Looks like a over loaded canoe.  Must be a travel day. That is the foot draining position. Thanks Jim I enjoyed that.

Magic, you would be one of the last persons I would ever accuse of "overloading."

I'll do my best to avoid pics of how MY canoe is loaded!

By the way, as you will see over the course of the next several pics, I have stolen shamelessly from our joint-cache of pictures from our September 2017 trip to Cirrus Lake. 

However, this particular pic - I believe - was one of mine.  You're pretty tricky, though... maybe you pulled it off somehow.

Jimbo   8-)

Looking forward to seeing them. 

I'm looking forward to them too :)
Is that a DIY water filter?

ST,

That one is a "Magic Special", so I'll let him comment. 

I think I had my own Katadyn Gravity Camp Water Filter going too but, frankly, most of the time I simply paddle 50-100 meters offshore & fill a water bladder.  As it turned out, we DID have a couple days where paddling out to retrieve water was not feasible (fierce winds & waves) so I'm glad we had alternative supply systems... a rare check mark in the "plus side"  column for such a notorious heavy-packer as me.

Jimbo   8-)

The reason I asked is my DIY looks similar.

I started out with the filter higher but found for my Sawyer mini-filter it worked better when it had a column of water behind it.


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What a way to wake up!   There’s something about the quality of early morning sun light and clear skies in September in Quetico Park;  you just want to sit there and soak in it!  That memory warms me now as I wake up on a Christmas morn with a windchill of 20 below zero....

Merry Christmas!

Jimbo.  8-)

Merry Christmas to all as well :)

  Jimbo is right about a Sept trip in the Q.
  Just when the nights start getting colder but the days are still nice for paddling.

No or very little bugs and not many people either.
Fishing can be a little problematic but the start of fall weather makes it worthwhile.

That is a platypus water filter. I went on a trip with Ben and he had one and it was so easy when I got home I bought one. Speaking of pictures I got a framed picture of me in front of a camp site in Opasquia from my daughter for Christmas. Wander how she got that picture JIM!

Magicpaddler wrote on Dec 25^th, 2017 at 7:51pm:

Speaking of pictures I got a framed picture of me in front of a camp site in Opasquia from my daughter for Christmas. Wander how she got that picture JIM!

Hmmmm....

Jimbo   8-)

All right Jim.  If you are pleading innocent then you are pointing the finger at the only other person who was there.  Any way it is a nice picture and brings back good memories. Thanks to Jimbo or DD.

Hey Magic,

I bet you remember what happened to you right about where I snapped this particular pic (today's POD)?  In fact, you may have already had the S.O.B. on the line, though I don't think so.

That episode made a pretty convincing argument as to why I should reconsider my practice of NOT bringing a fishing net!

Jimbo   8-)

I have relived that half hour fight sever times in my head.  Your net would not have been big enough. I am working on a unpatented device for landing those brutes. Maybe you will get to see it next year.

Magicpaddler wrote on Dec 26^th, 2017 at 5:17pm:

I have relived that half hour fight sever times in my head.  Your net would not have been big enough. I am working on a unpatented device for landing those brutes. Maybe you will get to see it next year.

Okay MP and Jimbo, you've got my interest piqued now. ;) ;D ;D

MP, as a fellow McGyver type guy, I'm curious what is your criteria for your new project?

Obviously your not happy with the Lip Grip/Net or hand options, so without giving away any design details would you mind enlightening us* on what they don't offer that you hope to correct or improve on?

Inquiring minds, okay NOSEY minds want to know. ;) ;D ;D

What is a very dicey situation is when you are solo and the wind may be up out in the main body of the lake.  So you're fishing on the lee shore but get into a big brute of a trout or northern.  Well, the breeze decides to drift you and your fighting fish  out into swells and white caps.  Oh yeah, that can get real dicey! :o

Basically it is a dull pointed gaff.  It will be used to hold the fish while still in the water while removing the hook.

Magicpaddler wrote on Dec 27^th, 2017 at 12:54pm:

Basically it is a dull pointed gaff.  It will be used to hold the fish while still in the water while removing the hook.

  I was thinking the same thing but you might not need a dull pointed gaff.

I found this very informative article about ways to maximize releasing fish safely.

Couple of lines down he talks about using a Gaff
His twist on the method is to insert the gaff into the mouth and then pull it out thru the lower jaw plate.

Keeps point from doing damage to the inside of mouth/gills.

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I look forward to seeing your project when you're done and how you like it?

I like today's campsite POD.

Yeah, but I don't see the overkill I'm looking for.  ;) :D

TomT wrote on Dec 29^th, 2017 at 2:52pm:

Yeah, but I don't see the overkill I'm looking for.  ;) :D

TomT -

We were taking a lunch break back at camp.  Otherwise, canoes would have been back in bushes & tied.

Well, that’s my story, anyhow, and I’m sticking to it!

Jimbo  8-)

I'm seeing a "progression" in Jimbo's POD pics. :-?
This one shows his clothes on the chair and boots on the ground.

I hope he doesn't plan on a SKINNY DIPPING selfie cuz I know he likes to swim every day regardless of the weather.  ;) ;D ;D

solotripper wrote on Jan 1^st, 2018 at 2:09pm:

I'm seeing a "progression" in Jimbo's POD pics. :-? This one shows his clothes on the chair and boots on the ground. I hope he doesn't plan on a SKINNY DIPPING selfie cuz I know he likes to swim every day regardless of the weather.  ;) ;D ;D

ST -

You're spoiling my New Year's big surprise!

You know, whenever I see that beach or even just look at a picture of it, vivid recollections of one of my best days ever in Quetico come flooding back to me.

More than a dozen years ago I was deep in study for a professional re-certification exam.  It was late September and Indian-summer-like and I had some vacation time left to play with.  On the spur of the moment, I decided to treat myself to a "study & play" late season solo trip to one of my favorite areas in Quetico: Cirrus Lake.  So, off I went.

I practically had the park to myself at the 5 Star campsite not far from the corridor to the northern tier of the lake.  OK, so one afternoon I DID see a First Nation guide in a motorboat sweep past my camp.  It is one of the few times I've ever seen a powerboat in use in the park.  While that bugged me at first, I watched carefully where he took his clients to jig for lake trout.  Anyway, after half an hour he was gone, not to be seen again.  I don't recall seeing anyone else at all during that trip.  I don't recall bugs or rain, either, just sunshine, temps in upper 60's, gentle breezes, a few birds, and the resonant deep bellowing of moose in the misty pre-dawn hours.

So one beautiful morning, an hour or so after my moose serenade, I start feeling a little guilty regarding the "study" goals of this particular trip.  In other words, I hadn't done crap and the eight very thick study guides I had hauled out there with me had served as little more than "ballast" for my canoe.  Bottom line: I needed a plan for this day so I could feel productive and get something accomplished.  The plan I came up with was, as follows:

#1.  Load canoe with heavy pole & #1 lake trout lure as well as with towel, bathing suit and the danged study materials. 
#2.   Point Souris River craft towards yonder beach, on the far side of the bay across from camp.
#3.   Drop white Hellbender lure in water as soon upon reaching the 30 foot depth level (OK, so I tossed my depth finder in the canoe, too).
#4.   Allow gentle breezes to blow me across said bay as I troll merrily along.
#5.   Catch nice lake trout.
#6.   Fillet catch on the rocks down from yonder beach.
#7.   Hang fillets in wet canvas bag back in the deep shade of the trees beyond beach.
#8.   Pull out the danged study materials and lay on bay to catch some rays while I improved my mind.
#9.  Chill out & learn something.
#10. Head back to camp & fry fillets (with potatoes & onions) over the first rate camp fire pit while I enjoy a gorgeous setting sun.

That was my plan.

How did it turn out?  Well, let's just say the big laker (orange flesh on the inside) gobbled the white Hellbender within a minute of shoving off from camp. After a ten minute battle - all the while drifting towards my beach - the prize was mine.

Never have I had a day that played out "according to plan" quite like that one did.  I have vivid recollection of sunshine, cool afternoon breezes, and the mesmerizing soundtrack of that seemingly endless procession of wavelets lapping onto that beach.  I laid around, read, and, when I got too warm, I swam.  I basked in sunshine and watched ravens and the occasional eagle waft across the sky.  Oh, and I also devoted some mental energy to the preparation and eventual consumption of my cooperative and recently-deceased lake trout buddy.  Perhaps it was the anticipation that got me through so many chapters that day?

Anyhow, it was a helluva day and, whenever I see that beach, well... I tend to re-live it.  I'm sure most of us have similar memories of places in the park that for one reason or another became "special" to us.  That beach just happens to be one of MY places.

By the way, upon returning to civilization I passed that exam with flying colors.  It was an altogether GOOD day and a GREAT memory.

Jimbo   8-)

There are a few nice sand beaches on Cirrus.
I took a quick swim on the one that is on the Cirrus side of that short little postage on the east end of that no-name bay west of Emerald Isle.

  Cirrus is a great lake for sure. If you hit it right like you did you can have it pretty much all to yourself.

is today's (1/5) POD 5G?

zski -

We had 3 different camps on Cirrus but I believe that one of me sitting in my chair on the point was taken on 2Z.

Jimbo   8-)

8-) today's POD

Yeah, that's a good one, so it was taken by MagicPaddler.

