I usually do not pinch the barbs on my jigs.

I sneak into the park at least once a year.

I have 'relieved myself' in the lake.

I don't burn my TP.

PJ's out on a limb. Should we leave him out there or join in on the fun? Some folk will need to be brave.

I rolled my boat twice in the same lake at both portage landings. The first time West lake and I became intimately  acquainted I was a fairly new canoeist and when I went to get into my boat it released from a smooth rock and my boat rolled over just as quickly as you please. Ruined a nice SLR camera in the process......put me into a bit of a funk for the rest of the trip and I actually buggered off early.

Fast forward several years later and as I'm loading at the opposing portage at West Lake I was explaining what had happened to my partner with one foot still in the water and the rest of me in the canoe.....little by little I had drifted past the point of recovery and before I realized it I was in a bit of a fix........Then I started shouting for assistance (HELP ME!). Later my friend admitted that the whole scene was quite surreal as I was at the time explaining how I had rolled my boat and here it was actually happening in real time. Sure enough over I went again. Ludicrous.......Now I have promised myself if I ever paddle West Lake again I will just throw myself into the water fully clothed and just get it over with.

Funny thing, in spite of several ill timed "miscues" (my most recent in Irregular Lake this past summer) it is pretty rare for me to take a fall on a portage trail or in the woods. 

Just a week or so ago up on Oliphant (sp?) I ventured off to do my business after dark. I took the normal mental notes to where I was going. I hate when people do this deed to where your stumbling over it getting wood. Finally found the spot, took care of business carefully covering the evidence and turned to leave. The terrain was nothing like my mental notes. I got turned around, but mad it back to the lake. I walked the shore line both directions a half hour one way and almost an hour back. One section I had to go around a big rock, but it seemed like I'd gotten back if there was anything there. I ended up in another campsite so I stayed there. I built a fire to stay warm and kept gathering wood contemplating all the scenario's. I even thought I might have gone north and was on a different lake. So I waited until the sun rise and was relieved I was on the right lake as East was to my left as I was facing the lake. I waited until the fire was out and walked back east and around that rock outcropping I saw the strip of land which was our campsite and my tripping partner fishing quietly as not to wake me up as before we had turned in I told him I needed a good night sleep.  :P

Confession is good for the soul.  Absolve me!!!

70x7 anyone?

PhantomJug wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2014 at 1:18am:

Confession is good for the soul.  Absolve me!!! 70x7 anyone?

Maybe 70 X 6? ;D

Relieving yourself in the lake. Absolutely not.

Old Salt wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2014 at 10:44pm:

Relieving yourself in the lake. Absolutely not.

Why? Because you can't stand up in a canoe?

PhantomJug wrote on Sep 22^nd, 2014 at 11:46pm:

Why? Because you can't stand up in a canoe?

Because I don't always filter my drinking water!  :P


My confession is that I (sometimes) troll two rods. Hey, I'll be muskie fishing this weekend and we'll be trolling eight rods! If the wife is along then I buy her a license just to get that extra rod in the water.

I burn my trash.  (and other litter I find laying around campsites).  And when I leave there is nothing but ash in the fire pit.

Seriously, who doesn't? 

puckster

I don't burn much trash lately. I got tired of replacing a perfectly good bags. I'll burn paper and whatever meat was wrapped in but that's about it. I bring back the rest to give customs extra stuff to check out.

I use to leave nothing but ash but more recently, since I've enjoyed the coals I've found from time to time, I try to return the favor. Nice sized coals are as good as wet welcome wood. Wet ash is a heat sink to overcome. I still spread everything out after dousing. (Darn. More foil to pack out.)

If you're healthy, tinkle is sterile yet no one swims in it.

I'll continue to be guilty of poking errant TP into the duff with a nearby stick and I use to take two rods and cheat a bit. Hey, if a walleye is stupid enough to hit a lure dangling next to the boat again I'm claiming ignorance.

On the other hand, I love telling this story. The first trip we decided to try someplace new and different, we dawdled away the first day. A storm blew in about an hour or two before dark and it got really dark really fast. This was in the days before red dots so we found a rock to get out on and made camp in the dark. There was no place to put the tent so…
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It was THE most comfortable night I've ever spent in a sleeping bag - back when real men didn't bring stoves.
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The trip went downhill from there. We may have even come out a day early.

That's it?  No illegal fishermen?  Never killed a living tree, shrub or flower?  Never took some rocks home?  Never killed a fish you didn't eat?  Dropped a deuce 97 feet from shore?

