Post them hear after the holidays. It's never to early to start planning.

It's a silent forum, so post them here. ;)

All right, I'll start (before the holidays :):

Falls Chain/Poet Chain in QJ. More to come...

I just returned from Florida with a two person Poke boat, 16 feet long, it's HUGE! So now my dog and I can do more camping than last year  ;) He likes camping and kayaking.
Early June with another lady kayaker, Bottle Portage on LaCroix to Basswood Lake, 10 days.  Early August, old ladies trip to Saganaga for 12 days.  In May hope to explore some local lakes on short 3 day trips and sometime in July or September a good long solo trip with Blue.

---

Wally 13 & I are heading to Sturgeon and nearby lakes. May hit part of poet chain? Still working on dates and party members. 8-)

Last week of June, wife and two adult sons, Batchewaung and Pickerel Narrows. Two cedar strip canoes and high hopes for some big fish.

IC, that new boat compared to your old one is a YACHT ;D ;D
That's is lot of dog, you need to figure a way to put all that canine POWER to work for you ;)

Maybe make-up a tow leash and dangle a big bone ahead of him on a cane pole and LET him tow you down the lake.  :-? ;D ;D

I'll be headed to Quetico mid June.  It will be my first trip in Canada.  The plan is to enter French Lake or Stanton, and head for McDougall.

My wife and I will be paddling (mostly portaging is my guess  ;)) the Bloodvein River from somewhere around Larus Lake in WCPP right through to Lake Winnipeg.  We'll be taking the whole month of August for this one.

Kerry wrote on Dec 24^th, 2016 at 10:50pm:

My wife and I will be paddling (mostly portaging is my guess  ;)) the Bloodvein River from somewhere around Larus Lake in WCPP right through to Lake Winnipeg.  We'll be taking the whole month of August for this one.

  I hope you do a nice little trip report/pics on that one, sounds like one hell of a trip. 8-)

A Mid-May trip being flown to Atikaki P.P. in Manitoba (just west of WCPP) for three weeks with friends. Did a route last summer from Wallace Lake as far north as Stone House Lake on the Bloodvein so we will fly over that and start exploring just north of the Bloodvein. The travel paths are there but vague on the maps.

Mid-May? Ready to bust some ice? I hope to hear more about that at Copia. ;)

Old Salt wrote on Dec 25^th, 2016 at 2:53pm:

Mid-May? Ready to bust some ice? I hope to hear more about that at Copia. ;)

May 20 to be precise and that can be iffy on a late spring year. There should be open water somewhere to land. Got pinned by ice after such a drop on Olive in WCPP a few years ogo so will be cautious.

Fortunately I will be making 2 trips this year. Last week of June in the Cirrus and Quetico Lake area and then the last few days of August, first few days of September somewhere up the Gunflint trail.  Likely on the Canadian side.  The downside of the  unexpected Fall trip will be that it kills my plans for a solo trip once again.

Provided our outfitter can get the permits pulled in a few days, I'll be doing a joint solo and spending some time in Sarah and Robinson area.  Our put-in date is June 1 and a take-out on June 14th, with a drop-off and pick-up tow at Lincoln Island (via the truck portage at Prairie Portage).   It is possible that we might go as far as Brent (or maybe Suzanette).  The northern advance will be based (in part) on lack of fishing success in the southern lakes.  This is planned to be mostly a base-camp trip, with a heavy emphasis on fishing.

Although most of this territory is not new, I'd like to try some different entry/exits from Basswood.  Anyone taken the route from Basswood thru Nest and Point to either Isabella or the no-namer NW of Point (e.g., is that still 100 yards of swamp at the no-namer end)?  Since it is possible that we could wind up with a Basswood River permit ... anyone entered Robinson from either the south (Tuck River) or SW from the Basswood River?

dd

DD, I thought that permits were available 5 mos out from entry date?  Would a June 1 entry be available February 1st?

gym...

you said it would be your first trip to Canada?  if you don't have a passport, you should make it your new year's resolution to get one ordered early on.  it can take up to 3 months sometimes

I'll be doing my usual Quetico trip early in June, and the Bowron Lakes circuit in BC in July - almost opposite ends of the spectrum, Bowron has portage trails set up for using carts, designated campsites with tent pads, and a whole lot of regs

DD,

I really like the Basswood river entry. Very scenic and good fishing. We entered at Moose bay and camped on Robinson. Easy second day to McIntyre or Brent. Don't overlook Deer.

