This forum was established to inform and facilitate discussion about the Boundary Waters
Canoe Area in northeastern Minnesota and the Quetico Park in Ontario, Canada. This forum
was established on October 26th, 1998.
In the northern Kettle Morraine St Forest, the Spruce Lake natural area has a nice little board walk through a swamp- saw several pink ladyslippers. Photos were taken with my wife's film camera and being developed- not sure how long they will last so decided to post without photos. There also are some pitcher plants blooming. We also ran into a wild coffee plant near the Parnell Tower taking part of the loop around the tower. The books say you can use it as a coffee substitute- Anyone ever try it?
"This working is getting in the way of having fun."
Carl Rasmussen
I've heard it is used as a substitute, but since I don't even like coffee, I haven't tried it!
I think that the reason so many people seem to be having allergy problems this year is that so many things are blooming all at once rather than spread out as in more "normal" years. I ran my hand over an outside table last weekend and it came up yellow - LOTS of pollen!
Also known as wild coffee- not the same as the true coffee plant, in the honeysuckle family. Here is a link http://ontariowildflowers.com/main/species.php?id=91
We saw the little red flowers- hard to see because they are down the stalk instead of toward the top of the plant.
"This working is getting in the way of having fun."
Carl Rasmussen
After my permit for Cross Bay Lake was cancelled because the the Ham Lake fire, I decided to take a non-tripping trip to Ely.
Lynn at VNO was nice enough to find space for me for 3 nights in her bunkhouse apartments over the store.
I left early on Friday and took my time driving north with a stop at an old classmates log cabin on Lake Vermillion. I hit VNO at about 5:00 p.m. and heard that Nibi would bunking with me on Friday night. Nibi was somewhere downtown for dinner, I headed downtown and spotted Becca on Larry's car near the Piragis outfitting barn. I found spot to park and proceeded to hunt Nibi down, actually he was in the canoe shed with a fellow from the Cliff seminar.
I was invited to join the seminar group for dinner at the Chocolate Moose, being the shy person I am, I sat in complete silence as Cliff held court until a guy at another table asked if I was the Old Scout. The BDBs flew out of my pocket and were passed around the table.
Saturday dawned dark and overcasted as we headed for breakfast and after breakfast Nibi said his goodbyes and headed home. I grabbed a map for the Hegman lakes area and headed to the entry point. I had planned to do a daytrip to the pictographs.
It was an easy trip and after viewing the pictographs it started raining, so I headed back to the entry point.
It was still early so I headed to the new "North American Bear Center" just south of Ely. This is the bear exhibit that Lynn Rogers built and is very well done. Lots of exhibits and pictures and they just got two bears for the live exhibit that can be viewed much like the Wolf center, but the area the bears roam is about 3 times as large.
Lynn Rogers and I discussed the "Bear Story" and he had a microphone in hand and was repeating the story for everyone to hear.
I did learn that he uses a small pocket sized "dog repellant" that sprays a stream of pepper spray and not a fog like the "bear spray".
I headed to dinner at the Ely Steakhouse and met a fellow from Cliff's seminar who was eating alone also. I was great meal and great conversation witha fellow from Alaska, again bears were discussed. Don't use hollowpoints on Grizzlies
Sunday dawn raining so I decided to pass on paddling, but I knew Mr. & Mrs. Sensitive were coming out of Lake One about noon, so I headed out to greet them. They were right on time.
We made arrangements for me to pick them up for dinner, I was going take them the Stoney Point Resort Cafe for a nice big hamburger, but they weren't open. The guy said if he had some hamburger he would have cooked them up for us, but I didn't offer to run to Zup's for a couple pounds of hamburger; instead we headed over to the Ely Steakhouse for a great meal and even better conversation. As Mr. Sensitive mentioned we made and evening of driving around and outside of Ely.
No, we didn't take the fire truck.
Anyway, it was a different weekend in Ely, but still lots of fun.
... getting together with you Friday night/Saturday morning. Thanks for sharing your bunkhouse with me. Glad to hear the rest of your weekend went well and you arrived home safely.
A couple of questions were asked about the paddles I made for my brothers. The ink drawings were done before the glass was applied but after I put one thin coat on the face of the blade. I dipped the cord in brown stain and then let it dry thoroughly before I put it on the blade. I used heavy stick pins to hold it on the edge of the blade as I stretched it around the end. After epoxying both sides of the cord and letting it dry, I removed the pins. It kind of looked a little like acupuncture to a paddle for awhile though. Then the glass went on. The paddles weigh between 23 and 26 oz. each. Lynn, my brothers got to try their paddles today as they were taking the knoo one of them bought from you and John at Copia (16' SR El Tigre)out for a paddle. I couldn't stick around in Milwaukee to join them. I'm assuming all went well, though not hearing from them could mean they are still paddling 12 hours later.
Did I give you 2 barrel harnesses for the blue barrels? I seem to have found one I thought I gave you. I guess I may have had 3. If I gave you my mind, please return it!
Good Tripping and tell the kids we still want some reports and pics!
Kaitlyn
We traveled as the Voyageurs did by canoe, paddled the same lakes, ran the same rapids and packed over their ancient portages." Sig Olson The Lonely Land
The one I have here is for a 60L. I thought I gave you two (2) of the 60 L. The big blue one. Perhpas I should talk to you. email on the way.
Kaitlyn
We traveled as the Voyageurs did by canoe, paddled the same lakes, ran the same rapids and packed over their ancient portages." Sig Olson The Lonely Land
We traveled as the Voyageurs did by canoe, paddled the same lakes, ran the same rapids and packed over their ancient portages." Sig Olson The Lonely Land
By the way, how long did it take you to get there from Island River entry?
We entered from the bwca put in spot and it took 3 hours in and 3 hours out. But that first portage took a while because it was steap and we didn't bring the child carriers. Also we found out you can put in at a boat launch on the other side of the portage in that lake.
Glad you found the pictos!! They sure are different from the others found in the BWCA/Q. The books say they are painted in black/blue but it looked to me as if they were lichen color. The other ones mentioned in Beymer's book are a reddish blob (nothing distinguishable) on the rock just as you approach it but facing toward you, down low on that little flat space. When I asked him about it, he said he really wasn't sure they were pictographs but they were red like the traditional ones. There was another site (Furtman's book) is supposed to be on a rock in the river but we never found the rock let alone the pictographs. Did you see the numbers and initials scratched into the lichen near the pictos?
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul." --John Muir
There was another site (Furtman's book) is supposed to be on a rock in the river but we never found the rock let alone the pictographs. Did you see the numbers and initials scratched into the lichen near the pictos?
The other pictos are suppose to be carved into the rock. We didn't find them because we ran out of time to look for them. But some kaykers we passed did find them and they said it was impressive! I'm a little disappointed that we ran out time time to look for them but with 2 kids under 3, and a puppy I'm excited we found what we did! lol. I didn't see the initials scratched into the lichen.
Cool! Where are they supposed to be? I've never seen them documented anywhere.
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul." --John Muir
My book is in the back of the closest right now. But it shows it to be one person. The body is a triangle and it has a head and its arms point downward (I believe it is the only petroglyph in the BWCA although not technically in the BW) The kayakers confirmed what the book said. But I also talked to some campers that have been coming to this sight for 15 years and they still haven't found it.
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul." --John Muir
....eight days in the vicinity of Lake 3, Wilder, Hudson, Fire and Bridge Lakes. We didn't move much, but did lots of exploring, especially little creeks and nooks and crannies. Lots and lots of rain and wind, except the day we left, which had some snow. It's true, snow flurries, albeit light, on May 20. But rain every day on some level.
Had a great time seeing JStroke play last Saturday night, seeing Nibi again and hearing of his filming adventures, and meeting Rjovik and son. Said hi to Lynn and John. We had a wonderful dinner last night with Old Scout, then took a drive to Fenske, hung out with the owner of Echo Outfitters a wee bit, and surveyed Wilderness Mama and Papa's construction. It's looking good!
Trip report to follow as soon as the clothes get washed and I check my 300 email messages.
Hope all is well with everyone.
Mike in Minneapolis
Everybody knows rock and roll acheived perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact.--- Homer Simpson
We'll be putting in at Moose Lake and heading up to Kekekabic, and then circling back down through Ima. Will be out until Saturday. What was a four solo's has become two. We had one cancel 2 weeks ago and another this friday. Pisses me off that they cancel with short notice, more notice and we could have invited along others. Oh well - hope the lake trout are biting!!!
Man I hate waking up with a dead hooker" –Dan Henderson
"I have retard strength" –Jason “Mayhem” Miller
"He spent the night in a hospital, I spent the night at a bar." -BJ Penn
I took a five day trip a few weeks ago. It was supposed to be 6 of us, but that dwindled to 4 the week of the trip.
I think there are three types of people when I talk about a BWCA trip.
1. Those that say "no way, not interested"
2. Those that say "count me in, everytime."
3. Those that say yeah I want to go but ...
do what the airlines to, overbook. Howard Sprague can give you some pointers on that. You'll be on the water by the time you get this so I'm wishing you happy travels.
Yes, that's 2:45am... as I'm driving across town to get him. The brother of one of the other guys going. Forced his canoe partner to rent a solo canoe for the week.
Never did find out why he cancelled. I figured it was my buddy's job to ask him and he never did.
No one ever looks back on their life and regrets the adventures they've had.