Jimbo   8-)

If that's the moon from the first week of Sept. 2017 it was spectacular after the storms left.  It became a very clear high pressure situation and at night this moon was casting immense shadows.  It lit everything up in "silver" as Sigurd Olson wrote about.

Jimbo wrote on Jan 5^th, 2018 at 8:36pm:

zski - We had 3 different camps on Cirrus but I believe that one of me sitting in my chair on the point was taken on 2Z. Jimbo   8-)

  got it jimbo, it's just that tree looked familiar, thx :)

By the time I took that picture most of the storm was over and the wind had let up to where I felt safe digging out the camera.

Magic,

That was the day of the continuous rain squalls.  We kept our eye to the sky looking for promising patches of blue that might signify we could safely proceed to our next camp.  I remember it took me half the day to cajole you out of camp!  Then, when you finally relented, we got blown down to Sue Falls when the camp we wanted at the pinch point (8A) was occupied... and I found myself wishing I had heeded your advice!  Anyway, all's well that ends well but that was sure a nasty ride.

Jimbo   8-)

:o :o ;D ;D

What is that white thing flapping in the breeze on the right side of the picture?

Looks like some kind of netting.

solotripper wrote on Jan 7^th, 2018 at 2:38pm:

:o :o ;D ;D What is that white thing flapping in the breeze on the right side of the picture? Looks like some kind of netting.

That is a tarp. That is the one I purchased from IC

Is it a cuban fiber, Magic?  That's top of the line.

No is not Cuban.  It is heavy nylon. I only take it on base camp trips.

For the price of a small Cuben Fiber tarp, you could hire a NUBILE portage monkey.  ;) ;D ;D

Great pic of you today Jimbo 8-)

  Did anyone ever tell you that you look like an older Brock Lesnar, WWE/UFC champion?
Add the hat and he could be your younger brother. ;) ;D ;D

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ST -

Not a look I'm really going for.  Yet another indication that I need to get back on my diet!

Jimbo   8-)

I would get one more clip in that fishes mouth so as to not lose it while dragging it behind you.   ;D

And here I thought I was the only one to notice that...... :D

He was to join us for dinner.  So, I wasn’t taking any chances having been burned before with that style of stringer.   I had a ways to go until I got to a suitable carving rock.   Also there was danger of a tug-of-war with the resident snapper; needed to improve my chances of winning that because I was hungry!

Jimbo 8-)

Tee hee.  Seriously though, enjoying the familiar location of your current photos, Jimbo.

Stayed at that site in the Fall of 2015.
It gets a lot of use so after a summer it was in terrible shape. One of those sites that could use a "rest" for awhile.

Years back I stayed at the site directly across from it.
I wanted to stay there that trip too, but it was a bigger mess than this one.  :(

I feel for you in today's POD Jimbo :P

Being in discomfort, it's hard to do even the little things like cutting wood in an ergonomic manner.

ST -

Hopefully that's all behind me now.  I'm 8 days post- full hip replacement surgery today.  I seem to be making large strides towards healing.  Might not even need that large camp chair anymore (though it was surprisingly light & we only had a few portages).

Jimbo   8-)

Good to hear Jimbo.
Nothing the matter with that oversized camp chair since you didn't have to portage much.

I have one like that I take car camping. Real nice around a late night campfire.

We will need some some new POD's in about a week. Just saying,

I have enjoyed being "taken along" on Jimbo's Quetico trip recently, and would encourage those of you who have photos from your adventures to submit them for the POD's.  On a cold winter morning in Michigan, it makes me smile to see a photo of sunshine on the rocks in the canoe country.  Just sayin'.   :)

And Jimbo, I hope your hip is healing well now.  I hope to be getting a "new hip" soon myself, after more than a year of arguing with, let's see. . .I think I am now up to three orthopedists (including the University of Michigan), two spine specialists, a pain clinic, a sports medicine specialist, and two physical therapists!. . .about the cause of my continuing groin and hip pain, which just gets more and more severe with every single step.  And I hope, soon, to be giving a positive report again like the one I read here recently from you. 

Thoughts and prayers for your complete recovery, Jimbo, and for more photos next year from that next trip!

Spartan2

Spartan2,

I’m sitting in my therapist’s lobby as I read your kind note, waiting on my ride home.  Truly, it is a planned 14 day trip in late June that has motivated me through the surgery & now the therapy &, in a few weeks, all the workouts I intend to put myself through. No way I’ll allow myself to become a burden on the half-dozen folks who were generous enough to agree to let a “problematic” paddler join in their adventure.

In my case the diagnosis was pretty straightforward.  That ball in my left hip joint was apparently worn down to a nub.  Cortisone was yielding diminishing benefits after a year so the path to surgery was pretty clear.  Sounds like your issue is a bit more complicated, so I feel for you.  So far I am quite impressed with both the ease and the results of my surgery.  On the other hand, I fear my companions on this year’s trip will be “impressed” with the length of my incision when I go skinny-dipping!  Due to extenuating circumstances, the doc really needed to “open me up”  to get a good look at things.

I wish you well with your own struggles on these trials and tribulations.   Getting old ain’t much fun but, I suppose, it beats the alternative!

Me? I’m so confident that I’ll be ready for this year’s paddling adventure that I just went out and bought a brand new carbon fiber bent shaft paddle. Whoopee!!

You better believe I’m going to work as hard as I can to get the chance to use it!

Thanks!

Jimbo   8-)

Congratulations Jimbo,

You crossed the bridge and now after the initial therapy it should get easier every day.  Work hard to increase your flexibility ahead of the scar tissue that tries to form and you will be very happy with your end result.

MossBack

MossBack wrote on Jan 15^th, 2018 at 8:43pm:

Congratulations Jimbo, You crossed the bridge and now after the initial therapy it should get easier every day.  Work hard to increase your flexibility ahead of the scar tissue that tries to form and you will be very happy with your end result. MossBack

Mossback -

Am I hearing The Voice of Experience?

Jimbo  8-)

Different joint.  Knee replacement in November 2009 and I carried a canoe and a small pack up the Louisa Falls portage 9 months later, making good on a promise to myself from 20 years prior.

I now use the ongoing need to continue canoe trips as a prod to eat better, exercise more, and generally live a healthier life than I did for the first half.

Your therapy will  not be enjoyable, but your improved mobility certainly will be.

MossBack

I had a complete knee replacement in 2013.  Compared to how I felt before surgery and how I felt 6 months after surgery, was fantastic.
My advice as other have told you is do your p.t. as faithfully and diligently as you can.  There are no shortcuts.

Rumor has it they replaced the wrong hip on Jimbo so now he'e walking in circles and meanwhile, we're almost out of PODs again...

Todays POD and yesterdays were taken within seconds of each other and the camera was pointed in the same direction. In today’s POD Jimbo is just to the left of the point of land with the little tree on the rock marking it. Not sure I can see him in the QJ version of the picture but I just zoomed in on the original picture and there is a blurry image of what can be identified as a person in a canoe. Not a bad zoom ratio of a pocket camera. 

We'll soon run out of the POD's that I've submitted... and I've been reaching back for these past few.  Today's POD goes back to 2005.  From left to right: my son Ben, Kawishiway, me, Magic Paddler, QPassage, Magic's brother Floyd, WoodsWalker, and (seated) Intrepid Camper.  We were camped on an island on Cairn Lake.  This was the morning after a soaking, dreary, cold, foggy day in which most of these folks were guided by the pink flamingo signposts to our camp. 

Later that day, most of this crew attempted the Bushwhackers' Jamboree challenge.  No one who approached the targeted area for the Jamboree (due east of camp) from the west succeeded in the mission.  In fact, only one party reached the destination.  Not even "Stumpy", the guy who conceived the challenge (and who had been there before) was successful.  My account of this adventure can be found in the QJ Stories section (see:   (You need to Login or Register ).  Since then, there have been Bushwhacker Jamborees every five years.  I think MagicPaddler has been the only person to participate in all of them.  Me?  Well, I've opted for "Jimboree" vs. "Jamboree" experiences since that very first event.  Admittedly, the quest of a Jimboree is somewhat less ambitious than that of a Jamboree.  Essentially: wherever I happen to be on a given trip, well, THAT is the target location.  Nevertheless, we've had numerous festivities, shirts, pink paraphernalia (pink lures, whirl-a-gigs, buoys, mugs, balloons, etc.), and an assortment of foods - including pink stew - to commemorate our underachievement and the attainment of our less-than-lofty goals.

Strangely enough, the pink flamingo campsite marker thing "caught on."  After everyone paddled back out of the park with pink flamingo hood ornaments AND after a BWJ story ran about the event, Piriagis immediately began to market "pink flamingo campsite markers" in their catalog.  Sure wish I could have hit them up for commissions!

Anyway, please send db more POD's, if you can.  I'm drawing on ancient history now....

Jimbo   8-)   

Sent some old PODS in just now.

