Choo Choo! It’s express time as we’re discussing this off the beaten path and rugged entry point. There is a reason it’s almost always available, but either way we talk access, popularity, routing and fishing opportunities on our first over 20 minute “express” episode.
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Episode Transcript
[0:00:01 – 0:00:03] Erik: Gotta get that choo-choo.
[0:00:07 – 0:00:09] Erik: Charlie, coming into the harbor.
[0:00:09 – 0:00:12] Adam: Coming down the railroad bridge.
[0:00:12 – 0:00:13] Adam: Are we going to get out of the way or not?
[0:00:13 – 0:00:14] Adam: Who knows?
[0:00:15 – 0:00:16] Adam: This is episode of Tumble Home Express.
[0:00:18 – 0:00:19] Adam: Steamer special.
[0:00:19 – 0:00:30] Adam: This is the Steamer Express Tumble Home Steamship episode coming at you live from Studio K. My name is Adam.
[0:00:31 – 0:00:31] Adam: Nailed it.
[0:00:31 – 0:00:34] Adam: My name is Eric and this is my best friend Adam.
[0:00:34 – 0:00:35] Adam: Hello.
[0:00:35 – 0:00:41] Adam: And we’re coming to you from Studio K talking about Morgan Lake.
[0:00:41 – 0:00:42] Adam: Yeah.
[0:00:42 – 0:01:06] Adam: one of the most uh available permits but uh a tricky one but a lot of fun to be had out there in morgan you know what eric only spot ever seen a link swimming yeah that’s the swimming links that’s pretty exceptional don’t hear about that every day yeah morgan like entry point number 45 one a day
[0:01:09 – 0:01:11] Erik: And, boy.
[0:01:11 – 0:01:13] Erik: It’s a real doozy of an entry.
[0:01:14 – 0:01:16] Erik: It’s a real doozy of an entry for sure.
[0:01:17 – 0:01:20] Erik: You almost have to say it with a little more French in there, Eric.
[0:01:21 – 0:01:22] Erik: Entree.
[0:01:22 – 0:01:22] Erik: Entree.
[0:01:22 – 0:01:24] Erik: The 370 rods of Entree.
[0:01:25 – 0:01:27] Erik: That is according to the Fisher map, 370.
[0:01:27 – 0:01:29] Erik: A little over a mile.
[0:01:29 – 0:01:30] Erik: I would…
[0:01:30 – 0:01:32] Erik: I would gander it’s closer to 400.
[0:01:33 – 0:01:59] Adam: yeah 370 even feels kind of short man oh man yeah i’m gonna say it’s 400 for easy bastard of a portage it’s a it’s all up and down it’s a little tiny roller coaster uh ride yeah the whole way in i remember the last time i did it there was uh i want to say four to five massive trees down on it that had not been cleaned up and i don’t think it gets a lot of cleanup effort on there
[0:02:00 – 0:02:03] Adam: There’s no Morgan Lake Portage Association out there.
[0:02:04 – 0:02:11] Adam: There’s no volunteer crew going out and sprucing up the Morgan Lake Portage entry.
[0:02:12 – 0:02:14] Adam: There’s no Entry Point 45 Society.
[0:02:16 – 0:02:17] Erik: Maybe we should say Entry Point 45 Society.
[0:02:17 – 0:02:21] Adam: Hashtag Entry Point 45 Society.
[0:02:21 – 0:02:22] Adam: Sounds a little fringe.
[0:02:23 – 0:02:24] Adam: They’re an extremist group.
[0:02:25 – 0:02:25] Adam: They are.
[0:02:25 – 0:02:28] Erik: Aligning ourselves with the Boogaloo Boys.
[0:02:29 – 0:02:30] Adam: Entry Point 45 Society.
[0:02:31 – 0:02:32] Adam: Yeah, this is all according to the plan.
[0:02:35 – 0:02:37] Erik: I didn’t even realize the association with that number.
[0:02:38 – 0:02:38] Adam: Yeah.
[0:02:38 – 0:02:39] Adam: Wow.
[0:02:39 – 0:02:39] Adam: All right.
[0:02:40 – 0:02:40] Adam: So that’s out.
[0:02:41 – 0:02:41] Adam: That’s out.
[0:02:42 – 0:02:42] Adam: But anyways.
[0:02:42 – 0:02:43] Erik: The 45 Society?
[0:02:43 – 0:02:49] Erik: I could literally see not being surprised if there is a group out there that has that claimed already.
[0:02:49 – 0:02:49] Adam: Oh, yeah.
[0:02:49 – 0:02:50] Adam: It’s already taken.
[0:02:51 – 0:02:52] Adam: We’re going to move off that position.