______________________________________________________________
Pete
I had to cancel my trip this year. This is two years in a row. Last year was because I got screwed on a guiding trip, but this year was an easy call. My wife is twenty three weeks pregnant and is having Braxton Hicks Contractions. I can't go away with that on my mind. I had to tell five other guys that I was backing out. I was the group leader and they all understood. BWCAW will be there next year, and with the grace of god my son and wife will be blessed with a healthy baby. Please keep the trip reports and pictures coming. Also, I love the stuff on youtube.
I am looking to purchase a set of rainwear (jacket & pants). Can anyone suggest a specific brand and also store/website on where to find the best price? Anyone run into any gore tex sales???
***Lightweight, breathable, waterproof. Use mostly for hiking & short canoe trips.
...I managed to find my on sale - pants from campmor, jacket from I don't remember (too many purchases this spring )- and paid only around $100 for the whole set. Waterproof, breathable, super light, and super packable stuff that I'd highly recommend.
Lightweight, easily fit in a stuff sack, breathable, relatively inexpensive, and they work! When you first look at them, you'll be skeptical (I was!), but I'm impressed with mine. I was referred to them by some friends who ride motorcycles and said that they stay dry riding down the highway in the rain.
I have mixed feelings about my froggtogs that I purchased from Gander Mountain in 2004...
What I like is their very lightweight, easy to pack, not that expensive, good windbreaker and relatively durable considering how lite they are.
What I don't like is I thought they'd be more breathable like one of their selling points showed. Even though their lite I still feel like there's no transfer of air one way or the other and I sweat. The ones I've got have no waterproof liner for the pockets so water gets in that way. Lastly, generally I get wet with a steady rain.
I am really happy with my Gore-Tex PacLite rain gear. I paid full price (about $180) and would have paid even more than that. They are super lite, pack very small and do a great job of blocking the wind on cool mornings. If you don't care about color, then the sage color is on sale now for ($60/jacket and $65/pants).
Go to Cabela's home page and click on Men's Casual Clothing, then look for the category rainwear and then complete sets. or you can put Paclite in their search engine.
i love my paclite gear but there is zero insulation. if i am going in cool weather i use the cordura/gore-tex uninsulated guidewear gear also from cabelas. bulkier but warmer.
It really depends on what you're after, and what time of year you're going.
I've pretty much used it all up there, for cheap stuff, to REALLY expensive.
* If you are going in the summer, then something light, light precipt or frogg toggs, or even a simple poncho will work OK.
* If early spring or Late summer, then Goretex, or precipt with GOOD base layers should be good.
* I've used my rainy river goretex with good base layers in spring, summer,and fall.
* On the other hand, when it is COLD, or may get COLD, I've used a heavier bib-type raingear. On EARLY spring and FALL trips, this gear can get HOT, if it is in the 80's and raining, BUT on those 50 degree rainy days, the full coverage is FANTASTIC, and I rarely need to take an additional jacket.
So, like I said, it really depends. Also, like I said above, I rarely take an "extra" jacket. My only jacket is my raingear. On most of my trips, I take a silkweight base layer, a midweight layer, zip off pants, and supplex nylon shirts, and a sweater, if necessary. All of this gets covered with raingear. I can layer/unlayer as necessary.
I found what I feel like was a great deal on some Sierra Designs rain gear. The '06 Sierra Desings Elevation Jacket with the Microlight Sierra Desings rain pants.
Anyone have any experience with either of these pieces?
In past years I used cheap raingear and paid dearly for it . On BWCA or wilderness tripps get decent equipment> I would not get frogg toggs. I love good Gore-tex
and thank him from all of us... my brother (who is the same age as my son) just joined the Navy - he just finished boot and started his advanced training in Pensacola, we shall see where he ends up after that. I am very proud of my brother.
On his last deployments, I would send him postcards from some of the northcountry websites. He also enjoyed photos and maps that went along with trip reports. He is one of those people who can "see" the land when he looks at a map. Email coming with his address.
I've fished both lakes. Vista, to my knowledge, doesn't have lake trout. We caught smallmouth and walleyes there.
Misquah is a very pretty little lake. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Lake Finder lists lake trout for Misquah, and I did my best to try to catch a lake trout there, but was unsuccessful. Brook trout are not listed for Misquah, but I caught a very nice brook trout there several years ago.
Got back yesterday from a one week trip. Drove up late Saturday, May 19 and early am of Sunday, May 20 (2 am) during the "blizzard" on the road from Two Harbors to Ely.
Finally made it to Rangeline Lake with a canoe. This has been a dream of mine for many years. Beaver and my son-in-law made the trek. Actually bushwhack was from Lynx to Yodeler to Achundo to Rangeline to Pageant to Bringand to Contentment to Thumb. Learned to love bogwalking.
New mottos: "We came. We saw. We bushwhacked." or "Portage? We don't need no stinkin' portage!"
Trip report and many photos to follow.
"Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll go canoeing." Henry David Thoreau
I'll be sure to let "Rangeline" know, if he doesn't already.
I'm sure he'd want to know about you going there....did you get some tips from him ?
Hope to read a report !
Ed
Do you remember when I asked you to look him for me? Well, you did and he and I have emailed each other quite a bit. Without some tips from him we'd probably still be out there whacking around.
The first thing I did when I get to my computer was to email him and let him know we made it and to thank him again for the info.
"Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll go canoeing." Henry David Thoreau
Rangeline is one of the most beautiful lakes that I've ever seen. I'll grant you that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that light, timing, weather and a bunch of other factors plays into what each of us think of a lake, but I still remember and think about Rangeline. I hiked thru it in 1995. Most remote lakes like that are pretty, but that one I specifically remember thinking, "I wish I had a canoe".
I gotta hear the whole story. Please, no abbreviated version, I'd love to hear the whole thing.
A new vehicle means new racks, of course. I now have 3 sets of towers, and the old ones need new owners.
First are the four rainsgutter towers - anyone have a vehicle with raingutters? On my old pickup topper, I installed Yakima pseudo raingutters, just long enough to receive the tower base. I forgot to retrieve these when the truck was totalled and junked by the insurance company. Yakima still lists them, if that is a possibiltiy for you.
Then there is the track set, landing pads, and matching towers.
www.yakima.com/ProductCategory.aspx?id=171
www.yakima.com/ProductCategory.aspx?id=89
www.yakima.com/ProductCategory.aspx?id=163.
This is for vehicles without factory racks. The tracks are installed by drilling about 10 holes per side in the roof (using a stop in the bit), inserting a molly-type blind nut, and bolting the tracks down with caulk.
Also, four same-key locks to fit either of the sets of towers.
The price new would be around $250 for the track set, $133 for the raingutter towers. Your price is a small fraction - I just want to see them put to good use. You would need to supply the cross bars, but I can tell you how I used $12 worth of 3/4 inch galvanized pipe in lieu of the $60 Yak bars.
Email me if you are interested. I'm in St Paul, Minnesota.
I am selling my Alaska Guide Model 6 man tent. Used it last summer for about six weeks. In near new condition. Package includes inside floor protector and door vestibule (Fiberglass Poles). While a bit cumbersome to set up and too heavy for wilderness camping it is a four season tent that will endure extreme winds and rains and is great for car or horse pack camping. Tall enough to stand up in. The three pieces I have sell for a total of $365. Selling price is $225 plus shipping. I will be heading up to the the Q from St. Louis in a couple of weeks and could meet buyer along the way. Shipping would be expensive due to size and weight. If interested email me at ozarkpaddler@netzero.net
Here is the description from the catalog.
Field tested in Alaska, where the winds alone can fold a lesser tent, our Alaskan Guide® Model Modified Geodesic Tent has proven it can take the extremes nature dishes out. The large geodesic is the result of state-of-the-art tent design, manufacturing and fabrics and is now better than ever with a newly designed integrated vestibule and a full-coverage fly. Its good shape combined with our unique six- pole system offers incredible stability. Its rugged construction boasts 100% ripstop nylon, except for the floor, which is made of an abrasion-resistant oxford nylon. The full-coverage 100% polyester fly is UV- resistant for extended life, and has a 2,000mm-rated polyurethane coating to shed pelting rain and wind-swept snow, while the floor boasts an extra-thick 3,000mm-rated coating to block moisture from below. The vestibule adds storage space for your gear and protection from the elements, making the Alaskan Guide a true four-season tent. The two main doors use a "D" design that presents less exposure to rain and moisture, while permitting easy entry and exit. Additional "U" design window and three roof vents create added ventilation. All doors and vents have No-See-Um mesh screening that keeps out even the smallest pests. Smooth-operating No. 8 and No. 10 YKK® zippers throughout. Three mesh organizer panels and a gear loft located on the inside walls keep floor space clear of gear and offer a place for stored items to dry. Four conveniently located interior cup holders keep drinks from spilling. Guy-out loops are reinforced and included. For quick hassle-free setup, tents are available with heavy-duty shock-corded fiberglass poles or stronger, lighter shock-corded aluminum poles. In fact, the aluminum poles are so light, they'll give you a weight savings of as much as 15%, an important consideration for remote fly-in trips. Recommended for extreme weather conditions. Weights listed include stakes and guy rope. Imported.
Sizes: 4-, 6-, 8-person tent.
Color: Green/Gray.
I have this exact tent, and for the second time had it out in a moderatly hard rain. Mine collects water in the top triangle, creating a deep bulge until I poke a finger up there to drain it off. Any clues? Is there something I am doing incorrectly in pitching it? I center the poles over the top, all seems tightly pitched and guyed. I concur with the difficulty in pitching this beast, especially when camping by myself. But it seems it would withstand a hurricane when completely staked out.