Unless we get some more new blood sending PODS, you're going to get damn sick of just a few QJ members pics and re-cycled ones too.  :P :-[

There should be a few more recent ones showing up as soon as Jimbo's run out.

pd

A solution for the POD shortfall?  What about Q-Cam . . . next trip we each take a dozen or so trail cameras to be mounted all around the Quetico that will transmit photos directly to the POD cache.  Location of the cams are made known to all along with the date they were set.  The following season any one of us tripping through the vicinity of a Q-Cam will volunteer to refresh the batteries and relocate it to another point of interest.  Heck, we could even have a separate Q-Cam forum to nominate locations, member awards, and of course feedback.
1.) Posting Q-Cams at locations below falls, honey holes, and key reefs would tell us what is biting and when as well as how discreet our secrets really are.
2.) Posting Q-Cams along portages and entry points would show the type of demographics at your place of interest.  Want to avoid the rangers, hey no problem.  Looking for some cute singles, there you go.  Solitude, priceless!  Forget your fire grate?, "hey, there's one behind that boulder.  Forget your jug . . . from now on you don't even need to bring one.
3.) Of course some positions must remain off limits (because we do have high ethical standards, right?!).  No beaches prone to view where Jimbo takes his daily swim.  No privey spots, it goes without saying, yet someone may become tempted to ID and shame the culprits who don't bury.
A committee will need to be nominated to charter this venture.  A percentage of the indirect revenue this brings in should go toward the trail cams as well as paying the cost of our trips.  Any semblance to "Big Brother" must be sharply countered by our "Good Will" intentions.  And it might be best to begin with a pilot program and make an evaluation after the first season.
-YB

;D ;D food for thought...  ;D ;D

Where have you been? Another advantage: we wouldn’t have to waste vacation time planning and taking canoe trips. We can have the authentic virtual experience... 8-)

We might just as well go all out with the high tech.  Lets just do a group buy on an army of those miniature drones that I hear are going to take over civilization from the humans.  That way we can put some miniature hellfire missiles right on the folks in the act of leaving the toilet paper messes.

Humor aside, most days I am ashamed that I even bring a satellite phone and a weather radio.

MossBack

Jimbo, is this a bridge hammock you're in?  I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.

TomT -

It’s a “Clark Jungle Hammock”... their NX270 model (see:   (You need to Login or Register ).  I have used Clark hammocks for years and would trade them for no other hammock.  Yes, they’re a bit pricey but you really get your money’s worth. Impeccable construction. Zippers, netting, Weathershield materials, etc. are all top rate.  Huge pockets on the outside in which you can store your clothing as “insulation” on chilly nights.  Convenient interior pockets, as well. One of things I enjoy the most about it the most is the remarkable amount of visibility and head room you have.   I can go on and on about the pluses but all you have to do is a QJ “search” for “Clark Jungle Hammock“ and you’ll see past reviews. I also opt for the extra large tarp.

I’m not sure what a “bridge” hammock is but Clark makes several different styles, including two-person hammocks.  Mine is what I've always called a "banana/pea-pod style."  I’m not sure why the company doesn’t advertise/market more. I asked Clark why he didn’t show up at events like CanoeCopia, etc., a few years back when I "upgraded" to the NX-270 (featuring an overhead tarp separate from the sleeping unit and better scheme for "spreading out"
the head space to allow for even greater visibility).   Clark seemed quite content with the size of his company, determined to keep production tight to ensure a high-quality specialty-type product, and happy enough with "word-of-mouth" advertising.

I can recommend Clark hammocks without hesitation (and often do). I have been VERY satisfied with the quality of my sleep and the overall functioning of these hammocks in every respect.

Jimbo  8-)

I've always heard good things about Clarks.  I like the view you get.  A bridge hammock has spreader bars at each end so your shoulders don't get pinched.  I've heard you can get a very flat lay and sleeping on one's side is comfortable too.

Are you going to use the Clark this year?  If I remember right you had been a ground dweller last year.

TomT -

Then, yes, my Clark IS a bridge unit, having spreader bars at both ends.

Still not certain re: using my hammock tent but probably, yes.  Packing is lighter & there is less competition for tent pads, etc..  My primary determinant will be any physical limitations/considerations that may yet exist as a result of my recent hip replacement surgery.  We'll see.

Jimbo   8-)

Old Salt wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2018 at 1:41pm:

Where have you been?

Hey OS,
Just lurking in the background.  I'm a big fan of the POD's and stay tuned in to them.  Missed a trip up there in '17 so no submittal -  :-[ but intend to correct that this season, (getting the fever again).  It looks like I finally have my dad talked into joining me.  He will be 76 in May. 
-YB

Where are you headed & when? I’ll be in some of the same area we did in ‘06, in mid-June. It would be nice to cross paths. 8-)

We would go the first week in July.  I am starting to consider the McAree/Minn region.  If so, I may be giving you a call.  Otherwise a BH entry into Cirrus is in the hat.  If any in the group has passport issues, we will take a tow into the top region of LLC.  That area has become a favorite.
Mid-June; we have a grand-daughter due!

Today's pic captures our efforts on a VERY hot August afternoon to remain cool & comfortable.  You will note the cup next to the gent in sunglasses, smoking his cigar.  He was sipping a fine Scotch.  I soon joined him (minus the cigar) but favored Maker's Mark.  Our whole crew was pretty-much doing the same thing, trying to escape the smothering heat.  We were camped on the island campsite at mid-lake on Rawn.  The camp is high on the island but there was no breeze that day.  Fortunately, we discovered a "crevice" cunning perpendicular to the southern shoreline of the island.  We believe there must be an under-lake spring of some sort right at that spot as water temps anywhere around that crevice were clearly a blessed 10 degrees cooler than the surrounding waters! 

Jimbo   8-)

Talk about contrast. ;) ;D
The Ying and Yang of the North Country.

Apparently, that makes Jimbo the Ying.   :D

Jimbo's "Ying Dynasty" rules the summer.  The Yangs rule the winter.

Ying-Yang half-breeds own the rest of the year.

As we plummet well-below zero, again, this week, today's great pic seems altogether appropriate!  I keep telling myself I'm going to attempt a Yang-style vacation sometime.  The solitude, the sounds, the night sky... probably worth it to try the experience at least once.  At the very least, it would help me appreciate the Ying experience ever so much more (as in, "What the heck was I thinking when I agreed to dealing with 40-below AND absolute darkness for 14 hours at a stretch!").

Nice change-of-pace with these pics!

Jimbo  8-)

Jimbo-

You should have rented out your house for Super Bowl week and headed up north to enjoy a little Yang time!  :)
ml

MuleLars wrote on Jan 30^th, 2018 at 2:51pm:

Jimbo- You should have rented out your house for Super Bowl week and headed up north to enjoy a little Yang time!  :) ml

Hmmm... would have been easy, too, as my wife will be "out-of-town" all week. 

As soon as she discovered it, however, she would have planted her right boot right up my ying-yang!  Bottom line: I don't need the proctologist bills!

Jimbo  8-)

Today's pic,
Pretty up there in the winter!

Looks like quiet solitude at it's finest.  I can almost hear the snow crunching.

I'm really enjoying these HARD water pods.  8-)

So am I.  I have never been up there in the cold and snow, and it is just so beautiful!   :)

This looks forbidding.  Solus, did you ever do a trip report for this trip?  I'd love to know the details.

Tom, I just day trip in the winter. Return to my shack and recover with the comforts of a wood stove and a sauna. I ski as often and as long as I possibly can. I cannot conceive of existence without skiing.

Thanks all for the supportive comments.

---

He lives there, so a trip report isn't necessary.

Sometimes I am a bit envious, Jon.   ;)

Solus,

Are those wolf tracks next to your ski trail?

I'm guessing you are right Solus.  Who else walks behind their nose like that...following the smells and their curiosity? 

pd

Though I see wolf tracks on most of my skis these are the tracks of a friend's Australian Shepherd who was thrilled at the relatively firm lake snow and finally being released from the ski track that the deep snow in the woods confined her to.

She was "herding" you back home  ;) ;D ;D

Across the water seems to be a trough in the snow.  Looks like an otter slide but I can't determine the scale of it.  It appears to be way too large by looking at the tree on the shore but still not sure.

TomT....you could be right, but I'm going with wolf tracks again....think I'm on a roll here..... ::)

pd

Today's pic has me wishing my scheduled trip this summer was coming just a few weeks later in the season....

Jimbo   8-)

Yeah, there's nothing like the blueberries up there. The first week in august in 2015 had me picking berries for hours at a site on North Bay.  One of the best memories was when me and my 13 year old nephew spent time picking and chatting away while the other guys went fishing.

Not that it matters, but it’s been 2018 for a while now. ;)

Portage Dog,

You get points for the most tightly stretched rainfly I have ever seen. Not a wrinkle in it anywhere.  My tarp setups always look more like a parachute being deployed.

But this is where my ignorance will show, is there a hammock up in the peak or is this just a tarp for some non-tent shelter?  If so, how do you get under it without being on your hands and knees?  I am sure being close to the ground keeps the weather out, but access looks difficult.  Maybe just due to my arthritis and gray hair?

MossBack

That tarp appears to have side wings like a Dry-Fly but not as big or is it just rigged to look like it?

It also looks like it has a pronounced awning on the fireside too.?

You probably can’t see it, but that’s how he covers the picnic table he and his scouts just built.  ;)

Old Salt wrote on Feb 6^th, 2018 at 8:20pm:

Not that it matters, but it’s been 2018 for a while now. ;)

Time flies man. You just reminded me that in a few days I'll have been working on this site for over 19 freaken years.