[0:02:53 – 0:02:54] Erik: Yeah.
[0:02:54 – 0:03:00] Adam: But we’ll just stick with the Lux Carlton Society.
[0:03:00 – 0:03:00] Adam: How about that?
[0:03:00 – 0:03:01] Adam: There you go.
[0:03:01 – 0:03:02] Adam: Forget Morgan.
[0:03:02 – 0:03:02] Adam: Forget 45.
[0:03:03 – 0:03:05] Adam: We’re going with the Lux Carlton Society.
[0:03:05 – 0:03:07] Adam: That’s where it’s really at anyways.
[0:03:08 – 0:03:17] Adam: So every year on the summer solstice, we go out and we spend a 24-hour period just sprucing it up a little.
[0:03:17 – 0:03:18] Erik: Yeah, let’s do it.
[0:03:18 – 0:03:19] Erik: I’ll do that.
[0:03:19 – 0:03:19] Erik: All right.
[0:03:20 – 0:03:27] Erik: Access to this Gunflint Trail adjacent, Eastern Boundary Waters adjacent…
[0:03:29 – 0:03:29] Erik: Entry point.
[0:03:30 – 0:03:33] Adam: This Misquah Hills foothill chain.
[0:03:33 – 0:03:35] Erik: Yeah, it is in the…
[0:03:35 – 0:03:36] Erik: In the shadow of the Misquah.
[0:03:36 – 0:03:40] Erik: The shadow of the Misquah under the shadows of Lima Mountain.
[0:03:41 – 0:03:42] Erik: Lima?
[0:03:43 – 0:03:47] Adam: You can either come at it from the… From the top 10 high points in the state right there.
[0:03:47 – 0:03:47] Adam: Yep.
[0:03:48 – 0:03:49] Adam: You got like five of them.
[0:03:49 – 0:03:49] Erik: Yeah.
[0:03:50 – 0:03:53] Adam: Five of the top 10 high points in the state of Minnesota…
[0:03:53 – 0:04:19] Erik: all looking down on lux and carl for sure so you can either come in if you’re driving up from grand marais you can come in down the brule river road tie into the lima mountain uh grade the lima grade the lima grade um it’s a rough road it is a rough road one time i was driving down the lima grade and there was just like a old stump sticking out the middle of the road
[0:04:19 – 0:04:25] Erik: Yeah, it’s like the old trees that they put into the gravel to keep the dirt from washing away.
[0:04:26 – 0:04:27] Erik: They’re now poking up.
[0:04:27 – 0:04:28] Erik: Yeah.
[0:04:28 – 0:04:29] Erik: Backfired.
[0:04:29 – 0:04:32] Erik: It’s a rugged, rugged ass road in there.
[0:04:33 – 0:04:44] Erik: Sometimes, I know they’ve done a lot of work on it lately to alleviate some of the beaver flowages, but there’s been times where I’ve been in there where I’m like, I’m just like fording a river.
[0:04:44 – 0:04:46] Adam: Yeah, this road is, I would say, at least 20% beaver dam.
[0:04:46 – 0:04:46] Adam: Yeah.
[0:04:48 – 0:05:03] Adam: yeah god bless the castor yeah so for their fine work on the lima grade otherwise this entry point would be inaccessible most of the year and the the parking lot to access the portage is like two vehicles wide
[0:05:05 – 0:05:06] Erik: Which just blows my mind.
[0:05:06 – 0:05:07] Erik: I get it.
[0:05:07 – 0:05:10] Erik: It’s a remote, not very accessed or used.
[0:05:10 – 0:05:10] Erik: It’s a one a day.
[0:05:11 – 0:05:12] Erik: But it’s still one a day.
[0:05:13 – 0:05:22] Erik: Sometimes I’ve been in there where people are having to just park off a few hundred feet before the actual lot in logging cuts.
[0:05:23 – 0:05:26] Erik: Because it is like, there’s just no place to park.
[0:05:28 – 0:05:34] Erik: So we basically have spent five minutes leading up to the next part, which is popularity.
[0:05:34 – 0:05:45] Erik: And again, let’s throw out last year, in general, this is one of the entry points that you can almost always find, even though there’s only one a day.
[0:05:46 – 0:05:52] Erik: It’s like come mid-July through mid-August, people are like, I want to come up and do a Boundary Waters trip.
[0:05:53 – 0:05:57] Erik: And they’re calling me like on the Friday of the weekend in mid-July.
[0:05:57 – 0:05:58] Erik: I’m like, wow, looking at the permits.
[0:05:59 – 0:06:01] Erik: Yeah, you’ve got a North Fowl.
