HighnDry,

I've mostly used MyTopos in the past, too; for non-Quetico travel, anyway. Their ability to "customize" map coverage & detail was a real plus.  This time, however, I got a little frustrated getting it to work the way I wanted to regarding Atikaki.  Also, a couple years back, a security breach occurred on the MyTopo website.  Apparently, hackers got into their database of users' personal information.  Appropriately enough, an alert was sent out to users, urging them to reset passwords, etc. Since then, though, I've been cautious about using them.

Bottom line: I looked elsewhere and found what I was looking for in Maptown, making it an easy decision.  Mossback jumped on it & got us both laminated sets of each.  I've been eyeballing mine for a month and they look great. 

Regarding travel dates, I'll defer to Marten.  Our tentative plans are to fly in with him @July 13th and fly back out @July 28th.  There will be some west-to-east travel in between.  I believe Marten intends to stay in the park a few weeks longer.  His specific dates will likely depend upon the logistics of other possible participants flying in or out. 

My thinking: pent-up camping demand for Quetico competing over diminished campsite availability (due to last year's major fires) may lead to something less than the wilderness experience I seek.  Atikaki appears to be a very attractive option.  Having a knowledgeable leader in Marten seals the deal for me. 

Let's just hope neither flames nor virus bugs mess it up for us.

Later,

Jimbo 

I've gotta order some maps as well.  Still working out a few logistical problems but am committed to going.  Looking forward to exploring some new territory!  Leave a few fish for me!

HighnDry wrote on Mar 26^th, 2022 at 3:10am:


...except on those two nearby lake trout lakes.

Jimbo 

As I understand it, there are NO camping or permit fees required.

Re: obtaining a fishing license, it can be done in advance on-line but, apparently, you can't get the one we'll need for this summer before May 1st.  So, I left myself a calendar note to get it then.  I did, however, create my "profile" on-line (see: (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) ) which should simplify matters when I make the purchase.

Here's another useful tidbit gleaned from multiple conversations with our leader: "bring your own favorite paddle", as those otherwise available may not measure up to what you are used to.  Presumably, that goes for life preservers, too.

Jimbo   

P.S.  Any participants electing to fly in on Thursday, July 28th, will likely find their "fly-in" expense significantly reduced since a couple of us intend to "fly-out" on that very same plane.  FYI

My maps arrived this past week from maptown. Time to start marking them up.

I should expand on this to say thanks to Jimbo for the link to Maptown. I picked up Manitoba Topos 11 and 12 which kind of cover Atikaki from Sassaginnigak L. to a midpoint in that northern part of the park and over to the eastern boundary with Ontario, north of Woodland Caribou.

Thanks to Marten for generously sharing his gpx file with campsites and routes so that I can mark up my maps and....hopefully not get lost when I'm out there!