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.
Here is another pic of Joe Bostey, I posted a different one before.
He seems to have gotten in a number of old pics/cards in that same canoe, usually on Burntside Lake. I didn't get this one either, somebody elese ran the price up very high, >$20.
And with this it's time for the weekend. See ya next week.
Dan
I noticed under the luxury items post that Pete Z. chose to disrespect/disagree with my family decision to take our son, who will be 4 in May, canoeing. I have to think how many times he has been in Q and the BW - Kawasachong 5 weeks old, Your Lake 13 months, Insula twice 15 months and 27 months, twice to Jesse Lake, and too many numerous little day trips around home for me to count.
I have to share this morning's bit of irony with Pete's promotion of car/resort camping for us.
We live on a river (Little Wolf River) here in WI. and it has just opened up and the ice is gone. Its currently really high water. TL JR. and I were looking at the river thru the big picture window early this morning and he said, "Dad, when are we going canoeing? Lets have a campout!" Well, I was one impressed Dad. I said, "we will set the tent up tonight." Often we pitch the tent in a spare room on the carpet and sleep in the tent during the winter. He loves it and its a great way to get them to like the tent. Boy when we set that tent up at a campsite he is the first one in it!! He loves tenting.
Pete Z is absolutely wrong about taking little kids in the canoe. Yes, you should feel confident about canoeing and have some experience. Yes, you should be prepared with some extra items for your toddler : a life jacket that fits, proper clothing, some toys, finger food, a child carrier for portages, etc.... For young parents out there I would suggest the book by Rolf and Debra Kraiker. I think the title is "Canoeing with Kids". They often speak at Canoecopia and are wonderful, fantastic people. Maybe Reddcin can correct me if wrong about the book title. Don't let Pete Z. influence your choice of taking your young child. Yes, I would prefer not to repeat our son getting a fever/flu on our next trip. However, we look back on that trip together as husband and wife with a good deal of pride much more than going to the Holiday Inn or camping next to a bunch of RVs.
More imprortantly, the key is practice. When TL JR sees the canoe, he knows his spot where to sit and how to behave. We paid our dues at home on slow moving rivers and little lakes. I would not recommend just showing up at Beaverhouse and try crossing Quetico to the BW with a 3 yr old who never has been in a canoe or a tent. Not a good idea. Also, August is a nice time to go with kids because the bugs are not really a factor and it makes things easier. Maybe Quetico Passage could comment about TL JR's behavior in the canoe based on what he saw. I dont think he delayed us at all other than maybe talking too much. He is a joy to paddle with; wouldn't dream of leaving him at home. I will say that taking a child in the crawling stage is tougher than a younger or an older child. I think it was Monsterbuck who posted about taking his/her child in May. Extra supervision is needed and 6 people you trust will help.
We like it so much we are getting that MN III for all 4 of us now. Trip plans this year: Namekagon River in NE WI, Insula Lake in August and a second part of the Namekogan later in the summer, and plenty of day tripping around home when we get the urge. Take your kids you wont regret it but you might regret waiting too long.
all I find down there is the "Do what you gotta do" post in the "Guilty pleasures" thread. It couldn't have been that one, because there is no disrespect included anywhere within that post, just a little disagreement stated in a sensible way with some enjoyable alternatives given. Was it a different thread altogether?
Most know I don't agree with TL on alot of things, but I don't want him getting slammed for something he didn't even write. I don't think these were his words. Hopefully he can chime in and let us know.
Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.
but I had already made my post below. I hope you are wrong, we really don't need that kind of shenanigan on the board, we seem to have enough trouble from time to time!
There have been cultures around the world, throughout history, who have given birth to children and raised them on or near water and taken them in canoes from pregnancy to infancy to adulthood. We are no less competent to take our children in canoes and we have the advantage of pfd's not only for our children but even for our dogs. We love our children and will do anything to ensure their safety.
I must have misread something in Pete's post too since I think we was just saying what he has done and might prefer and his post was in response to Monsterbuck as far as I can see. There isn't just one way to enjoy the outdoors and you almost make it sound like people who take their kids car camping or to a cabin/hotel are lousy parents who can't have pride in what they did with their kids.
