Adam:

Congratulations. I think you will be very pleased with your adventure to the area. It is probably one of the most beautiful and amazing areas on this planet I have ever experienced.

I can't recommend a must see trip into the BWCA, though there must be plenty of them. Someone else surely will. All of my trips have started from Ely, but were mostly in Quetico, on the Canadian side. Quetico and the BWCA are very similar, except quetico is less civilized and you will probably see fewer people.

Your 5500 cubic inch pack should easily handle the food and gear you will need for a 4-5 day trip, unless you like to bring the kitchen sink. I've made 7 day trips with a somewhat smaller pack. The best way to be sure what will work for you though, is to assemble everything you plan to take and then pack it. Lashing your tent, sleeping bag, and other bulky items to the outside will help.

I don't particularly care for those big, green packs, but I prefer to do without some things and travel light. Some portages are difficult and feeling like a pack animal or making numerous trips over the same portage is not my idea of a vacation. But then, it all depends on your specific needs. I'm doing a 7 day trip soon and I am taking one 5500 cubic inch, external frame pack. They are great for canoeing for several reasons, one of which is that if you load them in the canoe frame-down, the frame keeps the contents away from the inevitable, small amount of water that collects in the bottom of the canoe. The modern ones are quite comfortable to carry, too.

I've used a different outfitter on each of my trips. Most of them will give you decent service, especially if you only need a canoe, paddles, and life jackets. If you go to the Ely chamber of commerce web site and submit a request for information about canoe trips, you will receive tons of information from the many outfitters there, with sales pitches and price lists.

I've never used the same place twice because each I have tried left me lacking in a small way. For this summer's trip I am using Hill's Wilderness Trips. They have been extremely helpful and were the only outfitter that responded to the e-mail address I left with the chamber of commerce. Since then, I have traded numerous e-mail messages with them concerning my trip, and I am confident their advice and services will make this trip a great one. However, I haven't actually taken the trip yet. I'll report on the trip next month.

Hill's web site is at
www.hillswildernesstrips.com

If you are an experienced outdoorsman, your choice of an outfitter is not critical, but finding one that is honest and knowledgeable, as well as competitive in price is nice.

...Tom

Posted by Tom Swulius on June 15, 2000 at 02:05