BWCA: Day 4

We rose early Sunday morning with hopes of canoeing on calm water. Marye and I had broken down our tent and were packing up when we heard one of the more quotable quotes of the weekend come from Andrea, Megan, and Tim’s tent: “Once this tent broken down there will still be one tent standing.” The ode to morning wood caused a little shrieking. As we paddled off into Big Sag it became apparent that the night did not quell the wind. We struggled across Big Sag toward the reprieve east of Camper's Island. Whereas yesterday we were facing a headwind, today we were facing crosswinds. It is difficult to control the direction of the canoe in large waves and strong wind. It is also a little unnerving when waves are crashing into the canoe parallel to the keel line. We paddled to the leeward side of Clark Island to recuperate before we hit the big waves. And they were big. We rose up onto crests and down into troughs, the starboard side of the canoe rising and then dipping, vulnerable if a second wave arrived too quickly. Tim said he looked over at Marye and me and saw only our heads when we were riding in the trough of a wave. I’m glad I didn’t know that. We made it. We went gently down the Sea Gull River, to Gull Lake, and to the boat ramp. We were at the end of the Gunflint Trail. We called the lodge and waited for the pickup van in the chilly wind. We packed up the MV (minivan) and headed to Sven and Olie’s. Take it back to the city. There was a traffic jam in Two Harbors, so we stopped at DQ to mollify the road rage within. When we parted from Megan’s house, we wished each other good showers. The end.