one and I have one. Ben, David or Paul, do you have or can you organize a third canoe? If not, I'd suggest renting at the U of MN Rec Dept , they charge $35 for the initial three days. Best rate anywhere. One problem: they open at noon, we need to pick up on Thursday if we want to get an early start on Friday. As I mentioned before, I can easily haul two canoes. 
• Canoe packs: I have enough for 2-3 people. I also find that cheap storage boxes from Target work quite well for a tame river trip. They are quite water proof in the event of rain. 
• Tents: we've got 5+1 for sleeping, i.e. Craig insist on sleeping in splendid isolation because of his loud breathing. Seems we need two more tents. I have a snug three person and Joel has one, too. Ben, David or Paul, if you are insisting on your own, please let us know. Oh, and I am planning to bring my dog Mellie along. She's like the cat in Catch22, sleeps on your face and bites your nose off when you wake up from a suffocating nightmare (in fact she is a lamb and suffers the cold nights shivering silently except for her shattering teeth. Ask Joel).
• Sleeping bags and pads. I assume everyone has this. If not, pipe up, I am sure we can come up with the necssary.
• Kitchen: I think we've got it covered: Joel for the tripod grill, Christian two-burner Coleman stove and French press and Craig the dutch oven (yummm). Add to this list for any items you need to prepare your meals or you cannot do without
• Living area: plan to bring your favorite camp chair. I'll bring a tarp, in case it rains (or snows).

2010 Fall Trip Planning: Flambeau Option

Nine Mile Creek to County W Landing, about 22 miles of paddling.

Trip from St. Paul to Riverside Landing: about 2:30 hrs.

Shuttle options:

Flambeau Sports: (Dave) has rentals and shuttles in Lugarville.
Nine-Mile Tavern Canoe Rental: right near start point of trip.

Maps:

State Forest Map
General Area Tourist Info site "Paddle the Flambeau river"

Narrative:

The North Fork of the Flambeau is tame ... a few ripples. Water levels can be an issue. We'll be looking at a stretch of around 20 miles

Nine-Mile Creek or Dead Man's Slough (gulp) which is west of Fifield on hwy 70 to "Camp 41" take-out.

Lotsa wildlife ... and then there's the animals. I paddled this scenic stretch a number of times a few years ago (including once with Joel, Pablo and Christian). Order a map from Flambeau River State Forest, W1613 Co. W, Winter, WI 54896 or call at 715-332-5271 today or print it out from the State Forest web site, above.

There's a good mix of challenging whitewater and peaceful stretches below W. In this section of river, you are in the heart of the Flambeau River State Forest. There are two campgrounds, Lake of the Pines and Connors Lake, located a short drive east of the river off of Highway W. Launch at the Highway W bridge. About 5 miles into the trip, you will encounter Porcupine Rapids. The Porcupine Rapids are difficult, and there are 3 main drops in this set of rapids. Proceed through this section of river carefully - there’s a good deal of current at this point.

I (Craig) took multiple trips thru this section (Porcupine Rapids) with a bunch of inexperienced 12 year olds and no one had great difficulty. We would take-out a mile or so downstream of these rapids at Camp 41.

2010 Fall Trip Planning: St. Croix Option

Information on St. Croix option:

Gordon Dam to Riverside Landing, about 23 miles of paddling.
One portage, around Copper Dam

Trip from St. Paul to Riverside Landing: about 2 hrs.

Shuttle options:
Wild River Outfitters: $225 ($144+$35 per extra canoe+tax, seems high but 225/6=$37.50 per person, not too bad.)
Jack's Canoe Rental: $131, or $22 per person. Jacck's gave us a shuttle last year, from Namekagon Trail Landing to County K for a very reasonable $78. Looks like we would hire them again!

Map:
NPS Brochure Gordon Dam to Riverside Landing Map:
black and white map but has a lot of info! Landings, mileage markers, rapids, camping, ...

Narrative:
A very good write-up with play-by-play descriptions can be found at Great Outdoor Recreation Pages (GORP.com), Cruising the St. Croix.

Issues:
Water levels can be iffy, but right now it is in very good shape.
First camp site is only 1.5 mile down, the next is about 8 miles. I'd prefer to go to second. Depending on wind, weather, water levels and start time that should be feasible.