[0:06:01 – 0:06:06] Erik: There’s a South Lake permit left and a Morgan Lake permit.
[0:06:06 – 0:06:08] Erik: Those are usually only.
[0:06:09 – 0:06:15] Erik: And it’s not one that I necessarily would recommend to somebody in that position who is like, I want to get that Boundary Waters experience.
[0:06:16 – 0:06:18] Erik: Well, let’s put you in at Morgan.
[0:06:19 – 0:06:20] Erik: That’s kind of rough.
[0:06:20 – 0:06:21] Erik: That’s a rough start.
[0:06:21 – 0:06:28] Adam: You’re off to a rough start because you’re not putting your best boot forward on this portage.
[0:06:28 – 0:06:32] Adam: Any trip that you start with a portage, you’re already kind of like, okay.
[0:06:33 – 0:06:34] Adam: This is off to a weird start.
[0:06:34 – 0:06:38] Adam: And then if it’s that kind of portage, it really is off-putting.
[0:06:39 – 0:06:40] Adam: It makes you kind of wonder, what’s ahead?
[0:06:41 – 0:06:46] Adam: But what’s ahead is nothing but ridiculously short portages that are in pretty good shape.
[0:06:46 – 0:06:48] Adam: It’s just you’ve got to pay the piper, as they say.
[0:06:48 – 0:06:50] Adam: You’ve got to pay that old Carl.
[0:06:52 – 0:06:53] Adam: The name of the piper is named Carl.
[0:06:54 – 0:06:55] Erik: What does that phrase even mean?
[0:06:55 – 0:06:56] Adam: Pay the piper?
[0:06:56 – 0:06:57] Adam: Yeah.
[0:06:57 – 0:07:00] Adam: Well, they’re playing the lute, the courting lute.
[0:07:00 – 0:07:03] Erik: Do you have to pay the piper to get him to play the song?
[0:07:04 – 0:07:05] Adam: You just marry the piper.
[0:07:06 – 0:07:06] Adam: That’s how you pay.
[0:07:06 – 0:07:09] Adam: You pay the loot.
[0:07:11 – 0:07:12] Adam: It’s the courting piper.
[0:07:12 – 0:07:13] Erik: Oh, okay.
[0:07:13 – 0:07:15] Adam: This is a loot joke.
[0:07:16 – 0:07:19] Erik: I was more curious as to where the phrase pay the piper came from, though.
[0:07:19 – 0:07:21] Adam: Yeah, you gotta pay him.
[0:07:22 – 0:07:24] Adam: It’s like throwing a coin in the guitar case.
[0:07:25 – 0:07:27] Adam: Because there’s not a real fee.
[0:07:27 – 0:07:29] Adam: But you still gotta pay the piper.
[0:07:29 – 0:07:30] Adam: That’s a job, too.
[0:07:31 – 0:07:32] Adam: People need to pipe.
[0:07:33 – 0:07:33] Adam: All right.
[0:07:33 – 0:07:34] Adam: All right.
[0:07:34 – 0:07:36] Adam: So you got to pay them, even though it’s technically free.
[0:07:37 – 0:07:38] Adam: It’s like a Patreon.
[0:07:39 – 0:07:41] Adam: And we appreciate all our friends on Patreon.
[0:07:41 – 0:07:42] Adam: Oh, nice.
[0:07:42 – 0:07:44] Adam: And you got to pay the piper.
[0:07:44 – 0:07:50] Adam: So thank you, Patreon, for your support of this Tumble Home Express episode.
[0:07:51 – 0:07:52] Erik: Are we the pipers?
[0:07:52 – 0:07:53] Adam: We are the pipers.
[0:07:53 – 0:07:55] Adam: It’s all coming around.
[0:07:55 – 0:07:58] Adam: Are you achieving the singularity now?
[0:07:58 – 0:08:01] Adam: Are you levitating above our desk here in Studio K?
[0:08:02 – 0:08:22] Erik: properly yes so morgan lake so morgan lake um this again yes remote access difficult portage to start almost always available permit will gain you access to the aptly named morgan lake
[0:08:23 – 0:08:29] Erik: And from there, you can either head directly west through Jake into Vista.
[0:08:29 – 0:08:38] Erik: And then you’re crossing over into waters that many other… Well, not many.
[0:08:38 – 0:08:41] Erik: Two other entry points access.
[0:08:41 – 0:08:43] Erik: One being Ram.
[0:08:43 – 0:08:46] Erik: The other being Liz and Swamp.
[0:08:46 – 0:08:47] Erik: And even to a certain extent, maybe Meads.