Is it on the rain fly? The only time I saw any pooling was when I set up late in bad weather and did not fully stake out the tent and rain fly. It was minor and did not penetrate the rain fly. I used this tent for six weeks on a 16,400 mile trip from St. Louis to Alaska and back. It rained a total of 37 days out of the 58 we were gone. Stayed dry as could be.
you are a much better man than I. You are right that it is bomb proof when fully staked out. We had some gusts up to fifty miles an hour in Homer AK and the tent barely moved. I was amazed.
I am more proud of mastering a single setup of this beast than any career accomplishment; it's at the top of my resume. After all, it shows multi-tasking abilities, physical agility, determination, refusal to see a task as impossible, resourcfulness, and the effective use of profanity. I've even managed to set it up solo in a stiff wind. (There are a few crucial seconds when I am busier than a one-armed paper hanger.)I figured this pooling problem on the fly can't be widespread or the tent would have been redesigned by now. Not sure what I am doing wrong, more study is required. Guess that means additional camping trips!
Hi there- I am hoping to get some input from all of you knowledgeable folks about possible daytripping routes in the Gunflint area. My mother and her some of her friends are planning to be in the Grand Marias and Gunflint area in the near future and wanted to take some day trips in to the BWCA and surrounding areas while they are there. They will be in kayaks and and looking for trips with very SHORT/and or no portages. They want to be able to put the kayaks in, go out for a several hours and paddle around, see some pretty areas and pull the kayaks out. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a bunch!
One that requires no portaging is to paddle east on Gunflint Lake to Bridal Falls. The trailhead is across from the island campsite at the east end. Be sure to choose a calm day because of Gunflint's size and length.
Another would be to start at Bearskin Lake and portage over to Duncan (75 r) then hike up to the Stairway Portage and waterfall and scenic view there.
Another is to start at East Bearskin and portage over to Alder (48 r) and Canoe (22 r) then hike the portage to Pine and take the side trail to Johnson Falls. There are three cascades so be sure to see them all.
For short hikes, Caribou overlook on the Caribou Trail and Honeymoon Bluff are well worth the short, steep trek. There is also a trail to the Gunflint Overlook for a good view of the area affected by the Ham Lake fire. I'm not sure about the condition of the Magnetic Rock Trail right now or even if it is open, but that leads to a wonderful monolith that sends one's compass into a frenzy.
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul." --John Muir
Wilderness Mama, noted some great day trips and one's I would've mentioned as well.
One more, especially good for kayaking maybe, is to paddle Clearwater Lake to the eastern end to the portage into Mountain. Park your kayaks and hike to the portage to where the Border Route Trail intersects. Hike west to a tremendous vista down Mountain Lake, Hike east to another standing atop a towering cliff looking into the west end of Mountain and beyond.
Another from Gunflint Lake is to paddle the west end to Magnetic and to the early part of the Granite River (Pine River?) to Little Rock Falls for a very pretty place to enjoy. This place looks to have been burned through recently but the falls would still be intact.
Does anyone know if the chalet on Gallagher Island survived the fire? I also wonder about Plummers' cabin on the east side of the narrows and Charlie Cook's old place in the bay.
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul." --John Muir
Gallager's Island has always been a site for sore eyes to me. As I read much of the fire's path, I couldn't help think of that history disappearing too. Haven't heard.
Thanks for the suggestions. They are familiar with Gunflint and Magnetic Lake. In fact, we have cross country skiied over to Magnetic Lake and the falls from the Lodge in the winter. We were a little leary of Gunflint simply for the fact that if it is windy, it would be a challenge with kayaks, and the way this year has been with the wind... Would the Sag corridor/Seagull river be a good option? How long would a circle route be along it?
Since I'm not in some sort of survival situation, and I'm not competing in a Survivor (more aptly named "Bizarre Dining Just to Freak People Out Regardless of Survival Necessity")tv show contest, I'll pass. Not very appetizing at all.
They've been coming out all week, but last night was a particularly big 17-year cicada bash.
We were in the BW/Q in 2005 and I thought that was supposed to be a big cicada year, but it didn't much happen. Same thing around Southern Michigan, they were supposed to come out in force, but we only got a few. Is this part of that hatch or a different group. Is this part of the whole "failure to launch" syndrome that brouth my 24 year old daughter back to live at home while she gets a graduate degree? Is everything getting just a little retarded?
there was a big brood that emerged out east a few years ago. In 2004 I was driving home from Baltimore, and going down the highway through Maryland I could hear the loud humming most of the way.
Suppose your daughter will stay with you for 17 more years?
We were in the BW/Q in 2005 and I thought that was supposed to be a big cicada year, but it didn't much happen. Same thing around Southern Michigan, they were supposed to come out in force, but we only got a few. Is this part of that hatch or a different group. Is this part of the whole "failure to launch" syndrome that brouth my 24 year old daughter back to live at home while she gets a graduate degree? Is everything getting just a little retarded?
We were in the BW/Q in 2005 and I thought that was supposed to be a big cicada year, but it didn't much happen. Same thing around Southern Michigan, they were supposed to come out in force, but we only got a few. Is this part of that hatch or a different group. Is this part of the whole "failure to launch" syndrome that brouth my 24 year old daughter back to live at home while she gets a graduate degree? Is everything getting just a little retarded?
We were in the BW/Q in 2005 and I thought that was supposed to be a big cicada year, but it didn't much happen. Same thing around Southern Michigan, they were supposed to come out in force, but we only got a few. Is this part of that hatch or a different group. Is this part of the whole "failure to launch" syndrome that brouth my 24 year old daughter back to live at home while she gets a graduate degree? Is everything getting just a little retarded?
We were in the BW/Q in 2005 and I thought that was supposed to be a big cicada year, but it didn't much happen. Same thing around Southern Michigan, they were supposed to come out in force, but we only got a few. Is this part of that hatch or a different group. Is this part of the whole "failure to launch" syndrome that brouth my 24 year old daughter back to live at home while she gets a graduate degree? Is everything getting just a little retarded?
We were in the BW/Q in 2005 and I thought that was supposed to be a big cicada year, but it didn't much happen. Same thing around Southern Michigan, they were supposed to come out in force, but we only got a few. Is this part of that hatch or a different group. Is this part of the whole "failure to launch" syndrome that brouth my 24 year old daughter back to live at home while she gets a graduate degree? Is everything getting just a little retarded?
We were in the BW/Q in 2005 and I thought that was supposed to be a big cicada year, but it didn't much happen. Same thing around Southern Michigan, they were supposed to come out in force, but we only got a few. Is this part of that hatch or a different group. Is this part of the whole "failure to launch" syndrome that brouth my 24 year old daughter back to live at home while she gets a graduate degree? Is everything getting just a little retarded?
We were in the BW/Q in 2005 and I thought that was supposed to be a big cicada year, but it didn't much happen. Same thing around Southern Michigan, they were supposed to come out in force, but we only got a few. Is this part of that hatch or a different group. Is this part of the whole "failure to launch" syndrome that brouth my 24 year old daughter back to live at home while she gets a graduate degree? Is everything getting just a little retarded?
We were in the BW/Q in 2005 and I thought that was supposed to be a big cicada year, but it didn't much happen. Same thing around Southern Michigan, they were supposed to come out in force, but we only got a few. Is this part of that hatch or a different group. Is this part of the whole "failure to launch" syndrome that brouth my 24 year old daughter back to live at home while she gets a graduate degree? Is everything getting just a little retarded?
awesome, my kids are off and not sure they will come home other than to visit.. (and of course do laundry) maybe you should try a new Honda Fit for her, mine was home only 24 hours while she picked it up...and off she went again...lol...
who finally got their Ph.D. at the age of 47 and then there's the 80 something woman who just graduated. Cheers to your daughter taking the fast track to her degree.
After much planning and strategizing over the winter, my original BW trip plans have all been altered. I am now holding a permit for EP25, Moose lake for entering July 1 with a group of 4-6 people, most of which have travelled the BW and are in good shape. I am the "old" guy on the trip at 47, the rest of the group will be made up of 22-27 year old young men. We have a route tentatively planned out and are looking for any guidance that can be given. As always, I thank you in advance for your assistance.
Here is what we are planning- tow to Ensign Lake and work our way east through Ensign, Vera, Trader, Missionary, Skoota, Dix, then turn south through Spoon, Pickle, Kekekabic, Strup, Wisini, Ahmakose, Gerund, Fraser, Thomas Lake, Thomas Pond, Hatchet, Ima, Jordan, Cattyman, Adventure, Jitterbug, Ahsub, Disappointment, Parent, and a pick up on Snowbank Lake at EP 27 on July 8.
I have the usual questions- good campsites, good fishing, any pictographs, any special "must see" sights? I welcome any advice or insights that anyone can give me and my group.
Thanks so much for helping us out with this!
And please remember on this Memorial Day all the veterans living and dead that have given so much for us to enjoy the freedoms and privileges we have here in the USA! Say a special prayer for those serving and for their families- without them, life would be MUCH different for us all. God bless the USA and the service men and women!
There is a pictogragh on Kekekabic and a ranger cabin with a trail that goes up the hill to the old look out tower site, this trail also intersects the Kekekabic hiking trail near the tower site. Great veiw.
The picto is just east of the second site east of the portage to Pickle on the north side of the lake.
The cabin is straight south of the picto across the lake.
Goose
You can find anything on the internet - but only if you know how to spell it.
