Crab Lake April 12 - 15

I got a late start on the 12^th.  The plan was to get to Crab Lake, find a good campsite, and take a couple of day trips. Well, I had a bunch of chores to do before I could get into the woods.  One thing led to another and before I knew it, it was 5:00 and I still needed to pack.  I debated delaying my start until the morning, but the early spring had me too exited to get into the wilderness and I couldn’t wait.  Plus, it was a calm evening and would be a great time to paddle across Burntside.  I quickly threw my gear together, grabbed some new items from the catalog to test, made a quick stop at the grocery store, and headed to the landing.

It was a little after 6:00 when I arrived at the boat landing on Van Vac Rd.  I knew I didn’t have enough daylight to make it to Crab, so I thought I would checkout the campsites on the south end of the North Arm of the lake.  Agnes, now a year old, was perched in front of me as I headed north through a maze of beautiful islands and incredible cabins.  It took her a while to get comfortable in the Prism.  It had been over 6 months since her last trip and she is nearly twice as big now as she was then.  I think I may try the Encounter on our next trip to give her a little more room up front.

There was a slight breeze and a small chop on the water.  We made the crossing with ease and plenty of daylight left to setup camp.  Agnes excitedly jumped out of the canoe and did a couple laps around the campsite.  She was just as happy as I was that canoe camping season had begun.  Once I had the tent set up, I got some water boiling for dinner.  Being so late, I was glad I had a Backpacker’s Pantry entrée along with me (Shepard’s Pie with Beef).  They are delicious and quick to prepare.  Perfect for days such as these, when a quick hearty meal is just what you need.  After supper, I cleaned up, watched the day turn into night and got to bed early.

The water was like glass in the morning.  I made myself a Denver omelet that I wrapped in a tortilla with a little cheese and salsa—very tasty.  I slowly cleaned up camp and packed my things, just enjoying the peaceful spring morning.  There was no reason to rush; I had nothing to do and all day to do it.  Eventually, I hit the water and made my way to the Crab Lake portage.

The portage is long, with a couple of hills to climb, but overall I found it to be a very nice walk.  You just need to remember to take your time and move a comfortable pace.  There is no sense in burning yourself out on the first portage. 

Once I made it to the lake, I headed along the east shoreline and stopped at nice campsite on an island.  Quickly, I set up camp and dropped off all nonessential gear.  I decided to head west and a little south to the loop of little lakes for an afternoon day trip.  This is a neat little area and looks like really good wolf habitat, though I didn’t see much sign.  It was a nice little loop and great for a day trip.  I made my way back to camp, cooked a hearty meal and crawled into the tent for the night.

I woke up early to a strong wind coming out of the west.  The campsite I was staying on is great because there is always shelter from the wind, no matter which direction it is coming from.  The day before, the wind was coming out of the south and a little from the east, so I set my tent with that in mind.  When the wind started coming out of the west, my tent was exposed.  Rather than hang out with the wind in my face, I walked to a different part of the island and found a nice little spot to hang out for the day where it was calm as could be.  This is a really nice feature to have at a site.

Anyways, I was planning on heading up to Cummings Lake and puddling around for a bit.  I wasn’t wind-bound by any stretch of the imagination, but I didn’t feel like fighting it all day—sitting around relaxing and eating all day sounded much better.

Breakfast was Huevos Rancheros and cinnamon fry bread.  I tried the SlatGrill for the first time.  What a neat piece of equipment.  It gives you a really nice cooking area, distributes heat well, and is very sturdy.  It is absolutely a must-have for base camping trips, and is nice for all trips (if you don’t mind carrying a little extra weight).

After breakfast, I took a walk around the island and gathered some firewood.  There was a nice pile of wood at the site when I got there, and I wanted to make sure I left the next campers plenty of wood for their stay.  There was a ton of beaver activity on the island, which made finding firewood a breeze.  While exploring, I saw some fresh scraps that a bird must have carried to the island.