We did the tow to Back bay portage to Pipestone bay. Saved a lot of paddle time and avoided wind issues going around US point. Something to consider.

Mad_Mat wrote on Dec 26^th, 2016 at 7:46pm:

gym... you said it would be your first trip to Canada?  if you don't have a passport, you should make it your new year's resolution to get one ordered early on.  it can take up to 3 months sometimes

GCD,

Does your state offer ENHANCED DRIVER LICENSES?
My state MI does and some others do too. Allows you to go to Canada/Mexico without a REAL Passport.

  I had a passport before they offered EDL's but didn't renew it after I got the EDL.

IF you DON'T have a PASSPORT and time becomes an issue, then IF your state offers the EDL that might be an option?

D.Doc-

I've gone through to Robinson both ways. Entering by paddling Tuck River is one of my main routes in and out of the Q. It is very straight forward. First portage out of Moose Bay is on the east side of the Tuck River. The only time the route is challenging is if water is very high (like big run off in the spring high) as there are two riffles to paddle up before Robinson. If by " SW from the Basswood River" you mean the route through Bart and Craig- this is also straight forward. Portage out of Crooked is on the north side of the flowage. Portage into Robinson can be quite mucky in the wet.

Passport was sent in for renewal same time as my wife applied for a new one.  She got hers back in 2 weeks!  I just got an email saying my passport had been expired too long to renew, so I have to go fill out a few more forms, lol.
No worries though, I am sure it will be done by June....right? :o

Solus wrote on Dec 26^th, 2016 at 9:38pm:

D.Doc- I've gone through to Robinson both ways. Entering by paddling Tuck River is one of my main routes in and out of the Q. It is very straight forward. First portage out of Moose Bay is on the east side of the Tuck River. The only time the route is challenging is if water is very high (like big run off in the spring high) as there are two riffles to paddle up before Robinson. If by " SW from the Basswood River" you mean the route through Bart and Craig- this is also straight forward. Portage out of Crooked is on the north side of the flowage. Portage into Robinson can be quite mucky in the wet.

Thanks.  I assumed that the route up the Tuck River would be manageable.  I was on Robinson once in the fall and the route was choked with vegetation and little water.  Looked like a tough slog from the Robinson end at that point of the year.

dd

DentonDoc wrote on Dec 27^th, 2016 at 2:28pm:

Thanks.  I assumed that the route up the Tuck River would be manageable.  I was on Robinson once in the fall and the route was choked with vegetation and little water.  Looked like a tough slog from the Robinson end at that point of the year. dd

Even in very low water the Tuck is navigable. The shallowest section is at the outflow from Robinson. Coming from Moose Bay there is enough rice and reeds in the water that finding the river has stymied a tripper or two.

Definitely Quetico, somewhere between July 29-Aug. 12, 10 solid days....been thinking about Sturgeon area maybe. Will enter at PP.  Crew of 1 so far, but I got a couple of hooks in the water...so, kinda open at the moment.

pd

I still have my Delahey or Conmee trip on my planner. I'm probably coming in from Kahsh/Sarah and heading north to Suzanette (I'm guessing). Delahey would require coming in from the north out of Nym most likely or braving the DM portage to get there. My plans are in flux for this one but I'm planning on getting in there.

gymcoachdon wrote on Dec 26^th, 2016 at 7:07pm:

DD, I thought that permits were available 5 mos out from entry date?  Would a June 1 entry be available February 1st?

Yep, that's what I've seen published, but I got a confirmation of my EP and June 1st entry date in an e-mail today.

Perhaps outfitters have been provided with a lead time edge that (so far as I know) is not published.

dd

Interesting, as that only gives me 2 weeks to decide what to do for my June 17th entry.

Time to call the outfitter back if I want the Stanton Bay entry.

gymcoachdon wrote on Jan 2^nd, 2017 at 3:51am:

Interesting, as that only gives me 2 weeks to decide what to do for my June 17th entry. Time to call the outfitter back if I want the Stanton Bay entry.

I wouldn't sweat it. Permits on north side don't sell out very often, if at all, that far ahead. When you find out about Stanton bay entry, please post here. Thanks  8-)

In fact permits on the south side rarely sell out- maybe for a specific entry lake but I've never had difficulty getting a permit for Prairie Portage at the last moment- even July 4th weekend.