Wisconsin Almost Drought-Free

I occasionally check a drought monitor website, U.S. Drought Monitor - Midwest. This is the first time since I started checking this site that NW Wisconsin is NOT under some moderate to severe drought condition. It looks like the drought has moved into the Arrowhead of Minnesota. I'd say that this bodes well for either trip option for this fall!

2010 Fall Canoe Trip Planning

The canoe outing will be Oct 8, 9 and 10 for a stretch similar in length and difficulty to our previous trips, i.e. some easy C1 and few if any portages. So far, we have confirmed five intrepid paddlers:

Joel Alter
David Hest
Ben Lexau
Craig Shanks
Christian Franken

That leaves one possible spot for a sixth person.

River options:

1. Upper St. Croix River, from Gordon Dam to Riverside Landing, N of Danbury, WI., the northernmost part of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.


View Larger Map

Pros: 155 miles to put-in. We are familiar with the general area. On our list for several years. As a National Scenic River Way, the St.Croix/Namekagon system is maintained by the National Park Service. Campsites are well-maintained and comfortable and the NPS website is an excellent source of information
Cons: iffy water conditions, meaning possibly too little water. That's why it has been on our list for so long. The NPS maintains information on the water levels. Real-time data is available from NOAA, like for the Danbury gauge.

2. North Fork of the Flambeau River, near Ladysmith, WI.

View Larger Map
Pros: steady water. This is the river level gauge at Bruce, which is quite a bit further downstream from where North and South Forks merge.
Cons: about 176 miles drive, I initially thought it was farther than just 20 additional miles. Craig, take a look at the map to make sure I have more or less the correct put-in. This doesn't seem that bad when compared to the drive to the St. Croix.

The thought is to shoot for the St. Croix and us the Flambeau as a back-up if water is too low. Christian will research the Upper St. Croix and Craig will collect information on the Flambeau.

I'd be driving the family van having everyone except Craig, who hails from Washburn, WI. Thus we'd have enough entertainment because of the associated banter. We can (and will) carry two canoes.

As we get closer, we'll make lists on who brings what. 

Cannon River Paddle

Well, admittedly not a wilderness adventure, but nevertheless a good way to spend a sunny afternoon out of doors. Lynn had suggested to head for Taylor's Falls and paddle from there to the Osceola Bridge. I called Taylors Falls Canoe and checked on availability. No problem, canoes are available, come on up I was told. However, the price was rather dear, compared to what I recalled: $45. I went for my morning jog and noticed that a hot wind was blowing from the south, not too strong but enough to not be too excited about the 3-4 hour paddle due south and without much shade. I mentioned this to Lynn after my return and she wondered what about the Cannon. Indeed, from past experience I had found the Cannon River much more intimate when compared to the rather broad St. Croix. So I placed a call with Cannon Falls Canoe and Bike Rental. Kayaks (for James and his friend Joe) were all spoken for but they were able to hold a couple of canoes for us. At $30 per, the rental was a much better deal, too.

Lynn made some sandwiches and I prepared a waterproof pack for camera and other sensitive stuff. We left home at 11:45 and reached Cannon Falls at 12:45. The place was bustling with one party renting some bikes and another picking up several kayaks and a canoe. A young man, son of the owner quickly located our reservations, and after signing the necessary disclaimers we were ready to shove off. We had been warned of the strong current right outside the rental place and some nasty sharp rocks a little ways down. The first several 100 m had some nice C1, but nothing unmanageable. And I saw the rocks that we had been warned about, indeed not something I'd like to become acquainted with.

Joe and James managed very nicely, too. I am think that the two of them would be a good team for a future river trip. Both know how to canoe and they do get along just marvelous. If I can just bear the noise those two make.

