DAY 1
Four hour boat ride over was smooth and nice. My crack about throwing rocks at thieving camp foxes caused the meek woman ranger giving the backcountry orientation to give me a double take. My fears about my pack being to heavy are allayed. Did seven miles OK. Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. The shelters are an unexpected bonus. Slept like a log.
DAY 2
Did four miles and stopped at the long cement pier in Moskey Basin to get water. Seen a huge trout, a brookie (coaster brook trout) of about 4lbs and decided to stay. I got him to try and eat twice but he was half hearted. Shore lines extremely rough. Fished off the long cement pier from 1PM to 10pm with a little break for an extremely cold swim and some burnt dinner. At 9:30 PM "it" happened. A very stout northern hit my tiny rapala with 6 lb line. Has to rank as one of my all time best fish fights. He took 35 minutes to land and I estimate his weight to be at least 17lbs. Spectacular lightening show in the distance accompanied by a loon sound track. Slept very poorly due in part to war with a mouse. A rather portly specimen who delighted in going through my pack. May he R.I.P.
Day 3
Slept in rather badly. Gear functioning excellently with the notable and troubling exception of my left boot. The sole is starting to separate. EEEKS! Will apply first aid in the form of cable ties.Batteries low in flashlight.
Half way to Chippewa Harbor I stopped at Lake Rithchie. Shorelines very rough. My poor boots are now doing double time as waders. My feet will not be dry the rest of the trip. Caught 7 or 8 small pike and fried 2. Excellent! The rolling thunder and hordes of giant merciless mosquitos hurried me on my way and I made the last 2 miles in an hour. Spent 2 hours bushwacking around Chippewa Harbor and fished without a strike. But it didn't really matter........the harbor is rough and beautiful and I feel like I'm 20.
DAY 4
The oatmeal breakfast with coffee is my favorite meal. Today I bushwacked into lake Mason. Very rough go of it and I had to grit my teeth to make it. When I got to the lake it opened up and I let out a cry of joy and relief. My first application of bug spray since I have arrived. Moose sign is everywhere. They make me a little nervous since the mommas are with calf.
The fishing at Lake Mason was surprisingly poor. I could only manage about 6 small pike and had to turn back after about 3 hours. Getting a blister on my heel. Went back out after lunch and bushwacked around Chippewa harbor. Insanity! Got to where I thought the fish would be against all odds. Crossed a creek and climbed 3 rocky faces. Fished 6 hours without a strike. Got tired and fell while in the water. Left buttock should have a nice bruise.
Sole on boot now completely separated. Holding it together with cable ties and parachute cord. Macaroni and cheese dinner super. Five days to go and only 2 dinners left. Do I see some trouble on the horizon? I must catch fish tomorrow!
Day 5
Very cold night. Could see my breath. I will have to give Lori a big kiss for convincing me to upgrade my sleeping bag. Slept well except my right knee and elbow were hurting. Feel like I'm 80! I wish I would of brought some sandals for around camp. The devotional "My Utmost For His Highest" has proven to be an ideal traveling companion, thought provoking and challenging.
It's 10 AM and I just finished breaking camp. As soon as I get water and wash up a bit it's time to hit the trail. I have 10 miles to cover before I can try and catch dinner. Weeeeee!
Despite my late start I make good time stopping only twice. Once to get water and once to repair a blowout on my boot. The Lord blessed me and I arrived only minutes ahead of some other hikers and got the premier camping site right on Lake Chickenbone. Camp is set up with clothes drying on the line. My boots are almost dry but now it's time to wade in the water again. I'm hungry for some pike. Two hours of flailing casts in the water has produced zip. I'm getting cold and my tummy is rumbly. When things are bleak a man should look up from where help comes. As I'm wading, grumbling as I go, I meet some people from Northville of all places. We get to talking and I mention that I'm fishing for dinner. "We're leaving tomorrow and would like very much to lighten our packs" they say. I was treated to an astonishingly good freeze dried lasagna dinner. Other goodies included more oatmeal and a nice bag of trail mix. The Lord takes care of his own!