Dang.  You guys are so good.  I'm taking advantage of a long weekend tomorrow.  If anyone (well, almost anyone) wants to run down to Batch for a few days and fish and camp the east side of the lake with me . . .  :-X

I like the pinching barbs and no live bait rules. On my first solo I remember dreading the alternate group leader question because I was afraid there was a law against it. This year there were a few drownings on Pickeral so I was told to possibly expect seeing mounties in a motorboat. She started ticking off the safety requirements and I finished the list for her. They are good things to have. I even picked up a legit whistle a few years back.

I'm a goody-two-shoes up there to the point of only fishing on the dates my license is good for since I don't take any home anymore. I'm actually considering not fishing next year. I'd save $45 and a few pounds.

As always, enjoy your weekend PJ!

PJs post reminded me we took a piece of driftwood once. Still in back yard. Seems odd we could have burns it but not take it home.  Probably a few pebbles - does that count?

I thought this thread would be a mine field...after the thrumping a member got earlier this season for admitting to dumping some food and possibly catching a couple too-many fish! 
NcB...glad I was not on that trip...I thought you never got lost in the woods  ;)
As for me...I never break any rules  ::) ;D

I'm unclear whether the purpose of this post is an on-line confessional ("Bless me Father for I have sinned ...") ... or a call for red-faced and sheepish stories ("Can you believe how stupid and clumsy I was ...").

As to the latter, I once -- in front of six people -- stepped into a perfectly serviceable solo canoe on a perfectly flat (I believe "glass-like" is the oft-used cliched describer) lake at an easily navigable landing ... and promptly went over backward on the other wide. It was my only set of dry clothes, having endured an all-day rain and sleet event the previous day.   

As for the former, I heard tell of someone who brought home a 9-point whitetail buck rack from Russell Lake. It appeared to have been killed by a bear, given that the skull and "snout" had been crushed as if from a big ol' swat. The way I heard it, the rack slid sideways (i.e. "on end") into an extra-large rubber canoe bag with about 1/32nd inch to spare all around.

As for myself, I confess I have a nickel-sized piece of quartz taken from what could be the highest point on Agnes Lake. Nothing unique or sacred about it -- just a remembrance of a special hike.

Does that make me a bad person?

-- kypaddler

Hilarious thread ;D
Here are some of mine. I wonder if anyone else shares them.
- I travel in Quetico without a compass.
- I have returned from Quetico and neglected to check in at the US Customs office in Ely.
- I have fished outside of the days on my license.
- I once - once - in my ignorant bliss dumped some leftover rice into the lake.
- I don't always wear my life jacket.
- Returning from Quetico, I have camped in the BW without a permit.
- I have carried in and packed out a can.
- I don't burn my tp. I DO bury well.
- I used to be a dry-footer.
- I've taken photos of pictos without leaving a tobacco gift. :o
- I have sometimes gone more than a yr without donating to this site.
There...I feel so much better.
WiF

- I travel in Quetico and never taken the compass out of my pack.
- I have returned from Quetico and waited until showering and unloading the car to check in at the US Customs office in Ely
- Bathed using ivory soap in the lake.
- Spit my toothpaste rinse in the firepit (before burning).
- Seldom wear my life jacket (summer trips).
- Definitely urinated with 100 ft and probably dropped a deuce as well..
- I have carried in and packed out a can.
- While traveling by border on a Quetico permit, stopped at an empty BWCA site to use the facilities.
- I have sometimes gone more than a yr without donating to this site.
- Paddled out to middle of lake and dumped some food scraps.

WIF, I feel so much better too...I have done most of those verboten things also, always feeling like I was the only one  :-X
Additionally:
-Have had a fire on fire ban days.
-Camped on undesignated sites in BWCA.
-Feed the eagles (& seagulls) the fish carcass and sometimes left-over food.
-I am still a dry-footer.

I no longer put any food in the lake, especially at campsites.  This is why:
My dad once hiked down into the grand canyon with a Sierra Club group.  They were all happy to see a "pristine" crystal clear spring for drinking water at the bottom. Most eagerly filled their drinking bottles without a thought.  My dad ruined their day when his turn came...he swirled the water to reveal rice, etc. hidden under the top light layer of clean sand.  ::)

you want me to confess!   I'm innocent I tell Ya!  I was framed!

PhantomJug wrote on Sep 21^st, 2014 at 5:13pm:

I usually do not pinch the barbs on my jigs. I sneak into the park at least once a year. I have 'relieved myself' in the lake. I don't burn my TP.

