BUSHWHACKERS JAMBOREE 2015....

I'm having trouble posting a link or photo...

******intrepid_camper nailed it again...it is the Southern of the two lakes just north & between Allan & Bernice.
Meeting on the Night of June 16, 2015. *****

I'll get a map picture up soon, unless one of you helps me out with it first.
Thank You

more detail...
WHO....Whoever can get a permit and get to the lake on the dates to be revealed later. No daytrippers (campers only)...we will gather in the evening.

WHAT...It will be an informal meeting of tough and hardy travelers, where stories and information will be told. Knowledge, that has been earned, and should continued to be earned.

WHERE...It will be on a lake near the middle of Quetico, with no name, no portage trail to it (none), good depth, good water, plenty of bugs and campable shorline, and maybe...just maybe good fishing.

WHEN....It will be in mid-June 2015...when bugs are bad, and so are the voyageurs.

WHY...Because the best information should be earned. Because exploring those no-name lakes makes for great adventure. Because I want to meet other bushwhackers and hear where they've been, and tell them where I've been, and exchange great stories. Because this time I REALLY want to shake the hand of anyone who gets there!!!

How...Just get there

No replies LOL
Maybe the thing has run it's course.  :)

I will have to look at my maps when I got back to the house. It sounds like it will be a great time.

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...well, that will be an interesting one to get into!... :D

I am interested in doing this but I can't commit at the moment. The lake is so close to Hoare lake I will have to stop there on the way. Many years ago I bushwhacked into Roulston and discovered the best hammer handle northern fishing anywhere. I still get kidded about it. Last year Lemay was a disappointment and not much of a bushwhack either. I am debating putting off Zephira another year and going to the Jamboree. I do think the lake deserves a name though, after all the build up it seems deserving of an epitaph of some sort.
Jon

Now the real route planning can begin...get out the maps.  ;D 

Jon...I fished Roulston,,,with the same results.

Is anyone else thinking of putting the BWJ on their calendar? 
We could have another Flamingo Rendezvous near one of the likely sites for the portage attempt into the SSL (Stumpy's Secret Lake).
Does anyone think it will be possible to access SSL via the creek that runs southeast from Sturgeon (eventually) to the SSL? 

IC -

If you're planning on taking THAT route in, I suggest you get started now.  Looks like better winter than summer tripping there.  Hmmm... I suppose there could be enough water still around in June to float a canoe.  Better hope for a LOT more snow.

My younger son really wants to do this BWJ but the wife may have other plans that we can't work around.  I'll know in a few weeks whether or not the pink flock can be expected to make a showing.  They're restless; it's been 10 years since their last migration.

My older son & I really had a blast that first time around!  Will have to practice my bushwhacker balladeering and remember to pack ties for formal dining on No Name Lake if we actually do this thing.

Thinking about it....

Jimbo   8-)

Haven't done one before and it sounds like a lot of fun...and work!  However, I've committed to returning to Kawnipi in late July.  Good luck to the 'shwhackers!

pd

IC,

As a purely academic exercise, another option would be to paddle into Berniece and try to access the creek to get in from that side? Or try it from the Allen side....there might be a marshy entry there. Looks challenging anyway you slice it!

I happened to look at a Google Earth map dated 2009 which showed the creek from Sturgeon mostly clear and with good water  ;) 
Definitely shorter from A & B lakes...best to get there early in the spring to scout a trail before leaves come out  ;) ;) 
Don't know if I will make it at all...I have this "thing" about portages over 100 rods  :P

IC -

It's only 45.5 rods from Berniece Lake to a spot where you might actually find enough water to float your boat.  The operative word in that statement, of course, is "might."  Ideally, it would take you most of the rest of the way.

I expect there would be a fair amount of nasty muck-hopping & dragging most years using that route....

