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99a069.JPG (18667 bytes) Searching for a campsite on the islands.  The western shore didn't offer any clearings and it wasn't until we rounded the south end of a small double island that we found a great spot. Day 6 - Agnes Lake

Made it on the water at 7:30am after a good night's sleep in a quiet camp. The first portage was blocked by a few small, downed trees, which we cleared. The next portage was a mess, but do-able. Lots of fresh storm damage in this area. The next portage, however, was a nightmare. The first 20 rods of this 48-rod trail were covered with downed trees, all of them too large to cut through and most at waist height. To get the packs through this, a Scout walked up to a tree, turned and rested the pack on it while another Scout steadied it and put on the pack while the other climbed over the tree. They'd take a couple steps to the next tree where they repeated the process. It took two people per pack and two per canoe, meaning a double portage for most and a triple for some, but at least the canoes slid over the trees. The next portage before reaching Bird Lake was in good shape, but incredibly long. One more portage and we made it onto Agnes Lake. The wind was up, even in the cove we were in, so we're a little worried about what the main lake will be like. It will be a long, hard haul south no matter what. When we reach the main body, the whitecaps and waves are much worse than Kawnipi and we have to do a 3-mile run across open water to reach the lee side of some islands. After crossing two rough water channels between islands that opened up into the lake, we made it to the big island and slogged on south. When we reached the southwestern tip, we ran into dangerous water again but were able to round the point into a channel with two small islands, where we set up camp and started to dry everything out. Everyone agreed that "Agnes was a b***h!". Mark L. had brought dehydrated beef and potatoes from OKC, so tonight we ate beef stew, which was a big hit … meat we could chew on! It rained from 7pm until 9, but cool winds followed it and brought a wind shift. Everyone appreciated the temperature change to sleep in.

99a060.JPG (25225 bytes) Steven E. humping a personal pack from the canoe into camp after a hard day of bad portages and wind on Agnes Lake.  
99a059.JPG (21772 bytes) Michael C., Jerry C., and Phillip W. figuring out how to set up the kitchen and eating areas.  There's a storm brewing behind them on the other side of the trees.
crewAcamp8bearbag.jpg (33324 bytes) Much lighter bear bags near the end of the trek went up easier.  Jerry C. and Tom W. by a Scout tent cool down after helping raise the load.

 
Long-term high adventure treks we've been on

Backpacking, canoeing, caving, scuba & rappelling

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About the Venture Patrol and information for its members


Venturing