[0:08:48 – 0:08:52] Erik: So, while it is a relatively…
[0:08:53 – 0:09:00] Erik: obscure, under-reserved permit, you would think with those
[0:09:01 – 0:09:14] Erik: aspects in mind that you would have access to relatively like quiet lakes, but like almost immediately, unless you go down to Carl and Lux, which both do have campsites on them.
[0:09:16 – 0:09:17] Erik: Um, campsite reviews forthcoming.
[0:09:18 – 0:09:19] Erik: Just wait, we’ll get there.
[0:09:19 – 0:09:19] Erik: We’re going there.
[0:09:19 – 0:09:21] Erik: This is, we’re going to go first trip of the year.
[0:09:21 – 0:09:23] Erik: We’re going to day trip out and review those sites.
[0:09:23 – 0:09:23] Erik: Um,
[0:09:24 – 0:09:32] Erik: But almost immediately you find yourself in a chain of lakes that is going to be just as popular.
[0:09:34 – 0:09:37] Erik: As some of the most popular parts of this area.
[0:09:37 – 0:09:46] Erik: So that’s why it’s kind of questionable as to why you would ever put in at Morgan.
[0:09:48 – 0:09:48] Erik: You know what I mean?
[0:09:49 – 0:09:52] Erik: It’s like, yeah, you put in a Bower Trout one a day.
[0:09:52 – 0:09:56] Erik: You’ve got like a chain of lakes between Bower Trout and Brule.
[0:09:56 – 0:10:01] Erik: that essentially are going to be for that one person a day to head through.
[0:10:01 – 0:10:07] Erik: You can almost guarantee some nice solitude because only one permit goes in a day.
[0:10:09 – 0:10:18] Erik: With Morgan, it’s like, okay, one a day, but then all of a sudden you’re just in the same area that other permits are going, if that makes sense.
[0:10:20 – 0:10:21] Erik: I don’t know.
[0:10:21 – 0:10:22] Adam: I think they’re all the same kind of thing, though.
[0:10:24 – 0:10:26] Adam: Where are you going on Bower Trout?
[0:10:26 – 0:10:31] Adam: You’re going to just go all the way through and then arrange a transport?
[0:10:31 – 0:10:32] Erik: Well, and that’s the other big issue.
[0:10:32 – 0:10:35] Adam: You’re coming back eventually, so you’re all in the system together.
[0:10:35 – 0:10:40] Adam: And at least with Carl and Lux and Jake there, you can kind of do a nice little loop.
[0:10:41 – 0:10:42] Adam: It’s a very tiny loop.
[0:10:42 – 0:10:44] Erik: It’s the tiniest of loops.
[0:10:44 – 0:10:45] Erik: That would be ridiculous.
[0:10:45 – 0:10:46] Erik: That’s an overnight loop.
[0:10:47 – 0:10:48] Adam: I did an afternoon trip.
[0:10:48 – 0:10:54] Adam: It would be funny to go in and the first night you stay at Carl and then the next night you stay at Lux.
[0:10:54 – 0:10:58] Adam: And then the next night you go around again and stay at Carl one more time.
[0:10:59 – 0:11:00] Adam: You just keep doing it.
[0:11:00 – 0:11:03] Erik: Yeah, bring a lot of art supplies in that scenario.
[0:11:03 – 0:11:08] Adam: It’d be fine for just like a night or two going and just hang out.
[0:11:09 – 0:11:11] Adam: So anyways, I was looking at the fishing.
[0:11:11 – 0:11:16] Adam: My data from the little green book says Morgan has northern pike.
[0:11:16 – 0:11:17] Adam: Good fishing.
[0:11:18 – 0:11:22] Adam: Okay, so how have I never like ice fished Morgan early in the season?
[0:11:22 – 0:11:26] Adam: This should be on the list for future seasons of ice.
[0:11:26 – 0:11:27] Erik: Before we get any snow.
[0:11:27 – 0:11:31] Adam: Yeah, like when you can still drive in there, but it’s a small enough lake where it frees up quick.
[0:11:32 – 0:11:32] Adam: Yeah.
[0:11:32 – 0:11:34] Adam: Early season pike on Morgan on tip-ups.
[0:11:35 – 0:11:35] Adam: Let’s do it next year.
[0:11:35 – 0:11:36] Adam: I’ve never thought of this.
[0:11:37 – 0:11:39] Adam: But then Carl is stocked with rainbow trout.
[0:11:40 – 0:11:40] Erik: Ooh.
[0:11:40 – 0:11:44] Adam: First stocked in 1987, according to the Green Book.
[0:11:44 – 0:11:50] Adam: And then Lux was apparently once stocked with brown trout, but then it says no fish present.
[0:11:51 – 0:11:51] Adam: Yikes.