(what is that thing they say about pride?)
Did he say you should not take little kids in a canoe? Did he really say you should go car camping with YOUR kids? Hmmm. Would you please show me where he directed a response such as this to you directly?
Gosh TL, I'll admit I don't read most of what you post but I read this one and I think if anyone was disrespectful it was you. I went back and re-read Pete's post and I just don't get it.
As for taking little kids, I give those who do it credit, I wouldn't want to pack out all those wet, dirty diapers. I agree with Pete, staying on the fringe, the kids won't know the difference, and there are several reasons why this makes sense, especially for people who haven't had a lot of opportunity (unlike you) to spend time in the BWCA/Q. I have taken little kids in my canoe and kayaks, but I'll wait until they are a little older to take them on a real trip. I'm starting my nephew out with a Sylvania trip this summer when he will be 8. Chances are if he was my kid and there were at least 2 adults going, we'd have done it before now but I don't really think he has missed out on anything by waiting until now either.
I took my 6 y.o. son on his first extended trip when we went to Sylvania last year. He had a great time and always asks when we are going this year (July 22-24). Now my 4 y.o. girl wants to go along, but I haven't made up my mind yet on that. I never tried taking them when they were younger, but in retrospect, maybe I should have. Being fairly new to the board, I'll stay out of the rest of the fray.
I hope he's right too, I'd rather have been sucked into this as an April Fools joke (though I don't think it's really very funny) than...well...you know what I mean, I think you said the same thing.
TL is a teacher, and you would think as a teacher, he would have perfect spelling. Unfortunately, that is not the case! Take a look at some of his other posts, the man can't spell worth a darn. Sorry TL, just an observation. Whoever posted this took the time to make sure all spelling and grammar were correct. So, in this case, you have been found out by typing too correctly. Nice try though!
The login on this one is walleyes1. TL's previous posts have a login of troutln. An imposter/jokester could fake everything except the login ID. Not that TL couldn't create another ID, but why would he and still call himself TL?
This is really something isn't it. A number of folks from the board, regulars I might add, think your post is so out of line, it must be an april fools joke. Well done my friend, everybody is coming around now. Your second attempt at the BB is really coming together.
Not only is the spelling to good (like I could tell lol) but there are some facts in this post that are off (I counted about 4). So if it is him maybe that new baby is making him so tired that he is confused
for the record, my folks fled their country when the russians were coming during WWII & some relatives were not as fortunate. i'm about as anti-commie as you can get.
when she was 6 mos old. I took her on here very first canoe trip which was into the BW when she was 4. She sat in front of me in a prism for a 58 mile trip. She did great and fell in love with the BW. I take her every year now. She is 9 now and has been paddling fo rthe past 3 years. I think it is very important to introduce children to healthy, meaningful activities as early as possible. JOsh
This is embarrassing. I messed up my login 3 times and was locked out so rather than wait I changed my login. I was using a login I need at work. Hey, I have been back only a few days and forgot it. Oops, I should have said that in the post - my mistake.
I thought the line from Pete's post "Do what you gotta do" deserved a response. I felt the line "I've heard of parents battling kid illness, sanitation problems, and have been less than impressed" was directed at my family and our young son getting sick and us running low on diapers during our June 2004 trip when we went from Crane Lake to Ely. That was a bit stressful for me and Mrs. TL to see our son with a fever out there but kids get colds and there is nothing we could have done at home that we could not do camping. We were fine. If it was not directed at me, then I appologize for mentioning Pete in my post about canoeing with kids. Its a subject I feel strongly about.
For young couples with kids, there will be many naysayers and critcs of your decision to put your young child in a canoe. I still remember someone ripping on me on the BB for wanting to visit Rebecca Falls with our child: "too dangerous there to take a toddler in a canoe you could go over the falls." "You must be a terrible parent."
Well, after seeing that spot for myself this summer, that is not a dangerous spot for even a novice canoer. One would have to totally not be paying attention to miss the island in the middle of the wide river. I worried about going there for weeks for no reason. We heard the same thing from our parents: "He is going to drown out there." "He is going to freeze." "What if he falls in?" "A bear will get him" I think we heard it all. Prepare, practice, and have fun with your young kids in your canoe. That is my advice. And, I remember the name of the book by the Kraikers: "Cradle to Canoe". Excellent reading.