We passed the big group that went in ahead of us rather quickly and saw quite a few parties resting on sand banks. One old timer, not a canoeist, was just hauling in a half-meter catfish. He said it was his third of the day. When Lynn asked him whether he would eat it, he said he'd release it, just like the other ones. I was disappointed that I did not bring my fly rod, the smallmouth bass were breaking the surface all over the place, often jumping clear of the water. We saw many turtles, some were painted or map turtles, and one humongous snapping turtle, at least 40 cm long. There were also black damselflies (ebony jewelwings, Calopteryx maculata), always pretty to see. While looking up information on the damselfly I learned that there are as many dragon and damselfly species in Minnesota as there are butterflies. Amazing!
We broke for lunch at one of the few sandbanks, the same we had used to rest when I and Scott, another dad, took a bunch Colin's eight-grade classmates on the same trip. Before snacking on Lynn's sandwiches and water melon we took a nice dip in the river. James found a very health-looking river mussel.

Farther downstream we had to make the obligatory stop at the rope swing, which was quite busy on this hot day. From there, I forgot how short the way is to the take-out at Trout Brook. All in all a very nice afternoon on the Cannon River

Skunk Alert

Mike, my neighbor from across the street, had a run-in with the stow-aways in the tool shed next to his garage. It's hard to imagine how a family of skunks (Mephitis mephitis) could have possibly moved in right under his nose.

When the skunklings grew past the baby stage, the obvious could not be avoided any longer. Often, they could be seen playfully catching the first rays of the morning sun just as Mike or Molly were heading for the garage. Mike sent them scurrying by stomping his foot on the ground while still at a safe distance, but Molly thought it might be wise to start parking on the street. Christian's (not mine) and Sarah's (next door to Mike) cat Elsie made closer acquaintance. A diminutive but fearless hunter who's frequently seen with squirrels and rabbits in her fangs and calmly stares down any mutt in the neighborhood sustained a direct hit in the face, doubtlessly when she tried to make one of the skunks its lunch. She was sprayed so badly that it warranted an $300+ makeover at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Emergency Clinic.

Molly thought it wise to start parking on the street and Mike decided that removal was in order. He enlisted his brother-in-law, did some research on the internet and got going. They rigged a hose to the exhaust pipe of Molly's minivan and stuffed the other end in some hole that Kevin, another neighbor, had drilled in the floor of the tool shed. Apparently those critters have fine noses because before long, the first made its appearance. Armed with spades, like doughboys for trench warfare they were ready for the enemy. When the first head appeared Chop! off with its head, likewise with the second one. But then things started to fall apart, when the three survivors decided to use the weapon evolution had provided them with. Fortunately, they did not score a direct hit, but the poison-gas cloud enveloped them. Somehow, they had forgotten their gas masks in the bunker.

Animal control took care of the remaining ones, showing how it's done correctly. They trapped the critters, stuffed the traps in a plastic bag and gassed them with exhaust from their truck.

I always worry that my dog will get sprayed. I often run early in the morning through wooded areas of Como Park and, judging by the smell, skunks do live there. Mellie's off leash but I make darn certain that she heels when I notice that aroma. It would be worse if something like this should happen on a back country trip, I certainly would care to share a tent with a fouled dog, like my colleague Sheli had to do when her lab was sprayed in front of their tent during a weekend trip to southern Maine. Sheli's dog had awoken in the middle of the night, gone berserk and wormed its way out where the zippers of the tent door were not quite closed, only to meet a skunk that had no intention to back away. Sheli's husband had to drive 10 miles to an all-night convenience store to get some home remedies such as tomato juice, dish washing soap, etc. Since everything I have seen about deskunking indicates that time is of the essence, it must be that two-times 10 mile trip delay is why Sheli's dog had still a faint skunk odor,  several months later especially when wet.

Elsie survived, as did Mike et al. The skunk adventure was not cheap, counting the the vet bill, the new concrete shop floor Mike felt compelled to pour and the big scrape Mike's new Buick sustained while being parked on the street instead of in the garage. But as the saying goes: time heals all wounds, including smelly ones.

Manigotagan River Trip: Conclusions

Some thoughts about our trip on the Manigotagan River, planning, gear, etc.