Ha! Deal with it.  ;D

db wrote on Feb 7^th, 2018 at 6:17pm:

Old Salt wrote on Feb 6th, 2018 at 8:20pm: Not that it matters, but it’s been 2018 for a while now. ;) Time flies man. You just reminded me that in a few days I'll have been working on this site for over 19 freaken years. Ha! Deal with it.  ;D

And we ALL thank you yet again for your effort.  8-)

db wrote on Feb 7^th, 2018 at 6:17pm:

Old Salt wrote on Feb 6th, 2018 at 8:20pm: Not that it matters, but it’s been 2018 for a while now. ;) Time flies man. You just reminded me that in a few days I'll have been working on this site for over 19 freaken years. Ha! Deal with it.  ;D

Not a complaint, man. Anyone that puts up with this crew for 19 years, :o deserves at least 20 without parole. We appreciate you, db! 8-) 8-)

Thanks MB!  The other side looks like hell! :D  No hammock, this is Crazy Creek Sil-nylon rain tarp I've had for probably over 10 years.  ST, it does have gabled(?) ends, but they're not very big, as you observed.  It is rather low...because of the ends, you cannot run a ridge line under it and when you pull it tight, it has a tendency to pull the whole thing down.  It also keeps the bugs off the food on the picnic table....and people too for that matter.  I think this one may have been a hurry situation due to rain.  I do try to get it a bit higher up so the old farts can get under it too.  ;D  There is no awning, just a rectangular (save the ends...) 8x10.  I don't really use it anymore because of the small size and dark color - was the best I could come up with at that time.  I've since gotten an ultra light CCS 10x14 in white.  That light color lets in a lot more light, which you want when it's dreary and it reflects lantern light a lot more when dark out for better lighting.

pd

Today's pic of the Sturgeon camp - is that the one on the south shore of the western main basin?  If so, is on my bucket list.  Looks like a very cool place.

Looks like the sandspit. You could put 100 tents there and have plenty of extra room. I think it is a great rendezvous spot.

I’m looking forward to camping with PD. A picnic table on every site... 8-)

Old Salt wrote on Feb 8^th, 2018 at 2:06pm:

Looks like the sandspit. You could put 100 tents there and have plenty of extra room. I think it is a great rendezvous spot.

Would be a cool idea to have a meet up there.  What if there's a group already camped there?  Is there room to set up and not feel like you are intruding?

TomT wrote on Feb 8^th, 2018 at 4:05pm:

Old Salt wrote on Feb 8th, 2018 at 2:06pm: Looks like the sandspit. You could put 100 tents there and have plenty of extra room. I think it is a great rendezvous spot. Would be a cool idea to have a meet up there.  What if there's a group already camped there?  Is there room to set up and not feel like you are intruding?

There may be a lot of room to set-up but I can see a problem in that spot with sanitation because of the soil and low land/water level issues.

Once a spot like that gets known as a good place for a large gathering, it won't take long for it to be abused IMHO.

I have a "rule' I use about closeness/intruding IF I have to camp in an area that I can see others camped. I stay far enough away I can't hear people talking in a normal voice. Better yet, far enough I can't make out man/woman, just figures in the distance.

To answer TomT’s questions, yes, a gathering there would be possible, because there are dozens of places to camp. We all know that there are no established campsites in Quetico, so as long as everyone is there with a permit, there’s no big deal. The site is already well known. It is reachable from any entry point, though some are easier than others. When I suggested this possibility, I am thinking of maybe an evening and morning. For anyone uncomfortable with the idea of camping there, there are numerous other campsites a short paddle away. Anyone opposed to this idea won’t come. We can discuss it offline, perhaps at Copia, if there’s interest. It’s a great swimming spot and great fishing to boot.  8-)
It’s not the place to go for isolation. ;)

I might also add that The Spit is an historic meeting place frequented by voyaguers and natives alike. Much trade business was conducted there. We would be merrily keeping this tradition alive. 8-)

I have to thank OS and Jimbo for pointing that site out at last year's 'Copia.  It became the destination for last summer's trip.  And while we only caught one waldo at The Meat Hole, we did pull in a 37" and a 40" pike within 10 minutes of each other.  Plus a couple of 19" smallies just to west of the spit.   8-)

There are actually two established camping areas on the spit with fire rings - the one in the photo and one on the east side down by the main lake shoreline.  There are some logging artifacts there - a huge steel chain section and several iron plates that have been used in the fire pits.  SUPER nice campsite.  We got there early on the fourth day before lunch coming from PP and up Agnes through the poets chain.  We had several parties stop by and ask if we were leaving, but no one asked to share and all left looking rather disappointed.  Late the next evening a father/son pair came by and asked if we minded them staying.  He apparently knew the area, as they paddled over to the second site. 

According to the park rules, party size not to exceed 9 persons and 4 canoes - should theoretically keep any meet up group down to size - though I doubt you'd get checked that far in.  And it is a huge site.  The spit itself is probably the better part of 80 rods and nothing but sand.  It does get kind of bushy near the main shoreline - probably buggy.

pd

"Red sky at night ......,

Really enjoying Portage Dogs pictures. He keeps a tidy camp!  8-) ;)

Old Salt wrote on Feb 14^th, 2018 at 5:18pm:

Really enjoying Portage Dogs pictures. He keeps a tidy camp!  8-) ;)

Let's see what the camps look like THIS year after YOU get through with them!   :D

Jimbo   8-)

Another great POD today  [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

A great day for paddling!

It's a great campsite! Wonderful views, decent tent sites, great swimming (easy access to deep, deep water), in fairly good shape. Only problems are difficult terrain to get  distance from lake and camp for toilet (rock climbing under pressure), and if it's wet and raining it requires navigation of large, steep and slippery rock slabs to get to and from the water. A definite favorite. Not to mention the joy of the climb for views of multiple lakes from on high.

---

I took a couple of pictures of that feller while eating breakfast somewhere in WCPP on a trip with Ben

That hat is Somethin' else!  ;D

  Great POD today  [smiley=cool.gif]

My camera lens was not wide enough to catch it all.  Last day in WCPP with Ben.

Very nice pic, Magic!

Jimbo   8-)

Ben was off at first light paddling into the sunrise to gather those breakfast goodies.

Nice pic today Magic!

Oh, yeah.  Those are the photos that bring tears to my eyes.
Beautiful!

Thanks.   :)

That's a Post Card pic for sure.  [smiley=cool.gif]

That is ben going after the fish in the previous POD

Great pic again today [smiley=cool.gif]

I always wonder if I made the right choice heading down little creeks like this when the water starts running out.  :-/ ;D ;D

Nothing scared me more in my life than rounding a bend in the Frost River in the BW and seeing a bull moose standing in the middle of the stream. 

TomT wrote on Mar 1^st, 2018 at 1:28pm:

Nothing scared me more in my life than rounding a bend in the Frost River in the BW and seeing a bull moose standing in the middle of the stream.

Back when I tripped with 3 other guys we were on a morning mist shrouded stream up in Maine that was so thick you couldn' see more than 10ft ahead of you.

Little current so we were just floating along keeping in mid-channel. I'm stern paddler in lead canoe.

They guy in front says " Watch out there is a BIG dead tree ahead "  :o

Next thing you know were floating by a huge bull moose, could have reached out and touched him with my paddle.

  He was feeding when we first came upon him, but
his head came up as my canoe passed and he looked me dead in the eye.  :'(

He let out a snort and went right back to feeding. We cleared him and came to a small sandbar mid-river and stopped for a bit.

We all still were in awe of what had just happened they we realized that NONE of us had even tried to take a pic, even though we all had little waterproof 35mm cameras with us.

Makes you realize just how small and insignificant you are in the natural world.

He looked a lot closer than the picture suggests when I came around the corner.  The current was carrying me back down stream while I took a couple of back strokes and got my camera out.

Today's POD reminds me why I treat ALL my clothes with Permethrin for Ticks.  ;) :o ;D ;D

That tent pad made me glad I was in a hommock

I've been away from here for awhile, some great PODs I've missed.

The paddle blade looks very odd in this picture.  Is it wood with a carbon fiber blade?

TomT wrote on Mar 4^th, 2018 at 9:13pm:

The paddle blade looks very odd in this picture.  Is it wood with a carbon fiber blade?

That is Ben’s paddle and I don’t remember much about it.  Maybe Ben will chime in.

You knocked a home run with this POD MP.  8-)

Love that little camera that I carry in a dry bag in my shirt pocket.  It can see a lot of things I cant.

At risk of bragging too much about my shirt pocket camera.  Todays POD was taken in the same spot and the camera was aimed the same direction as day before yesterdays.  The little spit of land in the back ground in todays POD can be seen in the far far background in day before yesterdays POD

Magic, 

Would you care to share make and model of your camera? 

When film was used I packed a full size SLR, now I have a cheapie digital that is 10 years old.  Maybe I need an upgrade?

MossBack

MossBack wrote on Mar 6^th, 2018 at 10:44am:

Magic,  Would you care to share make and model of your camera?  When film was used I packed a full size SLR, now I have a cheapie digital that is 10 years old.  Maybe I need an upgrade? MossBack

My camera is Panasonic Lumex DMC-ZS40.  Although they don’t make a camera with this model number they make several that are very near the same.  My camera has a optical zoom of X30 with image stabilization.  I carry in in SeaToSummit 1L dry bag which fits in large shirt pockets. Look at the DMC-ZS50 or DMC-ZS60 which I think is the same as a DMC-TZ80.   

Quote:

Maybe I need an upgrade?

The quality and features of the new digital point and shoot cameras improve every new model year.

If your not a SmartPhone camera person, you can get great little cameras for a reasonable price.

