Canoe Trip with Broadwing Adventures guides Doug Fitzgerald and Jack Drury - August 30 to September 13, 2012
Likes and learns from the trip
Jack & Phyliss enjoying our last sunset
Towards the end of a trip and afterwards are the times for contemplation and taking stock of the experience. There are lessons learned about gear, food, travel, the area, other people and ourselves. There are aspects of every trip that the members like and dislike. In the final installment of this blog series, I will reflect on these things and attempt to
give the reader an idea of what we are left with after the journey.
give the reader an idea of what we are left with after the journey.
Light boat with a balanced load
Thoughts about gear
Our canoe - In 2007 we had Swift Canoe from
Ontario make us a 16’6” Kipawa tandem touring canoe. It is light, but has a limited payload.
This works fine for us, because when we need a light canoe we also carry a light load. We ordered bow and stern skid plates, which were a definite plus for protecting the boat from the rocks in the BW. On a couple of previous local
trips I have overloaded this boat and have been nervous about how it handled, on this trip the boat and load were well matched and it performed well.
Our canoe - In 2007 we had Swift Canoe from
Ontario make us a 16’6” Kipawa tandem touring canoe. It is light, but has a limited payload.
This works fine for us, because when we need a light canoe we also carry a light load. We ordered bow and stern skid plates, which were a definite plus for protecting the boat from the rocks in the BW. On a couple of previous local
trips I have overloaded this boat and have been nervous about how it handled, on this trip the boat and load were well matched and it performed well.
Gourmet meals prepared on reliable stoves
Our stove – I have relied on a Coleman Peak 1 for years. They are bombproof and work like a charm. Coleman has moved away from this model, which is unfortunate. As readers may recall I used an MSR Pocket Rocket canister stove on the Northville Placid Trail (NPT) and really liked it, but on this trip we planned to do more complex cooking, plus frying some fish. Thus, the Peak 1 was our stove of choice. In addition, the other two cooking groups were using liquid fueled stoves, so it made sense for all of us to carry the same type of fuel.
Water purification – On the NPT we used Leo’s Steri Pen to treat our water, it worked great to treat 5 to 6 liters per day with just 2 sets of batteries. The device uses ultraviolet light to eliminate pathogens in the drinking water. Unfortunately on this trip, battery life for my pen was an issue. The pen worked fine with fresh batteries, but after a few days it became less reliable. It eventually required us to take out the batteries and keep exchanging them with others, it was frustrating. On a recent weekend trip the group I was with used a Katadyn Base Camp water filter. I liked how it worked and think that while the Steri Pen worked well for backpacking, for paddling trips I might try a hanging bag filter like the Katadyn.
Communications – For our Thelon River trip two years ago, Karen and Ed bought a satellite phone to use for emergencies and contacting our charter flight service. They renewed the service for this trip and brought it along. In a world where all of us are connected at all times, it seems natural that we should have that connection even in the wilderness. While it might make sense to be able to be contact the outside world “in case of an emergency”, having a phone along does have an effect on my wilderness experience. Generally I would prefer to not have a phone. Even though I have started to carry a cell phone when I paddle in the Adirondacks, the effects of never being completely separated from civilization is a factor to be considered.
GPS and BW map
Travel
Navigation – In all three canoes we used the National Geographic, Trails Illustrated Map, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness West.
There is also an East version. There are at least 3 different makers of maps for the BW, but I am used to the NG maps and like how they represent the area. Jack, Ed and I also use GPS units, Jack prefers to use the GPS as his primary navigation tool, while I rely more on map reading, as I like the larger perspective it provides. I use the GPS to set waypoints, track time and distance to destinations and to record distances traveled. My 10 year old Garmin tends to lose signal under tree cover, while Jack and Ed’s newer units work better in poor signal areas.
Navigation – In all three canoes we used the National Geographic, Trails Illustrated Map, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness West.
There is also an East version. There are at least 3 different makers of maps for the BW, but I am used to the NG maps and like how they represent the area. Jack, Ed and I also use GPS units, Jack prefers to use the GPS as his primary navigation tool, while I rely more on map reading, as I like the larger perspective it provides. I use the GPS to set waypoints, track time and distance to destinations and to record distances traveled. My 10 year old Garmin tends to lose signal under tree cover, while Jack and Ed’s newer units work better in poor signal areas.
Potential for future trips – The unbroken wilderness allows for a lifetime of potential trips. I want to return again and hope to do it sooner than I did this time. I would like to go with a group that is willing to travel more, take on the tough portages and cover greater distances. As a guide, I think the BWCAW would be a good area to lead a group of adventure travelers.
Our group planning the day
Other people
Even with a restrictive permit system we saw a number of people, especially near the entry points. On the southern end of Lac La Croix we struggled to find an empty campsite, but we spent 3 nights on remote Pocket Lake and never saw anyone. Like in the Adirondacks, the farther you are willing to travel away from access points, the less people you will see. Even after days of travel in the BW you will likely see more people when your route comes near other entry points. Almost everyone we saw carried fishing gear and there were many serious anglers out there. For us the fishing was an added bonus to the canoe trip, for some groups the camping is a necessary part of a fishing trip.
