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Message started by Ranger on Aug 25th, 2015 at 3:18pm

Title: Any current trip reports?
Post by Ranger on Aug 25th, 2015 at 3:18pm
Haven't seen too many August trip reports. I'm wondering what conditions are like in the Park right now. The weather calendar shows no significant rain in weeks, although you can never be sure if that is correct or not. It makes me wonder if we'll see a fire ban sometime in the near future. Anyone have a current update?

I did see that they're getting the first fall cool down this week - high was close to 50* yesterday.

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by solotripper on Aug 25th, 2015 at 4:06pm

Quote:
The weather calendar shows no significant rain in weeks, although you can never be sure if that is correct or not. It makes me wonder if we'll see a fire ban sometime in


I talked to Q-Dave this past Saturday. He said that they've had so much rain in the area that his job of keeping Flanders road to Lac La Croix village from Hwy 11
has been a challenging one and that he's logged more hours on the road grader this summer than any previous year.
Enough rain that he thinks they will be hauling in gravel to build-up sections of the road that the rain has affected.
I think I would call park and get the weather from them.

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by PhantomJug on Aug 25th, 2015 at 5:05pm
Quetico creates it's own weather.  I assure you there is no shortage of moisture this year.  I logged 4 weeks up there this summer.  Trip reports seem redundant.  Since I'm not a photog, I would bore everyone with fishing stories.

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by jimmar on Aug 25th, 2015 at 5:51pm

PhantomJug wrote on Aug 25th, 2015 at 5:05pm:
Since I'm not a photog, I would bore everyone with fishing stories.


not me!

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by solotripper on Aug 25th, 2015 at 5:55pm

Quote:
Since I'm not a photog


I'm not either as the current crop of POD's proves without a shadow of a doubt, but lots on people look forward to the POD and not everyone lives up in God's country, so IMHO almost any pic is better than NO pic of the day. ;) ;D ;D

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by Ranger on Aug 25th, 2015 at 6:41pm

solotripper wrote on Aug 25th, 2015 at 4:06pm:
Enough rain that he thinks they will be hauling in gravel to build-up sections of the road that the rain has affected.


Funny that as bad as the forecasts are, they don't even have the history accurate.  ::)

Trip reports are always valuable, even if they're just a quick blurb about the weather, bugs and fishing.

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by db on Aug 25th, 2015 at 7:42pm
My daughter and I returned from her first trip this morning. Ummmm, yeah.

At the put-in, a couple that was exiting told us to wait until tomorrow due to cold rain and wind - in no uncertain terms. While I appreciated it, it was my 14yr old's first trip… Other than the wind, I'd have been fine with the weather.

For her, it was a tough first trip I'd bet. If she ever goes again I'd be surprised. I said I'd taker any time she wanted and the offer never expires. Doh!

Pre trip, we camped at Doug Chapman's (   (You need to Login or Register ) and he kindly offered us a tent so we wouldn't have to pack up wet. I had thought my kid's first 1am call of nature in the rain was just outside the tent. I found out last night it was also her first in an outhouse.

Day one wind and rain from a constant mist to periods of drizzle and outright rain. We took the first decent site due to conditions. It took me three tries to start a fire that I couldn't get a tarp over so we used foil.

Day two was spent hunkered down. She fished from shore and/or sat under the tarp out of the wind while I looked for dry wood. I did find a good rock to shelter the fire from the rain so we were able to eat the steak we brought our second night. I think we even saw our only sunset, stars and sunrise the next morning.

Day three - On the way to our first planned campsite, it rains some more. At the site she declares she misses mom with tears. The sun peaked out as we napped together in our chairs on a rock with a view . We fish in the evening. She caught the biggest fish of the trip. No pictures.

Day four - Her favorite day. We sleep in due to clouds and wind. She tanned, listened to tunes and read. We had a nice fire out of direct gusty winds. She tells me she's calling it an early night just before it starts raining.

Day five - We're heading out. Came upon a nice campsite. She said there's not much good firewood knowing that was my complaint about our first campsite knowing I had some in the canoe. We paddle back to our first site because it's two hours from the take-out.

Day six - Paddled out in wind and rain.

My hope is she might like this tune someday:
This Must Be The Place - Talking Heads
  (You need to Login or Register

Her mom told me this morning that our kid was happy to not hear the wind howling and Dad didn't snore all trip.

Hey I'm a man, I can change, if I have to, I guess.
t.jpg ( 77 KB | 29 Downloads )

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by solotripper on Aug 25th, 2015 at 7:57pm
Tell her that's how those 2 new first time women Army Rangers started out, a little girl power role models. ;) ;D ;D

See if you had one of those Dry-Fly's I'm always raving about you could pitch it in such a way you can always start a fire and have a warm/dry place to watch the fire and spend some quality time doing whatever. 8-)

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by db on Aug 25th, 2015 at 8:28pm
Saw that. Different deal.