By the time I got back, it was time for lunch—blueberry bagels, with summer sausage and cheese.  It’s not a combination you would normally think of, but something a good friend of mine introduced me to.  Give it a try, you might be surprised.
 

Full from lunch, it was time for a nap.

After napping a good part of the day away, I decided it was time for a fire.  I brought the Swedish Mora Fire Knife along and wanted to try to start the fire with the FireSteel that comes with the knife.  I gathered some dry paper thin birch bark and built a small teepee of birch on top of heavier piece of bark.  I had some more birch bark, small sticks and pine needles nearby to feed the fire when the time came.  A few strikes later and the birch started to smoke.  A couple more strikes, and I had flames.  The FireSteel worked great, and in just a short time I had a nice campfire going.

After eating a quick dinner, I relaxed by the fire for the rest of the evening.  It was a pretty uneventful day, but incredibly peaceful and relaxing.  It was a much needed escape from my everyday routine.  I stayed up late, feeding my small fire, one stick at a time.  Eventually, I let the fire burn out, doused it with water and headed to the tent.

I was up early.  The water was glass; everything was perfectly still.  I had to cross Burntside again today and debated just heading back to the landing, just so I wouldn’t have to battle the wind when I made the crossing.  I couldn’t bring myself to leave the woods so early, so I decided to do a lap around Crab Lake and check out all of the campsites.  Essentially, I would take the long way to the portage.  It was such a nice paddle—incredible solitude.

I trudged my way back to Burntside, made the crossing, and concluded my first trip of the year.  It was a great warm-up for the rest of the year and really nice to shake the winter rust off and get ready for a busy paddling season.  I can’t wait to get back out there!

Capital Protesters Demand Increase in License Fees

Up on "The Hill" here in St Paul today fishers, hunters and nature advocates demanded to pay more for their licenses.  TV fisherman, Al Linder spoke about the Minnesota tradition of fishing and how amazing the DNR has been so far in keeping our lakes stocked in the face of ever decreasing budgets.   He warned that without a new source of funds fish and fishermen will suffer soon.  Audubon members toted signs saying "birds eat fish too".  Funding of the Department of Natural Resources strikes a chord with everyone that loves the outdoors and they want to pay more.  How about that in an era when we thought everyone wanted to pay less fees? 

This may be controversial up on the hill but it's not unilateral.  Republican leaders from the majority in the House and Senate spoke in favor of the higher fees encouraging the crowd.  As the crowd dispersed to visit their representatives the issue went back to the Senate and with a few small modifications passed handily and now moves on to the House and conference committee.   Call your House Rep today if you live in Minnesota and ask them to raise our license fees and keep Minnesota a major destination for birds and people who love to fish.

Reported by Steve Piragis on location.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Comment Below.

BLOG 7. Dealing With Number Two, by Cliff Jacobson

BLOG 7. DEALING WITH NUMBER TWO

By Cliff Jacobson

www.cliff-jacobson.com

Many western national parks and wilderness areas require hikers and paddlers (but often, not those who use off-road vehicles!) to bag and pack out their human waste. There are a number of chemical toilets (the PETT system is popular) and waste bag systems that are federally approved for this purpose.

Packing out human waste sounds like a good idea, at least until you have to do it for more than a few days. At issue is that there is no chemical toilet or waste bag system that’s light and compact enough to fit in a small canoe or kayak and will smell kissing-sweet after a week or more in the bush. Ironically, many “pack out your waste areas” are commonly populated by domestic animals which leave their mark everywhere. For example, under the Taylor Grazing Act, the Missouri River (Lewis and Clark route) is open to grazing most of the year. Cows graze right up to the river. Some of the most popular campsites, which are nicely shaded by cottonwoods, are so packed with cow-pies that there is no space for a tent. I am not exaggerating!

Along the Rio Grande River (Big Bend National Park) you’ll see Mexican cows, horses and mules grazing by the river. In places where the water is low, these animals may cross to the American side and leave their mark there—often, where you intend to camp.

