Friday August 28, 2026
I met granddaughter Brianna at granddaughter Grace and her boyfriend Tyler’s apartment in Menomonie at 10:00. Daughter Kara broke a bone in her foot and was not able to join us ;(
An uneventful drive to Grand Marais, MN before we stopped for dinner at Voyageur Brewing Company. I was in luck! They just released their tasty Oktoberfest beer!
Tyler surprised everyone by ordering the smoked herring.
We followed the Gunflint Trail to reach Clearwater Historic Lodge. The bunkhouse we reserved had a private bathroom, very handy!
Disconnected Jed’s trailer with two canoes and a kayak and parked the truck.
We brought in our sleeping bags and clothes. Enjoyed a few drinks. The bunkhouse worked well for us.
Saturday August 29, 2026
Grace’s 23rd birthday! We celebrated her big day over breakfast at the lodge.
We ran into a bit of a snag with our BWCA permit. Kara had made the reservation in January, but since she couldn’t make the trip, we couldn’t use that reservation. Ben, the outfitter was very helpful for us to get a reservation for a different entry point.
We drove to Entry Point 64 on East Bearskin Lake. We put the two canoes and the kayak in the water at a nice landing.
We unloaded the truck and organized our gear across the three boats and we were ready to hit the water!
I took the solo canoe, Grace and Tyler handled the big tandem canoe and Brianna took the kayak.
Perfect weather! Partly cloudy with temperatures in the low 70’s. The kids got a little sunburned.
We paddled the long narrow East Bearskin Lake, which has cabins and docks on the north side. We took the south arm to reach the boundary of the BWCAW. We appreciated the quiet wilderness.
At the end of the arm, we reached our first portage. The well used 49 rod portage was pretty easy. Tyler took the big canoe, I carried the solo canoe and we teamed up to bucket carry the kayak. The team deserved to take a break.
After a dry summer, the water levels were low, but we were able to navigate through the narrow channel into Alder Lake.
Brianna took the lead and found a nice open campsite on a point facing east. We unloaded the boats and Brianna jumped into the crystal-clear water to move the big canoe to a better landing.
We pulled the boats up on shore.
We found spots for all three of our tents.
After the terrible fires in the west side of the BWCAW, we were fortunate to learn that they just lifted the ban on campfires before we arrived. The kids collected firewood and started a nice fire.
Each of us added our own pizza toppings before baking. It was very tasty, even passing the test of Tyler, who is a pizza chef at Lucette Brewing Company.
To complete the celebration of Grace’s birthday, we enjoyed freeze dried ice cream sandwiches! Wrapped in white paper, just like the real thing, but with a dry crunchy texture.
It was very quiet! Saw just two canoes paddle past our campsite. The clouds reflected the sunset.
Nice campfire and then to bed.
Sunday August 30, 2026
I was up early to start coffee. Thick fog. Could not see across the bay!
Brianna woke up next and we had a great conversation as the fog started to lift.
The sun tried to break through the clouds and fog.
Grace and Tyler slept in. I made the girl’s favorite breakfast, biscuits (actually English Muffins) and gravy. Perfect for a cool foggy morning.
Everyone was a little sore from the long paddle yesterday and a restless night. We decided to have a relaxing day around camp.
Brianna setup her hammock.
I re-read a collection of Sigurd Olson’s writings on The Meaning of Wilderness. Couldn’t ask for a better place to read this great book!
Brianna and Tyler did some very impressive whittling.
Took time to smell the flowers! The honeysuckle flowers were beautiful.
Lunch was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with string cheese and sausage. I made Chili Mac with strawberry granola for dinner.
The kids made a nice campfire. Enjoyed making and eating S’mores around the fire.
After dousing the fire, we went to bed.
Monday August 31, 2026
Heavy rain overnight stopped at 7:30. Brianna’s tent leaked a little so she had to move to find a dry spot. My jetboil tank was empty. Had a tough time getting the propane stove to boil water for coffee. Decided to skip breakfast and just pack up our wet gear and go. The kids navigated the slippery rocks to load the boats.
We set off into the fog. After a brief paddle, I was struggling with the kayak paddle with the solo canoe. After the portage to East Bearskin Lake, Brianna took the solo canoe, Grace took the kayak and I joined Tyler in the big canoe.
The fog was eerie but beautiful. We could not see beyond the next point. Fortunately we just needed to follow the left shoreline.
After finding the landing in the fog, I got the truck and trailer while the kids unloaded the boats. We quickly packed the truck and loaded the boats on the trailer. We were on the road home!
It was a wonderful trip!
Steve Pelton 