Day 1: Trip from St. Paul and City of Bigfork to Busticogan Camp, July 11, 2012, 24 km

Day 1: Trip from St. Paul and City of Bigfork to Busticogan Camp, July 11, 2012, 24 km

I had most of the gear packed the night before the trip, also picked up Joe's canoe. The boys had spent the night at our house and at 0500 I transferred them, Mellie the dog and the remaining gear from our house to the van. We left at 0535. I had contemplated three route choices: I rejected I-35 immediately because of numerous construction sites along the way. US Hwy 169 did not seem to provide any advantage so I decided on MN 65. It turned out to be a great decision, Traffic was light going out of town and N of Cambridge I was the only vehicle on the road for long stretches. With only one pit stop at MN 65 and US Hwy 2 we made it to Bigfork before 1000. After a quick breakfast at the Huskie Cafe we unloaded the gear and I was off to drop off the van in Big Falls.

At Wild River, they were ready for me and I took the seat next to the friendly driver. He was surprised about all the downed trees along the way, taking the trip for the first time since a strong storm had come through on July 2. He praised the good fishing in the river, too. The whole shuttle took about 1:30 hrs.


After my return we quickly loaded the canoes and got on our way, start time about 1330. The first few km seemed slow, until Rice Rapids, a shallow stretch of boulders and submerged rocks provided a little excitement. Wildlife consisted primarily of ebony jewelwing damselflies (Calopteryx maculata), belted kingfishers (Megaceryle alcyon) and various deer flies that were pesky but not too bad. At one point I heard crashing and saw branches move next to the water, it must have been a deer.

Evidence of  James' sleeping on the job is imprinted on his back. 

I did not get much help from James, who spent most of his time asleep in the bow seat. He was so inert that the deer flies ignored him and the damsleflies used him as a perch. Even so I was making good time, getting into a rhythm of alternating 4-8 strokes on each side. In spite of waiting occasionally, Joe and Noah did not catch up. I reached the MN Hwy 1 bridge at 1720 or so and James and I took a refreshing bath waiting for our companions to catch up. 

Waiting for Joe and Noah at MN Hwy 1 bridge. 

The camp site was only a couple of km further downstream and I would have very much liked to set up camp and start dinner preparations. However, I wanted to make sure the two of them cleared the benign but shallow Class I upstream from the bridge. While we waited, a pair of DNR officers in truck and with boat trailer stopped to check us out. I was glad I made sure that Joe got new license tabs for his canoe.

Joe and Noah did not show till 1900, 1:30 hrs after we arrived. They were happy, having fished and swum. We made the remaining short stretch to Busticogan Camp, named after local Chippewa/Bois Forte Chief Busticogan who lived in the area in the late 19th century and was known as a kind and wise leader. I got my teriyaki  pork chops on the grill. We put away the 1.5 kg of meat with buns and trimmings like it was nothing. No leftovers for Mellie tonight.

Yum! Pork chops teriyaki. None survived to tell the tale.

I turned in pretty quickly, having not slept much during the preceding night and having gotten up at 0400. The boys sat around the camp fire for a little while and followed my example.