The hot food has invigorated me and I get back into the water. Brrrrrrr! With darkness coming on I decide to go for the often sought and not always caught walleye. Bang- I catch a nice perch.......Bang- I pop a small but eatable pike. Then "it" happens. I land a walleye of about 3 lbs. A rather ordinary fish under most circumstances but not this time. There was no small stir about the camp and in fact I thought about initiating the "Pike Dance". This is an ancient event performed by men only in which a large fish, preferably a pike, is hoisted over the head while dancing around a fire all the while uttering strange noises. Rumor has it the dance fell out of favor because of the women (envy no doubt) but I suspect it was because of the slimy nature of the pike.
On a previous day I met a fellow on the trail. We exchanged pleasantries and he asked how the fishing was. I told him I had caught a decent pike in Moskey basin. "Oh you caught the big pike" he responded. Apparently news travels fast in these parts. I found out he had only 1 fish lure and no wire leaders so I gave him 2 lures and a leader. He then gave me some info about a canoe that was stashed somewhere on lake Chickenbone. The exact location remains a mystery but I have some hunches. We shall see what tomorrow brings.
Day 6
I slept very hard but was awakened about midnight with my knee hurting. Bummer. There's no swelling and it's not tender and I'm grateful for that. It probably doesn't like wading in the cold water. I will take it easy today. No bushwacking! The weather the past 2 days has been glorious. Sunny, light winds and no humidity. If the weather holds I intend to start back and do the longest leg of the trip a day earlier than planned and thus try and avoid doing thirteen miles in the rain. Good thinking old chap! That way I'll only be 6 miles from the ferry ride home.
My slow morning starts have some distinct advantages. By the time I'm ready to hike I'm stretched out a little plus it's a lot warmer. The trails have also had a chance to dry off a bit as well. Stuff mart has been a blessing. The stool has been a huge comfort and the walking staff has kept me from having a few awkward moments and doubles nicely as a monopod for my camera. The camel back hydration system was a wise choice, 70 ounces of water at the sip of a straw. Lastly, my hats off to Tim Cornelius who convinced me to bring salt and pepper. It perks up the fish nicely and aids in the removal of leeches that continually affix themselves to my legs.
I arrived at the first hunch to where I thought the canoe would be but there was no boat. No matter. I fished anyway and arrived at the secret to catching the northerns. A big plastic bait with no weight was murder. Several times I got to see the strike. Neat! Still fixated on the mystery boat I pulled out the map and tried to figure out where it would be stashed. I hiked to the other end of the lake and BEHOLD, the fishing ark. I looked around for some large trees as my informant had suggested and Ta-da......paddles! I made my way to an island which all intrepid explorers know is a good place to go. I parked in the reeds to ready my rod but before I could do so I heard some low grunting noises which could mean only one thing......Moose! I pushed off from the shore and sure enough out steps a big cow moose. I could of tossed a rock at her underhand to be sure. She did not appear to have hostile intent but I became concerned all the same when she began to wade out in the water. Soon she was swimming and what a sight to behold. All the way across the lake she was grunting and blowing water out of those huge nostrils. A sight I will never forget. Alas, not to have my camera for fear I would get it wet while wading. The fishing was very good for small fish but I could not get on the big ones try as I might. I returned the canoe about dark and had to make good time to get to my campsite. It stays light until almost 10:30.
Day 7
I arose at 6 A.M. and although the temptation was strong to stay another day because of the boat I decided not to press my luck. I took 3 hours to eat, fry fish and break camp. An oddity happened after cleaning the fish for that days lunch. When I went to dispose of the remains they were gone. They were to big for a mink which leaves a fox as the likely culprit.