Jimbo   8-)

Jimbo wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2015 at 8:58pm:

IC - It's only 45.5 rods from Berniece Lake to a spot where you might actually find enough water to float your boat.  The operative word in that statement, of course, is "might."  Ideally, it would take you most of the rest of the way. I expect there would be a fair amount of nasty muck-hopping & dragging most years using that route.... Jimbo   8-)

Sounds like another Jimbo shortcut... :(

Seems to me this  is clearly another sign that there are now 7 billion or more  sissified humans on the planet  unwilling to tackle  a physical challenge. Maybe, hopefully I am wrong but it sounds like all of no one is going to show up!  I am planning to be there  if I can make it through the bush.
Jon

Just read entries in the portage data base...sounds like getting to Lakes A & B will be good practice for the real bushwacking.  I believe Stumpy is toying with us  ::)

what's a "jimbo shortcut"?  :)

Jimbo is the most qualified source for the exact definition. It refers to a shortcut taken a few moons ago on the Cache River. ;)

Nanda,

Original definition of a "Jimbo shortcut" can be found in this account of trip taken with my brother about 19 years ago:   (You need to Login or Register

This definition was refined over many trips through the years and, about 15 years later, culminated in this escapade, shared with Kingfisher (who probably "owns" this shortcut even more than I do... suggesting a NEW nomenclature, such as a "Kingfisher shortcut"):   (You need to Login or Register

Ultimately, the phrase "Jimbo shortcut" is the antithesis of the term "Inukshuk."  Sadly, my shortcuts and "safe passage" have little in common.  This may account, in part, as to why the emblem of MY trips is not the steadfast & reassuring rock cairn but rather your garden variety kitsch pink flamingo (derivation of which I must leave for Old Salt to explain... HE owns that).

Fortunately, I expect to "age out" of the folly of "Jimbo shortcuts" in another 10 to 15 years.  Meanwhile, the best advice I can offer anyone is: Avoid them at all costs!

Jimbo   8-)

QJ terminology almost needs a thread of its own to provide proper translation.

Railroad ties, not just for breakfast anymore.  ;) ;D

I think it's actually a badge of honor! Wear it proudly and embrace your fortitude. Seriously, thanks for the link. I nearly spit up my coffee while reading that first thread. I secretly wish I could write trip reports that are 1) that engaging and 2) that humorous! I'm still chuckling...thanks to you and Old Salt for making my morning....now I have to pour over my Mackenzie's to plan a cache lake trip....and just maybe a way into one of these "Stumpy lakes"... ::)

Old Salt wrote on Jan 26^th, 2015 at 5:54pm:

. Railroad ties, not just for breakfast anymore.  ;) ;D

I thought those were pack extenders.

As most things are that are portaged, they were multi-purpose. But that was a good reminder. :dankk2

Jon wrote on Dec 9^th, 2014 at 3:56am:

I am interested in doing this but I can't commit at the moment. The lake is so close to Hoare lake I will have to stop there on the way. Jon

I'm planning to attend the Jamoree. My only issue is that I'm building a house and it might be move-in week during the Jamboree.  I never back out of trips and going to the Q at least a few times a year is critical. But move-in weekend trumps everything I guess.

I sort of chuckled when I read you might pop into Hoare on your way to or from the BWJ. I know the route and if you look at it closely, you will have a half mile bushwhack into Hoare and another 1/2 mile bushwhack ito the BWJ lake. Doing two of them on one trip is a formidable task. But alas, I agree with you that's it's so close to Hoare, how cold I not want to go back there once again!

I have learned that I am an exceptional bushwhacker planner. But I'm not as good at doing what I planned once I step into the tangle of forest.
Tom

Any survivors? How was it? MP? Did Stumpy make it?

I was in Quetico with my 13 year old daughter. If we could have made Poohbah by the 3rd day, I'd have gone for it.
With a new job & little vacation time, including family was a must & trumped any individual Jamboree plans. My daughter was willing, but early on I could see she wasn't up to it. We went up to McIntyre. Had a good trip. I wonder if anyone showed up?.....It's a lake I'd like to visit.

A total of 3 voyageurs actually made it to the 3rd Bushwhacker's Jamboree... and 2 of them don't count, according to Stumpy's official set of rules.

MagicPaddler arrived a day early with all of his gear & actually camped on the designated lake.  The following day, two day-trippers arrived (identity, as yet, unknown).  Magic says he has film footage of the "Jamboree." They spent a grand total of 15 minutes together and then the pair disappeared, presumably headed back to their camp on the main drag. 

Magic mentioned he fished the Jamboree lakes but made no comment re: his catch.  The following day he, himself, "moved on", heading to the campsite on Poohbah (on the island opposite the entry to the Memory Lane portages) where my son & I camped over a month ago.