I'm not trying to upset Pete but I do disagree with him about mixing this sport with little kids.
Hey TL - Although I'm far from being a perfect speller, I'd like to congratulate you on your much improved work - - only 2 errors that I noticed. I'll give you a B+ on that post.
I think it is also important to mention that if either parent does not feel comfortable taking there young children they should reconsider. This is a very personal decision at in the end is only the responsibly of both parents. There are lots of great books on the market to help. I to have been called many bad things (thankfully not on this board) for taking my child camping. However I will do it again. Tl, no one was with your family on that trip but your family and some people have not been camping with children so they don't understand what your exact experience has been. So if someone does criticize your past or future decisions just remember that they come from a different world view, and might not understand the entire situation. Lets just all try to get along
I messed up my login 3 times and was locked out so rather than wait I changed my login. I was using a login I need at work. Hey, I have been back only a few days and forgot it.
Is it different in my corner of the web? I login with the same username and password at home and at the office. N54 does not seem to discriminate.
Secondly, all a reasonable person has to do to recall his login username is pull up an old post of theirs on the CCBB.
Thirdly, you posted several times that day already under your original username - the same one you have being employing for several years. Are you asking us to fathom that you forgot your multiyear-used login ID over the course of a few hours when you seem to be able to recall it after an almost five month hiatus from the CCBB?
TL, assuming this was honest-to-goodness brain-flatulance, perhaps this was the big guy's way of trying to make you pause before steamrolling into another one of these dubious posts.
For those of you who are inclined to advise me to move on or just ignore him, my preemptive advice is - thank you but I'm staying put.
I have no excuses. I should use the same log in. I should have looked. I dont know. I never look at people's log in names but I could have done that . I'm sorry for that mistake. I'll try not to do that again.
Say who you are in the first line of the post if you have to use a different userid. eom
________________________________________
Hour after hour, day after day,
we paddled and sang and slept
under the hot sun on the northern ocean,
wanting never to return.
And I make no exceptions to this: "No one is allowed in my canoe who has not clearly demonstrated the ability to save themselves in a capsizing event"
This of course does not preclude taking a five week old in the canoe, but a mighty precocious five week old it would have to be. My rationale for this is simple and selfish and probably obvious. Others may disagree with me, and are of course entitled to their opinions, however I am not "absolutely wrong."
'Common sense is the sum of all prejudices acquired by age 18'
And I make no exceptions to this: "No one is allowed in my canoe who has not clearly demonstrated the ability to save themselves in a capsizing event"
This of course does not preclude taking a five week old in the canoe, but a mighty precocious five week old it would have to be. My rationale for this is simple and selfish and probably obvious. Others may disagree with me, and are of course entitled to their opinions, however I am not "absolutely wrong."
'Common sense is the sum of all prejudices acquired by age 18'
Apparantly it revolves around you. Why is it that any disagreement with your opinion is taken as a direct attack at you personally. In the past and now, once again in the present. Your taking a post that did not mention your name...was not targeted directly at you and you went off on a rant. People disagree all the time...almost daily on this boards and rarely does it spiral into a page filling thread of non-sense and bickering like yours do. Why is that? And as a parting thought - "It's not paranoia if it's true."
Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.
Again, for those who do not have this calendar. This month's theme is lake stratification and seash(sp?). Exciting!
Lakes have yearly cycles in warming and cooling that affects the distribution of oxygen levels in their waters and, in turn affects their inhabitants. Most northern lakes are dimictic, that is they mix, or turn their waters over twice a year, fall and spring. During the summer a thermocline develops, the warm layer that extends down about six feet where it suddenly becomes very cold. The colder, denser water extends to the bottom of the lake where it remains stable over the warmer months, not interrupted by high winds, except in shallow lakes. As the summer progresses, the alge decomposes using up the bottom oxygen until there is little or none remaining. Cooler weather in the fall chills the surface waters to the point that they now fall into the warmer bottom waters, replenishing the bottom oxygen. Winter repeats the oxygen depletion cycle, this time over the entire lake waters because of the ice cover and cold water. Spring comes, warming the top level waters and, with the aid of winds, flop the lakes over again.