Got started at 9A.M. with a heavy pack due to all the water I garnered. I was to be hiking a ridge today and one does not usually find water on a ridge. I was blessed with a cooler day with nice breezes which made for good hiking. I was hiking the high country of the island now and the views which it afforded me were superb. Several times I had to stop and pull my pack off just to marvel at the beauty. The Lord is truly the master artist. I arrived at the trail to lane cove about 3:30. Eleven miles behind me and two rugged miles to go. The trail to lane cove was just as described in the guide book.....difficult. But without question the 2 nicest miles I have done (if only my feet weren't hurting so!). Upon arriving at the campground my biggest concern was getting an unoccupied shelter because a storm was brewing. Well I didn't have to worry about that because there were no shelters and furthermore there was no nice long dock jutting out into Lake Superior to fish from. I took comfort in the nice trail and hurriedly set up camp and ate dinner just as the rains began. I was in bed promptly at 6 P.M.
Day 8
I slept 13 hours last night. Wow! I must of been whupped. A bit perplexed about where to fish today. Have I come all this way to a place of little or no options? Time to consult the topo map. After pouring over the map I spied it........Lake Ahmik! Back on day 2 I met a Ranger I had met a ranger who had told me that lake Ahmik had come up very well on a survey...........but he also flatly stated that it was impossible to get to. I made some more coffee and stared intently at a possible route. The key to the whole trek was a canoe portage off the bay that I was currently on that led to another Lake Superior bay in which the lake lay parallel to about 1/4 mile inland. After sizing everything up I finished my cup of courage and gathered up my gear. Space blanket, waterproof matches, raingear and the all important compass.
The trip around Lane cove was way to easy and I reached the canoe portage in less than an hour. My hopes were high for similar terrain in Stockly Bay but where quickly dashed upon reaching it. Although not sheer cliffs which would of turned me back in short order it was non the less rather steep. After another look at the topo I determined the lake was on the other side of a rocky forested ridge which was plainly visible about a mile down. Trouble was I had to go around the bay before I could climb the ridge. Although I generally bushwack rather slowly anyway this was extra tough with many large trees down which slowed my progress. Although the forest was very dense I still came across 3 moose kills.....definite wolf country. I amused myself with how I must smell to them and pictured them crinkling up their noses and heading toward the high country tail between their legs.
I could only average about 1/2 mile per hour but I finally reached the top of the ridge and took a compass bearing. Only 15 minutes of walking put me on the lake..........And what a lake! I fished the greater part of the day and caught numerous toothy pikes including 3 over 30", easily my best fishing day. My best memory was standing on a beaver lodge and busting two of the bigger ones on consecutive casts all while a moose eyed me suspiciously from a nearby cove. What a day!
I left at 5 P.M. giving myself some extra time in case I got turned around. I mad my way back to Stockly bay where a loon made my hear skip a beat by eating my curly tailed grub. My hook bent out straight when I set up on what I thought would be a trophy fish and then suddenly up pops a loon. I slowly put 2+2 together. I got back alright despite minor protest from my knee. I ate my last dinner and started early preparations to break camp and catch the boat home tomorrow.
Day 9
My worries about getting up late were completely unfounded. I was out of the bag and making coffee and oatmeal at 5:30......There was no way I was missing that boat. I broke camp in record time and was on my way at 7 A.M. Five hours later I had covered the 7 miles and pulled into Rock Harbor on a bad ankle. It was to remain sore for the next week. I took a shower and went to the visitors center to chow down.
With an hour to burn waiting for the ferry I decided to string my rod and give casting demonstrations to the 30 or so bystanders on the big dock. Something clicked in the remote part of my fisherman brain when on about the 100th cast I noticed my spinner wasn't sinking. Without thinking I set up hard and my rod made a perfect 9' arc. "Hung" I mumbled but soon the bystanders became cheerleaders as I battled a 6 lb lake trout. Between playing dead and making long runs it finally submitted. Finally I had managed to catch one nice trout on the trip. How appropriate I had one picture left in the camera!
I could not have wrote a better script for this trip and am grateful I was able to go.
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