Sunset on Namakan Lake
We put in our canoe on Kabetogama Lake from Ash River around 5pm, not an ideal time to begin a back-country journey, but the sun doesn’t set in northern Minnesota in early August until around 9pm, so we still had about four hours of daylight…enough to find a campsite.
Ben's handiwork — delicioso!
We followed the bouys along the main channel to Namakan Lake and relished that our late start allowed us to catch the beginning of a beautiful sunset. Of the few designated campsites we came across, all were either occupied by motorboats or closed due to nesting of eagles. In Voyageurs, you’re allowed to camp outside of established campsites, and after another half hour of paddling, we found a nice spot situated on Kubel Island. It was clear that others had camped in the area before, as someone had set up a makeshift fire ring. We got to work immediately on pitching the tent and getting dinner ready before the sun set entirely. By this time, we had settled nicely into a camp routine. Usually I would set up the tent while Ben would fire up the stove and begin cooking. I’d join him just in time to do a little chopping, but my main duty was to compliment him on his fine culinary skills as I shoveled food into my mouth. After dinner we would heat up water for tea and dishwashing, and I’d tackle the pots and plates while Ben kept got ready for bed, or cracked jokes to keep me company, or on this night, he set up the tripod to take pictures of the Milky Way, which was shining brighter than we’d seen it on the entire trip.
Milky Way over Voyageurs National Park
Kettle Falls Hotel
Next morning, we awoke to a headwind, which meant a slow-going paddle to our day-trip destination: the historic Kettle Falls Hotel. We’d heard from Jerry at The Fisherman, that the hotel bar floor had warped so drastically over time that it seemed like you’d had one-too-many even before you had a chance to place your order with the bartender. Plus, it’s on the National Register of Historic Places for its contribution to regional history, so we had to check it out.
By the time we arrived, we had worked up a healthy thirst and appetite. The bar was just as described, charmingly off kilter, but we opted to take our drinks out on the porch, where we treated ourselves to fried cheese curds and cauliflower and a bowl of the creamy wild rice soup, all of which we highly recommend.
Kettle Falls dam
On our short walk to the Kettle Falls dam, we came across a hotel employee who asked us if we remembered the old Hamm’s beer commercials. Sure, we said (“…from the land of sky blue waters…”), but why? He wouldn’t tell us exactly, but cryptically said that when we got to the dam, we’d recognize something from the commercial. Maybe it was the killer mosquitoes that had just hatched, or the fact that we had a long paddle ahead and were ready to get back on the water, but neither of us knew what the heck we were supposed to see, and after a few pictures, we left. So, if you know something about the Hamm’s commercial and can clue us in, please leave a comment!
That night we camped in an unofficial spot on Strawberry Island. The mosquitoes were so thick that we donned long sleeves, pants, and headnets for protection. It was the first time on the trip that Ben admitted the mosquitoes were particularly annoying (his tolerance was much higher than mine), and we hid out in the tent to eat dinner.
On our paddle back to Ash River the next morning, we saw two river otters playing in the lake and saw a handful of bald eagles, one of which carried a fish in its talons.
We enjoyed our time in Voyageurs and would like to come back when the weather is a little cooler (fewer mosquitoes) — maybe in September, when we hear the northern lights are more frequently seen. Also, we’d start our days a little earlier so that we could grab the campsites we want. What takes us four hours to paddle is only a 20-minute ride by motorboat, so those campsites get snatched up super fast. We heard from a park service employee that Voyageurs is working on designating certain campsites as open for canoes only. We think that’s a great idea, and could spur an increase in canoeists on the lakes. Here’s a little taste of what it’s like to be a human-powered boat in Voyageurs…