When do lakes turn over.I have always heard water is at its heaviest at 39 degrees.So when the top layer reaches a certain deep of 39 degrees its sinks and turns the lake over,once in the spring and again in the fall.
Anyone know?
In northern temperate lakes there is a spring and fall turnover, and it does have to do with uniform temperature, and therefore, uniform density of the water from top to bottom.
In the summer, the water stratifies in the manner described in Canoodeler's post. The surface waters warm and become less dense. This results in warm water in the upper portion of the lake that circulates with wind movements. The deep layer remains cold (4 degress Celsius) and does not circulate.
In the fall, the surface waters cool, and at some point there is uniform temperature (4 degrees Celsius) and uniform density from top to bottom. That is when wind will cause the entire lake volume to circulate and mix - the fall turnover.
In the winter, the lake stratifies again. The densest water is at the bottom (4 degree Celsius). However as water cools below 4 degrees, it becomes less dense and rises to the surface. That's why ice floats. So in the winter-time, the water at the suface is 0 degree Celcius, and the water at the bottom is 4 degree Celcius.
In the spring, the ice melts and the surface waters warm to 4 degrees Celcius. The uniform temperature and density from top to bottom again allow circulation of the entire lake volume - that this the spring turnover.
Your question about when these events occur yields a less precise answer. It depends entirely on heating and cooling patterns in the local weather, and so it's difficult to put a precise date on the events. Kind of like trying to predict ice-out or ice-up dates. But if you monitor the surface water temperatures, you'll know within a day or two when it will happen.
The turnovers actually occur at water temps quite a bit warmer than 39. The reason is that the density difference between water of varying temperatures is not really that large unless there is a large change in temperature over a short vertical depth.
What actually happens is that as the summer progresses, the surface water continues to warm, until there is a large difference between the surface and the thermocline, sometimes as much as 20 degrees. That difference in temperatures creates a lot of potential energy, that is, the density difference is so great over such a short distance that it takes a lot of energy (read- wind), to mix it. In the fall, as the surface waters cool, that difference become less and less over time. The thermocline is actually depressed (declines in depth) as more and more of the surface is mixed by the wind. Eventually there is only a small difference between the surface and thermocline, and the denity difference is not enough to withstand the wind, and turnover occurs. This is usually much warmer than 39, and often the timing of turnover depends more on the first big storm after water temperatures reach that threshold.
Also, the amount of DO depletion that occurs in the hypolimnion of lakes depends on how fertile the waters are. In the B/Q, few if any lakes are productive enough to completely deplete the DO.
FYI
"Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the U.S. Ask any Indian"
Yes, maximum density of water is 39 F which is why lakes become inversely stratified in winter with warmer water on the bottom. In the fall the water column literally becomes top heavy and unstable as heat loss near the surface drops the temperature below 39. Wind does most of the actual mixing however. Having a max density higher than the freezing point is a nice thing about water because that's why it freezes from the top down rather than the bottom up like lakes of methane, or wax, or vodka.
..plus likely our youngest, Claire. Since Reddcin is bringing her little one again, they'll be able to babble at each other! Have built in babysitters for the remainder of the herd!
See you all tomorrow!
"We do not remember days, we remember moments...." Cesare Pavese
But 3 of our six are working, and someone has to watch the little ones. Would be pretty cool to see a couple of Moms with 12 kids between them comparing notes!!
I can't believe what just transpired for me in the last two days.
I'm sitting at coffee yesterday (Thursday) with a bunch of retired guys from town, my quite usual 9:00 AM ritual. One of them named Doug has an old farm he is selling and during the conversation I find out he has a wood strip canoe unfinished sitting in a barn. His son-in-law apparently had built a couple of others but left this one half done and didn't want to come get it. So he said to me, "you want it?" I don't have to tell you what I answered! So we went out this morning and brought her home! It is really unfinished, but has the main body done and the fiber glassing started. Nothing done on the top edges or inside either. Not sure how much $$ it will take to finish her, but I figured I could find out. I have no idea how to finish it and I don't have any equipment or tools anyway.