• Trip to and from from St. Paul, MN: a little more than 1000 km (600 miles) or 10 hrs. to Manigotagan Village, 12 hrs to Quesnel Lake/Caribou Landing
• Livery charge to Caribou Landing, C&M Shuttle Service, CAD 100. Service nice and accommodating. Charles & Marilyn Simard Ph: (204) 363-7355, Fax: (204) 363-7812, or Chico Simard (204) 363-7535. The last 10 km of the trail is very rough, deep potholes, erosion and some rocks. Our Honda Odyssey bottomed out several times, glad I did not take the Pontiac Vibe, as I had intended to do.
• Trip distance on river, incl. portages, 65 km (40 miles)

• Portage trails were typically well marked and in good shape. A couple of times directions on the write up or in book were wrong as to side of river. Some were muddy due to abundant rains and springs. All were short, the longest we had was 450 m (90 rods), most were between 100 and 150 m. Easy when compared to our BWCA trips. 
• Campsites were very nice, most had firewood stacked. How cool is that? Good fire boxes with grates. We saw one site where the fire box was under water due to the high river levels.
• Rapids and falls: even small rapids were noticeable by the noise of the rushing water, the thunder of big rapids and falls could be heard at least 500 m away. Portage take out well marked. Basic ferrying skills should get you to the correct side of the river.

Gear:

• Galyan's Woodsman III. Handled mostly well, turns that should have been quick were a little sluggish, but it tracks well on flat water.  A good compromise on a trip like this. Stern and bow suffered some abuse, I will install Kevlar skid plates, probably from Northwest Canoe.
• Katadyn Pocket water filter. During previous trips, we managed to break two water filters, a Katadyn Hiker Pro (broken input nipple) and a Katadyn Vario (broken pump handle axle). For neither I considered that we had been abusive or unnecessarily rough. Fortunately I had bought both at REI and they exchanged, no questions asked. Because I don't like to boil water, I decided to spend a little more and bought the Pocket. What a difference, this is a solid piece of equipment, stainless steel and unbreakable plastic. As easy to use as a bicycle pump. Cleaning is easy, too. See my review at Amazon.
• NRS Neoprene Work Boots: relatively inexpensive and comfortable if you are in and out of the water all they long. During portages, they felt like hiking boots. They never dried out during the trip, but they protected my feet very well. I read reviews about the very snug fit and bought a 13 where I typically wear a 12. Wore them with a thick pair of wool socks. 
• SealLine Eco-See dry bag. Brought this to protect my photographic equipment. It did the job but I was worried about puncturing it the entire time as the material is rather lightweight. I liked the transparency of the back so I did not have to fish in the dark. I have three of their Boundary Packs, which I love for their sturdiness, waterproof properties, comfort during portages and volume. I think I will have to exchange this for a Pelican Case or maybe one of the other SealLine products, like one of their Urban Backpacks.

SealLine Boundary Packs, Eco-See bag and NRS boots being tested.

Manigotagan River Trip 5: Poplar Falls to Hwy 304 at Wood Falls

Tent at Poplar Falls campsite, sunrise before the storm

View Manigotagan 4 in a larger map

I awoke bright and early on what appeared to be a beautiful morning. Sure enough, light clouds and sunshine at 5:30. I got my cup of coffee going and planned to give James another hour of sleep while I kept diary. I decided to bring one of the crude benches to the top of the hill to have a better view. But by the time I got situated, the weather had turned. A bank of dark clouds had appeared pactically out of nowhere and I decided to give the tent a rattle to get James going. He must have heard the urgency in my voice because he got up without further delay. Forgotten were our plans for a leisurly breakfast and slow paddle back to Manigotagan village. I am afraid that we made a disorderly retreat in front of the approaching storm. By the time we were taking down the tent, the first heavy raindrops had turned into a steady rain and James needed to weigh down the tarp to prevent it from flying away. We threw our kitchen, clothing, camping and other gear into the packs and got going, by now in a downpour with non-stop inter-cloud lightning overhead.

We hopped into the canoe and got going. Thunder and lightening never quite stopped, fortunately the electricity stayed in the clouds. The rain eventually abated and we were eagerly listening for Wood Falls. Not surprisingly, we heard it from quite a distance. We soon were at the landing and while James took care of bringing the gear road side, I walked the 1 km or so to the Simards. Their yard had filled with cars from other paddlers. Marylin told me later there were 15, more than they had ever had at one time. But first, I needed to get someone to get out. The house was eerily quiet and my timid knocking did not sollicit a response. Only when my knocking turned into banging did I hear somebody stir. At 8:15 on a Saturday morning, everyone was still asleep. But Marilyn finally came gave me our keys and moved a truck that was blocking the yard entrance out of the way. After a quick thank you and good byes, I headed back to the landing and James. He had done a fine job setting up everthing by the road and in no time, the car was packed, the canoe strapped on and I had taken my final bath in the river. Refreshed, cleansed and with clean clothes I was ready for the trip. But here came Marylin to drop of a provincial park survey about the trip, which was now over, exept for the drive back to St. Paul.