Bad dog! Bad, bad, BAD dog! ...where's my rolled up newspaper?!  ;D ;D

Puckster wrote on Sep 23^rd, 2014 at 2:22am:

I burn my trash.  (and other litter I find laying around campsites).  And when I leave there is nothing but ash in the fire pit. Seriously, who doesn't?  puckster

...puckster, puckster, puckster.....sigh....I can see I still have a lot of work left to do with you....  ;D ;D

I had no intent with this thread other than a short study on QJ anthropology and a little catharsis, mostly for myself but thought I may as well open the confessional.  Lot's of 'thou shalt not's' whether written or unwritten whilst in a canoe.  I thought I would clear my conscious (and maybe help you clear yours) so we can start clean, fresh and new next year, just like a spring rain.  Of course, for those of you who need no forgiveness, you can skip ahead to the "Hang it or Hide it" thread.

PhantomJug wrote on Sep 30^th, 2014 at 4:29pm:

I had no intent with this thread other than a short study on QJ anthropology and a little catharsis, mostly for myself but thought I may as well open the confessional.  Lot's of 'thou shalt not's' whether written or unwritten whilst in a canoe.  I thought I would clear my conscious (and maybe help you clear yours) so we can start clean, fresh and new next year, just like a spring rain.  Of course, for those of you who need no forgiveness, you can skip ahead to the "Hang it or Hide it" thread.

PJ,

Well said and you are absolutely right! There are the "admit-ers" and the "deny-ers". I'm firmly in the snore-ers club -- why run from it?  :) I sleep well at night (nobody else does though)  ::)

Love the thread though. Great idea. My favorite exchange on this one is the "relieving in the lake" -- had me in stitches.

On occasion I've relieved myself in the lake. #1 only but sometimes crossing open water, you got to go.
Considering all the thousands of critters that use the waterways as toilets, a paddler occasionally peeing is hardly going to upset the "balance".

Urine is sterile and IF your wife or you ave ever had a "perm" back in the day's of big hair, one of the active ingredients is Urea which is found naturally in urine.
Ever smell someone's hair whiles their getting a perm? Yup, smells like my cats litter box pre-cleaning. ;) :P

Use up the courtesy firewood without leave as much when I was done with the site. Once I didn't leave any....cringe :-[

Once I cooked and ate an undersized bass when I had no food left on the next to last day of my trip. It was only by about 1/4" and I'm sure if I stepped on it, it would measure up. I was hungry and it was pretty tasty!

other than that I'm a perfect angel  ::)

I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to. I guess.

In 2013 Mastertangler and I were traveling in solo canoes to Conmee from Poohbah through the Memory Lane portages. We got an early start and finished the first of the three “memorable” portages in good time with me about 15 minutes ahead of the Tangler. I stopped at what I thought was the landing for the second portage and began scouting. The grass was trampled, trees were saw cut and there was a definite trail but it looked woefully unmaintained very unlike the portage we had just done. I’m working up a sweat tramping farther and farther along this faint trail clearing brush and marking a route when Mastertangler comes along and asks what are you doing? I told him that I was moving full speed ahead and was ready to hack through this portage. He failed to fully hold back a chuckle and then stated with complete calm and superior logic that this can’t be the trail because it doesn’t look as used as the last portage we did and that anyone passing through that portage would be going through this one as well. Of course since I was the self -appointed team leader reluctant to admit I was wrong so I insisted with an inappropriate amount of arrogance that we begin portaging our stuff and stop wasting time talking about it.   Mastertangler quietly and calmly got in his solo canoe and pushed off heading east along the shoreline. Several minutes later he returned to tell me that he had found the real portage. I was trying to use an old portage trail that probably hadn’t been maintained in several years and would have caused us all kinds of grief if we had actually used it. His deliberation and calm reasoning saved us a ton of work. It also made me realize that I had prejudged him because of an earlier incident and was not giving him due respect. It was a humbling experience that I am grateful for and have not forgotten. 

Superior logic? Complete calm? I haven't been accused of either very often. My Quetico confession is I was seized with complete and utter terror of the thought of doing a "Kingfisher Bushwack" and in the process of sneaking away (I had the truck keys) I stumbled upon the mismarked portage trail we needed. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it.

i seldom wear my life jacket
i dont bring a compass
i dont use a map

i carry any birch bark i find during portages to my campsite

i at one point in my last trip had in my possession one extra fish than my posession limit  :-[

I've busted many rules over the years, but I'm pretty good at LNT so you'd never know....I hope to get to a real confessional before I die, so the big guy upstairs will let me in to his wilderness park forever and ever....