[0:11:52 – 0:11:52] Adam: So I don’t believe that either.
[0:11:52 – 0:11:53] Erik: Did you see anything on Jake?
[0:11:54 – 0:11:56] Adam: Well, Jake is part of the Vista system.
[0:11:56 – 0:11:59] Adam: I didn’t look it up, but from what I remember, that was all walleye.
[0:12:00 – 0:12:01] Adam: I’ll pull up Jake.
[0:12:02 – 0:12:08] Adam: But yeah, I thought that Jake and Vista were like, if you got in there, you might have some walleye action going.
[0:12:08 – 0:12:11] Adam: So the… Yeah, Jake is also just as northern.
[0:12:11 – 0:12:12] Adam: Fair fishing.
[0:12:12 – 0:12:12] Adam: Fair fishing.
[0:12:13 – 0:12:21] Erik: I wonder what it would be like to try to haul and probably be really a pain to try to get a winter camp set up out there.
[0:12:22 – 0:12:24] Adam: Yeah, no, that portage is terrible.
[0:12:25 – 0:12:29] Adam: Vista is northern and walleye, fair-sized fish.
[0:12:29 – 0:12:29] Adam: Yeah.
[0:12:30 – 0:12:33] Adam: So there’s your little fishing report on this little tiny chain.
[0:12:33 – 0:12:42] Erik: Yeah, in terms of routing through here, again, it’s for good reason, not surprising that this permit is almost always available because, yeah…
[0:12:43 – 0:12:48] Erik: You have to put in on a 350 plus rod portage.
[0:12:48 – 0:12:59] Erik: And unless you’re working with an outfitter to arrange some kind of a shuttle, you’re going to have to do that twice because there’s no good way to loop this trip.
[0:12:59 – 0:13:06] Adam: Well, that’s the way I did it, I think, last was I just went through and then paddled back to Trail Center and then got a ride back to get my car later.
[0:13:07 – 0:13:10] Erik: Or if you’ve got multiple vehicles, yeah, you can drop one up at the public access.
[0:13:10 – 0:13:13] Adam: I think that’s probably what a lot of people are using it for, something like that.
[0:13:13 – 0:13:19] Adam: Probably very few people are just going in and spending a night on Carl and then coming back out that same way.
[0:13:19 – 0:13:21] Adam: But I don’t know.
[0:13:21 – 0:13:23] Adam: That’s not the worst trip you could do.
[0:13:23 – 0:13:25] Adam: And if it’s always available, you know, it’s like, oh.
[0:13:25 – 0:13:31] Adam: I might want to do a trip at the middle to end of August, but I’m just not sure if it’s going to work out.
[0:13:31 – 0:13:38] Adam: So I don’t want to book it on permit day, but maybe in a month from now or two months from now.
[0:13:38 – 0:13:41] Adam: And you’re like, okay, I think it is going to work out to do that trip.
[0:13:41 – 0:13:45] Adam: I know it’s not great timing, but you can kind of count on Morgan being there.
[0:13:45 – 0:13:53] Adam: And you can either do it a little short trip if you need, or you can access all the same stuff you’re getting off of either of the Poplar permits or
[0:13:54 – 0:13:55] Erik: Yeah, basically.
[0:13:55 – 0:13:56] Adam: Or off the ranch.
[0:13:56 – 0:13:59] Adam: You know, you can end up getting a Gaskin and Winchell off of there, no problem.
[0:14:00 – 0:14:03] Adam: So it’s a good little bonus sneaker permit.
[0:14:04 – 0:14:11] Erik: You could also, if you’ve got the vehicles to arrange, you could do in at Morgan, out at Ram, or vice versa.
[0:14:11 – 0:14:15] Erik: That’s a nice, like, I would say like a nice two-day trip with fishing involved.
[0:14:16 – 0:14:23] Adam: Use the tough portage to your advantage in that case, because it’s what’s keeping people out and in all, you know, in all reality.
[0:14:23 – 0:14:26] Adam: So what if it’s 440 rod portage?
[0:14:27 – 0:14:32] Adam: Yeah, it’ll be tough, especially going in with the full pack, but then, you know, just make sure you eat up all your meats.
[0:14:32 – 0:14:39] Erik: Yeah, I guess the way to do it if you wanted to involve those lights would be put in a ram with heavy packs and then exit.
[0:14:40 – 0:14:44] Adam: Yeah, all those partridges through there and the craft and rum are tough too, though.
[0:14:44 – 0:14:46] Erik: They’re all downhill.
[0:14:46 – 0:14:47] Erik: It’s pretty rugged terrain.
[0:14:48 – 0:14:49] Adam: There’s some knee bashers in there.
