Those are all conditions that Double Paddle shines in IF you can adapt to it.

Not having to switch sides and lose momentum plus the ability to turn the blade flat to the water to help stabilize you if you get a little tippy is a nice feature.

Wow, think of the work that goes into something like this.  I'd like to know how long it would take one beaver to fell this tree?

My first experience with beavers scared the crap out of me.  No, not that crazy tail slap but I was camped on Sarah Lake in Quetico on a small island.  I knew the weather was good so set up my rope hammock fro the night.  This was my 2nd solo in 1988. Well, as I lay there in the quiet and the pitch blackness I hear a rustling sound back in the forest.  It's getting closer!  It stops, then more rustling like something is being dragged on the ground.  I got out of the hammock and shined my flashlight in the woods and there was a big beaver pulling a sapling to the water. Relieved I wasn't going to be eaten by wolves I went to bed and this continued most of the night.

Solus,
Do you have a guide to where the pictographs are or do you just go by what they mark on some maps?

I see Furtman has a guide book to all the known ones. but I see it get mixed reviews 

TomT wrote on Apr 26^th, 2019 at 11:29am:


Here's the backstory on that. There's 4 more of shots of this tree coming up. I was doing two trips a year back then and I know the first shot is from May and the next two are from that August. Then I think the next is from the following August, and the last is from the following May. As I recall it seemed the second winter and/or a west wind finally took it down.

I have no idea how long the initial work took but it was interesting to me that the side not chewed at all would presumably have prevented the tree from falling on the well worn trail leading up from the lake. The area was heavily worked on and maybe 50 yds up a rather steep hill. We happened to see a beaver come sliding down and my wife agreed to check out what it was up to.

These shots are from over 20 years ago and were scanned from transparencies willy-nilly so I don't know the exact timing for sure. My favorite shot comes on Sunday and I know for sure it's the August of the first year which kinda said it all to me. It's why I'll sometimes go out of my way to revisit the same places when I can.

I remember it just broke my heart one Spring when found a beaver had taken down 4 or 5 smaller trees from a point campsite that truly needed them. Pretty sure they were all jack pines too which made no sense at all. It seemed like wanton vandalism to us.

Could be the culprit?  I think beavers are one of the most interesting critters found in the BW.  They don't get mentioned as much as eagles and wolves or moose but I've had some delightful times just sitting by the water at dusk while these guys went about their business.  It's especially cool when you see a family together. They will let you watch them if you are still.