While, technically, Magic Paddler is the only person to satisfy the standards of Stumpy's Bushwhacker's Jamboree quest, honorable mention goes to the unknown pair who winged it in there for a day.
More to follow, I'm sure, in Magic's account of this event.

Super kudos to Magic Paddler for his achievement.  Magic, after Opasquia and some of the bushwhacks I KNOW you have been through in the past few years, I'm not quite sure how you managed to remain with the living quite this long. 

Truly, you are an inspiration to youngsters like me... & I'm 60!

Jimbo   8-)

While it's not my thing, perhaps a new rule is needed for this event. We'll call it the Stumpy Clause. "The one who plans the event should attend the event." Seems like a giant practical joke if only one person/group makes it.

Congratulations to Magic Paddler !
It was nice of any of you, to not make an uproar over me picking the lake, since I said all along I could not attend.
In 5 years I should have much more vacation time, & fully intend to be there.
MP...You da man !

If Magic is there in 5 years, I'm going to start eating what HE's eating and taking whatever pills he takes that keep him so young & energetic!

Jimbo   8-)

MP gets to choose the next BWJ destination. I've got some in Alaska...

MP does deserve to be the one to choose the next BWJ destination.  I am sure after all the roaming he has done, he has some lakes in mind.
Great work MP!!!  :-*

Jimbo wrote on Jun 26^th, 2015 at 12:53am:

Super kudos to Magic Paddler for his achievement.  Magic, after Opasquia and some of the bushwhacks I KNOW you have been through in the past few years, I'm not quite sure how you managed to remain with the living quite this long.  Truly, you are an inspiration to youngsters like me... & I'm 60! Jimbo   8-)

Your post reminds me of my 21st birthday celebration.  Several of my local friends were setting in a bar where we usually went to drink on the North side of Chicago.  After a few pitchers one of friends (Glen who I had rode motorcycles with for a couple of years) while looking at me he raised his mug and said “ I never thought you would live to be 21”.

MP, congratulations on achieving your goal! I hope to see you on Irvine Lake in WCPP with NCTRY in August. I cleaned all the portages into Irvine in 2013 but if you need a little more bushwhacking I think Jimbo can assist you in following his choice of Irvine entry. There has been a big forest fire and massive "snowdown" on his "path" but it sounds like you are qualified to try it.

Marten wrote on Jun 27^th, 2015 at 2:48pm:

MP, congratulations on achieving your goal! I hope to see you on Irvine Lake in WCPP with NCTRY in August. I cleaned all the portages into Irvine in 2013 but if you need a little more bushwhacking I think Jimbo can assist you in following his choice of Irvine entry. There has been a big forest fire and massive "snowdown" on his "path" but it sounds like you are qualified to try it.

Ugh... MY choice of entry to Irvine (Kingfisher's really) was bad enough back then, WITHOUT the dead falls!  Even then it was best suited for true masochists - like Kingfisher - who took "the point" but spent most of that doggone afternoon lost!.  I think it was the cliffs coming off the watershed east of Irvine that put my sciatica into a rage & very nearly shut me down.    After that, the walk across the plateau didn't suck entirely but, of course, we didn't have the dead falls Marten says exist now.  In the "swamp" beyond (I took a wrong turn) & was crying for mercy and licking thin trickles of water off of rock faces because my water supply had long before given out & I was so thirsty (damn the giardia, full speed ahead!).  When I finally escaped to see Kingfisher on the other side (he DIDN'T make the wrong turn this time; he stayed on the plateau), my feet were completely blood-blistered and I had lost three full toe nails en route.  I was one dehydrated sorry sack of bones by the time I reached the other side with that danged food pack!

So, Magic, THAT 3+ mile bushwhack - the EAST side approach to Irvine - is probably just YOUR sort of thing!

For all others (ie. sane people), I recommend MARTEN's approach from the west, especially when carrying full packs & canoes!