You can probably reserve an entry now for June 1 at   (You need to Login or Register but I'd suggest letting your outfitter reserve a Stanton permit.

You can also check availability on the site for any date and entry. Remember though, there are resident and non-resident quotas. I think it's three days out that that distinction goes away and it's just another paddler getting a permit. I honestly wouldn't sweat availability, especially for a northern entry.

db wrote on Jan 2^nd, 2017 at 8:17am:

You can probably reserve an entry now for June 1 at   (You need to Login or Register but I'd suggest letting your outfitter reserve a Stanton permit.

Hey db,

I don't believe there is such a thing as a "Stanton" permit.  I think they fall under the Pickerel Lake quota.  Regardless, your advice re: obtaining an outfitter is probably good.  Americans cannot park their vehicles at Stanton (a concession the park made to Canadian-based outfitters, I'm sure).  Therefore, the only way Americans can use Stanton as a place of entry is to have someone "drop them off" OR have a licensed Canadian driver in their paddling party.

As far as I know, Doug Chapman of Canadian Quetico Outfitters is the closest outfitter to Stanton but there are one or two other outfitters in the Eva Lake area who could also perform this service (if you don't mind travelling at break-neck speeds over sometimes questionable roads... one of those dudes nearly side-swiped us one year!).  Getting an outfitter to run you over from Atikokan would likely be more expensive.

Anyhow, entering at Stanton can save you a couple hours versus entering Pickerel via French.  However, when using Stanton, I recommend folks do what they can to secure a "morning" entry versus afternoon.  When afternoon breezes pick up on Pickerel - blowing in from the west or northwest, more often than not - travelling in a southerly direction across the big lake from Stanton can become somewhat challenging.  That's happened to me more than once and, one year, my brother & I had to settle for a very rough camp on a scruffy, nasty little island just outside of Stanton Bay due to the considerable chop on the water (there's a reef just outside of the bay that plays havoc with water conditions when those waves pick up).

Pickerel is fickle and needs to be respected at all times.  Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes not.  I try to plan with the odds in my favor and go with morning entry at Stanton whenever I can.

For folks who simply cannot enter in the morning, there IS one decent campsite in the bay itself in the event of "windy conditions."  There are also a few "make-do" spots around the bay.  However, these will fill up fast when the big lake is uncooperative during popular summer weeks.

Another "fun fact" about an entry at Stanton was mentioned earlier by DD, I think.  The road to Stanton can become "unusable" after big storms.  I've had that happen once or twice, too.  Then, you punt and use the regular Pickerel entry point OR you change your entry permit altogether.  When this happened to me, years ago, the park acknowledged the inconvenience and allowed me to change my permit without issue or cost.  In any case, the outfitter you will need to use for a Stanton entry will certainly know the shape of the road so CALL in advance, if you have doubts.  One year an outfitter managed to get a vehicle across the major washout on that road... and kept it there for a few weeks.  They would run their clients to the gap, unload, ferry their gear & clients across, and reload their other truck on the far side to resume the journey.  Anyhow, it was a mess.

Recommendation: use a local outfitter who knows the conditions of the road into Stanton and try to plan for a morning entry.

Jimbo   8-)

Great advice Jimbo  8-) We used to drive that road back in the day, and I still have the old maps.

We are planning to use Doug Chapman for our entry, and will ride the white horses for our exit to French. Just make sure you're loaded slightly bow heavy and the stern paddler is alert for steering. The bow paddler can just do some easy paddling and enjoy the ride. 8-)

Working out joining another paddler or two (one from this board) on part of a Hunter's Island loop. I can't get the entire 3 weeks free for all of it but there are sections (more than I originally thought) that I haven't done. It may be an entry from Beaverhouse or dropping down out of Nym. I think that coming in from Crane or PP will require either 1) an expensive tow or 2) an entry that we've all done several times (PP) and need a change of scenery. Maybe early June timeframe....

If I can get reliable treatment for the late Lyme disease symptoms I've had since May 2015 I'll do two BW trips, one in May and another in September.  I've been too long away.

Clarke/Thelon Rivers NWT/Nuvanut early summer bookended around 2 Q trips, 1 spring, and 1 October.

Jim J,

Thelon is on my list for someday.  Are you doing the entire trip to Baker lake ?

Just formulating plans.  Hope to loop in BWCA from Hog Creek to Gabbros, IP to numbered lakes, and back east to Kawishiwi Lake, where we'll base the night before entry. Late May or early June. Probably with my son.