Sounds like you may have found a canoe which is 70% done - Of course I know absolutely nothing - yet.
I start my stripper next week and am leveraging Beaglefur's expertise, strongback and material. Very helpful - I'll probably be a lot smarter 7 days from now.
After finally buying a fishing boat last year I find that I don't use my canoe to much anymore, well I think I should sell. It's a '98 souris river queitco 16, duralite, tractor seats. I bought it from John & Lynn at VNO spring of 03. I completely refinished the "football" with epoxy and the rest of the outside with poly per the instructions of red rocks website. It's in good condition, licensed till 06 (I think) and the price is $100.00. I know this is low but I really have not seen a true April fools joke pulled on anyone here yet. I'm sorry, but sometimes you have to have a little fun
_____________________________________
"Every form of refuge has it's price"
Anyone out there know where I can purchase on line a Leech Locker with a screw on lid? I don't like the lid that latches with the handle and those are the only ones I've been able to locate.
There are other companies that make these, and I have seen similar products at such places as Gander Mountain. Really nice for keeping the slimy things alive.
For travel, leeches can be transferred to a watertight container (I have plastic container with a screw on lid that used to hold fertilizer).
Life may be a bitch, but it beats the alternative.
Thanks for the info. I hadn't considered this type but I'm going to buy one. Then put them in water inside a Folger's coffee plastic container for travelling. Great idea. Thanks!
At PZs suggestion I used a couple of the leech bags last year, and they worked great. We kept them in camp,and took a couple of small (1 cup) rubbermaid plastic containers with snap on lids to take some leeches out in the canoes.
I have used a similiar contraption the past few years and have really liked it. However, I noticed one small problem last year. After a year or two of use I noticed that my leeches were escaping. After my canoe partner asked if I was "chumming" I noticed that the leeches were escaping through a worn spot on the bottom seem of the bag. I simply bought newer bags when I got back, but keep an eye on the seems prior to putting all of your precious leeches in the leech tamer.
Rich
I'll keep an eye on that. When travelling, read portaging, etc., I plan on putting them in a Folgers plastic coffee container. I filled one with water and turned it upside down and it did NOT leak. Imagine that! Now I'm devising all sorts of uses for these containers.
I'm not sure where you live PB, but if you can get to Sportsmans Warehouse they have them. Two sizes. If you can't find one let me know, and we can work something out for me to pick one up and send it to you.
They have a couple in Washington state but the nearest one is 60 miles from me! Unfortunately, they don't have (to my knowledge) an on-line store. I checked with Cabela's and they carry them so I guess that's an excuse to order enough fishing tackle to make it worthwhile. Thanks!
Has anyone caught these tasty little fishies in the BW? I know that the DNR list some lakes that contain perch, but where have you all caught them and on what bait?
I'd like to try Dutton off of Amoeber, has anyone been that way?
I have caught a few yellow perch in Knife Lake. If you take the portage between the south arm and the north arm (which leads to the portage going to Amoeber) there is a shallow bay at the end of the channel where it widens out just prior to the Amoeber portage. We caught them on Shad Raps while fishing for walleye and smallies. Also caught a few in that area on 1/32 oz tube jigs with a leech fished below a slip bobber. Don't know about Amoeber as I have only fished it once. I don't especially like that portage!! Hope this helps.
I'd hate to know how many my Grandfather, Dad, brother, Mom, and I took from Lake Winnibigosh during the 1980s and from Lac Vieux Desert in WI over the years. But in the BW perch have been few and far between. I have caught some nice ones in Alice Lake in the BW (i remember one was 11")and that lake seems to have alot of rock bass too, Malberg Lake, Insula, Bower Trout, Hudson, and Perent Lake also have produced perch of the small kind. Every Lake I'd be willing to bet has some population of perch but most dont make it to eating size in the BW and are eaten by big fish. Many times upon cleaning walleye to fry, I have found 2 to 4 inch perch in the stomach. It is a main food source - I'm sure; though I am not a fish biologist.