A more detailed review of "An Idiot's Approach to Irvine Lake" may be found in QJ Campfire Stories using this link:    (You need to Login or Register

Later,

Jimbo   8-)

Marten wrote on Jun 27^th, 2015 at 2:48pm:

I hope to see you on Irvine Lake in WCPP with NCTRY in August. I cleaned all the portages into Irvine in 2013 but if you need a little more bushwhacking I think Jimbo can assist you in following his choice of Irvine entry. There has been a big forest fire and massive "snowdown" on his "path" but it sounds like you are qualified to try it.

You guys go for it.  I'm using the lazy man's way to get to Irvine ... a fly-in.  Sorry Martin, doesn't look like we'll cross paths this year.

dd

Sounds like the way to go to me!

I see signs of intelligence in that post....

Jimbo   8-)

Marten & Jimbo
It has been 3 days since I came out and am still too tired to think about any bushwhack.  I think the upcoming trip will be laid back compared to the last one. I just had Paddle planner give me a summary of my rout. Total distance 126 miles With double portaging ( I had to triple some) that was over 30 miles of walking portage trails and then there was the bushwhack.
MagicPaddler

I have no problem with Magic Paddler picking the BWJ lake in 5 years.
I would only ask that he would announce it the same way & on December 7, 2019.

Stumpy wrote on Jun 29^th, 2015 at 12:26pm:

I have no problem with Magic Paddler picking the BWJ lake in 5 years.

Can someone refresh my memory on the history of this event... This was the third one, right? Who has made it to one of these?

2005 - ??
2010 - ??
2015 - MagicPaddler (1)

...there's a photo somewhere that was posted of the 5 or 6 participants from 2010. I remember someone wearing a suit or a bow tie?....

PghPortager & his clan was the ONLY party to make it to the designated Jamboree lake just east of Cairn in 2005.  They were smart enough to avoid the approach from the west (ie. where the cliffs are).  A rather larger group of QJer's party-ers convened west of the bushwhack lake on Cairn Lake at an alternative event dubbed "Jimboree" (for us chickens & flamingo fans).  All bushwhack parties originating from this spot failed to make it to the Jamboree spot... but had a good time, anyway.  Isn't that why they call it a canoe "party"?

As I have had it told to me, in 2010, a super-highway was actually engineered/hacked to the designated lake by the first party in.  Thus, the term "bushwhack" as applied to other parties who may have "strolled" in becomes somewhat problematic.  Does 2010 even count?  I don't even recall where it was and I guess I'm too lazy to do a "Search."  Then, again, I wasn't even there (or at any of them, for that matter), so all my words amount to hearsay.  Could be they ALL bushwhacked in & then hacked their way out together.  Could have been a rare appearance in the North Woods by locusts or by marabunta ants (watch Charlton Heston's version of "The Naked Jungle").  Anyway, we need an eyewitness to inform us about 2010.  Could be the guys in bow ties were from Orkin Pest Control.  I think that is what Stumpy does on the side.... 

As for 2015's Jamboree just north of Berneice, we are still waiting on Magic's authoritative and detailed account.  By the initial report, Magic was the ONLY camper, but he did have a couple daytrippers.

I'm quite certain no one has attended all three events.

Jimbo   8-)

Jimbo provided a good history of the jamborees. I did a search and found a few other details. Stumpy started pitching the idea in 2002. He continued to seek interest when he posted the first one in 2004. He said that all who made it would be charter  members of B.U.G.B.I.T., an anachronym referring somewhat to Stumpy's boast that he quit using bug dope in 1976. He also said that these charter members would choose the next lake.

Since none of the charter members wanted to choose the next location, it fell to Stumpy to pick it. You might logically infer that Stumpy failed to get to his own event, which would be correct.

When prodded to give motivation for why folks should be interested to tackle the bushwhack, he indicated there would be stories and hard earned information shared. Stumpy did make the 2010 gig and not sure who else came. So, for the record, he did make one. In fairness, he should not be faulted for missing the recent one as he was paddling with his little girl. But, according to his own rules, those who make it, get to choose the next one. Since MP was the only one to camp, another rule, he gets to choose the next one. History of the event indicates that you don't have to choose a lake you can get to. 8-)

At some point I will wright a trip report which will include the jamboree of one. I did spend 2 nights on the bushwhack lake. There are fish in it. For now I am preparing for a WCPP trip.