My next purchase camera wise will be a Waterproof camera. Last half dozen trips I use a Samsung digital with 5X zoom. I do like MP just keep it in a waterproof ziplock in my shirt pocket. I have a neck lanyard attached to it so I can't drop or lose it.

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  Plenty of competitors with similar features, some even cheaper.

I bought an Olympus Tough waterproof pocket camera. I don't have the spec handy, but one thing about WP cameras in general is the lens might be limited how far they'll zoom.

One thing I do like about this camera is I'm able to recharge it with a USB cable and a remote battery pack. My old camera had unique batteries that failed to have much life, especially in the cooler places and times I went.

Ben is in the same place in today’s POD as yesterdays.  Anyone see him?

The water proof camera would be nice but I like the long zoom which they don’t have.

Quote:

Anyone see him?

Is Ben way down the lake in the center near the narrows?

I passed Ben twice yesterday on the Echo Trail.....

Solus wrote on Mar 7^th, 2018 at 12:57pm:

I passed Ben twice yesterday on the Echo Trail.....

He must be slowing down... ;)

solotripper wrote on Mar 7^th, 2018 at 11:30am:

Quote: Anyone see him? Is Ben way down the lake in the center near the narrows?

I think you got it.  He is a dot on the water near the center of the picture.  On one of the pictures taken while Ben was at that location that I zoomed in on him and them put on my computer and cropped and lighten the photo it is identifiable as Ben.

I have never seen a kayak paddle used in this manner.

These are waterproof boxes from a company called Early winters.  There are a few camping items I still use on every trip I've taken since the mid/early 80's when I started. I also use a little soft sided cooler from them for my lunch and also to hold fish filets. 

Does anyone else still use equipment from their youth long ago?  I still have a very cool brass candle lantern with a leather pouch from Early winters but since headlamps came along I haven't used it.

BTW, that smaller can is something that is always on my person while tripping.  It holds my personal stuff like DL, credit card, permit, car keys, cash etc. and slips nicely into a zippered thigh pocket on my tripping pants.  I frequently reach down and feel for it on portages just to know it is still there. There's something about losing all that stuff while out in the wild that scares me.  :-/

  I used to buy a lot of stuff from Early Winters.
Most of the clothes I outgrew when I started working-out/bulking up.

  I used to carry a tin (not locking) inside a zip-lock bag with wallet/keys in a side zip too.
  I stopped doing that when I took a bad tumble with a pack on and landed on a rock. I had a tin sized bruise for weeks afterward. ;) ;D

I only carry soft items on my person now other than a knife. I still have the tin but it goes into my day-pack which has a waterproof sack inside.

If I dump, that daypack is going with me unless I'm dead in which case someone will get a nice pack and some cash.  ;D ;D

Those locking type tins are hard to find anymore.
Here's one source. I had a Stainless tin at one time, I think one of my old partying friends took it to keep his POT/Rolling papers in when he went camping.

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I bought several of those roller close aluminum boxes way back when.  If memory serves me correctly they were advertised as "Japanese Lunch Boxes" and were in the $3 to $4 range.  There was even a story attached on how the wives in big urban areas would prep the meals in the mornings after the husbands had gone to the office and there was a delivery service that would pick them up from the homes/apartments and deliver them just in time.  Mine still get used on every trip to carry a few stubby cigars and stick matches.

It worries me that I remember this level of minutiae and at times cannot remember what I did an hour ago.

I liked Early Winters and still have a sleeping bag from them and some other small items.

As to still having well aged gear, I have all of it except for some that were given to, or liberated by, crew members.

One of the most interesting and dangerous was my Baby Enders Stove.

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Pump it a few times, prime the pan with a dollop of white gas, light it and get ready to dropand roll if things don't go well.  Still have it and fire it up occasionally to remind me how good gear is now.

Another fun item was an REI collapsible candle lantern.  The older style that had the flat candle that would pool quite a lot of melted wax in the pan and then dump it on your head in the tent if you bumped it.

Standard Apologies for my rambling.

Regards,

MossBack

I still use an Early Winters insulated juice cozy (get it wet and it keeps things cool-er) and an FA kit cozy I used to use for group trips that I still use at home. Early Winters was like the Sharper Image for camping nerds. Whoever their buyer was done good finding those things. Both have stood the test of time.

I bought an aluminum container like that for a friend once just because I saw it at a local paddling shop and I knew they'd really like it. I still wish I'd have gotten one for myself.

Somehow I still have a wooden beer case and a wooden cigar box that were once my grandfather's. The way I see it, any container of quality that stands the test of time can become a highly valued touchstone full of good mojo in a throw away society. Kinda like that rock at the bottom of Heron Bay takes me back to a good day.

TomT wrote on Mar 18^th, 2018 at 12:48pm:

I frequently reach down and feel for it on portages just to know it is still there.

I'll pat my key pocket early in trips as I walk to or from my tent or canoe. It's not where I stash my keys - my mind simply assumes these things are or should be locked and I have the only key for miles and miles. When I realize why they are not there it's always good for a mile wide smile.

db wrote on Mar 19^th, 2018 at 3:53am:

The way I see it, any container of quality that stands the test of time can become a highly valued touchstone full of good mojo in a throw away society. Kinda like that rock at the bottom of Heron Bay takes me back to a good day.

Yeah, I like to keep in touch with the past this way.  The two containers still work perfectly.  I'll always buy quality stuff and hate seeing things mass produced cheaply today. Gotta love the cottage vendors who take the time to do it right.

Also, thanks for recognizing the pic of the Heron Bay sentinal.  That sucker is impressive.

Daytrippin' on McDougal Lake.  This is a neat little spit of an island in the middle of the southern basin.  The campsite here is small but perfect for one tent or a couple of hangers.  Good fishing right from shore.  I didn't camp but had lunch. A little piece of paradise.

TomT -

A good shot of a great spot!  Not far from the lake's LT hole, even though McDougall is primarily known for Smallmouth... of which there would likely be many in those rocks so evident just offshore!

Jimbo   8-)

I found out it has a healthy supply of decent northerns too.

TomT wrote on Mar 26^th, 2018 at 11:15pm:

I found out it has a healthy supply of decent northerns too.

That island is in the proximity of a 90 foot hole, very attractive to big northerns.

Jimbo   8-)

I caught 2 beauties along the shoreline to the north of the island in 30-40 feet.  Just around the corner of the penninsula site where I stayed.  I would love to spend about 3 days fishing that lake in early June.

The last few POD's have been really beautiful, TomT!  Thanks!

A lovely way to start my day.

Thanks Lynda.  That was a peninsula site on McDougall.  One of those magical evenings.  What put the cherry on top was having the 3 local loons out front.  They all took off on that long running walk on water take off they like to do.  Then they flew in tight formation and circled the bay before zooming over the tree tops.  These are the moments that keep me coming back year after year.

TomT -

That's another shot of the McDougall site, right?  Something about that slanting tree on the wind-blown point is ringing bells in my memory.

If so, I once sailed a pink sail powered canoe past that point on a VERY gusty day... and nearly capsized!  I can still see my party members on that shoreline, laughing their butts off at my expense.  On the other hand, I suspect I STILL hold the Quetico record for "speed" on the water.  Too bad I wasn't going in the direction intended.  Oh, well....

Jimbo   8-)

TomT.
I like the look of that site.
I don't mind those windblown sites as long as I can hang my Dry-Fly properly and get close to the firepit.

The wind keeps the bugs away, you can fish from shore and you might even see some strange things on the water.  ;) ;D ;D

This site is an island on Fern Lake. The landing is open but there's a nice protected area up top. It's the easternmost island. Great site.

I stayed on that site on my way out in 2016. Had a couple come by and ask to join me they were too tired to go on.  We shared the site and I was gone the next morning before they had breakfast.

Yeah, I've stayed there, too... which is probably why it seemed so familiar.  Very "airy", as I recall.  We were soaked, laid everything out on  rocks & branches when the sun came out, and dried out nicely.

Jimbo   8-)

I was taking a late night break and the sky was clear so I walked down by the canoe. I was just amazed at the amount of sky I could see. I don't see stars like that in the Chicago suburbs. It was really something.

  :o :o ;D ;D ;D
 
That poor bear doesn't know if it's in LOVE or just hit the FOOD jackpot for the next 6 month's.   :-/ ;D ;D

solotripper wrote on Apr 1^st, 2018 at 12:26pm:

:o :o ;D ;D ;D   That poor bear doesn't know if it's in LOVE or just hit the FOOD jackpot for the next 6 month's.   :-/ ;D ;D

ST,

Pink Polyhumpers are a mainstay of the ursine diet during early Spring in the Far North.  Smart bears keep an eye on rocky shorelines, knowing the otherwise elusive fish often “beaches” itself during mating season, thus becoming somewhat vulnerable.  Going after a big one like this, however, well... it’s anybody’s guess how this tussle turned out!!!

Jimbo   8-)

Jimbo wrote on Apr 1^st, 2018 at 12:46pm:

solotripper wrote on Apr 1st, 2018 at 12:26pm:   :o :o ;D ;D ;D   That poor bear doesn't know if it's in LOVE or just hit the FOOD jackpot for the next 6 month's.   :-/ ;D ;D ST, Pink Polyhumpers are a mainstay of the ursine diet during early Spring in the Far North.  Smart bears keep an eye on rocky shorelines, knowing the otherwise elusive fish often “beaches” itself during mating season, thus becoming somewhat vulnerable.  Going after a big one like this, however, well... it’s anybody’s guess how this tussle turned out!!! Jimbo   8-)

  On second look, I think the bear is waiting for the PP to finish that jug.
Makes the odds better either for love or a meal.  ;) ;D ;D

Yikes. Is that merman?

