Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW)
界限水域在明尼蘇達州北部，與加拿大交界，是一片湖中島，島中湖的森林。
Ogishkemuncie Lake sunset (Day 2).
第一天下午，開車去出發地－－海鷗湖。
Day 1 PM: Gunflint Trail, from Grand Marias to Sea Gull Lake Entry Point (54). This area experienced the 1999 Blowdown when a windstorm of historic proportions tore through the BWCA, and winds of 150 miles per hour blew down millions of trees over a 350,000 acre area. Lightning strikes will be more successful at igniting wildfires in the blowdown (as we will see in just a few minutes), and fires wil be larger and spread more quickly.
人算不如天算，森林大火正好從出發地開始劇烈燃燒。
Day 1 PM: Sea Gull Lake, and wildfire. This is the largest fire in a decade in the area. Much of the burned area contained dead timber blown down in a 1999 windstorm that toppled millions of trees in and near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). This is the day and the lake the fire was discovered, and we started our 5-day-4-night journey here.
第一天的營地。這是我們的煮食用具。
Day 1 PM: Campsite on Sea Gull Lake. Because of the strong wind in the late afternoon and the large size of Sea Gull Lake, we had to paddle very hard against winds and waves. The fire situation was unknown as well, so we decided to find a campsite and pitch tent. This is all the cooking stuff we got from the outfitter. I think they gave us way too much stuff, but the first day we did not know how we would suffer from the weight yet.
第一天的營地，在大石頭後麵。
Day 2 AM: Leaving campsite 1 on Sea Gull Lake. All the campsites are not visibly marked but quite obvious to recognize. Each site is identified by a cast-iron fire grate and a pit latrine, and canoeists may only camp at designated sites. We thought our first campsite was very clean and private, but little did we know that this was only the beginning.
煙火迷蒙的海鷗湖。
Day 2 AM: Sea Gull Lake in the mist of forest fire.
救火的飛機。
Day 2 AM: Sea Gull Lake. One of the two fire fighting planes (CL 215) scooping water from the lake.
湖上見到的唯一機動船，蕩起波紋。
Day 2 AM: Sea Gull Lake. This is the only lake in the area that allows slow motor boat. One fishing boat passed us and left a ray of ripple in the otherwise quiet lake.
救火的飛機。
Day 2 AM: Sea Gull Lake. Fire fighting plane overhead. Not everyone's wilderness experience includes airplanes. :)
救火的飛機從頭上飛過。
Day 2 AM: Sea Gull Lake. Fire fighting plane. reflection, and our canoe.
水陸聯運的入口，要把船和全部裝備從一個湖搬到另一個湖。全程我們搬了19次。
Day 2 AM: Portage #1 (25 r) between Sea Gull Lake and Rog Lake. This is the beginning of the portage. We learn that portages are just trails that allows canoeists carry canoes and equipment between lakes, and portaging is what makes Boundary Waters experience special from most other canoe areas. We were happy to find this portage, because we did not know how portages would look like and were very afraid of missing them. I wanted to carry the 45 lbs. canoe, so Mike decided to carry all THREE packs. But this arrangement only lasted a couple of portages, because quickly Mike had to learn that getting from one lake to another quickly was not the goal, but rather, taking all our belongings through the forests was the real enjoyment.
水陸聯運的入口。
Day 2 AM: Portage #1 (25 r) between Sea Gull Lake and Rog Lake. This is the view of the portage entrance to the Sea Gull Lake. We later found out that most portages were easily identified because of the easy access for approaching canoes. We were eager to leave the burning lake and the water scooping planes, to enter the real wilderness.
第三個湖。
Day 2 PM: Alpine Lake, after a long portage #2 (68 r) from Rog Lake. Alpine Lake was the one on fire, and we were at the south end of it. We had lunch snacks, and had a good swim in the lake.
驚鳥。
Day 2 PM: Jasper Lake. After portage #3 (43 r) from Apline Lake, we arrived at Jasper Lake. This big bird suddenly took flight when our canoe approached.
第二天的營地。
Day 2 PM: Campsite 2 on Ogishkemuncie Lake. I pushed on after Jasper Lake even though Mike was tired--anyone would if had to carry three packs every portage. We decided to do two trips for each portage. First trip we each would carry one pack, and to familiarize ourselves with the trail condition; then we came back and take the canoe and the other pack. I liked the idea of carrying the canoe although it was difficult to balance and greatly hurt my neck and my shoulders if I didn't maintain a good posture. From Jasper Lake to Kingfisher Lake was a 24 r portage, and then another 41 r portage to Ogishkemuncie Lake. At Kingfisher Lake we met a group of canoeists (4 canoes) and they told us that the campsites on Ogishkemuncie Lake were quite full. We were happy to find one unoccupied, and still feel the isolation.