Ranger wrote on Jun 30^th, 2015 at 6:57pm:

Can someone refresh my memory on the history of this event... This was the third one, right? Who has made it to one of these? 2005 - ?? 2010 - ?? 2015 - MagicPaddler (1)

In the early spring of 2010 I approached the publisher of Boundary Waters Journal about participating in the Bushwhacker’s Jamboree and writing a story for the magazine. It was approved, I found a partner, we made it to Stumpy’s chosen lake and I wrote the story.
Since its inception, there has always been a kind of mischievous mystery associated with Stumpy’s event. When the publisher of the magazine realized that this event was taking place without the expressed permission of park officials he was reluctant to have a story about it appear in his magazine such that he might appear to be endorsing this kind of activity. He argued that even if no park rules were technically broken the event may have violated the spirit of Quetico regulations. So the story never appeared in the magazine and I had forgotten about it until this thread appeared. For those of you not familiar with the early version of the Jamboree or its founder there is a little history included. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did putting it together.
Darrel

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Thanks for sharing your story Darrel. It's a great read. Too bad is wasn't published. It is worthy. Congrats to all who have attended any of the three events. 8-)

Darrel's account of the 2010 Jamboree is very nicely-done.

In his closing, Darrel refers to a "seasoned solo paddler from Illinois" who wisely backed off the "folly" of his approach from Louisa Lake.  Anybody care to make an educated guess as to identity of this wise old soul who "was the subject of serious concern" around the 2010 Bushwhackers Jamboree campfire?

[Clue: If he runs true to form, chances are we'll all be concerned about him five years from now, too.]

Later,

Jimbo   8-)

I'm putting in my vote for a "Jimboree" on Cairn or another easier-to-reach lake. That could almost be a "yearly" event, a.k.a. rendez-vous for anyone who also wants to cheer on the participants instead of participating directly....just a thought.

Or it could be a 'Nandaree', unless you want to pay Jimbo for naming rights. Seriously, it's a good idea. 8-) Just pick a lake and date, ideally reachable from multiple entry points. The sandspit campsites on Sturgeon come to mind as an example.

Thanks for the read Darrel. Enjoyed this as much as your articles that have been published in BWJ.

HighnDry wrote on Jul 1^st, 2015 at 11:49pm:

I'm putting in my vote for a "Jimboree" on Cairn or another easier-to-reach lake. That could almost be a "yearly" event, a.k.a. rendez-vous for anyone who also wants to cheer on the participants instead of participating directly....just a thought.

Well, for those interested in the origin of "Jimboree's" - including some perspective on the inaugural "Bushwhacker's Jamboree" - there is THIS account, which is now 10 years old:   (You need to Login or Register

The tale ALSO provides some insight into how pink flamingo yard art somehow became "commonplace" in the Quetico northwoods for a period of several years... to the extent that Piragis began to sell them as "campsite markers" in their Ely store & on-line (& paid absolutely no royalties to those of us responsible for initiating such an enlightened practice!).

Truth is almost always stranger than fiction.  Trust me, this is 35 years of Human Resources work (& @ 13 years of hanging around QJ) talking here.  I KNOW bizarre....

By the way, "Jimborees" were observed for a number of years (annually, not quinquennially) following 2005.  I still wear customized shirts that fellow QJ'ers created for these events in certain years.  Lord knows how much pink paraphenalia (buoys, balloons, goblets, fishing lures, etc.) exchanged hands.  I have a couple packs full of the stuff.  During a particularly party-some & mischievous year, the Jimboree highlight was a large vat of pink flamingo stew (think Pepto-Bismol colored lava, complete with slowly emerging air bubbles, straining to reach the surface of the pot).  It was actually quite delicious!

We kept these events up for several years.

Anyway, I'm all for re-instituting these get-togethers.  They were a good time.   "Nandaree" sounds just fine to me.   

Jimbo   8-)

You might want to hang on to ALL that Pink Flamingo "art" work. The guy who invented the Lawn Ornament just died and you know how that can drive up the price for "folk art". ;) ;D ;D

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In 2006, a party of eight QJers launched from Crane Lake on a tow that eventually led to Bottle portage and a loop through Iron, Crooked, Elk, Brent, Suz, Conmee, Williams, Darky, Minn, and McAree. It was on that trip that pack extenders were first field tested and reviewed by all. We were met by a gorgeous blonde on Brent who followed us around the rest of the trip. While on Suz, yours truly, introduced the world to pink flamingo stew, a feat never since duplicated. The exact recipe is a closely guarded secret (think Col Sanders).