Most of the lakes you have listed here see plenty of traffic. As for must see sights, I can gauarantee that you will see a lot of people along your route, as it passes through one of the most popular areas of the BWCA. Plan on finding a campsite early each day, by 2:30 in the afternoon. On lakes such as Ensign, the campsites may be completely occupied by as early as 11 am. Ensign Lake has been called "Grand Central Station," " Hotel Ensign," and "The Trailer Park," by some due to the amount of traffic it recieves. Jordan, Cattyman, Ima, Thomas, Kek, are all busy lakes. If you get to Ima, and find the campsites ful, do one small portage south into Alworth and check on the campsites there. If you pass through Thomas or Frasier, and its getting close to the end of the day, check and see if any sites of Kiana are occupied. I'd advise the crew to go to lakes such as Missionary (almost typed something else there, LOL ) Skoota, Dix, Spoon and Pickle, or Trident, in order to gain some additional privacy and better fishing. Or head towards Red Rock Lake, or the area around Boulder and Adams Lakes if you want to see a part of the park that does not receive as many visitors. Other areas to visit include Alice Lake and the Kawishiwi River.
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." Mark Twain
We stayed at the campsite on the SW side which is noted for attracting wildlife. We had a bull moose stroll through our campsite the night we camped there. It was in September and a cow had been bawling on the shoreline half the night.
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul." --John Muir
Last year I made a bent shaft paddle to take to the B-dub out of some left over scrap wood adn auto-body fiber glass and resin. It did not look too pretty but worked great. This year I made the paddle much prettier, adding an ink lake drawing, the 23rd Psalm in caligraphy, plus making three more paddles for my three brothers. Wood used includes butternut, cedar, cherry, pine, oak, ash, walnut, and hemlock. They all have fiberglassed blades, 2 coats of epoxy, a nylon paracord blade tip guard, and three coats of spar varnish to finish them. Here is what they look like.
This is a close-up of the blades. Not all of the paddles have all of the wood types mentioned in them.
Here is a side angle of the paddle grips. I came up with this shape by gripping a hunk of modeling clay and added the curve on the back to take some angle off the wrist when you hold the paddle. It really makes for a comfortable grip.
really neat paddles and how cool it is that you are made some for your brothers too! Very nice work, you should be proud! I am certain your brothers will cherish the effort you made for them too...
We have a lot of talented folks on this CCBB. We use the rope as a blade guard, too; it really takes a beating and is highly durable. Thanks for sharing.
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul." --John Muir
Tell me what you did with the rope cord paddle guards and how you affixed/epoxied them to the paddles.
Man that is some seriously cool workmanship. I like how you came up with the shape of the handle. Simple. It works. Good angle. What more can you ask?
Good job!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Journal of EP50 to Long Island Lake to No. Temperance to
Brule through Cliff to Winchell to Caribou to Poplar. http://home.wmis.net/~eastmant/bwca.html
Tim Eastman
"Lead by example and be an example worth following"
... wow! What a week. Last weekend seems like a lifetime ago but I'll try to remember...
It was about 60° when I left home on schedule at 6:00AM. The car thermometer soon climbed to about 65° and leveled out all the way to Cloquet although I'd left the sunshine behind long before I'd arrived at the Twin Cities. By the time I reached Hwy 53, it had dropped to 55° From there, every time I checked the thermometer, the temp had dropped another degree or two. Worried that, if that kept up, it'd be -40° before I reached Ely, I disciplined myself not to look at the instrument anymore!
First stop in Ely was the Subway for a quick lunch. Then, it was on to VNO.
My original plan had been to camp out at the Wilderness Duo's plot of land but, cool & gray conditions made that just a tad unattractive. I enquired if VNO had any room and found that they had an apartment open. Lodging taken care of!
I had some business to attend to for the next couple of hours. Tried to phone RJ a couple of times but was transferred to his phonemail immediately both times. It was ohbvious that he wasn't able to get phone coverage. We'd have to rely on other methods to get in touch with each other.
After the business was done, I headed back to VNO for a change of clothes and then over to Sunsplash. I found Dan Cooke easilly enough -- his yellow Lean3 was in his usual spot at the end of the beach. He was actually out on the lake teaching some paddling skills. Otherwise, there were a few kayaks being test driven but not much other activity. A strong north wind was blowing straight off the lake. Coupled with temperatures which were now falling through the lower 40's on their way to the 30's, it was more than a tad chilly. When Dan finally came ashore I found out that RJ had already stopped by but had quickly retreated. I spent some time talking to Dan and others but decided not to paddle.
Heading back to VNO to change out of paddling clothes back to civies, I talked to Lynn for awhile. She told me that the j-stroke concert would begin at 6:30 and gave me directions to the Front Porch. I headed up to my room for a little down time then, it was off to the Front Porch.
Arriving a bit before 6:30, I found things in full swing and SRO. I found out later that things had actually kicked off at 6:00. Oh well, I still caught the fantastic wrapup by j-stroke. While I was standing there listening, another couple arrived... the Sensitive's. When the music was complete, RJ came and introduced himself to me and J-stroke invited me to join his workshop group for pizza. Thanks J! Really enjoyed it. Time to head back to VNO for the night.
As RJ reported he did, I took a double take when I emerged from the apartment. No mistake about it, white flakes were floating on the chilly breeze! Sunsplash was going to be interesting if this kept up! I dropped off the key, talked to John briefly, and headed over to Brittons for a hearty breakfast. The flurries stopped, clouds started parting, and temperatures started climbing by the time I headed to the park for Sunsplash. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad afterall.
I arrived a couple of hours before the appointed time with RJ and filled the time by talking to Dan and taking, first a Merlin, then a Magic out for my first solo paddle of the year. RJ arrived on time and we were soon taking a Northwind out for a spin. The boat confirmed opinions forged last year at this time when I first paddled one. RJ was obviously impressed as well. At the urging of one of the staff, we then paddled a Northwoods. Another nice performer but RJ and I agreed that it was more boat than was needed.
RJ, I didn't realize that you took the Northwind out again. Just who was this mysterious "canoeing legend" anyway?
While RJ and crew went to deal with the paperwork, I went back to talk to Dan once again. I couldn't stand it any longer. I knew that Becca was sitting back on the car, whimpering, longing to hit the water. OK, time to finally get her wet this year!
RJ was out on the water again, in a Prism, with his kids. Launching Becca, I quickly paddled over to them. It had been way too long since I last paddled her but we were quickly reaquainted. The Merlin and Magic paled in comparison. All was right with the world again.
I spent a few more hours at Sunsplash and then headed to Camp du Nord for Cliff Jacobson's Wilderness Camping School. While at Sunsplash, I'd run into Scott from Alaska who also was heading to Camp du Nord so I gave him a lift.
Cliff Jacobson and Jim Mandle were already there when we checked in. I was assigned to the same cabin as Cliff and started helping them check in the rest of the students. There were a total of 28 students for this first edition of the school... Scott wasn't the one who came from the furthest distance either. There was also a woman, Christine, from England! I wasn't there as an "ordinary" student though. I was there to videotape and photograph the event.
I won't give a blow by blow account of the school. For those of you who have attended a Cliff J. presentation at Canoecopia or other venue, imagine 5 days straight of presentations. It was intense, it was informative, it was fun. The weather didn't really cooperate for most of the week, keeping us inside for most of the activities. Evening paddles were also limited by the weather. The facilities were fantastic though and meals, provided by Camp du Nord staff, were super.
The school ended yesterday at about 2PM with the best weather since the previous Sunday. I gave Scott a lift back to Ely and headed back to VNO where I'd be sharing an apartment with Old Scout for the night. OS hadn't arrived yet so I took a shower, rested a while, and then headed to Piragis. The class was going to get together for one last dinner at the Chocolate Moose before dispersing. As I was walking past the used canoe sheds at Piragis, I heard a "So that's where you are" behind me. I turned around and there was Old Scout. He ended up joining us for dinner. After dinner, OS and I headed back to VNO and were soon sound asleep.
Ely was cloudy and cool once again when we got up. Another hearty breakfast at Brittons and I started the trek back home, arriving about 3:30. The only pause on the way was at the scene of a bad accident just north of Cambridge. I got the impression that it happened not long before I got there.
It was a busy, intense, tiring week. I'm glad I have 2 days to recover before I head back to work. It was great seeing old friends and meeting new ones!
I've been wondering how you're week has been going. Sounds like quite the adventure.
Meanwhile, we enjoyed your company for dinner that nite. Like I said, we play a show for free and then take our audience out for dinner! Now THAT's a way to make a living!
... you could get kicked off the board for using 4-letter words like w*rk? Especially on a holiday!
Actually, since I was getting paid for my photography and video services last week, I guess I was actually w*rking while up there. Tough job but someone has to do it.
With this year's vacation close to spent (or at least spoken for), tomorrow I have to return to the day job.
A part of the food I've brought to the BWCA consists of freeze-dried meals in their original heavy plastic containers. Usually I put these into my "kitchen pack" containing cooking gear, etc. So far these have never been bothered by bears or other "critters". (But I haven't seen a bear in my camps for decades, anyhow.) The kitchen pack is left on the ground, outside the tent. The other food, not so well wrapped, goes in to a bear barrel tightly lashed to a stout tree..
After several years of getting away with this method of food storage I've begun to wonder if it is really safe. With four of us in the group this year, I don't want to tempt fate. Opinions ???
is maybe put some pots and pans on top of your kitchen pack to warn you and scare the culprit a little if he gets too close. I don't think you're tempting fate. Those barrels are great.
