We have the usual BW books, but what should we get for planning/dreaming N of the border?

Quetico Adventures by Tim Mead. Lots of detailed routes and bushwhacks too.

Kevin Callan - Quetico and Beyond.

cyclones30 wrote on Jan 16^th, 2020 at 1:38pm:

We have the usual BW books, but what should we get for planning/dreaming N of the border?

I think I'd start with looking back through several years of recommendations made in this particular forum.  I know that almost everything I've recommended (which included Tim Mead's book) dealt with folks & events based north of the border.

Jimbo 

Some of the best and more current information is on this site. It’s called ‘trip reports’. ;)

Old Salt wrote on Jan 18^th, 2020 at 1:51am:

Some of the best and more current information is on this site. It’s called ‘trip reports’. ;)

That's funny because the two books I recommended are basically trip reports.   ;D  I should gather all of my trip reports since 2007 and publish a book.  "Quetico Misadventures!" by TomT

Over the years I have bought every book I could find that had anything to do with canoe travel and especially the Quetico.  More recently I built bookshelves and had my Father's old reading chair re-upholstered.  Early in that endeavor the idea was to have ample material to re-read when I was older and no longer making trips. 

Now I wish I had spend more time in a canoe than reading about it.  Damned employment always gets in the way of more interesting life events.

MB

TomT wrote on Jan 18^th, 2020 at 3:03pm:

Old Salt wrote on Jan 18th, 2020 at 1:51am: Some of the best and more current information is on this site. It’s called ‘trip reports’. ;) That's funny because the two books I recommended are basically trip reports.   ;D  I should gather all of my trip reports since 2007 and publish a book.  "Quetico Misadventures!" by TomT

That's basically what Tim Mead did with his book.  He's also a frequent BWJ contributor.  He pulled together those pieces, added a few new ones and there was his book.

Tim really knows his stuff.  He still posts to QJ every once in a while.  He's known around here as "Ancient Angler."  Quetico is only one of several outdoor topics he writes about.  Tim's a great guy and former University English professor.  He's traveled all over the place and has published re: numerous subjects in his retirement.  In that respect (& others), he is one of my heroes.  See his website at:   (You need to Login or Register .

Way back when, I used to live in NC and I flew up to Quetico every year for many years.  I didn't discover that Tim was practically a neighbor of mine (NC has long been his home state) until long after I relocated to MN to get closer to Quetico. That was too bad as I could've used another paddling party partner a time or two back then.

Tim was the target of one of my very best practical jokes, ever.  I'd like to say he had a good sense of humor about my prank but - to this day - he still has no idea he was even duped by what must have seemed like a "weird Jimbo mental telepathy" at the time.  The episode is now long-since forgotten by him, I'm sure.  Nevertheless, it remains a favorite campfire story of mine... a "gotcha trick" of the highest order.

Later,

Jimbo   8-)   

The BWJs are another great resource. I’m planning to bring a couple of boxes of back issues to Copia to sell $5 each. If anyone wants to buy a bunch, we can probably come up with a quantity discount. Let me know if you’re looking for something specific. 8-)

All good advice.

I bought this book when I first started going to the Q and highly recommend it.
I've NEVER done one of his routes EXACTLY as he laid them out but used them as a foundation for trips I did do.

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  I would lay out his routes on a paper map, then mark places I wanted to deviate too.

  Then I would look in the QJ trip report archives to find info about those places. Between that and asking on the forums, I got a lot of info that would have taken years to learn on my own.

  I think it would be fair to say you could spend the average tripper's lifetime of paddling in the Q and still learn something new every trip.  Just the time of year/weather can change the course of your whole trip.

  That's why most of us have Plan B's, maybe more.
I used the FUBAR plan last trip.  ;) ;D ;D

To that I'd add song/path of the Paddle. Bill Mason?

Thanks everyone, last year we got a full set of BWJ at least to 2018 or so. I've got plenty of reading to do there yet. I just figured I'd see what else to look into.

Kinda obvious, but the Sigurd Olsen books are quite inspirational. Get the set. 8-)

db wrote on Jan 20^th, 2020 at 10:29pm:

To that I'd add song/path of the Paddle. Bill Mason?

Good recommendation! It's a trilogy and they're on youtube as well. Great life story as well about this favorite son from Winnipeg.