Next year would be the 10th anniversary of that epic voyage. I might be persuaded to repeat the pink flamingo trip. 8-)

Just piggybacking on ST's post. The inventor's name is Donald Featherston. Heard that news bulletin on NPR and thought of Jimbo and all of the QJ-devotees to the plastic lawn ornament that has become so ubiquitous here in the US...much more practical to carry in than those green crystal balls or yard gnomes...Looking forward to any potential rendenz-vous out there, whatever it gets called in the end :)

Actually, the Pink Flamingo Stew is not a closely guarded secret. It is posted right here on QJ in the recipes section. I must have had a lapse in judgement when I shared it. Any restaurant managers profiteering from this must send me a cut.

The trip out of Crane sounds like fun. 10-days to do that loop or more?

10 days would be nice. I'm not sure a repeat trip would be possible for me. My life circumstances are different than they were then.

A better plan IMO is to pick a rendezvous lake and date, accessible from multiple entry points. That way, those who wish to are committing a day or less, rather than a full trip. It's a way to meet and screen possible future trip partners.

After the bushwhack I went through Suzanette on my way south.  I was in the far side of the lake from the pink stew camp site but I did a long gaze and a moment of thought of days spent there. Good memories!

Magic,

Were you at the "wall campsite" (the one with the message cache) OR at one of the 5 star sites near the portages into Conmee?

Yes, some good memories there.  After the the evening of pink stew and flamingo paraphernalia EVERYWHERE , my crew returned to our quiet camp around the bend.  Shortly afterward, Matunik and The Fireman inadvertently hooked a beaver on a Hula Popper fishing from shore at dusk.

Too bad they hadn't caught it earlier in the day.  Would have been a fine contribution to Old Salt's stew....

Jimbo   8-)

I just passed through Suzanette  and camped that night on Burt. Darrel had told me where I could get a walleye in that area and he was correct.

I suspect I know where he put you.  The year of the Pink Flamingo Stew, a few of us day-tripped together over there, found some blueberries, a few fish, a decent campsite, & a pictograph. 

Used to be a nice spot before the infestation of Belgian Birchbark Beetles.  Most folks just "pass through" these days....

Jimbo   8-)

Jimbo wrote on Jul 6^th, 2015 at 5:56pm:

I suspect I know where he put you.  The year of the Pink Flamingo Stew, a few of us day-tripped together over there, found some blueberries, a few fish, a decent campsite, & a pictograph.

Also occurring on that day trip: Yellowbird made an "offering" of half a fishing rod below that pictograph. And when he dove in after it he drenched my camera making me think what an idiot, I'll never be tripping with him again. Well, he and I just returned from our third and best yet trip together thanks to Jimbo et al putting us all together on that Jimboree. And special thanks to QJ for helping it all happen.

We talked at length about our early days on QJ and those early trips.  For each of us, everything we've acquired regarding discussion forum ethics has come from here.  We've learned how to relate to one another online and in the field.
I remember back to some pm from Jimbo in 2005, "hey we should do a trip together sometime".  I knew he had already met up with DB, with Tripper and perhaps others.  It had the ring of a blind date.  Why not!?!  It was a great experience being out with a group of veterans all too willing to share fishing locations and favorite lures, 5 star camps, evening meals, and best of all camaraderie.
-YB

I was always a bit nervous about the Jamboree/Jimboree.  The thought of getting raped by flamingo's and eating pink stew in the wilderness scared me.  Actually, it was revealing the person that hid inside of me that held me back.  I have only met 2 people that can tolerate the PhantomJug for more than a week and that is my wife and Pascanel.  Everyone else want's to kill me (I imagine this is because I outfish/outcook/outcamp them).  And, I am a poor conversationalist.  However, when I do talk, you better listen because it's really, really important.

Quote:

I have only met 2 people that can tolerate the PhantomJug for more than a week and that is my wife and Pascanel.

That's because your long "suffering" wife takes the death do us part wedding vow serious and since Pascanel "smell's like a goat" according to you, I imagine he can't be too picky.  ;) ;D ;D