Storing the food in some out of the way spot, figuring the bears look for food in the spot most people choose to hang it. As you know, most campsites just don't offer many good hanging limbs. We've always hung our food (5 gal. buckets), but I'm considering Cliff's advice. I don't think I'd keep food next to the tent.
The two things that will keep your food safe from bears are placing it where it is not detected or placing it where they are physically unable to reach it. Commonly used campsites where bears have received a meal in the past; can be considered to be, for all practical purposes, a bear bait. You are camping on a bear bait.
Any hunter will confirm that the success of tree stands is due to the difficulty of an animal to smell or see something elevated above them. Food hung in a tree is much less likely to be detected; unless, of course, the bear has been trained to know that at a particular campsite, food is habitually hung in the same place (the normal situation at the typical BW campsite). The best strategy, in my mind, is to hang food above the ground in a place that the bear is not conditioned to look for it.
The second best strategy, (in my mind, a somewhat poorer second best strategy) is to place food in a place where the bear can find it but is unable to reach it. It seems that bears can be somewhat creative in reaching packs which have been hung when they connect them with a free meal and I cannot imagine a well-determined bear being detained for too long by a plastic barrel once they have determined that there is food inside. Even if you are able to place your food where it is unreachable: if it is detectable, you have helped conditioned the bear to return to the campsite.
An even worse strategy, (again, in my opinion; and in my case, by personal experience) would be to depend on chasing a bear off once it has found a free lunch.
I hope your luck in not encountering bears continues, but my recommendation would be to hang your food in an un-commonly used location.
taking a blue barrel and floating it in the lake. Tie an anchor to a line and perhaps a bungee cord. Anchor it in 7 ft or deeper water and tie a line from the barrel(or the anchor) to shore so you can pull it in in the morning and it won't blow away. The barrel is airtight. Bears would never think to look there. Probably a crazy idea, but if bears were active I would consider it.
You say "The other food, not so well wrapped, goes in to a bear barrel". If the barrel of which you speak is one of those 30L or 60L plastic barrels, it is NOT a bear barrel. A bear can tear it apart in very little time. There are bear barrels, the ones I have seen max out at about 1000 cu in. Food in those is safe.
A clean camp with well sealed food will decrease your chances of being visited by a bear. Hiding well sealed food may prevent a visiting bear from finding it, but bears have great senses of smell, I would not trust it. Hanging will protect your food, if you do it properly and have suitable trees to hang from. That is a big if.
I have no idea whether pots and pans will scare a bear away. I doubt it. It could serve as an alarm so you can chase the bear away. For me, I do not like that idea. Given the bear could rip me to shreds, I am not inclined to be confrontational.
Most of my trips are river trips with a lot of white water. Because we are running white water I routinely bring a 100 foot long rope for water rescues. Knock on wood, but I have never used it for its intended purpose.
I have found that it does come in handy for hanging food. I hang the food in a clearing by tying one end of the rope to a tree and the other end to a tree about 30 to 40 feet away and stretching it tight. In the middle of a rope is a pulley for a second rope to hoist the food up. This rope gets tied off onto a third tree.
My logic is that a bear is not accustomed to finding hanging food in the middle of a clearing or thin saplings too small to support his weight. Furthermore, if the bear does spot it the bruin will have to think hard to locate the trees I am tied off onto. With a 100 feet of rope I have had no problem finding 2 suitable trees.
I probally have more problems with rodents. Thus, I like to get my pack off the ground even during food preparation.
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes." ~Marcel Proust, French Novelist
Worths rope is static, not dynamic. Which means it has very little stretch. It was originally made for rescue work or rappelling. . A dynamic rope (such as used for climbing) won't work as well due to the 13-15% elongation.
solo canoes and single blades...the way it should be.
we stayed at a campground that had a big metal dumpster. a bear was there two of the nights that we were there. the first night the bear bent hell out of a 1" bar and some 1/2" bars holding the lid down and then bent the lid open... in the morning the dock boy cleaned up the bear banquet site. the next night we watched the bear bend on the bars again and start working the lid up.. we shined our spot lights on the bear even though it gave us the evil eye... after a bit of yelling, it finally gave up and went away.
I put the barrel several yards from camp in an out of the way spot. This means not too close to any camp trails (which are also animal trails into camp). I would not put food close to the tent. I don't even take chapstick in the tent. Smells like those from your meat (unless it is wrapped to not smell) can be detected a long ways away by a bear. I'd hang the smelly stuff. If it doesn't smell then I'd hide it so to speak. A bear that has found and is into your food is probably not one you want to yell at or throw rocks at. Don't shine a flash light in its eyes at night. If you do hang it do it right. The bottom of the bag 10 feet off the ground and 5 feet from tree trunks. And, pick a tree that isn't the one always used even if it is 30 yards or more from camp. I've had a bear in camp four different times (different areas/years) and all ran when I got loud, but I don't tempt with smells either. Cans on packs don't work in my opinion. Years ago someone across the lake hide their food packs under their canoe (this was common 30 years ago). The sound of the canoe being thrown off on rocks didn't scare the bear. And, it was a lot of noise. Also, islands are equal to shore areas. Bears are super swimmers.
What do you all think of camping on an island. I know bears are not shy to swim, but maybe it gives you just enough of a small added layer of protection? We always camp on islands and no problems yet. Knock on wood.
ever encountered was on an island during my first solo trip... luckily it decided only to uproot trees and not my tent - he was ticked because I was near his favorite grub tree... of course I didn't realize this until about two in the morning... needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night...
Islands are no obstacle to bears. Many just make their rounds to food sources and if one is on an island they don't deter from their usual route. Had one come into camp, scared it, it rumbled through the woods to cross a bay (swim) to a point where the next stop on its daily list. Judging by where it approached from it must swim the bay to the point every day and I happened to be sitting on the rocks fishing when he wanted to use to cross the bay. As a side note, it was just moving through my camp ignoring my stuff (which had few smells). Heard it coming from back latrine way and before that from a portage a little ways off where some portagers were doing some shouting to scare it off (Beth to Grace portage). I am sure it trolled the portage, swam a bay to my site and swam from their to the next campsite on the point every day.
A couple of years ago, we ran into a group on their way out after two nights on an island. The first night a bear tore up one of their "bear proof" barrels and devoured its contents. The second night it tore open their other "bear proof" barrel and ate the remaining food. Two weeks worth of food -- gone in two days. A trip the 6 of them had been planing for a year was over in 48 hours. I asked why they didn't move to another spot after the first night and they said they figured the bear had to be full.
The Bearvault only claims to be bear resistent, not bear proof. I don't know which one they had but I have to wonder if they took other measures such as;
1. kept a clean camp
2. kept the outside of the barrel clean of smells
3. bagged the food inside to help reduce odor
4. screwed the lid down tight and
5. stashed it in an out of the way place
Yep, I know the bear can still get what they want but the fact that they thought that;
1. a barrel was bear "proof"
2. bears get full and go away
3. there can only be one hungry bear around
4. they didn't need to move after the first night...
seems to indicate they were not very saavy campers in bear country and may have failed to take precautions that could have prevented them from wrecking their trip.
"The Bearvault only claims to be bear resistent, not bear proof."
I was wondering what prompted this comment about the Bear Vault (assuming you meant the product by that name: http://www.bearvault.com . Another problem with this issue is some people do not understand the difference between something like a Bear Vault and the food barrels more commonly used in canoe country.
In all the posts under this thread, I have assumed people were talking about a food barrel. Hence my question as why you bring up the Bear Vault. Although described as bear resistant, containers like the Bear Vault have been "approved by The Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group and the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee" so the chances of even a grizzly bear breaking into one is highly unlikely. These offer orders of magnitude more protection than the food barrels typically seen in canoe country.
When discussing food containers, it is important to know if the container is just a food barrel or one of the containers approved by the SIBBG or IGBC.
I have a Bear Vault and do not worry about my food one iota. At platys, if one of us says, I have a bear barrel, it is generally understood that they mean the Bearvault. That's how the association came about. The statement about the bearvault being bear resistant came from the bearvault web site. I assume it is some sort of legal disclaimer.
Sorry I didnt get back to you sooner, I am not checking email as often these days.
I have yet to run into a bear in my stays in the BWCA, but I also go to far lengths to get the bag away from camp and high in the air.
There is a good illustration on how to hang your bag using a pulley system. Usually the food pack is really heavy and hard to get into the air. The pulley system solves that.
See http://w3.cs.jmu.edu/arch/hobbies/camp/misc/rope for a description of basically the same system, except using pulleys, not caribiners. To haul a 60 pound food pack, using pulleys instead of caribiners is strongly advised.
if I used that method, it would take:
Step One - 30 minutes
Step Two - 15 minutes
Step Three - 30 minutes. I just can't master the trucker's hitch, no matter how many times I look at the diagrams. For some reason, it's like the hardest knot in the world for me.
Steps 4-5 - 15 minutes
Steps 6-7 - 10 minutes.
Total time to hang up my food pack, about 1 hour 40 minutes.
Right after I did that, I'd develop a hankerin' for a snack or a platy. If I were base camping using this method, I'd probably just skip breakfasts, lunches, and snacks to avoid the hassle.