The drive was uneventful. We left at around 9:00. Wind was still blowing from the south, this time to our disadvantage. I noticed when I stopped to refuel, amazing what a headwind does when your with canoe, on the water or on the cartop. The border crossing was almost like back home between Belgium and Germany, in the olden days. "Hi, where from, where to, what's your business (with an upward glance at the canoe), have a safe trip." 30 seconds, that was it. We had a safe trip and arrived back home in S. Paul at 19:00.

Manigotagan River Trip 4: Sand River Falls to Poplar Falls

View Manigotagan 3 in a larger map

It wasn't till 1:00 in the morning that the storm let lose. I had been hearing distant thunder and seen the lighting. As the storm moved in I was almost relieved when I heard the first heavy drops of rain hit the tent. Thunder and lighting were nearly constant, but they seemed always at a distance. I did not go out to check, but I am pretty sure that the lightning was the cloud-to-cloud type. Except for the occasional gentle gust, there wasn't much wind. What worried me was the deluge-like rain that fell non-stop for at least an hour. I started to obsess about the canoe, which I had failed to secure to some trees. But it was about a meter above river level and the valley was not narrow. did I really need to worry? I ended up not braving the rain and dozed off, occasionally waking from another downpour. I awoke at 6:00 and my first look was to the canoe storage. It was still there, just as I had left it. I did notice that the water level was about 10 cm higher than the previous night and Sand River Rapids had an angrier ring to it. I said earlier that I am a one-cup-o-coffee guy, but this morning I made two.

Camping haute cuisine: spamwich or spamini?

James was hard to rouse. We had a fried spamwich (or spamini?). Funny how you wolf down things during a backcountry trip that you'd otherwise hardly consider. By 10:00 we were ready to shove off.



We set up our run along the left bank of the river and it went very well. The rocks below the rapids were mostly submerged and we left them on our right.



Then  followed by Joe Steele, Flour and Emma Janes Rapids separated by quiet stretches. We came across an old boiler, artifact of the days when mining and logging was common along the Manigotagan.

Old boiler, part of the alligator mining machine
and artifact of the Manigotagan's boom days

This rock ledge looks sort of like an alligator ...

Boiler Rapids (aka Rifle or Boulder Rapids) looked a little more intimidating but we felt we were ready. We went right down the middle, hit a couple of standing waves and took on a hand full of water. Bailing was in order. I was glad that 90% of our gear was secure in waterproof bags.



Onion Patch Rapids with its sharp right-angle and the pink granite was fun, too. By now, zipping through was routine.



Unfortunately, this was our last runnable rapids of the trip. Remaining were Old Woman Falls, Poplar Rapids and Poplar Falls.

Old Woman Falls is peculiar in that the shortest way to portage is across an island in the middle of the falls which also holds a campsite without toilets. In order to use the facilities, one would need to paddle to the campsite river right. I imagine this during a bout with girardia or food poisoning after eating some campy meat. We lifted our gear across and James, intending to assume the Little Mermaid pose over the falls river left had a close brush with death, or at least he felt so. While loading up post-portage, the canoe bounced happily in the outflow of the falls. We headed on for Poplar Rapids.

From the documentation I had, both the Wilson/Aykroyd book and the Manitoba Eco-Network write-up, I could not tell whether we would meet just Poplar Falls or both Poplar Falls and Poplar Rapids. The topo map was very clear that there were two rapids between us and the take-out. It turned out that the first was Poplar Rapids (not runnable, by us at least) and the second was Poplar Falls (definitely not runnable). At Poplar Falls we made camp, just off the portage trail, river right. For the first time no campfire wood but two benches and a table. The site was pretty overgrown but we found a nice site on top of the hill.

After pitching tents and doing the most necessary camp shores we hopped in the water. It was so great to cool off and feel clean. I even used the filter pump while in the water.

