I love the video and the dedication to your mentor.  The campfire video with moon reflecting off the lake took me away from a WI winter and to a happier place for a while - thanks.

solotripper wrote on Dec 25^th, 2010 at 1:56pm:


ST,

I got me a pack just like that one!  Interestingly enough, it shows up in my camp every-other-year and it has been dubbed "the bottomless blue barrel."  Coincidentally, it just so happens that my paddling partner - who goes by the QJ handle of "Matunik" - ALSO shows up in my camp every other year.  Matunik is fond of portaging the big blue barrel with the really fine Ostrom harness attached to it.  Our bottomless blue barrel NEVER loses weight; in fact, some days it actually gets HEAVIER. The odd thing is that - simultaneously - the packs of everyone else in camp grow lighter each passing day.  Magically, items from these other packs disappear and somehow make their way into the blue barrel.

Freaky & mystical canoe country phenomenon, it is!

I think the technical term for it is "transportificatiion" or "transconfiguration" or, er, um... some similar "trans" word that essentially means: that sucker over there is carrying my crap.

Jimbo  

Well, I regret to report we were unable to attempt the Hoare Lake challenge this year.  We DID get to Camel but our arrival was delayed by a couple days, leaving us one legitimate day to make the attempt (given the other group goals for this particular trip).  Anyway, we were pretty badly socked in by extreme weather over that 24 hour period (thunder storms, four inches of rain, high winds, etc.).  Our group decision was to leave the challenge for a more cooperative day during some future trip.

This is a beautiful area of the park & we had a fine trip, overall.  The biggest negative I have to report is - after my three year hiatus from Quetico - I returned to experience heavier canoe camper traffic than on any previous trip ever... especially in the Russell Lake area.  For that matter, we were passed by eleven canoes coming out of Camel as we were about to enter!

My well-wishes go with whomever might attempt Rob's "Hoare Lake Challenge".

Jimbo   

Had great company, dd!  Very fine fellows including Matunik, whom you know.

I had a 70 year-old park newbie paddling in the bow of my canoe.  He did great on those portages and mostly fine on the water with only a couple of exceptions.  He dozed off taking impromptu unannounced naps.  One such time when I wasn't watching closely enough, he dropped his paddle while we were trolling on Russell Lake.  We had to paddle a quarter mile back to retrieve it.  The second issue was more my fault.  I attempted to paddle up the small set of rapids that you encounter just before you reach the long portage connecting Oliphaunt to Fern Lake.  While Matunik & his 60+ year old paddling partner (wisely) lined it upstream, I talked my partner into "going for the gusto".  BAD MOVE.  Despite the fact that my partner teaches canoe safety & rescue back in New Jersey, for the first time EVER, I managed to flip a fully loaded canoe.  We just didn't have the horsepower.

Oh well.  The water was warm & we didn't lose a thing... except our pride, maybe.  Matunik was laughing so hard & so much more interested in taking photos of us that it was ten minutes or more before they got around to our "rescue"!

The guys had a great attitude & we had a wonderful trip.  I hope your venture into WCP next week goes equally well!

Later,

Jimbo   

Jimbo wrote on Jul 6^th, 2011 at 10:05pm:

Here?
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Nice place to go for a swim at least.