Geez, today's POD from the topside of Rebecca Falls is a real blast from my past (kind of like yesterday's Pink Pollyhumper, showing PJ when he was only a fingerling).  Was it really only 12 years ago when I had that much hair?  Also, it clearly pre-dates the hole that developed in those trusted Neoprene Boots. 

Thanks for the memories, Yellowbird!  I can almost catch a whiff of QP's cigar smoke and the distinctive flavor of Pink Flamingo Stew!

Jimbo   8-)

Quote:

Was it really only 12 years ago when I had that much hair?

  It's not the years Jimbo it's all those DAMN miles.  ;) ;D ;D

solotripper wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2018 at 2:21pm:

Quote: Was it really only 12 years ago when I had that much hair?   It's not the years Jimbo it's all those DAMN miles.  ;) ;D ;D

That's good to know, ST.  Part of me was worried that it had something to do with that danged pink stew!

Jimbo   8-)

That is a picture that has been in hiding for a while.  I still have that pack and the water jug on the back deck.  The boat is sold.

MP, what sticks in my memory was how easily you kept pace with the tandems during those long pushes across the lakes.

What I liked about that boat was wind and waves did not bother it.

Yellowbird wrote on Apr 4^th, 2018 at 1:46pm:

MP, what sticks in my memory was how easily you kept pace with the tandems during those long pushes across the lakes.

It's that Double Paddle. No wasted motion. If you can handle one physically and learn and stick with a paddling technique you can do all day, you can really fly.

Is that a canak, kayak or canoe with a bow skirt? Looks pretty nifty.

That predates canaks.  It is a Bell RobRoy.  The thing on the front holds the end of the paddle while fighting a fish or portaging.  A plastic clip just in front of the cockpit held the paddle shaft.

solotripper wrote on Apr 4^th, 2018 at 1:57pm:

Yellowbird wrote on Apr 4th, 2018 at 1:46pm: MP, what sticks in my memory was how easily you kept pace with the tandems during those long pushes across the lakes. It's that Double Paddle. No wasted motion. If you can handle one physically and learn and stick with a paddling technique you can do all day, you can really fly.

In part I agree ST, but the boat itself contributes.  I had done one trip in a kayak and remember not being able to match the pace of the passing tandem parties.

Yellowbird wrote on Apr 4^th, 2018 at 8:46pm:

solotripper wrote on Apr 4th, 2018 at 1:57pm: Yellowbird wrote on Apr 4th, 2018 at 1:46pm: MP, what sticks in my memory was how easily you kept pace with the tandems during those long pushes across the lakes. It's that Double Paddle. No wasted motion. If you can handle one physically and learn and stick with a paddling technique you can do all day, you can really fly. In part I agree ST, but the boat itself contributes.  I had done one trip in a kayak and remember not being able to match the pace of the passing tandem parties.

I agree the boat design has a lot to do with it too.
I'd wager that without that Double Paddle though you'd be hard-pressed to keep pace with a tandem unless you had superior paddling skills and in excellent shape.

Hate to differ with you ST, but.... Given the same rate or cadence in a sit down boat designed for hit and switch paddling a bent will be more efficient. For a number of reasons but mainly because a greater amount of the energy expended in a proper bent stroke is transferred to the forward motion of the hull. A double blade  results in sideways movement or yaw, Yaw increases the farther the paddle stroke is executed from the center line of the boat. Another big factor in efficiency/energy expended is the mass of the paddle; consider the amount of work over 1000s of strokes of an 8oz bent versus a 32oz double blade.. I'm not asserting that a double blade doesn't work better for you and your style of paddling but I contend (and physics will back me up on this) that in a center seat solo designed for hit and switch paddling (i.e. Magic, Prism, Northstar, Advantage, Voyageur etc) a properly wielded bent is a more efficient means of propulsion.

Yeah, that BeaV guy does alright with the hit and switch.  The cadence he uses is awe inspiring and seeing him make the switch in a blink is cool too. 

Hey Solus, remember when I wanted to race you the length of Basswood to prove my yak paddle is faster?   :D

Solus wrote on Apr 5^th, 2018 at 5:30am:

Hate to differ with you ST, but.... Given the same rate or cadence in a sit down boat designed for hit and switch paddling a bent will be more efficient. For a number of reasons but mainly because a greater amount of the energy expended in a proper bent stroke is transferred to the forward motion of the hull. A double blade  results in sideways movement or yaw, Yaw increases the farther the paddle stroke is executed from the center line of the boat. Another big factor in efficiency/energy expended is the mass of the paddle; consider the amount of work over 1000s of strokes of an 8oz bent versus a 32oz double blade.. I'm not asserting that a double blade doesn't work better for you and your style of paddling but I contend (and physics will back me up on this) that in a center seat solo designed for hit and switch paddling (i.e. Magic, Prism, Northstar, Advantage, Voyageur etc) a properly wielded bent is a more efficient means of propulsion.

You can't argue with physics ALL things being equal.
I do know that I've kept pace with tandem boats down a lake with the double paddle something I could never have done with a single-paddle with MY skills.

  I've also had tandem canoes with a good team blow by me like I was standing still. I've never seen a solo/single paddler do that but then again maybe they were like me with a single.

I'd like to hear from someone that uses BOTH on a regular basis on a trip? Which is faster for them over a distance assuming they can physically handle the extra weight of a double plus the negative physics involved?

I see more and more solo, paddlers, using them so they must get something out of it?

Maybe I wouldn't feel this way IF my canoe was a true solo and not a tandem?

Maybe when TomT gets his new ride and you can match each other load wise, you could do a single/double match race over a set distance?
Videotape it for sure. I'd love to watch that.  ;) 8-) ;D

 

What Solus says re: the different styles of paddle makes sense to me and rings true to me based upon my personal experience with both types of paddles.  True, I've had the "illusion", at times, that I was going faster with the double-blade - and, perhaps, for a period of time, I was - but I always ended up returning to my trusted bent shaft.  I did this for several different reasons. I wasn't used to the motion so my shoulders & chest would tire out.  OR, the "metal" double-blade I own proved too heavy for anyone to sustain for very long.  OR, I'd run into wind & water conditions that seemed out of my comfort zone using the double-blade, etc. & so on.  Anyway, I've always bounced back to the bent shaft.

I have allowed that a lighter double-blade paddle of the right length, more training on technique, a different kind of canoe, etc., might help my double-blade paddling.  However, the more conversations I have with folks who actually build & sell the canoes I paddle, the more I hear about the "physics" that Solus has described so well based upon design of the vessel, etc..  I appreciate the fact that Solus allows for the idiosyncratic styles of other paddlers who might actually perform better with double-blades.  I DO know they are a dedicated bunch.  You'd have to pry their double-blades out of their cold, dead fingers before they let go.  I figure there must be a reason for that; it must work for them, to some extent.

Anyway, my only point is that my own personal experience and research match up well with what Solus outlines.  I'd be quite willing to race a double-bladed paddler in the SAME canoe as mine over a distance of two or three miles using my bent shaft.  In fact, I'd bet a case of beer on it.  Please note, I'd be far less inclined to make that bet over a shorter distance... say, half-a-mile.  Inefficiency might not take its toll over such a short length....

By the way, I think I recognize today's POD.  Bill, I assume these are still shots taken from that 2006 expedition, right?  Regardless, nice pic!

Jimbo   8-)

Jimbo,

I hope someone takes you up on your case of beer offer?  ;D ;D
It might be easier to use just YOUR canoe and ballast it out to make-up for different paddler weights.

You could do a 2-3 mile TIMED loop.

On a serious note, I did a little Googling and the comments were ALL over the place physics or not.

Many were by very knowledgeable paddlers too.
It all seemed to boil down to what works for THEM as much as anything else.

One guy uses both like I do and even said he started with a HEAVY Mohawk Double paddle like I use and upgraded to a carbon fiber shaft/resin blade to go with his carbon fiber bent shaft. Says he can't use the Mohawk anymore it's like wielding a log!  :-[ :'( ;D

I might have to get one after reading that. ;D ;D

Ok Jimbo.  Last year I was using a nice light weight bent shaft someone loaned me and I could not quite keep up with you.  This year I hope to be swinging my double blade.  We will see if I can keep up now.

Jimbo wrote on Apr 5^th, 2018 at 1:10pm:

By the way, I think I recognize today's POD.  Bill, I assume these are still shots taken from that 2006 expedition, right?

Jimbo, this series of pics is the same trip.  The view is from camp "JM" on Brent looking south.  We took a lunch stop before catching up with your group on Suzanette.

Magicpaddler wrote on Apr 5^th, 2018 at 2:52pm:

Ok Jimbo.  Last year I was using a nice light weight bent shaft someone loaned me and I could not quite keep up with you.  This year I hope to be swinging my double blade.  We will see if I can keep up now.

Hmmm... guess I'll have to throw in a few boulders to load you up similar to me, Magic!

What ST says about "what works for them" re: individual paddlers makes some sense.  That, and also what Solus said about canoes that were geared for "hit & switch" paddling.  All I know is that, SO FAR, paddling my Prism seems far more efficient with a bent shaft than with a double-blade.  That is what works for me.

