Alton Lake BWCAW 001

We spent the last three days in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This is an annual trip with our son and several friends. This year the timing couldn’t have been better. Each day was absolutely ideal for wilderness travel (blue skies, calm water and hardly any bugs.

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Alton Lake BWCAW 002

The lakes were like glass every morning and evening.

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Alton Lake BWCAW 004

Even a dead cedar is beautiful when reflected in clear water.

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Alton Lake BWCAW 004

View from our campsite.

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Alton Lake Campsite 001

Most campsites in the BWCAW are nice but we were fortunate to find one surrounded with pine and cedar.

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Alton Lake Campsite 002

This white cedar was as unique as any piece of artwork I have ever seen.

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Alton Lake Campsite 003

It made for a great backdrop for a photo of the canoe in the morning.

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Alton Lake Campsite 004

Our son, Adam, always brings his hammock and this site offered a great spot for reading.

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Alton Lake Campsite 005

Each day we saw several eagles and loons. This loon fed its baby in front of our site every morning and evening.

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Alton Lake Campsite Sunrise 001

One morning an eagle flew over at treetop level. It didn’t see Adam and I and was so close that the wind going through its wings sounded pretty loud.

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Alton Lake Campsite Sunrise 002

We had beautiful sunrises and sunsets each day. Canoeing at sunrise when the lake is like glass is a pretty memorable experience.

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Alton Lake Campsite Sunset 001

The second night the sky turned a pastel pink at sunset.

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Alton Lake Campsite Sunset 002

This is one of many reasons why the BWCAW is a pretty nice place to camp.

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Grace Lake Portage

On a day trip into Grace Lake we discovered one of the largest boulder fields I have seen in the BWCAW. All of the rocks were covered with mosses and lichen creating interesting designs. The boulder field covered several acres. The portage trail itself wasn’t much different. It was one of the tougher portages with rock after rock. Shortly after that we found a spot on the top of a cliff covered with blueberries. We ate several and still had plenty for our morning pancakes.

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Lichens and blueberry plants.

On our way out of the BWCAW we found many interesting plants. This beautiful reindeer moss was on a little island.

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Kelso River Pitcher Plants

We saw hundreds of pitcher plants on the Kelso River. This grouping was so colorful. Pitcher plants grow in floating bogs and are carnivorous insect eating plants. The lower part of the plant is filled with a deadly cocktail that kills and dissolves any unfortunate insect that should fall in.

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