[0:14:50 – 0:15:08] Erik: Yeah, fun little day trip for the extremely adventurous would be a put in at Ram, Morgan, Jake, sorry, put in at Morgan, Jake, Vista, and then up into Horseshoe and then exit via the Brule River.
[0:15:08 – 0:15:09] Erik: The South Brule.
[0:15:09 – 0:15:11] Erik: Yeah, I’ve done that before.
[0:15:11 – 0:15:14] Adam: Well, it’s labeled on the Fisher as South Brule, but South Brule comes out of Bower Trout.
[0:15:14 – 0:15:16] Adam: This should really be labeled as North Brule.
[0:15:16 – 0:15:17] Adam: We have a misprint.
[0:15:18 – 0:15:24] Erik: Yeah, the Horseshoe Lake is the headwaters of the North Brule branch of the river.
[0:15:24 – 0:15:30] Erik: And in the spring, that section through there is not terrifying.
[0:15:30 – 0:15:34] Erik: A little bit of kind of finding your way via portages.
[0:15:34 – 0:15:35] Erik: Nothing very well maintained.
[0:15:36 – 0:15:40] Adam: There’s one actual portage listed as 40 rods pretty close back to the road there.
[0:15:40 – 0:15:42] Adam: But I do have a couple penned in.
[0:15:43 – 0:16:00] Adam: portages higher up i’ve never i’ve never done that and i’ve always thought it would be fun but it is fun i was told it is rough but it gets a little rough three portages possible and uh seems like a solid paddle out and then you could just walk the road back to your car at morgan wouldn’t be too far
[0:16:00 – 0:16:01] Erik: Pretty close, yeah.
[0:16:01 – 0:16:02] Adam: Yeah, that would be doable.
[0:16:02 – 0:16:07] Adam: That would be something I’d be intrigued by, is to do that whole trip in the spring.
[0:16:07 – 0:16:07] Adam: Bust out a Royal X?
[0:16:08 – 0:16:08] Adam: There you go.
[0:16:08 – 0:16:09] Adam: Yeah.
[0:16:09 – 0:16:10] Adam: Spirit 2 time.
[0:16:10 – 0:16:10] Erik: Yeah.
[0:16:11 – 0:16:21] Erik: Otherwise, you know, in terms of routing off of Morgan, you’re going to be looking towards, yeah, up to Horseshoe, up into the Gaskin Meads, maybe Winchell.
[0:16:22 – 0:16:25] Erik: Yeah, that’s a lot of driving, considering how far…
[0:16:26 – 0:16:35] Erik: Considering the mileage as the crow flies versus how much driving you’d have to do to do like a Morgan to Brule trip, it’s like a… Yeah.
[0:16:36 – 0:16:39] Adam: It’d be hilarious to go like Morgan to Lake of the Woods.
[0:16:39 – 0:16:40] Adam: Where’d you come from?
[0:16:40 – 0:16:41] Adam: Morgan.
[0:16:43 – 0:16:43] Erik: Yeah.
[0:16:44 – 0:16:44] Erik: Yeah.
[0:16:45 – 0:16:45] Erik: So yeah, I don’t know.
[0:16:46 – 0:16:47] Erik: It’s not one that I don’t recommend.
[0:16:47 – 0:16:52] Erik: It’s like we say dark horse a lot, but I think dark horse things are usually like…
[0:16:53 – 0:16:57] Erik: Nobody’s recognizing how good of an entry point this is.
[0:16:57 – 0:16:58] Erik: I think it’s just…
[0:16:59 – 0:17:03] Erik: I think it’s appropriately underbooked for good reason.
[0:17:03 – 0:17:04] Erik: Yeah.
[0:17:04 – 0:17:07] Adam: It’s available, and you can make it work.
[0:17:07 – 0:17:07] Erik: Yeah.
[0:17:07 – 0:17:08] Erik: You can make it work.
[0:17:08 – 0:17:12] Erik: It’s not like Skipper, where it’s like, why don’t more people go in at Skipper?
[0:17:12 – 0:17:13] Adam: I don’t… Yeah, I don’t understand that.
[0:17:13 – 0:17:16] Erik: But I was like, yeah, if I looked at the map and my options…
[0:17:17 – 0:17:43] Adam: put in at morgan like so have you ever stayed at carl or lux because i’ve paddled by him but i never like actually stopped to scope him never can’t never step foot on either but maybe that should be my memory was that lux was better than carl but that’s based on one paddle through many years ago yeah and uh who’s to say they’re probably equally uh a c plus would be my best guess
[0:17:44 – 0:17:45] Erik: Yeah, can’t offer any.