James, taking a dip above Poplar Falls

Supper was risotto Alfredo with salmon. James didn't think much of it but I ate every last bit. James was more fond of the s'mores. The flies drove us into the tent, stuffy in the heat. It sure felt like another storm but the night was quiet. No worries about a run-away canoe, either, it was tied to a tree off the portage trail, at least 50 m away from the water.

Manigotagan River Trip 3: Elbow Rapids to Sand River Falls

View Manigotagan 2 in a larger map

I got up at 5:30 to broad daylight and enjoyed the early morning hour with a good cup of Dunn Bros. coffee. Bringing my Bialetti coffee maker may seem like an extravagance but for a one-cup-a-day guy like me it makes sense to make that cup count. The coffee maker takes even less room than my 1 l French press. After a breakfast of oatmeal, we broke camp and portaged instead of attempting a run of Elbow Rapids. We decided to get used to paddling a little more.

The Wendigo seems angry...

The next set was Wendigo Rapids, it was also the longest portage of the trip, about 450 m. Overall, portaging seemed much easier during this trip when compared to any of our BWCA trips. This was mostly due to the relatively short length of the portages. Even Turtle Falls, noted as a "difficult" portage seemed easy to us. One odd thing was that here, like with many other portage put-ins, potential staging areas were flooded and the canoe would be sitting amongst some trees rather than at river's edge.

Below Wendigo Rapids

On the quiet stretch between Turtle Falls and Kettle Rapids we saw a family of mergansers. Birds were the primary wildlife in evidence. Besides mergansers we saw wood ducks, green mallards, a few Canada geese, turkey buzzards and many bald eagles. Many song birds as well, but they were more difficult to identify. Other than birds we only saw traces of wildlife, like scat, tracks and game trails. The odd splah of a beaver's tail.

Kettle Rapids looked fairly tame

Kettle Rapids was to be the first documented and named rapid with a portage that we decided to run. We scouted the ideal route, made sure that our gear was secured and hopped in for the fun. Due to his position in the stern of the canoe, James was splashed, but that was the extent of the damage. Great fun and we were definitely ready for more.

A few minutes after passing Kettle Rapids we came on a bald eagle having a shore lunch on top of a beaver lodge. We could not quite make out what he was eating but it must have been something good, a turkey vulture was waiting for the leftovers. When the eagle flew off as we floated by, he took the remains of whatever he was eating along.

Next were portages around two major obstacles, Charles and Pillow Falls. The thunder of either could be heard while still well upstream and we made sure to see and head for the portage take-outs. At Charles Falls we hit the wrong side of the stream, an inviting looking campsite where we had our lunch. After looking for a way down in vain, we ferried back to the correct take-out point, river right.

Hurrying around Pillow Falls

Pillow Falls was awesome with its masses of water flowing over the edge unobstructed by any boulders.

Many of the other documented rapids, like e.g. Perry Davis Rapids were barely more than swifts due to the high water level.

We certainly did not have to work hard to keep moving. We passed Charlie Simard's cabin, an inviting looking place. Marilyn had told us to feel free to visit and that many a party had used the cabin to dry out after rain or after capsizing. But we kept moving along.

Campsite at Sand River Falls

By 15:30, just after the sun began breaking through the clouds we were at Sand River Falls and decided to call it a day. We pitched our tent had a snack of Ramen noodles and a nice siesta. I took a bath above the rapids, washing off the sweat and grime of the day. Wonderfully refreshing! For dinner we had chicken alfredo with gnocci. Excellent! The only thing lacking was a nice glass of red wine. Lemonade had to do the job and s'mores for dessert.

Fixing s'mores at Sand River Falls

After some good s'mores James turned in for the night, it wasn't much later than 20:00. I am guessing rap withdrawal, caffeine withdrawal and friend withdrawal topped off by a good dose of fresh air. I cleaned up the campsite, making sure that everything was stored in waterproof bags. I noticed some quite innocent looking smallish cumulonimbus. However small and however innocent looking, it made me take another look at the campsite. A thunderstorm was definitely possible. Canoe well above the river, everything packed away, tent in a location with decent drainage, I thought we'd be in decent shape for a possible storm. I went to bed at around 22:00, the air inside and out of the tent heavy and very warm and eerily still.