每個營地都備有燒烤的鐵欄杆。
Day 2 PM: Campsite 2 on Ogishkemuncie Lake. This is the iron grate for campfire. Someone had a nice set up here for cooking and for hanging out by the fire. We collected fire woods and made our dinner on the campfire.
日落。
Day 2 PM: Ogishkemuncie Lake, sunset, and a canoe.
日落。
Day 2 PM: Ogishkemuncie Lake. Sunset.
落日的餘暉，彎月，星。
Day 2 PM: moon and sunset from campsite 2 on Ogishkemuncie Lake.
激流。
Day 3 AM: Ogishkemuncie Lake. A current (or a waterfall) we paddled up to, near the portage to the next lake (Mueller Lake).
水陸聯運，背了個大包。
Day 3 AM: Portage #6 (80 r) between Ogishkemuncie Lake and Mueller Lake. This is the longest portage so far. This green pack contains all the camping gears--a giant heavy tent including the rain fly and the tarp from the outfitter, two sleeping bags, two therm-a-rest pads, and a pillow. We went up 52 feet in elevation for this portage.
扛獨木舟的風景。
Day 3 AM: Portage #7 (100 r) from Mueller Lake (1534 ft) to Agamok Lake (1580 ft). This is the longest portage so far. This is the view from underneath the canoe while carrying it. I like the shadows of the trees on the canoe.
扛獨木舟在水陸聯運的小徑上。
Day 3 AM: Portage #7 (100 r) from Mueller Lake to Agamok Lake. This is the view from outside the canoe while carrying it. This long portage gains 36 ft in elevation and very exhuasting.
扛獨木舟。
Day 3 AM: Portage #7 from Mueller Lake to Agamok Lake. The last of my happy days in Boundary Waters.
湖。
Day 3 PM: Gabimichigami Lake. Leaving Agamok Lake where I fell off a dead tree and injured myself (butt area), coming out of portage #8 (15 r), we decided to shorten our trip and get to a hospital as soon as possible. This is the view of the last big lake.
夕陽。
Day 3 PM: Campsite 3 on Peter Lake. Sunset.
第三天的“廚房”。
Day 3 PM: Campsite 3 on Peter Lake. This campsite (east most one on Peter Lake) has the best view. We enjoyed cooking in the setting sun.
夕陽下的營地。
Day 3 PM: Campsite 3 on Peter Lake. What a beautiful sunset! This campsite has no mosquitoes and no flies, but many ants. Look at that heavy duty 4-person tent (I can easily fit 6 people) the outfitter packed for us when we forgot to bring our own tent. I love the sunlight on the canoe.
第三天的夕陽。
Day 3 PM: Peter Lake. Sunset.
從帳篷向外看的夕陽。
Day 3 PM: Campsite 3 on Peter Lake. View of the sunset from inside the tent. This is the one reason to have a huge tent. At night we watched the moon set and then millions of stars too. No aurora though. We heard some little animals when it was very dark.
沼澤湖。
Day 4 AM: Seahorse Lake. This lake comes after Peter Lake and French Lake, in a very shallow marsh area. The change in scenary is very relaxing to us. We saw water lillies, beaver dams, ducks and butterflies along the lake.
湖上的河狸壩。
Day 4 AM: Beaver dam on Seahorse Lake.
湖麵的荷花。
Day 4 AM: Seahorse Lake lily.
沼澤湖。
Day 4 AM: Seahorse Lake. This area is very isolated. We did not see anyone almost the whole day. True solitude.
小鴨子的一家。
Day 4 AM: Seahorse Lake. This family of ducks were swimming along us, with great stress and alarm. As soon as the duck mother saw us, she urged the 7 duckings to swim further ahead while she herself crackled and danced wildly in front of us, trying to divert our attention from the ducklings. As soon as all of us reached the end of this long lake, suddenly the duck mother and the 7 ducklings exchanged position--the ducklings dove down and then re-emerged from behind our canoe, and the mother flew forward and thus blocking us from the ducklings again. We felt very bad to have caused their stress, but we only wanted to push on to the next portage and we meant no harm. After this lake, I dropped the camera (inside a leaking ziplock back) into the lake and afterward the camera stopped working properly.
第三天我在樹叢中摔傷了，到第五天才出來，到醫院去看。醫生說皮肉之傷，很快能恢複。
Day 5 AM: We came out of the Boundary Waters from Round Lake, got picked up by the outfitter, and went directly to a hospital emergency room in Grand Marias. The doctor says I am lucky. :)