Came across these from MNR Canoeing and Kayak regulations today.  This list is the minimum for compliance for all SUP's, canoes and kayaks when paddling in Ontario.


Quote:

1 paddle 1 PFD 50' floating rope. Waterproof flashlight that can be seen for 1 mile. 1 bailing device, must hold minimum of 750ml with a minimum opening of 65cm2 1 waterproof sound signalling device.

Also,


Quote:

Alcohol may be consumed in a boat only if it meets all of the following conditions: The vessel has permanent sleeping facilities The vessel has permanent cooking facilities The vessel has a permanent toilet The vessel is anchored or secured alongside a dock

Dang!

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Kingfisher wrote on Oct 12^th, 2014 at 9:39pm:

In 2013 Mastertangler and I were traveling in solo canoes to Conmee from Poohbah through the Memory Lane portages. We got an early start and finished the first of the three “memorable” portages in good time with me about 15 minutes ahead of the Tangler. I stopped at what I thought was the landing for the second portage and began scouting. The grass was trampled, trees were saw cut and there was a definite trail but it looked woefully unmaintained very unlike the portage we had just done. I’m working up a sweat tramping farther and farther along this faint trail clearing brush and marking a route when Mastertangler comes along and asks what are you doing? I told him that I was moving full speed ahead and was ready to hack through this portage. He failed to fully hold back a chuckle and then stated with complete calm and superior logic that this can’t be the trail because it doesn’t look as used as the last portage we did and that anyone passing through that portage would be going through this one as well. Of course since I was the self -appointed team leader reluctant to admit I was wrong so I insisted with an inappropriate amount of arrogance that we begin portaging our stuff and stop wasting time talking about it.   Mastertangler quietly and calmly got in his solo canoe and pushed off heading east along the shoreline. Several minutes later he returned to tell me that he had found the real portage. I was trying to use an old portage trail that probably hadn’t been maintained in several years and would have caused us all kinds of grief if we had actually used it. His deliberation and calm reasoning saved us a ton of work. It also made me realize that I had prejudged him because of an earlier incident and was not giving him due respect. It was a humbling experience that I am grateful for and have not forgotten.

Funny.  I'm 100% sure you found the opposite end of the "trail" that Tim and I followed on our Trans-Quetico trek.  You saved yourself hours of frustration by admitting your mistake.

Quote:

1 paddle 1 PFD 50' floating rope. Waterproof flashlight that can be seen for 1 mile. 1 bailing device, must hold minimum of 750ml with a minimum opening of 65cm2 1 waterproof sound signalling device.

I'm going out on a limb here and say that I doubt few or maybe no-one is compliant 100% with those rules. :-?

I have bow-stern lines that float, but they don't total 50'. Flashlight ( The human eye can see a candlelight at 10 miles), so I'm assuming my waterproof flashlight(s) should be good for a mile?

Yes/No on the bailer. I sometimes forget mine and I know I've never measured it for minimum capacity/opening. IMHE, paddling solo, if conditions get so bad you need to bail, your probably struggling to keep bow into wind and stopping to bail isn't really an option?

Fox Whistle is good for waterproof sound signaling device, but you need to keep it pinned to that PFD, where it's easily accessible when you need it.

I've rarely have a PFD, have maybe 12 feet of parachute cord tied to the stern, no flashlight, no whistle and use a sponge for bailing.   In fact, sometimes I am w/o a paddle.

Re: Alcohol.  I'm wondering how flexible their definition of the word "permanent" is?

simul iustus et peccator?

Well PJ, ;)

Your one of those rare cases of individuals who probably can get by without a PFD. :-?

As we all know from science class, alcohol FLOATS on water, like that sponge absorbs it. ;) ;D ;D

From your personal comments, I'd say unlike the Titanic, you probaly are "unsinkable".

pine_knot wrote on Oct 14^th, 2014 at 11:27pm:

I've busted many rules over the years, but I'm pretty good at LNT so you'd never know....I hope to get to a real confessional before I die, so the big guy upstairs will let me in to his wilderness park forever and ever....

No worries on that, brother.  Someone already kept all the rules on your behalf.

pine_knot wrote on Oct 14^th, 2014 at 11:27pm:

so the big guy upstairs will let me in to his wilderness park forever and ever....

"Kept all the rules"? Or paid the penalty on your behalf for breaking them?

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And He could just step out of the canoe and walk across the lake, too.