I too, never had a bear in my camp for about the first 20 trips. Then came our first night on Lac La Croix a few years back. We had a hard time finding a suitable tree to hang the food pack. The one we picked only allowed the pack to be about 6 feet off the ground, maybe 5 feet. This would be ok though because we never have had a bear in our camp before. We were also a little careless and left a Koolaid mix container by the fire pit. To make a long story short, we had a bear visit us and drink all of the kool aid mix. He then went to the low hanging food pack and pulled that down to a good picking height and proceeded to put a 4 inch hole in the pack right where the other container of the cherry kool aid was. This container was still sealed, at least until he took a bite out of it. This is about the time I heard something and stuck my head out of the tent. We were able to scare him off. At least he left, i'm not sure we really scared him. I'm convinced that a bear has such a great sense of smell that you cannot really hide food from them. Best bet would be to hang it where they can't get to it. That being said, I now use one of the blue barrels strapped to a tree and put pots and pans on top to alert me if we have an intruder. At least this fixes the rodent problem. I'm hoping for another 20 bearless trips.
We did move to another campsite. We may have been careless but not naive enough to give the bear another chance. It was easy to make due without the koolaid. If he had gotten some food, it would have been different.
I do think, like others, that we were lucky the first 20 trips. We probably never had a bear nearby. We got careless, had a bear nearby and he must have had a craving for sugar.
I was hoping to share this one on the next Wilderness Passages CD. However it will not be included, so I thought I'd share it with you.
Personally I think it's one of the best I've seen in a while.
Great video to see today as my young female canoe crew are all graduating from HS today! I think they've taken their last trip with this old guy, but hopefully they'll all return to the BW later in life!
Thanks for the entertaining video of this family. It reminds me of when our family was young and innocent and introducing them to the joys of the Quetico. As adults now our kids still love the Q. I feel great that I've instilled a love of the Q in them, its easy when they are young. Thanks again. Kim
the eyes of a child. What a precious gift for a more "seasoned" tripper to experience what only young eyes can see in this great wilderness. For those of you who have never done a trip with little ones, don't miss out!!
Goose
You can find anything on the internet - but only if you know how to spell it.
i'll start with 20 rods. anyone know which one it is?
I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly; because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or impressed with power, but respond only to quietude, humility and endless patience; because I suspect that men are going this way for the last time, and I for one don't want to waste the trip; because only in the woods can i find solitude without loneliness; because bourbon out of a tin cup always tastes better out there; because maybe someday I will catch a mermaid; and, finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important, but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant--and not nearly so much fun. robert traver aka john voelker
Yep, that was the 20 rod portage just northwest of the portage going to Alice. The video kind of happened by accident, I intended to only tape the beginning, but ended up doing all of it. Got lucky on camera placement at the end. The video makes for good escapism during the winter months at work.
I am looking to get an Minnesota in-state fishing license. I was not a resident, however, I am going to college there. What do I need to show the guy at the counter because the DNR site just said I need proof of being a student. What proof are they exactly looking for?
How do you like it there, what are it's strengths and weaknesses of living there? send me an email if you would perfer rather than answer on board... thanks - there is a possible job opening I may check into but want to see what "residents" of the area think. qgal
We will be staying near Two Harbors this weekend and I am planing a day trip to the BWCA with the family (me hubby 2 girls under 3 and a puppy). Where is a nice scenic area, with fishing, in the BWCA we could go to that is the closest to Two Harbors?
One can even do a short loop trip in this area. Put in at the Island River, canoe downstream to the confluence of the Island and Isabella Rivers, canoe upstream on the Isabella River to Lake Isabella. It is a easy walk from Lake Isabella back to the Island River (just over a mile).
I will use that as my back up plan because I have been there 4 times now. I want to see something new. I thought about going on Island river to see the pictos but it looks a little difficult for a day trip for my family.
not a hard trip, it's also technically not in the BW, at least where the picto's are. I put in at Comfort Lake.
Man I hate waking up with a dead hooker" –Dan Henderson
"I have retard strength" –Jason “Mayhem” Miller
"He spent the night in a hospital, I spent the night at a bar." -BJ Penn
You don't have to go into the BWCA to have a great lake exscape. There are literally 10s of lakes to visit that will not have many if any people on them. I have a place on Dumbbel lake just 5 miles east of Isabella and have visited most of the lakes in and around that area. There are several that are walkin only for canoeing too. I don't have my map in front of me, but the FS has a listing of all the lakes in that area that identifies whether it's walkin only or if there is a boat launch that you can drive to. I would get on the internet and try to find that list. Many have great places to car camp too.
The Timber-Frear Area is outside the BWCA, but is as nice and is one of our best moose areas. It is about 20 miles from Tofte. Motors are permitted and no permit is required. Campsites have picnic tables, fire grates, and latrines. The loop is about seven hours in travel time through five or six lakes. A good destination area for three or four days. We like this area because the lack of restrictions make it more comfortable with small children. It's safe and you are never more than four hours from your car. Groups of over 10 do not have to split up. Fishing is very good on most of the lakes.
I am entering with two crews (8 + 5) at Clearwater Lake on June 6. Is it better to do this loop clockwise or counter-clockwise? We definitely want to see Johnson Falls, so I have considered going there first... Clearwater to Caribou to Pine to Johnson Falls, and then out through McFarland, John and East and West Pike Lakes. Most people seem to go the other way, though. Is there an advantage with regard to wind on Pine Lake to go one direction or the other?
Also, is the trail to Johnson Falls on the south or north side of the creek at the west end of Pine Lake?
Are there other scenic views that we should not miss, or favorite campsites worth stopping at?
Thanks in advance to those veteran canoe campers of the arrowhead area.
It's many many years since I have been in this area. Back then campsites could be at a premium so plan to get a site early. The portage from Clearwater to Caribou is long and uphill, but the prevailing winds are from the west, and most of those lake run east-west. Pine can really be a wind tunnel so I prefer going west to east on Pine. However, both East and West Pike can be iffy in the wind as well. I dunno, I say it's up to you which way to go. You might fight the wind going either way.
The trail to Johnson Falls from the lake follows the creek but is on the south side, but that doesn't matter. You'll see it. Be sure to see all the falls. After you see the first one, keep going.
The Border Route Trail intersects the portage between West Pike and Clearwater. Take it north and you come to a beautiful overlook of Mountain Lake.
How was this area affected by the fire?
"Brain cells come, and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever."
I've never canoed the area, except for Clearwater, but have hiked it a few times. The overlooks on the north side of Clearwater facing the boarder lakes along the Border Route Trail are great. My suggestion is to take the Mtn Lake portage from Clearwater and then go either east or west to the overlook. I personally think the one to the west is best because you can see the length of Mountain Lake. Another great overlook is of Watap Lake. It's another 2 miles west of the Mtn Lake overlook I just mentioned. If you want to only see it, I'd start at the hiking campsite on the north side of Clearwater (this is the western most campsite on the north shore of Clearwater). There is a trail up to the top of the ridge. Don't keep going back down on the other side, but go east for about a half mile and you'll come across what I think is the best overlook in the BW. I have pictures of these on my website - http://ahmoocreek.com/oct2005/album_index.html.
Never been to Johnson Falls - kinda jealous. I think your route is the right way to go to minimize the chances of problems on Pine Lake. Prevailing winds are west to east and if luck is on your side, will help you the way you plan on going.
Do it the way you are thinking, or better split your 2 groups to go oppiset ways around the loop. Much easier to keep two parties apart that know each other and stay with in the rules.
Johson Falls Trail is on the south shore, right at its confluence with Pine.
The longest east west stretch is Pine, so If I was to hedge my bet I would go west to east on Pine.
Dan
We take several crews of scouts each year, and never have a problem getting in the same place. The area seems so vast. I think the arrowhead area is very rugged, though, so I'm hedging toward whatever is the easiest route.
Sorry I didn't see your post sooner, but would concur with what is here. If you want a few more details, I could share a little bit. Send an e-mail if you'd like.
Although I had a good contour map, I didn't notice the steep-walled and narrow valley off the east tip of West Pike Lake. It looks like something worth investigating.
You can purchase them at Ranger Stations. You can also order them from Walt's in Atikokan by phone. For those doing a LLC entry, you can get them at the Trading Post next to Customs, which will be quicker than doing it at Ranger Station.
they put another $30 or almost that much just to buy it online.
I understand making a profit, but that is pretty high. Especially when Walt's only charges about $6.00 and it is done by credit card (fees for him) & he mails it to you too.
Not to commercialize, but just to let you know I am one of those "outfitter types"
Check out the "Builder's Links" link on the updated page. CVCA has a shameless plug there! Seriously Kevin - you guys are over the top in my book.
Thanks for looking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Journal of EP50 to Long Island Lake to No. Temperance to
Brule through Cliff to Winchell to Caribou to Poplar. http://home.wmis.net/~eastmant/bwca.html
Tim Eastman
"Lead by example and be an example worth following"
It's going to be hard to keep Chris out of the water now. That kid is half fish as it is. But we'll know where he is at any rate.
Thanks for looking. Next one is a tandem for me and the mrs. Northwest Cruiser.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Journal of EP50 to Long Island Lake to No. Temperance to
Brule through Cliff to Winchell to Caribou to Poplar. http://home.wmis.net/~eastmant/bwca.html
Tim Eastman
"Lead by example and be an example worth following"
In fact he's already designing one. He'll be making a laminated this time instead of a one-piece longbow. He'll probably use the ash & cherry left over from the gunnels of his solo canoe.