[0:17:46 – 0:17:49] Adam: I’ve never heard anything amazing about Lux or Carl.
[0:17:50 – 0:17:52] Erik: No, I haven’t either.
[0:17:54 – 0:17:54] Erik: So, yeah.
[0:17:54 – 0:17:55] Adam: That’s up there.
[0:17:55 – 0:17:56] Adam: We should probably try and visit.
[0:17:57 – 0:18:03] Erik: Yeah, I think I would put that up there with the run at Pipe again.
[0:18:05 – 0:18:05] Adam: Yeah.
[0:18:05 – 0:18:09] Erik: For some early ice out opportunities, maybe.
[0:18:09 – 0:18:11] Adam: Yeah, we got a lot of things to try out.
[0:18:11 – 0:18:14] Adam: I would say that’s up there for me, though.
[0:18:14 – 0:18:20] Adam: It would be Morgan, Carl, Lux, Jake, Vista, and then the North Brule back to the road.
[0:18:21 – 0:18:22] Adam: That would be a solid day.
[0:18:23 – 0:18:23] Erik: Yeah.
[0:18:23 – 0:18:24] Adam: That would be a real solid day.
[0:18:26 – 0:18:30] Erik: Yeah, no, I did that with Tori one afternoon after work, honestly.
[0:18:30 – 0:18:30] Erik: Oh, you did?
[0:18:30 – 0:18:30] Adam: Yeah.
[0:18:30 – 0:18:32] Adam: Yeah, I knew you had gone in there.
[0:18:32 – 0:18:34] Adam: I didn’t realize it was just, like, after work.
[0:18:34 – 0:18:36] Erik: Yeah, it was…
[0:18:36 – 0:18:40] Erik: The sun was, like, setting as we were walking down the road, I remember.
[0:18:40 – 0:18:41] Erik: Um…
[0:18:43 – 0:19:00] Erik: yeah is there a lot of current in there it looks like it’s kind of wider uh the north uh there’s a decent amount of current there’s also a decent amount of that like i’m just walking with my canoe next to it down a jagged jumbly rock field it’s like this isn’t that much fun um
[0:19:02 – 0:19:03] Erik: Yeah.
[0:19:03 – 0:19:04] Erik: Can’t say that I recommend it.
[0:19:04 – 0:19:08] Erik: Can’t say that I would say avoid it, but… Now you know.
[0:19:08 – 0:19:09] Erik: Now you know what you’re getting into.
[0:19:10 – 0:19:10] Erik: Now you know.
[0:19:11 – 0:19:14] Erik: Just as we end here, pro tip?
[0:19:14 – 0:19:16] Erik: I don’t know if I necessarily have a pro tip.
[0:19:16 – 0:19:21] Erik: I’d say put in at RAM or come down in from Poplar.
[0:19:23 – 0:19:26] Erik: If it’s the only permit available, you can make it work, but…
[0:19:28 – 0:19:37] Erik: The only other thing, I’m on BWCA.com’s map page where you can put little dots with pictures or campsite reviews.
[0:19:37 – 0:19:46] Erik: And there is a picture that is denoted by a blue dot on State Lake.
[0:19:46 – 0:19:47] Erik: Oh, yeah.
[0:19:47 – 0:19:48] Erik: By Bunga.
[0:19:48 – 0:19:52] Erik: A couple of guys bushwhacked into State from Winchell.
[0:19:53 – 0:19:54] Erik: What?
[0:19:54 – 0:19:54] Adam: Yeah.
[0:19:55 – 0:19:55] Erik: Ugh.
[0:19:55 – 0:19:57] Erik: No, you should come from, oh, I guess.
[0:19:58 – 0:20:02] Erik: He said it was an eight to 10 hour round trip bushwhack.
[0:20:03 – 0:20:03] Erik: Ugh.
[0:20:03 – 0:20:04] Erik: Yeah.
[0:20:04 – 0:20:05] Erik: Why?
[0:20:07 – 0:20:08] Adam: Well, I know why.
[0:20:08 – 0:20:13] Erik: They said they were carrying fishing poles because some researchers at the U of M wanted trout samples from the lake.
[0:20:14 – 0:20:18] Adam: I’ve heard that that is like a trout DNA source.
[0:20:19 – 0:20:19] Erik: Yeah.
[0:20:19 – 0:20:22] Erik: They said that they fished, but didn’t catch anything.
[0:20:24 – 0:20:24] Adam: Wow.
[0:20:25 – 0:20:28] Adam: I’ve heard Bunga’s all right, too, but State’s supposed to be the truth.
[0:20:29 – 0:20:38] Adam: I was told you had to come up from West Arm of Vista, but that’s even farther, but you have at least a couple lakes and kind of streams to follow.