At this very moment, however, I'd love to be using EITHER type of paddle if only the couple feet of snow and the ice on the lakes would go away!  Didn't somebody say it was Spring Time?  Another snow storm due to hit the Twin Cities on Sunday night.  Ugh!!!

Bill, your pics are warming me up.  Your pics follow basically the same route I'll be doing this year, except in reverse.  I need the encouragement so I hope there are several more!

Jimbo   8-) 

The variable of watercraft, paddler, technique, seating position and paddle is so vast that it's really an impossible argument and  probably ridiculous to engage in.  What works for you is what works- there is no argument in or with that.

I remember that view on Brent when we stayed there for three nights in the mid-eighties, battling big pike and gorging on lakers. Campsite was in better shape then.

Solus wrote on Apr 6^th, 2018 at 1:36am:

The variable of watercraft, paddler, technique, seating position and paddle is so vast that it's really an impossible argument and  probably ridiculous to engage in.  What works for you is what works- there is no argument in or with that.

You must not be a very competitive person.  I was talking - My empty Blackhawk (the fiberglass freighter) with my BB plastic Slice double vs. Your empty Voyageur (?) with your 8 oz. bent shaft that will blow away if you set it down.

Mano E Mano.  Local vs. Illinois flatlander.  We will start out in front of William and Hall and go to the PP portage landing.  First one to beach their boat wins.  The trophy will be a bronze foot tall solo paddler holding his choice of paddle high overhead.

JK. I like to exercise my imagination with my coffee.  ;)   

I really don't like stepping on that stuff.  It takes a long time to regenerate.  Cool pic.

Bill,

Is this the top of the cliff on Darky Lake (above the pictos)? I believe you were one of the few guys that made that climb, if I recall correctly.   You found some nice blueberries up there, too!  If so, I would be that small speck on the water below you (left of center) as I continued to fish for lake trout.

Could be you climbed another cliff somewhere along the line, though, too. Just curious.

Jimbo   8-)

Nice contrast Bill in today's POD.

Had to get out a magnifying glass to see if that was indeed a paddler ( Jimbo?) after reading his post.

Never fished Darky on my way thru for LT, will have to remember that next time there.

Today's pic is from camp JM on Brent (same as yesterday), just different perspective.  This one looking north.  The bay extending to the left leads to the Conmee portage. 
I think that reindeer moss is pretty cool.  Can't image how long it takes to grow a bed like that.  Likewise Tom, I avoid walking on it.  Perhaps with some creamy Italian dressing it would make a nice side . . .
It looks like the pics are coming in chronological order.  The Darky lake cliff should be featured later next week.
Here is a pic of that cliff from Kingfisher's collection.  Jimbo and QP trolling around down below (bottom left).  I can't believe I climbed that hill wearing sandals.

---

Darky lake pictographs.  Not sure about the origin on this one.  Looks like a photoshop job, although pretty good one at that.  Sacrilege to me!

---

Bill,

I remember staring UP at you & hoping you might attempt a "full gainer flip" but you never obliged.

That second photo - the sacrilegious one - um... it's almost certainly photo-shopped.  One would have to offer up the tobacco smoke of a massive spirit-approved stogie to get away with something like that.  Otherwise, surely, lightning bolts would strike at him from above and pollyhumpers would snap at him from below!  Wolves & moose would begin sleeping together!  Never again would fresh-water fish bite on his lures!  No one would dare bring on such anarchy.

Hmmm... I've long wondered why QPassage/Bo left the QJ community to start a "salt-water" fishing lure company (Bo-Tie Jigs).

Jimbo   8-)

Jimbo,

Not only sacreligious, but downright shameless. Everyone around here knows that you have cornered the market on the use of the color pink as an identifier. In fact, everytime I see pink anywhere, it brings a smile as I’m reminded of you.

Now Merman comes along and thoughly abuses the color pink...
What is this world coming to? :D

Observant QJ'ers might recognize the stern paddler in the Apr 8th POD is our friend Old Salt.  You can see is canoe is fully loaded.  However that is only his fishing tackle.  His camping gear has been unloaded and he and Johnny are paddling out for a typical day of fishing!

Todays pic is too much snoring for me. I was in this situation one time and that's when I ordered my hammock.  ;D

TomT wrote on Apr 9^th, 2018 at 12:29pm:

Todays pic is too much snoring for me. I was in this situation one time and that's when I ordered my hammock.  ;D

TomT -

You must have some sort of Crystal Ball/Time Machine!  I was THERE - IN my hammock tent - at the FAR side of the campsite (heck, I might even have been on a nearby island, depending upon which lake this is) and the sonic blasts were enough to get me swinging in the wind!

DEFINITELY a case to be made here for hammock-tenting!

Jimbo   8-)

Yep, I'm a light sleeper. No can do. That plus the flatulence factor got me out of tent sharing with dudes.

TomT wrote on Apr 9^th, 2018 at 5:21pm:

Yep, I'm a light sleeper. No can do. That plus the flatulence factor got me out of tent sharing with dudes.

Well, to that I can say this much, at least... in this particular case, the wind was coming from the one end but not so much the other, as far as I could tell!

Jimbo   8-)

Looks in-tents. :D

Jimbo wrote on Apr 9^th, 2018 at 4:40pm:

TomT wrote on Apr 9th, 2018 at 12:29pm: Todays pic is too much snoring for me. I was in this situation one time and that's when I ordered my hammock.  ;D TomT - You must have some sort of Crystal Ball/Time Machine!  I was THERE - IN my hammock tent - at the FAR side of the campsite (heck, I might even have been on a nearby island, depending upon which lake this is) and the sonic blasts were enough to get me swinging in the wind!

Ahh, so that's the reason you got your own permit.  The truth comes out.  That pic is from Suz . . . the infamous pink stew camp.  You were indeed on another island.  Unfortunately for those of us in the adjacent tent, there was no tent pad locations on the far side of that island.  Well, more truth be told, KF and I were not out fishing all day as we lead you all to believe.  Instead, we had found a hidden cove and slept the day away, returning for dinner.  We did the majority of our fishing at night, heading out after Old Salt climbed into his sleeping bag.

TomT wrote on Apr 9^th, 2018 at 5:21pm:

got me out of tent sharing with dudes.

Sounds like a clear case of Gender Bigotry.

You could say that too. But - never under estimate the flatulence factor.  :-X  :o :o

TomT wrote on Apr 9^th, 2018 at 7:24pm:

You could say it that too. But - never under estimate the flatulence factor.  :-X  :o :o

When I paddled with 3 other guy's I was the ONLY one that didn't have gas/bathroom issues.

I ate as much or more fried fish as they did BUT they ate all that Freeze Dried stuff that has NO fiber or very little.

Greasy food+Processed food= Flatulence and Stool issues and I don't mean the folding kind either.  ;) :P :'(

Yellowbird wrote on Apr 9^th, 2018 at 6:48pm:

Jimbo wrote on Apr 9th, 2018 at 4:40pm: TomT wrote on Apr 9th, 2018 at 12:29pm: Todays pic is too much snoring for me. I was in this situation one time and that's when I ordered my hammock.  ;D TomT - You must have some sort of Crystal Ball/Time Machine!  I was THERE - IN my hammock tent - at the FAR side of the campsite (heck, I might even have been on a nearby island, depending upon which lake this is) and the sonic blasts were enough to get me swinging in the wind! Ahh, so that's the reason you got your own permit.  The truth comes out.  That pic is from Suz . . . the infamous pink stew camp.  You were indeed on another island.  Unfortunately for those of us in the adjacent tent, there was no tent pad locations on the far side of that island.  Well, more truth be told, KF and I were not out fishing all day as we lead you all to believe.  Instead, we had found a hidden cove and slept the day away, returning for dinner.  We did the majority of our fishing at night, heading out after Old Salt climbed into his sleeping bag.

Geez, you guys were noisy. I just figured we had a bear in Camp.  :o

Mr. Salt, how big of a trout was that?  It looks pretty hefty. What were you fishing with if you remember?

I don’t remember for sure. There were so many about that size. I would guess about 7-8 lbs. Most of the trout I caught were on Storm Lightnin’ Shads. That one may have been the infamous contribution to the Pink Flamingo Stew. Had a nice hint of smoke flavor. 8-) Jimbo could not have been any more surprised at the reveal. :o ;)

Nice picture of the ‘Cham-pain’! 8-)

Outlet of William to Darky creek. 8-) 8-)

Old Salt wrote on Apr 12^th, 2018 at 3:08pm:

Outlet of William to Darky creek. 8-) 8-)

Sounds about right OS.  Keen eye you have!

From the Darky Hilton. 8-)

Nice pic today.  8-)

That infamous orange lip gripper is a regular feature of a lot of fish pic.

One of the best/cheap outdoor items I've ever bought and taken every trip.

I use that gripper too but it doesn't work so good when bringing in a 40" northern and he decides he's not ready to do that sort of thing. A better tool is the Boga grip with the swivel head.

TomT wrote on Apr 15^th, 2018 at 3:18pm:

I use that gripper too but it doesn't work so good when bringing in a 40" northern and he decides he's not ready to do that sort of thing. A better tool is the Boga grip with the swivel head.

Hmmmm. Boga Grip costs between $124-249 depending on the model. Doesn't float unless you get the optional float add-on.

