02/20/2026
Boundary Waters winter camping!
Day 1 | Fall Lake to Back Bay (Basswood)
Our group of six slowly made our way across Fall Lake and onto Four Mile Portage. This portage was originally built as a short railroad to haul out timber from the woods. It later served as a "truck portage" where trucks carried canoes and gear and buses transported tourists to small resorts along Basswood Lake. Other than some wood pilings at the beginning of the portage, there is little evidence of its former days.
Getting our trail legs under us, it was nice to travel across easy terrain. Other than a breeze hitting the tops of the tallest trees, it was quiet. I pulled out a thermos of soup at lunch and we all enjoyed a break on the trail in mild weather.
At the end of the long portage, we headed northwest and began to break our trail for the next few miles. Other than otter tracks and dens, we saw little activity from animals. About nine miles later, we entered into Back Bay - one of the numerous bays of big Basswood Lake.
We chose a spot near a campsite that was out of the wind. Everyone picked a chore to tackle. Some went and gathered wood, others set up the tent, while others worked on chiseling a hole in the thick ice. At the end of the day we tucked into hot bowls of shredded beef and taco toppings.
I eventually wandered up to my little tarp bed in the woods. A good and full day, and a good night.