Is this field survey correct?
I really don't know. I've never heard from anyone that went into Dutton. I've searched the archives here and there is no mention of it. If perch is indeed the only "gamefish" in the lake, I would bet they are overpopulated and stunted. The portage from Amoeber looks to be a lot of fun too . . .
Walleye, being the voracious predator that they most assuredly are, will eat virtually any smaller fish they can get in their mouth. If perch are predominant in the lake then that would be their main food source. Keep in mind that walleye are also a member of the perch family. I made the portage on the south end of Amoeber once and don't recall it being especially easy! And we only had fishing gear with us! We left Amoeber using a different path-paddling was preferable to the portage! We can see the portage from our campsite and I don't believe I've ever talked to anyone who thought it was easy! Been a while since I've done it so maybe it's not as bad as I remember!
The portage I am talking about is from Amoeber to Dutton . . . it really isn't a portage at all. I looks like you have to walk up a streambed that gains 60" feet in a hundred rods or so. I don't have the maps in front of me now, but that is what I remember from them. I was being sarcastic. The portage doesn't look like much fun at all. Walking on wet rock uphill in current always makes Hank a wet boy. It is time like these that I wish I had some felt soled wading shoes . . .
I think the portage from Knife to Amoeber isn't much fun either.
yellow perch are well-known to be a regular staple in the diets of fish in most northern lakes, from Montana to Nova Scotia.
Interestingly, walleye and yellow perch seem to be adapted for each other. Yellow perch are a prolific fish that spawns much eariler than walleye, does not reach very large sizes, spends a lot of time on or near the bottom, and can't see a lick in darkness.
Walleye get larger, spend most of their time near the bottom, and see very well in the dark. In many lakes most of their diet are yellow perch, often eaten in low light conditions when the perch can't see well and can't avoid being invited to dinner.
"Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the U.S. Ask any Indian"
Yellow perch are found throughout the entire BWCA and Quetico parks. They are one of the few native fish there, along with the lake trout and northern pike. However, it seems like you rarely catch them up there. If you pay attention though, you will often see lots of little guys swimming around in shallow water (2-3" long). Often they will follow your lure to the boat, especially minnow plugs.
I have only caught them consistently in the Portage River near Big Lake, and I caught them on 2" white or yellow grubs on a beetle spin. Usually I don't fish small enough stuff up there to catch panfish, but I suspect you could catch them pretty easily if you tried. Live bait would be best.
"Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the U.S. Ask any Indian"
I've heard good things about Townline Lake, just before Polly. Most just pass through this lake on their way to Polly and beyond since it has no campsites. Might be worth an afternoon if one was staying on Polly.
In 1994 we had a Cross Bay entry permit for the BW. The trip was the first for my 9 year old son. A buddy brought along his 8 year old. Our plan was to head south for a couple of days, maybe camp on Long Island and then head back. To make a long story short, a huge "Outward Bound" group, at least 18 individuals, was in the area and while they split up for the night,they also pretty much filled any existing campsites down to Cherokee. We knew the group was huge because they would return to Ham to take advantage of the nice beach. We wound up staying on Ham lake (outside the BWCA proper) and the boys absolutely moidered da perch. We only kept enough for one fry a day and turned loose the jumbo's (12"+). I'd also hazzard to day that we caught 30-40 each day on leach pieces and small jigs.
Kawishiwi Falls .....end of the line?
by Bent Pine (Login pinebent)
nice set of falls there..was lookin at the old logging cribs under silver rapids and garden lake bridge yesterday......low water revels a lot...
Posted on Apr 1, 2005, 5:58 AM
"Kawishiwi Falls" looks a little different now than in 1897! We see 3 mines in Ely but Winton has not yet put in a formal appearance - although that is the "end of the road".
Life may be a bitch, but it beats the alternative.
that at this time the RR went to the mines located in Section 30, there were several(?) at this time.
Also, remember that Winton was a logging town, established to support the mill and the RR was built to move iron ore, and at least to Missabe RR, logging always (to my knowledge) was a second priority and often the logging companies had to wait for space on mining company RR's.