I'll pass along the compliment. And thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Journal of EP50 to Long Island Lake to No. Temperance to
Brule through Cliff to Winchell to Caribou to Poplar. http://home.wmis.net/~eastmant/bwca.html
Tim Eastman
"Lead by example and be an example worth following"
Entering the Falls Chain this Sunday. Our group of four includes one newbie. We are all collectively excited for the trip! Should be some great times, rain or shine. I am emotionally exhasted from all the anticipation of this trip, as it has been in the planning for over six months.
I echo the sentiments of Glydr. Thoughts this weekend with those who have served, and those who are serving. As well as all those who aren't with us this Memorial Day weekend.
to a new spot we haven't tried yet: Upper Sioux Angency state park. It's between the Minnesota and Yellow rivers. Taking the grandkids this morning, and Dad will follow this evening, so if you hear of any beatings or heart attacks, you'll know.......................
Paradise: caught between the fire and the ice
no need to think twice,
it's where I want to be...........
America (the group)
We traveled as the Voyageurs did by canoe, paddled the same lakes, ran the same rapids and packed over their ancient portages." Sig Olson The Lonely Land
Those of you who live in southern Canada and northern USA where there is
still enough darkness around midnight, might have some auroral displays
between the 23rd and the 28th of May. This would also apply to Tasmania,
southern New Zealand and Antarctica where there is no problem with daylight
near midnight during this period.
Kp has reached 6 during some isolated periods in the last two days and there
has been some weak solar activity from the last sunspot regions of solar
cycle 24. These disturbances will reach earth during the next two days and
may combine with some high speed streams to enhance auroral activity.
Dr. Charles Deehr, Prof. Emer. Phys. Ph. 907 474 7473 Fax 907 474 7290
email cdeehr@gi.alaska.edu
The Geophysical Institute
University of Alaska Fairbanks
903 Koyukuk Ave N
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-7320
the Bald Eagle/Gabbro area in the Pietro, Clearwater, Gull & Turtle areas (as follows from an email from the Forest Service - Becca Manlove)
**************
Dear Kawishiwi Cooperators:
A little good news:
All of the campsites in Pietro and Turtle Lakes are now open, except for the island site in Turtle. The island site will not ever be re-opened.
Please go by the information Tracy sent you yesterday regarding fire restrictions. No fires will be allowed in the Superior National Forest including the BWCAW. The only exceptions are in our developed campgrounds: Fall Lake Campground, Fenske Lake Campground, South Kawishiwi River Campground, and Birch Lake Campground in the Ely area. This is the outlook for the whole holiday weekend.
Questions? 365-2093
Hope you have a prosperous and safe weekend!
Becca
Not to commercialize, but just to let you know I am one of those "outfitter types"
We are heading up to Ely in three weeks and have a Mudro permit. We have never been to this area before. Our previous BWCA trips have departed from Moose or Nina Moose. We have a BWCA rookie with us and we want him to catch some nice smallmouth and walleye. So my question(s) are… which lake produces better, Fourtown or Gun? We are just looking for some insight. Also, the portages between Fourtown and Gun seem short, are they rough/tough?
Going to fish both lakes. Will let you know how it goes.
I have fished this area the last couple years and can personally say both lakes hold good populations of both. I would also recommend Horse Lake as a day trip and Gull and / or Moosecamp as options also. Great area!
I have fished sandpit for smallies and had some of the best fishing. Alruss lake has a hidden trail to it and is full of trout.The 80 rd portage from mudro to sand pit is a hard steap climb. sand pit into tin can is a old loging road and verry easey. Horse into fourtown is the way to go. Not mudro into fourtown. Unless you are part mountan goat. The horse river seams to never have enough water in it but is pasible. Lower basswood falls are good fishing and fun to photograph. The indian pictured rocks on the basswood river are realy special. They were shown on the big map.fourtown into moosecamp by the stream is fun but if it's been dry could be dificolt.Sorry if im ranting. If you have any questions email me. Have fun. Safe travels.
I'd recommend basing on Gun then you can daytrip 4 different directions.Take your rookie to Gull lake,we caught plenty of eyes and smallies also the small lakes are alot easier to find fish on.
The portages from Fourtown to Gun are all short and easy portages. http://community.webshots.com/user/kevheads
Just got home from a visit to the local supermarket and found a new (to me) food product available in foil packages - therefore allowed in the BW.
The new one is 4oz. heat and serve chicken breasts, in at least three varieties, including barbeque.
I've already tried the Spam in foil and Tuna in foil and think they're great for canoe camping. Sure beats a steady diet of freeze-dried stuff. Now I have to re-work my menus.
Believe this is really human food! Eeeeeccchhhh! PBJ brought it along a couple of years ago and I tried it out of curiosity since I hadn't had it since childhood (and because he usually has decent taste!), and the old adage that ANYTHING tastes good in the BW did NOT hold for this "product". Even was terrible tasting in the BW, and that's BAD. I have seen the packets in various grocery stores. No accounting for taste, even in people who otherwise look and act normal!
My brother is in the Navy. He told a story once of when they were loading boxes of food onto the carrier,the boxes read "Grade D,prison use only".Only the finest for our armed forces.
The scariest I saw during a replenishment was the box of Grade "C" hot dogs. With that book out on the meat packing industry talking about what goes into Grade A hot dogs, I wondered just what was included in Grade "C". I have heard that the only thing wasted on a pig at the slaughter house is the "Squeel."
until the commissary ship came in every month!
Kaitlyn
We traveled as the Voyageurs did by canoe, paddled the same lakes, ran the same rapids and packed over their ancient portages." Sig Olson The Lonely Land
my hubby (also former Navy), likes it. He does NOT like the foil Spam, however. Hafta ask current Navy Boy (oldest son) if he gets Spam on the sub.....
Paradise: caught between the fire and the ice
no need to think twice,
it's where I want to be...........
America (the group)
Spam was a treat. I remember my dad was out of work when I was a kid. You didn't get food stamps back then. You got "commodities". Once a week you'd go down to the warehouse and they'd load you up with stuff. Things like oil, flour, and oatmeal were no different than the store, just packaged differently. However, the absolute worse stuff came in a plain white can with the block letters M-E-A-T. No ingredient listing or anyother marking other than M-E-A-T.
It was by far the foulest stuff I ever ate. We prayed for Spam!
"Brain cells come, and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever."
Well, there's egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam,
or...
Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam.
Actually, I like my SPAM fried with a poached egg on top!
at the Spam Store here's the link http://www.spam.com/ it is a little more expensive ordering it through them. I paid $.99 for it at the grocery store. While on the web site snoop around it is a funny web site.
Each mile on a river will take you further from home than a hundred miles on a road.”
-Bob Marshall
I think Spam is getting a bum rap.... if you diced it up and added it to whatever dish and told people it was deli ham or something they would probably rave over it............
"Those who stop where reason and instinct command never reach the best and highest places of all" Bill Gilbert
Tuna and chicken in foil in Cashwise stores (ownde by Coborns). But, I'm sure that many other stores have these products as well.
Beginning 6 to 8 weeks before heading north, I walk the grocery aisles looking for just such items. If in doubt, I buy a sample and try them out before going up north. The selection of foods available in foil seems to be increasing.
Call me nuts, but the paddle from Otter Lake (just to the west of Cummings) to the take-out/put-in point along the Echo Trail looks like a nice out-of-the-way trip. I've seen previously posted reports of paddles from LIS South to Bootleg, which seemed nice and got me thinking about a trip from Cummings down the river. Looks like there are portages marked on the map, like it's navigatable. Has anyone done this before? Does this route transect the Canthook PMA or go around it? If it goes around it, there doesn't appear to be any campsites until you get down to Bootleg - it might be nice if there was one along the river north of Chad and east of Little Trout before you get into the swampier section. I'm sure you can paddle it in a day, but it's the BW, I want to take my time and enjoy myself in a very remote part of the woods.
The west side's equivalent of the Frost River route???
We traveled as the Voyageurs did by canoe, paddled the same lakes, ran the same rapids and packed over their ancient portages." Sig Olson The Lonely Land
I can't speak to levels this year, but have traveled that route in dry years. I would imagine water levels out of Kawishiwi will be quite low. In years past we've had to line the canoes through stretches of low water. Once past Kawishiwi, you should be ok, even with low levels.
Based on early trips reports, sounds like the bugs and ticks are already out in force.
I'm sorry I dont have a better answer, I'm sure an outfitter can tell you or the rangers when you get there. Pray for rain or do a rain dance. I have personally had success with a rain dance. A true story that I will spare you.
NOTE: Well holy crap. I just wrote the following novel and then realized you probably already know this route or you wouldn't be asking about water levels since this route is definitely affected by that. So ignore the following unless you havent been this way before and you want to know what to expect. I'm not going to delete it because damnation, I spent a lot of time writing it! Maybe someone else considering this route can use the info.
That route, if water is low means paddling through thick lillies/weeds on the river between Kawishiwi and Square and again from Square to Kawasachong. The portages between Square and Kawasachong has 2 portages. One that goes up and down a little hill and then beside a creek. The creek levels here have varied. It has been deep enough to paddle, or only deep enough to walk a loaded canoe through. When the creek was bone dry, I used it as a portage instead of the rocky portage trail.
You'll have a short paddle then an awkward rock face area to take out by a bog where you have just 11 rods to portage. If the water is high enough here, there is a channel on the left that you can line your canoe through instead. You will recognize it when you get there. Without a lot of rain I would not have very high hopes of lining a loaded canoe through.
The river to Kawasachong can be a thick and weedy with at least one beaver dam to pull over. I think it was a year ago or two that the beaves were starting a new dam just leaving Kawishiwi lake headed to Square. I'll be curious to hear your beaver dam report.