When we canoed the Rio Grande in 2011, we carried WAG™ Bags, which are approved by federal authorities. The WAG™ bag system consists of two large, seal-able plastic bags, some toilet paper and a chemical that is supposed to eliminate odors. For the first three days we were impressed—the bags were easy to use, very light and compact and there was no smell. We followed the directions on the label, and as a further precaution, stored the used/sealed bags inside a heavy-duty waterproof dry bag that had a positive roll-down closure. After a week, the stench became unbearable and we gave up on the grand idea, even though a “ranger check” would mean a fine. Given that horse and cow dung were everywhere, we questioned the wisdom of the “pack it out” rule. We agreed that chemical waste systems work fine for a few days, but are seriously problematic over the long haul. One short range solution may be to insert the used WAG bags into an O.P.SAK (odor-proof plastic barrier bag). We don't know; we didn't have O.P.SAK's along on this trip so we couldn't try it.

WAG BAG AND O.P.SAK

Note: You may be able to reduce odors by inserting the used WAG bag inside an O.P.SAK odor-proof barrier bag (www.loksak.com)

Here’s how I would re-write the federal “pack-out human waste” rule:

RULE: “Where public latrines are not available, go well out of camp and away from water and dig an approximate six inch deep hole in the ground. Bury human waste—but not toilet paper—in this hole. Cover the hole with dirt and vegetation so as to leave no trace. Place used toilet paper in a zip-lock bag and burn it in your campfire or pack it out. Do not bury the toilet paper!

Note that the culprit here is the toilet paper which is an eye-sore and may take years to decompose. Buried human waste decomposes rather quickly.

Why not define the distance the burial hole must be from camp and water? For example, in the Boundary Waters, the rule is to bury it “150 feet from water”. Give me a break! Typical campers may get lost in the woods if they wander that far from camp. Besides, do the feds really think that campers carry a measuring tape?

Question? Why does the pack it out rule on the Green River, Utah apply only to paddlers but not to those who drive ORV’s into the area? When we canoed the lower Green, we saw Jeeps and four-wheelers cruising along a trail that was barely 25 yards from the river. These motorized vehicles were immune from the regulation; we were not!

There are some whisperings that the “pack out your number two” rule may be coming to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. I hope not. If so, I may have to put on a ski mask and become an outlaw.

Cliff Jacobson

GUEST BLOG 6.Canoeing in Zambia /Cliff Jacobson

Hello, Friends:

For the past few years, I’ve been corresponding with Steve Tolan, CEO and Program Director for the Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust, in Zambia. Chipembele is the winner of the National Prize for Zambia and the International Prize in the category of Youth at the Energy Globe Awards, Austria, 2011; winner of the European Parliament STOA World Prize for Sustainable Energy, 2011.

Steve and friends recently canoed the Luangwa River in Zambia. It’s quite a story, one I think you’ll enjoy. The following is Steve’s E-mail to me. If you wish to E-mail Steve or learn more about the Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust, contact info@chipembele.org. Steve and his friends kindly gave their permission to publish their story.

Cliff Jacobson

www.cliff-jacobson.com

Dear Cliff,

Greetings from Zambia. I thought you might be interested in this year's canoe trip:

This year's canoe trip started on Saturday 24th March. The two other canoes got here from Mfuwe after a three plus-hour paddle, then we all had a big breakfast at Chipembele before setting off. My paddling partner was Adam, a friend from Lusaka, and the other two canoes carried Rachel, CEO of South Luangwa Conservation Society and Ian, CEO of Conservation Lower Zambezi, plus Robin (British) and his wife Ana (Columbian vet) in another canoe, who runs the Zambian Carnivore Programme in Kafue NP,hence we were all involved in conservation in one way or another (Adam volunteers for the Wildlife Society in Lusaka).