QJ190008.jpg ( 182 KB | 29 Downloads )
QJ190009.jpg ( 168 KB | 35 Downloads )

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by Yellowbird on Aug 25th, 2015 at 9:09pm

db wrote on Aug 25th, 2015 at 7:42pm:
For her, it was a tough first trip I'd bet. If she ever goes again I'd be surprised.

That's a bummer DB. Hopefully you'll get a chance to play the odds and catch some great weather next time.

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by Ranger on Aug 26th, 2015 at 12:06am

Yellowbird wrote on Aug 25th, 2015 at 9:09pm:
Hopefully you'll get a chance to play the odds and catch some great weather next time.


Feels like that's been my luck the last few years. In 2011 my wife and I did a Sept. trip and the weather was probably the best I'll ever have on any canoe trip in my life. That was her first trip, so we were lucky.

Every Sept. trip since then the weather has gone from bad to worse. I'm planning a solo in mid-Sept., and hoping that at least I don't have to fight as much wind as last year. We pulled through a lot of winds that I don't think I'll be able to contend with solo. Here's to playing my odds.  :P

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by Old Salt on Aug 26th, 2015 at 1:17am

Ranger wrote on Aug 26th, 2015 at 12:06am:

Yellowbird wrote on Aug 25th, 2015 at 9:09pm:
Hopefully you'll get a chance to play the odds and catch some great weather next time.


Feels like that's been my luck the last few years. In 2011 my wife and I did a Sept. trip and the weather was probably the best I'll ever have on any canoe trip in my life. That was her first trip, so we were lucky.

Every Sept. trip since then the weather has gone from bad to worse. I'm planning a solo in mid-Sept., and hoping that at least I don't have to fight as much wind as last year. We pulled through a lot of winds that I don't think I'll be able to contend with solo. Here's to playing my odds.  :P


Hum a few bars of 'Against the Wind'...

You're a moderator...feel the force young wind paddler. May the force be with you... ;D

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by JChief on Aug 26th, 2015 at 12:20pm

Ranger wrote on Aug 26th, 2015 at 12:06am:

Yellowbird wrote on Aug 25th, 2015 at 9:09pm:
Hopefully you'll get a chance to play the odds and catch some great weather next time.




Every Sept. trip since then the weather has gone from bad to worse. I'm planning a solo in mid-Sept., and hoping that at least I don't have to fight as much wind as last year.


That makes 2 of us Ranger. Hopefully our paths will cross somewhere neat the Narrows late on my trip but early on yours. Long term forecast so far (for what it's worth) is highs in the low 60's and lows around 40 without much rain. Will keep checking through our departure on 9/4. Wouldn't mind those temperatures at all as long as the wind cooperates. No matter what, we will be in the Q and it don't get much better than that...

J

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by Wind-In-Face on Aug 26th, 2015 at 12:41pm
Was in Quetico August 3rd-8th. Rain two days, cloudy/overcast two days, sunny two days. Agnes Lake, East Lake, Jeff Lake to North Bay, Burke, Bayley...  Grandson's 1st trip, age 9. Typical Quetico weather, but a bit cooler than normal for that time of yr.
Still...beats the alternative!
-WF
DB - she's still smiling in the pic!

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by solotripper on Aug 26th, 2015 at 1:18pm

Quote:
We pulled through a lot of winds that I don't think I'll be able to contend with solo.


That's when the Double Paddle shines, IF you can adapt to it. :-/

IF your interested, send me a PM and I'll point you to where I got my paddle at a reasonable price so if you can't adapt, you just end up with 2 spare paddles. ;)

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by Ranger on Aug 26th, 2015 at 4:37pm

solotripper wrote on Aug 26th, 2015 at 1:18pm:

Quote:
We pulled through a lot of winds that I don't think I'll be able to contend with solo.


That's when the Double Paddle shines, IF you can adapt to it.


As of right now I plan on taking a long wood kayak paddle, with a single blade back-up. I'm going to do some trial runs this weekend to test the paddle and my new anchor system.

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by solotripper on Aug 26th, 2015 at 4:59pm

Ranger wrote on Aug 26th, 2015 at 4:37pm:

solotripper wrote on Aug 26th, 2015 at 1:18pm:

Quote:
We pulled through a lot of winds that I don't think I'll be able to contend with solo.




That's when the Double Paddle shines, IF you can adapt to it.


As of right now I plan on taking a long wood kayak paddle, with a single blade back-up. I'm going to do some trial runs this weekend to test the paddle and my new anchor system.


The key to a double paddle for a canoe is that it's long enough that you don't hit the gunnels every stroke or have to to that high windmill stroke like you see kayak paddlers doing.

Because I'm paddling a tandem solo, I had to get a 9 ft paddle to work properly. If your canoe is a true solo, then you could get by with a shorter paddle.

There are some good videos of guys using double paddles in canoes and they talk about length and strokes you use in a canoe vs kayak.

Title: Re: Any current trip reports?
Post by Nanda on Sep 2nd, 2015 at 12:51am
Great trip report Db. Your daughter's a trooper. Great work getting her in for the experience and out safely!

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