This route convinced me to buy polarized sunglasses so I could see to navigate the underwater boulder field on Kawasachong in the bay with the portage to Polly. There's one other persnickety area of rocks that I was able to walk, line then paddle the canoe through loaded. Can't remember where it is.
That reminds me of a couple things about Koma. I remember paddling thru there years ago and I got stuck with the newby that didn't like paddling (or much of anything else). It was our last day of a seven or eight day trip from places beyond Malberg and we were paddling out from a camp there. I'd had enough of Mr I-don't-want-to-paddle after days with him. We were rounding the peninsula on the west side of the lake and there is a particularly shallow boulder field off-shore in the area. Mr I-don't-want-to-paddle found the boulder field to be an excuse to keep an eye out for rocks and not paddle. It was the last day and I'd paddled that canoe nearly 100 miles virtually by myself and lost a spring at that point. I believe I said something unsavory. He must of eventually got over it, he's still alive today. I think that was the only time when I said something nasty in the great b-dub. Just brings back memories...
And don't forget the great photo op of the boulder mid-stream about the size of a nice big fishhouse near where the stream dumps into Koma from Polly.
That's right. I forgot about the boulder field on Koma. I got lucky. I was paddling this route with Blazing Paddle who was in bow. Wow, is she a powerhouse.
I was a scardy cat because of the waves on Koma for a few reasons. I had all brand new ultra light gear and was afraid we would roll over. I have little experience and I think this was Blazing Paddle's first BW trip. DEFINITELY did not want to go upside down. I was having a tough time tracking so I convinced her to pull off (more accurately we got blown to shore) and wait out the wind not realizing yet that she had enough power to get us across Koma without a problem. I was the one who was starting to get tired. We stayed long time just cuz I'm chicken and BP was blessedly patient. Then other canoes went cruising by so we left and had no problem at all. Too bad you weren't paddling with her. She is EXCELLENT trip mate in all respects and for sure the best newbie partner anyone could ask for.
This is about the only bad trip partner I've ever had. After having some great partners (and watching the other two guys in our four man crew just move effortlessly across the water), it made the idea of a solo trip sound pretty good. Still haven't done a solo canoe trip, but have since taken 9 solo overnight hiking trips to the BW under my belt. No bad partners to worry about there. Although, solo is an entirely different animal altogether.
In 2003 I took the opposite trip, just me and one of those guys in the other canoe. Seagull, Ogish, Kek, Fraser, Little Sag, Gabi and out thru Brant. We paddled about 4 hours per day and flew when not fishing or exploring. A partner that you are in sync with every step or paddle stroke of the trip. One that can carry his/her weight or more.
you got me blushing here. I'd say my first trip to the BW was a great experience and BF was a fantastic partner!
Mahlberg was a great place...look for a campsite high up on a bluff. Caught my first (and only!)walleye on Mahlberg! Yup...Koma was a bearcat to paddle...so go early on that one. And the rock minefield below the water surface....scared the crud out of me...was sure I'd miss seeing one and split our boat open!
And as for solos...just got my first solo planned...going in on Sawbill..just for two days this first time and then I meet up with...none other than...Bearfeet to do some duo solo paddling! We'll see if I survive the two days on my own first!
-Blazing Paddle (Mary Jean)
"Watching nature is a feast for the heart while understanding nature is a feast for the mind." [unknown]
May 11-14. It wasn't my planned route, but I had to be flexible when I found out at 9:45 the night b4 that my planned entry point was closed. As to your questions, we never had to put on bug dope, but I'm sure the situation has changed in the past couple weeks. I would expect mosquitos and black flies. We did have a number of woodticks, which surprised me, as I've never pulled one off me in the b-dub b4. Water levels were fine and should be even a little better for you, as we've been receiving a bit of rain this week. You should have no problems in the creeks. As others have noted, these are relatively shallow lakes that have the occasional barely submerged boulder. I was also in this area several years ago in August and had no problem with water levels. Enjoy your trip.
Sorry for posting this out of the thread, but since its buried 3 pages back I wanted to make sure I get some sort of response....
>>>>>get a rash, most often a bullseye rash near the bite. Not always. Rashes can appear at other places on the body. Mine was on my leg and the bites were on my back.<<<<<<<<<
What?! You can get rashes in other places on your body? I didn't know that! I've been extremely ill the last 2 months and have had that "coming down with something" feeling since last fall. Last summer I had a rash on the top of my right foot....but just summed it up as getting too much sun on my feet)....I had the rash for quite a long time but was never bit by a tick anywhere on my legs....however I did have ticks ALL over the rest of my body. Back in February I started feeling bad, stomach aches, pains etc....it finally became so bad by the end of march I've been bed bound for nearly 2 months....ran all sorts of blood work and tests...."diagnosed" with ulcers and/or acid reflux but I'm still not well.( though the ulcer like pain has went away I still have all sorts of other pains). I also developed this "jittery" feeling that comes and goes...sometimes localized sometimes all over my body....it feels like the chills, or muscle contractions but its not....its just a sensation, nothing actually moves...sometimes it feels like I can feel the blood running through my veins....
2 days ago was rushed back to the ER with SEVERE pain in my upper abdomen and right shoulder...classic sign of gall bladder problems...they did an ultrasound and more blood work....nothing wrong with gall bladder or anything else. I've had one Lyme test already, but the docs at the ER decided to do another one....my feeling all along was that I had Lyme but the test said no...I assume this one will say no too....I've never mentioned the rash on my foot though because it seemed so disconnected to Lyme, (and because I forgot about it since I dont have it now) it wasn't the bullseye rash either....I asked about false negatives but was told once you've had it for more than a few months they never get a false negative....but after hearing this, I dont believe them. Who else has had it? Did anyones symptoms not "fit" with what doctors think Lyme disease is?
some people have disfunctional gallbladders with normal ultrasounds. Another test is a HIDA scan with ejection fraction- checks gallbladder function. Lyme's tests have a false negative and positive rate- so not perfect. Way too complicated to discuss over a canoe bulletin board but see a specialist- perhaps a rheumatologist or infectious disease specialist if still concerned. By the way, what part of the country are you in or where do you play? That plays a big role in the likelyhood of Lymes.
"This working is getting in the way of having fun."
Carl Rasmussen
Well my doctor is in the process of getting me in with a specialist of some sort but he's taking a LONG time doing so..... I currently live in Northwestern WI which is has an extremely high concentration of ticks, which is why the ER doctors decided to run another test, still waiting for results. I was just wondering how common the false negatives were since my doctor made it sound like its an extreme rarity.
.....I'm in the BW area regularly, but I've rarely come across many ticks there, even when I lived there for 5 years. But I understand they're moving north. Northwestern WI is like an infestation though....I swear them things must be trying to take over the planet or something.
but the first time I had it the test was negative. The second time it was positive, immediately. My rash was right by the bites and it was the classic bullseye (I had 3 of them). All of the symptoms showed up within a couple of weeks, maybe a little sooner, of the bites, not a lot later tho. It was clearly an onset, not anything gradual. Bam! Like a really horrible flu - intense nausea, extreme muscle pain and soreness and wanting to sleep non-stop for days on end.
It's an antibody test and it takes time to develop antibodies.
Keep in mind that deer ticks, not wood ticks, transmit Lyme. Most of the ticks you see and notice are wood ticks. The deer tick are so small. Of course, I just pulled two deer ticks out of my legs this week -- they were quite engorged with blood. And now the circular rash is spreading around one of the bites. This is the heart of Lyme country. Waiting for a call back from the doctor now. Nip it in the bud with antibiotics early and you're all set.
It is my understanding that there are a couple of different kinds of tests as well. I'm not sure how they differ, but I was a Guinea Pig for a Lymne Vaccine Trial and if I am ever tested for Lymnes I suppose to tell the doc that. I need to have the less commonly used test because I can give a false positive because of the trial.
BTW - I am probably not immune to Lymnes. I got the "lifetime" vaccine, but then was told I needed a 5-year booster. Later I was told I needed a two-year booster. Then a one-year. Then I was told that the vaccine was not a success.
"Brain cells come, and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever."
Yes, the test takes 6 weeks or more to convert. NW Wisconsin is a hot spot for Lymes - I am not surprised the ER docs repeated the test. Two common antibody tests for different diseases is the ELISHA and Western Blot, the former more sensitive but prone to false positives and the latter more specific so sometimes false negatives- they use the ELISHA method to screen blood for HIV- rather a false positive than negative. The latter is often run after a positive ELISHA. Antibody tests often cross react- you were exposed to one thing and antibodies to that can react like you were infected with something else. I often see some infection around wood tick bites- in part because the jaws are imbedded in the skin for more than 24 hours. People often think that circle is the "bull's eye" rash of Lymes but is not. The technical name for the bull's eye rash is ECM- erythema chronicum migrans. It often is NOT at the site.
"This working is getting in the way of having fun."
Carl Rasmussen
well supposedly my second Lyme test came back normal but we didn't ask which one they ran. I specifically remember having a rash on my foot late last summer, but dont remember it being a bullseye rash...it went away after a couple months...I'm going to be seeing a specialist sometime soon since my doctor is at a loss now...I have a feeling the specialist wont do much better though. Thanks for the info.....
You can have Lyme disease without getting any rash. I got it in Quetico in 2004, but had no rash. My symptoms were a stiff neck, joint pain, and irregular heart beat.
You'll be on the water by the time you get this so I'm wishing you happy travels.
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