Sawbill Lake Reflections

A friend of mine, Paul Wannarka, called to ask if I’d be interested in a quick fall trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The weather forecast was good and the autumn leaves were turning so Steve Van Kekerix and I joined Paul on Wednesday and headed into Kelso Lake. Crossing Sawbill Lake was absolutely fabulous. It felt like summer with warm temps and calm winds. It was hard to believe that it was the last day of September

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Kelso River

Very few people go into the BWCAW this late in the fall so we had the place to ourselves. Some of the birch and aspen had a beautiful fall glow as we crossed the portage into Kelso Lake.

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Quiet Evening On Kelso Lake

We found all the campsites open so we picked one with a beautiful cliff overlooking the water. As the stars started to appear it made for some great photos.

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Moose Calling on Kelso Lake

The bull moose are now in rut so I took out my moose call and decided to try some moose calling. I called for about an hour but did not see any sign of moose. We loaded our canoes and headed down lake. Just after we rounded the point Steve and Paul simultaneously said “There’s a moose”. Just ahead of us was the largest moose I have ever seen swimming across the narrow part of Kelso Lake. Seeing a moose with a twenty point set of antlers crossing the lake was a magnificent sight. I don’t know if he was just passing through or if the moose calling had worked.

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Bull Moose

We waited until he got close to a small island to try and get some photos. Just as he stepped out of the water I called and he spun around and looked us right in the eyes

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Bull Moose Heading for the Woods

We got off a couple of photos before he stepped out and shook off some water and went crashing into the brush. I wanted him to stay around longer but was relieved that he wasn’t in the mood to chase us. I am not sure we could have paddled fast enough to get away.

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Kelso Lake

It was hard to leave the wilderness after enjoying all of the wonderful scenery, wildlife encounters and time spent with friends.

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