Even with a restrictive permit system we saw a number of people, especially near the entry points. On the southern end of Lac La Croix we struggled to find an empty campsite, but we spent 3 nights on remote Pocket Lake and never saw anyone. Like in the Adirondacks, the farther you are willing to travel away from access points, the less people you will see. Even after days of travel in the BW you will likely see more people when your route comes near other entry points. Almost everyone we saw carried fishing gear and there were many serious anglers out there. For us the fishing was an added bonus to the canoe trip, for some groups the camping is a necessary part of a fishing trip.
The help of others – Our second portage on day one was rough, there was a group of fishermen traveling in our direction and they pitched in to move our gear across. This happened on other occasions too. To try and pay-it-forward, when we encountered a group traveling the opposite way on a portage, I carried one of their canoes across. Unfortunately, I did it without asking and they did not appreciate it. They were from an elite canoe camp and I think I injured their pride. Lesson learned; read people better and ask before helping. Elite paddlers are interesting, but some take the sport a little too seriously for me.
Phyliss's leadership skit
Leader of the day (LOD) – As our group is made up of peers; decisions are generally arrived at by consensus. Although this works much of the time, there are instances where it is more expedient to have someone take a leadership role, make decisions and guide the group. Jack suggested we try a
technique known as Leader Of the Day. Not everyone was willing to accept the role, but this leadership style was fairly successful. Jan and Phyliss did a
great job when each of them was LOD and Phyliss’s skit to start her day was hilarious.
technique known as Leader Of the Day. Not everyone was willing to accept the role, but this leadership style was fairly successful. Jan and Phyliss did a
great job when each of them was LOD and Phyliss’s skit to start her day was hilarious.
Simple living in the wilderness
Life in the wilderness
In my July blog about the NPT, I expounded on the simplicity of living and traveling in the wilderness. Instead of repeating myself here, I thought I’d use a couple of excerpts from The Lonely Land, by Sigurd Olson. He wrote extensively about paddling in the Boundary Waters and Quetico and is considered to be one of the nation's best nature writers.
In my July blog about the NPT, I expounded on the simplicity of living and traveling in the wilderness. Instead of repeating myself here, I thought I’d use a couple of excerpts from The Lonely Land, by Sigurd Olson. He wrote extensively about paddling in the Boundary Waters and Quetico and is considered to be one of the nation's best nature writers.
After a trip of nearly 500 miles on the Churchill River of Canada he wrote about the final days on the river.
... “One more camp, perhaps two, and we would be at Cumberland House. It became increasingly hard to realize that the trip was drawing to a close and that this was the end of many things for all of us. ... At the moment it seemed as though we had always been together, that our old life was nebulous and unreal. This way of existence, living in tents and traveling together each day, seemed the way life should be. We had shared wind and storm, rapids and portages, and all of that had been good.”...
... “One more camp, perhaps two, and we would be at Cumberland House. It became increasingly hard to realize that the trip was drawing to a close and that this was the end of many things for all of us. ... At the moment it seemed as though we had always been together, that our old life was nebulous and unreal. This way of existence, living in tents and traveling together each day, seemed the way life should be. We had shared wind and storm, rapids and portages, and all of that had been good.”...
Unpacking the "outfit"
After Olson’s trip he had this to say,
... “By the time I reached home the whole expedition had begun to seem a little unreal. I spread the equipment out in the yard to give it a final airing before putting it away. ... As I worked over the outfit, the Churchill River seemed far away, ... I knew it would soon be hard even to imagine the music of huskies around the Indian villages or the wild calling of the loons on the open lakes.
I also knew there were some things that would never be dimmed by distance or time,
compounded of values that would not be forgotten: the joy and challenge of the
wilderness, the sense of being part of the country and of an era that was gone, the freedom we had known, silence, timelessness, beauty, companionship and loyalty, and the feeling of fullness and completion that was ours at the end.” ...
Sigurd Olson expresses these sentiments so well.
... “By the time I reached home the whole expedition had begun to seem a little unreal. I spread the equipment out in the yard to give it a final airing before putting it away. ... As I worked over the outfit, the Churchill River seemed far away, ... I knew it would soon be hard even to imagine the music of huskies around the Indian villages or the wild calling of the loons on the open lakes.
I also knew there were some things that would never be dimmed by distance or time,
compounded of values that would not be forgotten: the joy and challenge of the
wilderness, the sense of being part of the country and of an era that was gone, the freedom we had known, silence, timelessness, beauty, companionship and loyalty, and the feeling of fullness and completion that was ours at the end.” ...
Sigurd Olson expresses these sentiments so well.
We take on journeys like this to experience the joy of the moment and to savor the memories for the rest of our lives. People that have truly experienced living and traveling in the wilderness understand the value it adds to life. As always, this trip has become a part of who I am and I look forward to my next
adventure.
adventure.
To see part one of the series CLICK HERE
To see part two of this series CLICK HERE
Additional photos are available on our PHOTO GALLERY
To see part two of this series CLICK HERE
Additional photos are available on our PHOTO GALLERY
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