In the fall I hope to take two weeks and complete the Northwest Wilderness Quest - 3 nights each Quetico, Wabakimi and Woodland Caribou. Thinking I'll exercise my new (to me) SR Tranquility.

It's a plan and goal, and in keeping with my New Years resolution to play more and work less.

Okay, so I just got a reservation in with the outfitter - PP entry into Agnes on 8/2-11.  I have 3 on the crew at this point and hope to have at least 4.  I plan on paddling those Savage River boats again this year.  The float plan is to bee line up to either McKenzie or Sturgeon and spend a few days on either of those lakes.  Looking for opinions or comments on either lake, as I've not been to either yet.  Still debating Canoecopia, but leaning toward going - gives me an excuse to visit family in Milwaukee and parts north.

pd

August 8-18 for a slow paced 40th anniversary trip with my wife.
Agnes, Louisa to Kawnippi then spend most of the time there.
See you there pd, eh.

And now my son and d-i-l would like to do a short trip out east. Looking at Erie Canal - or a part of it.

Not a Quetico/BWCA trip, or even a canoeing trip, but one that certainly has me excited.  My wife and I will be going to New Zealand and Australia for about 3 months total.  Mostly self guided and in hotels but also includes camping in Australia's Red Centre and on the Great Barrier Reef.  Hope to discover some relatives there, my great-grandfather (and namesake) was born in Adelaide.

Watch out for those creepy-crawly poisonous critters in AUSTRALIA and don't swim in a water hole unless you know for sure what's in there.  ;) ;D ;D

Well, I don't have anything that compares with Azalea's exotic travel plans.  I'd like to make my way "down under" after I fully retire, perhaps.  I've always wanted to see the very places he mentions.  My oldest son spent the better part of a year in New Zealand and absolutely loved it.

As for me, weddings and family gatherings in 2017 will have me hopping around the foothills of South Carolina, the Outer Banks of North Carolina and down to the Orlando, Florida region.  None of those are canoe trips, however.  Sadly, they are not "surfing" trips, either.   My wife expressed her feelings about those kind of trips rather distinctly when she secretly sold my surfboard at a yard sale twenty-plus years ago.  Thus, whenever her gaze lasts a little long on the canoes hanging from the rafters in my garage, I start to worry a little bit....

Re: Quetico, I'll be all over Pickerel Lake and possibly down into Bisk, Rawn or Buckingham during the last week of June.  I'll be back, just north of the park, during the second week of July, bass-fishing local lakes in canoes with some friends I haven't seen in 40 years.  We'll be using The Quetico College School as our base of operations.  It's a heckuva facility and just-the-thing for the reunion that my brother and I have in mind with these guys.

Finally, if nothing better pops up, I have hopes of doing a lengthy solo trip into the park in September.  [Seriously folks, what "better" thing COULD pop up?!!  ;) ]

More often than not, I fly a flamingo banner at my camps.  Also, I have QJ decals on both my tandem and solo canoes.  QJer's that happen to be in the vicinity are always welcomed visitors!

Jimbo   8-)

So far my big trip is going to Canoecopia and then Texas in August.  Going to look for a place to relocate from Illinois.

Chaga,

Running into you in the middle of nowhere again would be a hoot!  The Mrs. would probably be even more surprised than your buddy was.  If we end up on McKenzie, could be a decent chance.  If we are on Sturgeon, we'd probably come down Kahshapiwi and then not so likely. 

pd

Mad_Mat wrote on Jan 12^th, 2017 at 1:05am:

Jim J, Thelon is on my list for someday.  Are you doing the entire trip to Baker lake ?

No, not that far. We'll linger a bit on this trip and do some hiking from camp and fishing. Mostly the game preserve area. It's a 2 week trip stretched into 3 weeks, and a smaller 6 person trip.

Marten wrote on Dec 25^th, 2016 at 4:05pm:

Old Salt wrote on Dec 25th, 2016 at 2:53pm: Mid-May? Ready to bust some ice? I hope to hear more about that at Copia. ;) May 20 to be precise and that can be iffy on a late spring year. There should be open water somewhere to land. Got pinned by ice after such a drop on Olive in WCPP a few years ogo so will be cautious.

I have been transferring a lot of vague data to this vague G4 map so I can get a better handle on the possible canoe routes north of the Bloodvein River. I think I am too old to cover all the routes up there. No portage crews up there either.
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