Orange Gripper about 12-15 bucks and floats.
For 10x the price, I can wait until that "40" NP is ready to be handled like you would wait if you're using your hand.  ;D ;D

That's just me though. The Boga is a Mercedes the Orange Gripper is a Ford. When I'm in a canoe rather than a fishing boat, I like things to float, me included.  ;) ;D ;D

I agree ST.  The problems with big northerns that I've experienced is when they are played out they have a real tough time recovering.  And I know holding them vertical is very very bad for them.  I'm going to try releasing the big girls right at the boat and not even handling them.  Sometimes it's not possible but that's where I've become a big fan of barbless hooks.

I think the boga grip is more for salt water fishing anyway.  I would never want to carry the weight. 

Quote:

I'm going to try releasing the big girls right at the boat and not even handling them.  Sometimes it's not possible but that's where I've become a big fan of barbless hooks.

I think the dynamic of handling a big fish and safely releasing it is different solo than with a tandem crew.

If you can grip them with one hand and support them horizontal while someone else snaps a pic, I think that's easier on the fish and you than a solo shot unless you have a remotely mounted camera set-up.

I do what you said, release them without picking them up at all. The pics I have of me holding a fish are mostly ones that I plan on eating.

IF I ever catch a true giant, I probably would bring it alongside canoe and maybe lay my single canoe paddle in the water next to it and try and take a pic one handed.

The paddle would give a rough way to measure how big it is, NOT that any of us might "exaggerate" a little.  ;) ;D ;D

I love big erratics.

*Would be nice on a T-shirt eh?  :)

TomT wrote on Apr 17^th, 2018 at 11:32am:

I love big erratics. *Would be nice on a T-shirt eh?  :)

So long as you are careful with the phonics . . .

A lot of those we attempt to roll into the lake.  On this one on Darky, we didn't even land the boat.

Yellowbird wrote on Apr 17^th, 2018 at 5:38pm:

A lot of those we attempt to roll into the lake.  On this one on Darky, we didn't even land the boat.

The guys on MY permit were sort of glad Bill & his crew chose to leave it alone.  We were ahead of them by a couple hours when we passed by.  It took us most of that "lead time" to roll the doggone thing out of the water & up there for them to see!

Jimbo   8-)

Jimbo,  It would have been funnier if you had balanced it on the pointy end using a few fist sized rocks as shims.

MB

Mossback -

Well, you see, we had it set up THAT way, but well, er, things didn't work out so well. 

Long-term QJer's have long wondered whatever became of the character (& prolific poster) on this website known as "Quetico Passage" ("Bo" to his friends).  You see, he disappeared - all of a sudden, like - from the QJ website.   Well, rolling that rock up there was one of Bo's hare-brained ideas.  Let's just say this idea went south... a bit more so than they usually did.

Anyhow, now the mystery is solved.  It seems somewhat fitting that an "erratic" is known as the "QP Memorial Rock" to those of us in-the-know.

Later,

Jimbo   8-)

An erratic seemed like an appropriate memorial given his erratic persona. Hard to know if the pack extenders or rolling the erratic had more to do with his disappearance from QJ...we may never know. 8-) ;)

Are we on the southwest bay of Suzanette?

My guess would be the south bay of Darky, not far from the portage into Argo.

Jimbo   8-)

Jimbo wrote on Apr 18^th, 2018 at 3:47pm:

My guess would be the south bay of Darky, not far from the portage into Argo. Jimbo   8-)

Correct, and the preceding 3 days also.

Actually, I thought Solus made a pretty good guess. 

For one thing, it helps that I participated in that particular trip and pretty much KNOW the order of our travel... assuming db puts them into chronological order.  The second "memory marker" for me, seared into my brain sadly enough, was the big lake trout I lost not far off that wall.  I tend NOT to forget those places!

Jimbo   8-) 

Sweet POD today....but one rough portage!

pd

Too bad the glacial erratic we rolled up the wall didn’t stay put. I knew we shouldn’t have left it so close to the edge... ;) 8-)

portage dog wrote on Apr 18^th, 2018 at 8:24pm:

Sweet POD today....but one rough portage! pd

Ha . . . yeah, today's pic is the view from the top of that portage!

Bill,

Um, my paddling partner, Bo, & I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.  We missed that portage "view" entirely (& thankfully)!

Probably some decent blueberries up there in the nosebleed section of your trail....

Jimbo   8-)

Yellowbird wrote on Apr 19^th, 2018 at 11:51am:

portage dog wrote on Apr 18th, 2018 at 8:24pm: Sweet POD today....but one rough portage! pd Ha . . . yeah, today's pic is the view from the top of that portage!

Is this the same portage that's listed by 2 different paddlers as being EASY in the portage database?

Maybe they were mountain goats because it sure looks like a helluva climb in that pic?

ST -

If I'm not mistaken, today's shot was taken atop a cliff, not far or even directly above the Darky Lake picto.  I doubt Bill was "portaging" much more than his camera. 

I'm guessing the "portage" comment was a bit tongue-in-cheek but then, again, since so many of my body parts are failing me these days, maybe my memory is, too....

Jimbo   8-)

Jimbo wrote on Apr 19^th, 2018 at 7:40pm:

ST - If I'm not mistaken, today's shot was taken atop a cliff, not far or even directly above the Darky Lake picto.  I doubt Bill was "portaging" much more than his camera.  I'm guessing the "portage" comment was a bit tongue-in-cheek but then, again, since so many of my body parts are failing me these days, maybe my memory is, too.... Jimbo   8-)

My comment/question ties into my previous comment about recommending a site on Lonely Lk as being a nice one. R8 I believe it was.

Paddle Planner poster gave it 1 star?
I guess it's ALL about perceptions and expectations. ;) ;D ;D

Now here's a cool perspective!

Almost looks like a Rainbow in the top left corner.
If YB took a portage trail to get this view, I can't for the life of me understand how anyone could rate that "Easy"?  :-? :-/ :-/

Kewl. Taken shortly after the big splash from the erratic we pushed off.  ;)

Today's POD looks like a feast in the making.  Whats inside the foil?

MB

Which campsite is that? It looks like a great fire grate/kitchen area.

That's a pretty big grate Bill, did you haul it in or was it stashed in the bush?

 

It looks like a large version of a backpackers grill which I take on solo trips.

It’s the great grate. ;)

It's been ~30 years but today's looks like the first portage going Darky to Minn.

db wrote on Apr 22^nd, 2018 at 6:28am:

It's been ~30 years but today's looks like the first portage going Darky to Minn.

Your memory is better than mine.  Minn/McArcree was our next stop.  That makes today's pic somewhere downstream. 

It was LT in the foil wrap.  The whole group was camped together on the 5 star on Darky(BB on Paddleplanner.com.  I remember someone baking brownies in a reflector oven as well. 
RE: the grate, it belonged to someone else (can't recall who).

Might have been IC who baked the brownies. Our next camp was the two sites in Clearwater (McAree). They put us closer to Blackrobe. Along with some other good reasons. ;)

Bill, I’m enjoying this trip down memory lane. Planning to see parts of it again this year. 8-)

Today's pic is again along the passage between Darky and Minn.  I was enchanted by this meadow-like section cutting through the tall dark conifers.  Very nice.  KF finally had to tell me to "shut up and paddle".

Today's pic on McAree.  Old Salt took charge of the trout fry, QP assisting on the last evening of our trip.  How OS could look so "dapper" after 10 days is perhaps the only secret he did not share with us.  Jimbo and I had kicked the idea of a trip during the preceding winter months and had mapped the general area.  When OS got on board, he offered some alternates which would ultimately guide us on to some of the best trout fishing I've ever had.  Thank you my friend.  And to all those on board who still lurk this forum, seldom does much time go by when my mind doesn't go back to those lakes and the time we spent together.

Bill,

It really was one heckuva trip! Thanks so much for this walk down memory lane!   I’m truly juiced-up about doing the exact “reverse route“ with yet another QJ crew in less than 2 months... inspired in no small way by that exceptional 2006 adventure with those fine folks.

Again, thanks for sharing!

Jimbo   8-)

P.S.   That shirt OS is wearing in the picture was really “white.” It’s just that he cleaned and cooked so many delicious trout on that trip that, well, it sort of took on a different color during the course of the trip (odor, too).

Thanks guys! I would never wear white anything on a canoe trip, it will come back a different color.  ;DWhile it would be great to join Jimbo and the others on their trip, I’m not a solo paddler. Instead, I’m paddling in a tandem party of four, also doing a version of the reverse trip, except that we are starting at McAree and going one way out through Basswood River and PP. We plan to catch the few trout we might have missed on that trip. 8-)

Jimbo was really disappointed that I didn’t bring a pink shirt. ;) I couldn’t bring myself to do that. 8-) I did bring pink everything else.

After last years bust :-[ I have worked to improve my overall health. When I saw my doc recently, he showed me my numbers and I am in better health now than I was 15 years ago. 8-) My trends show steady improvement. 8-)

Looks like an excellent morning to start a canoe trip.  I love when that happens! :)

TomT wrote on Apr 27^th, 2018 at 11:16am:

Looks like an excellent morning to start a canoe trip.  I love when that happens! :)

  BH is where I start most of my trips. Today's pic capture's the GOOD BH put-in. :-?

That grey soil turns into that slippery boot sucking grey clay when it's been raining for awhile.

  Sometimes it's so bad, you have to put the canoe in first and load it or else your pack bottoms will be coated with it.

Today's POD is what you hope to see for sure.