At dusk on the first day we were soaked by a big thunderstorm and dragged our canoes up a horrible deep muddy bank to set up camp. Luckily the rain stopped within minutes and we had a lovely dry evening. The next evening it started raining heavily just after we'd finished dinner,so we had to retire to our tents at 19.10 (7:10 PM). I slept right through until heavy rain woke me at 05.30 (5:30 AM). We packed away in a dry spell, then itstarted again. I had a weird experience that day... I was paddling at the back in deep water when my paddle hit something solid. The next stroke was fine, then I hit the same object again. I shouted to Rachel and Ian following that something weird had happened and as Robin and Ana went over the same spot, a big croc came up on the surface and raced towards their canoe, driven off by them slapping their paddles at it. I think it came up under our boat to see if we were edible and I hit it twice... my hand was only a foot or so above it.

There was a scary story from the Congo last year when a world-class kayaker was taken by a huge croc, and so we were all concerned about crocs. See:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340547/Hendrik-Coetzee-Friends-speak-horror-kayaker-dragged-craft-crocodile-Congo.html Hippos were numerous, but only one took a dislike to us, and came for our canoe but we managed to outpace it.

That evening we camped in a lovely tributary and the next day we stopped off at a hunting camp on the other side to get water. They were horrified to hear we had slept on the other bank as there are man-eating lions there that had eaten eight people last year, including a scout! The area is so dangerous that fishermen no longer sleep in the bush any more. We were assured that the crocs were friendly, as they hadn't killed anyone for THREE years!

A couple of evenings later we were eating dinner at about 20.00 hrs (8 PM) when there was a deep noise like thunder from the far bank, which was very high. We ran to the bank and shone our torches to see a huge wave coming straight at us, which washed one canoe away (but soon recovered)... a freshwater tsunami! About 40 metres of the far bank, 300 metres away, had collapsed and created the wave.

The next day we paddled until we reached a raging, steep-sided gorge. Two years ago Adam and I capsized here in dangerous, turbulent water. For the past two years Adam has always paddled at the back, with me at the front. The principle is that the strongest is in the front for power, while the one in the back steers. However, we have had two major capsizes and lots of near misses, so this year I decided to go in the back. I'm happy to say that we never overturned once, whereas the two other canoes overturned... Rach and Ian twice in 200 metres... and they've never overturned before, despite everyone else taking a swim all around them in the last two trips! I should add though that Adam and I took an easier run than the other two canoes.. the raging water and huge waves the other two canoes took was not meant to be tackled in open, heavily-laden canoes!

We have been warned many times that the pools below the many rapids contain crocs and we were all really concerned, so when the two canoes overturned, without ever hearing of the tactic before, both crews decided on a unique strategy to reduce croc attack... climb on top of

the canoe and paddle backwards! It took them about 10 minutes to reach the bank, but it worked.

That evening we were invited to spent the afternoon and evening at a lovely camp overlooking the Kawe Rapids, our next big obstacle for the next day.The gear in the other two canoes was soaked, lots of food was wasted and everything had to spread out on the ground to dry.

The following morning, after breakfast, we nervously surveyed the rapids by the camp and decided the best way through the numerous islands, trees, bushes, channels and protruding rocks. Adam and I went first and did well not to capsize. The other canoes made it safely through too. We camped that night on a lovely sandy bank. At midday the following day we arrived at Luangwa Bridge Camp, where we pulled our canoes out and had lovely food and a great night's sleep in their chalets.

The following day, after a huge breakfast, we went our different ways. Adam and Ian back to Lusaka, while the rest of us returned to Mfuwe, after a nightmare trip in a lorry carrying our canoes. It took 18 hours from the Luangwa Bridge to Mfuwe. It took 11 hours to drive less than 100 miles here from Chipata, as the drivers of the two trucks were driving so slow! They had been driving for 24 hours, having left Lusaka the previous morning, and only had one hour of sleep the whole time.

The whole canoe trip was about 380km (236 miles ) and took us seven days. A normal days paddling was about 60km (37 miles). We saw a lot more game compared to two years ago, including quite a few reedbuck, a rare species in South Luangwa NP.

All the best, Steve

P.S. The other two canoes on the trip were 18' fibreglass canoes that weigh about two and a half times what my Mad Rover 16RX Explorer does. Taking that into account,they did well to keep them upright for about 100 metres in the big waves before capsizing. The videos I took show they never stood a chance!