[0:20:38 – 0:20:44] Erik: Yeah, you could maybe like snowshoe down Spud into Bunga and then into State, but they just walked up from Winchell.
[0:20:45 – 0:20:52] Adam: Yeah, no, that was my recon on State was you come up from Spud into Icicle.
[0:20:53 – 0:20:55] Erik: And don’t forget about snack.
[0:20:55 – 0:20:58] Adam: Spud up to Bunga and then Bunga to State.
[0:20:58 – 0:20:59] Adam: It’s supposed to be amazing.
[0:20:59 – 0:21:00] Adam: It’s supposed to have like.
[0:21:00 – 0:21:01] Adam: Supposedly.
[0:21:01 – 0:21:07] Adam: Unprecedented number of trout and the most impeccable trout DNA out there.
[0:21:07 – 0:21:08] Erik: The old trout.
[0:21:09 – 0:21:12] Adam: The oldest of the trout, little brother.
[0:21:12 – 0:21:14] Adam: That’s where little brother comes from.
[0:21:14 – 0:21:14] Erik: Yep.
[0:21:15 – 0:21:15] Erik: All right.
[0:21:16 – 0:21:17] Erik: Morgan Lake, one permit a day.
[0:21:18 – 0:21:19] Erik: Probably a bunch of those available.
[0:21:19 – 0:21:24] Erik: I should have pulled up the permit system, see if anybody’s gotten any secured for this next upcoming season.
[0:21:24 – 0:21:26] Adam: I bet somebody’s already grabbed a Morgan, we’re sure.
[0:21:26 – 0:21:30] Erik: You’re on the permit day 2021, and you’re on there at 8.59.
[0:21:30 – 0:21:31] Erik: Somebody beat me to it.
[0:21:36 – 0:21:55] Adam: uh you gotta get fishing opener i gotta get that morgan permit like really um my pro tip on morgan would be if you ever see a lynx swimming across morgan lake is to uh keep a safe distance because they don’t appreciate it when you paddle near them i can tell you that much
[0:21:57 – 0:22:02] Adam: But you can get close enough to see the little hairs on their ears.
[0:22:02 – 0:22:05] Adam: That’s how you know you’re at a good distance from swimming lynx.
[0:22:06 – 0:22:14] Erik: The first permit taken for the 2021 season as of today for Morgan Lake is May 9th.
[0:22:15 – 0:22:16] Erik: All right.
[0:22:17 – 0:22:18] Adam: What day of the week is that?
[0:22:20 – 0:22:21] Erik: That’s a Sunday.
[0:22:21 – 0:22:21] Erik: Sunday.
[0:22:22 – 0:22:25] Adam: That person’s looking for some solitude.
[0:22:25 – 0:22:28] Adam: And whoever you are, God bless your heart.
[0:22:28 – 0:22:31] Erik: Yeah, I don’t see any other Morgans until…
[0:22:40 – 0:22:42] Adam: Okay, I’m definitely doing a Morgan trip this year.
[0:22:42 – 0:22:43] Erik: Oh, here we go.
[0:22:43 – 0:22:45] Erik: July 2nd is the next.
[0:22:46 – 0:22:47] Erik: No, August 2nd.
[0:22:47 – 0:22:51] Erik: There’s only two permits taken on Morgan two days after the permit day.
[0:22:51 – 0:22:52] Erik: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[0:22:52 – 0:22:53] Erik: But still, it’s funny that the first ones.
[0:22:53 – 0:22:55] Adam: Considering how many permits got swapped up.
[0:22:56 – 0:22:56] Erik: Yeah.
[0:22:56 – 0:22:57] Erik: Swiped up.
[0:22:57 – 0:23:00] Erik: Clearwater is like almost already like gone.
[0:23:00 – 0:23:00] Adam: Yeah.
[0:23:00 – 0:23:00] Adam: It’s crazy.
[0:23:01 – 0:23:04] Adam: Well, that’s funny, and it’s a wonderful thing.
[0:23:05 – 0:23:12] Adam: Somebody could still do a Fourth of Morgan trip for their Independence Day celebration.
[0:23:12 – 0:23:14] Erik: Fourth of Morgly.
[0:23:15 – 0:23:18] Erik: Rolls right off the tongue.
[0:23:18 – 0:23:19] Adam: Fourth of Luxi.
[0:23:20 – 0:23:23] Adam: Fourth of Carl… Carlsy.
[0:23:24 – 0:23:25] Adam: Old Carlsy.
[0:23:25 – 0:23:26] Adam: Good night.
[0:23:26 – 0:23:26] Adam: All right, bye.