Manigotagan River Trip 2: Quesnel Lake to Elbow Rapids, 5 km

View Manigotagan 1 in a larger map

James and I quickly and efficiently unloaded the gear. I turned around the car for Marilyn and she was on her way. At the boat launch, a guy was readying his fishing boat. He told me that he has a place on the lake. James and I made sure to stay out of his way.

Making sure nothing gets lost in case we swim ...

We loaded the canoe, decided on foot- and outer wear for this first short leg and hopped in for the 150 m or so to the first portage around the rapids emptying Quesnel Lake into the Manigotagan. While not as awe-inspiring as Wood Falls, these rapids did everything to instill us with a healthy respect for the river at or above flood stage.

The first rapids did everything to instill a healthy respect of the river

Like it would be the case with many of the other large falls and rapids on this trip, the portage would end within the turbulent current of the tailwater. During the first couple of times, loading the bouncing canoe as well as shoving into the stream seemed daunting but James and I got used to it rather quickly. At the end of this very first portage James wondered whether we wouldn't capsize when I headed straight for the frothing river's center.

Looking back at Duncan Rapids

 

Our next portage, around Duncan Rapids was green and soggy. Poison ivy in evidence everywhere. If I don't get a rash after this trip, I must be immune ...

We arrived on top of Elbow Rapids and made camp on the lovely spot river right. After the traditional first-night steak dinner James turned in. The s'mores we had been discussing could not entice him out of the tent.

Still light out at 22:30

After scoutig out Elbow Rapids for a possible run, I sat by the camp fire for some time, enjoying the long midsummer night dusk and the haunting voice of a veery. My attempts at catching fish did not pay. I went to bed between 22:30 and 23:00, with still some daylight left.

Manigotagan River Trip 1: Drive from St. Paul, MN

We left at 4:30 AM. As expected, I had a hard time to transfer James from his bed to the car, but eventually, I succeded. He lay cuddled up under an old sleeping bag in the passenger seat while I headed NW on I94. As expected, there was little traffic, the few construction sites with single-lane traffic hardly slowed us down at all. We made Fargo by 8:10, Pembina, for a last refueling stop in the US, and the Canadian border by 11:10. The Canadian customs/immigrationagent agent greeted me in English and French to which I responded in French. Since he saw my Belgian passport, all formalities were done in French. It felt definitely like crossing into a different country and took just a couple of minutes.

By 12:30 we were done with getting currency from a teller machine and lunch at Burger King I did not see a Tim Horton's, sorry), we were on the road again, for the first time in real traffic. It delayed us by 15 minutes at most and the open road greeted us onece again. Hwy 59 turned from four-lanes divided to two lanes and we took Stead Road as a variation on the regular 304. Before the dam across Winnipeg River at Powerview, MB, 304 traverses a vast plain. After that point, and a last refueling stop, the landscape changed to scrubland, with the granite outcropings typical of the Canadian Shield. Water in evidence everywhere, in the ditches, in swamps, creeks and rivers, even among the low treestands.
We got to the bridge across the Manigotagan River by 14:30. We got out of the car and looked in awe at the masses of water thundering down Wood Falls before the last 2 km to Lake Winnipeg.

At a business (or what seemed like one) at the intersectionof 304 and the road leading to the town of Manigotagan, we asked for directions to the Simards. People were busy cooking and baking and we learned later that this was no longer the general store it had onece been but was now a catering business. Directions were given and within two minutes we were face to face with Marilyn Simard. We were two hours early, the entire trip had taken us just over 10 hours. Charles Simard had arranged to meet us at 17:00. No problem said Marilyn, either I'll find you another driver or I'll come along. Within 10 minutes she sat next to me and we were heading E towards the mining town of Bisset, 304 now a well-maintained gravel road.

The 40 or so km to the turn-off to Quesnel Lake and Caribou Landing and Jackson's Lodge took just about as much time as the last 10 km. Now I understand why both Charles and Marilyn had emphatically recommended the bigger vehicle when I asked Pontiac Vibe or Honda Odyssey. Especially the second half of the trail to Quesnel Lake was very bumpy and we scraped the bottom several times. At 16:30 we got to the lake and our adventure was about to begin.