Last year we had a very successful group fly-in to Brad Lake in Atikaki P.P. in Manitoba with flights with Blue Water Aviation out of Bissett, Manitoba. Round trip costs were only $515 US as we were able to fill the plane each way numerous times. I am willing to try it again this year. I do plan on being set up with my Encounter Solo canoe this year and traveling after a time of basecamping on "Shiver Lake." It is two lakes north of Black Lake for reference. I have never traveled the lake but it looks like a great lake.

Two hardsided canoes can be taken in on the floats and a Pak canoe on the inside.

Marten,

Any guess on probable "dates" at this early juncture?

Jimbo   8-)

Any time after the first week in July but pretty flexible.

Our limiting factor is only having two hard sided canoes flown in. Another option is for a canoe to paddle up from Wallace Lake (9-15 days) and then that party flies out on the plane that brought in a party to paddle the canoe back to Wallace. This could be done independently of our group trip. The Cessna is all you would need and probably about $200US each if two came and two left. I have all the portage information needed for that endeavor.

Jimbo, I've exchanged a message or two with Marten about timing. Perhaps not until the 14th of July (Bastille Day). However, as Marten noted above, it's flexible at this point. I'd bring in my own solo for this as well, but the canoe-flying logistics are something to work out....unless I buy a pakboat!

HighnDry wrote on Feb 18^th, 2023 at 3:28pm:

Jimbo, I've exchanged a message or two with Marten about timing. Perhaps not until the 14th of July (Bastille Day). However, as Marten noted above, it's flexible at this point. I'd bring in my own solo for this as well, but the canoe-flying logistics are something to work out....unless I buy a pakboat!

At this point it would require a minor miracle for me to do an Atikaki trip this year.  Family "vacation bargaining" has pretty much concluded and the summer calendar is tight (Florida is NOT a place you want to be in between May & October!).  IF I was still living in the North Country, I might be able to pull off a week or so in early August.  As it stands right now, however, tight travel logistics make those prospects seem rather dim.  So, all-in-all, I'm quite satisfied with the 3.5 weeks in Quetico that I was able to negotiate for the 2023 paddling season.

Moving south to swamp country AND my wife's retirement have changed my Northwoods canoe tripping dynamics.  My new modus operandi seems to be: negotiate fewer canoe trips BUT of longer duration.

Atikaki is DEFINITELY a worthwhile experience.  I'd highly recommend it to QJers seeking new territory to explore.  They should contact Marten to hear what it's all about.  As for me, I'd certainly consider doing it again.  My challenge will be to nail the plan down early enough in our family vacation bargaining cycle.

I hope you guys can pull together as great a group as we had last year.

Later,

Jimbo   8-)

We can see what the options are when we meet for Canoecopia. I will bring my laptop so we can look easily at the route options overlaid on a topo map. There are no usable canoe route maps out there. This year I plan to use my Encounter solo. My Pac boat 165 will be available to be used if it helps with logistics. Can be solo or tandem. 55 pounds. It can come or go on the Cessna. No external carry on the Cessna.

Yeah, let's kick the tires on this at our upcoming meetings.  That was interesting how good the logistics worked out last year up there.  Many thanks to Marten for all his planning.  I'm really interested in heading up there again this year.  I'll make sure to have some topos of the Shiver Lake area along. 

For any of you fishermen/women out there "thinking about" joining Marten in Atikaki, these are "can't miss" walleye waters... unless, of course, you manage to throw your fishing pole overboard, as happened with one of our paddlers last year.  The rest of us fared pretty darned well!

It's also a pretty good deal for you orthinthologists, too.  I swear, we heard birdsong up there last year unlike anything we've ever heard before.  Probably some species most folks thought was long extinct.

Definitely a worthwhile "alternative" destination.

Later,

Jimbo   8-)

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Of course you still need to remember to clip it to your PFD  ;) ;D
But not to fear it comes with instructions  ::) ;D

My tandem Boundary Waters kevlar can be available for use as well if it's used before or after I/we come in/out.  Same as last year. 

I was thinking the same thing. I could make my SR17 tandem available after I come back out. I'll bring my maps to our gathering to look at routes into/out of Shiver.

Sounds good. A tandem, a solo and pak boat going in on the Otter with up to 5 people to Shiver Lake. Enough circle routes around Shiver, Giraffe, Black and lakes to east that first change out could be from Shiver Lake. Then three options to Kawassseecheewonk area for final flyout.