Because of this (in part), many logging companies built their own "light duty" RR to get logs to the mils and lumber to market. Often when equipment became too small/light for the mining companies (as cars got larger and trains longer), it was sold to the logging companies
I may be mistaken, but I had thought the Section 30 mine opened up a bit later - perhaps 10 years or so. I'll have to dig around a bit in the archives and see what I can find.
The main line of the railroad came into Ely, past the station (currently Wilderness Outfitters) and continued on towards Winton. Spur tracks sprung up off the main line. If you head towards Winton on the main line, just before you get to Winton there is one heck of a solid structure known as "The Powder House" located on the banks of the river, that legend has it was used to store explosives, far enough from the mines to be considered "safe".
Kawishiwi Falls refers to the falls from which Fall Lake derives its name, before Garden Lake was much of a lake. Elderly relatives talked fondly of how things were before the Power Dam.
Life may be a bitch, but it beats the alternative.
I would love to have that picture if it were better quality. Any chance there is a better picture out there or perhaps nibi can work some photo magic on it? Here's a picture of me (around 1968) with the next generation of that same bridge in the background.
quality.
Why? For the thrilling thunder of rapids, the mournful wailing of loons, and the lure of an untrammeled forest that leads to a fishing hole.
As we ply the lakes of the Boundary Waters, Quetico, or Voyageurs National Park, I recall the many people who have played a part in protecting this cherished land. One of those individuals was Ernest Oberholtzer, a “keeper of the wild” who fought an uphill battle to preserve this boreal forest. Biographer Joe Paddock details Oberholtzer’s life and his effort to protect one of the last vestiges of wilderness from the big business entrepreneurs who promoted industrial exploitation, ie. turning the present day Boundary Waters watershed into a hydro-electric reservoir.
For nearly 50 years Ernest Oberholtzer lived at his island home on Rainy Lake, now part of Voyageur’s National Park. Some of his story is in journal form while much has been passed down through oral history. The name bestowed upon him by his Ojibway friends was “Atisokan” which translates as “storyteller.” It is a story worth telling, for his mission extended beyond mere preservation of land; Oberholtzer also reached out to defend the culture of the native people who were his friends and traveling companions.
Paddock’s research on this environmental giant was monumental and thorough. His sensitivity to the environmental concerns and the importance of the wilderness to future generations shines through each page as he depicts Oberholtzer on his tireless crusade to save Canoe Country. Oberholtzer’s vision, wisdom and insight encapsulate the meaning behind the stewardship of the land we visit today.
This book was published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press in 2001 and is widely available for purchase.
"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
He was a man I would have loved to have met and shared a campsite with. I thank him often for his vision and help, especially to keep the power plant dams of Mr. Backus from being constructed and flooding much of what is the BWCAW/Quetico we know.
Thank You Mr. Oberholtzer
"When a man is part of his canoe, he is part of all that canoes have ever known."
Sigurd F. Olson
This book should be required reading before anybody gets a permit for the BW.
Oberholtzer is almost solely responsible for the preservation of the BW and how it looks today. Yes he had a lot of help, but he's the one who first started talking about preserving it and who "drove" it the 1st 20 or 30 years, before Sig Olson got involved. His vision was to preserve the WHOLE Rainy Lake watershed, not just a few small pieces of it, ie, the BW, Q and Voyagers NP.
For those interested in helping, there is a group, can't remember the name, that currently maintain his home/complex, Malard Island, and they allow visits and overnight stays there.
did Oberholtser live on an inheritance? I don't recall any professional work that he did.
I, long ago, proposed to the Friends that a memorial be placed, perhaps at the International Wolf Center, to honor Oberholtser, Olson, Fred Winston and others who so tirelessly fought to preserve an area we are all so grateful for.
From our first camping trip of the season. Not bad--for Des Moines, Iowa! Fell asleep each night to the lullaby of a barred owl--then awakened in the middle of the night by a cackling of a pair of barred owls right over our camper! Lots of deer. Next on the list is the UIR at the end of April and Kawishiwi Lake to Polly in early May.
Lots of reading to catch up on--three pages of CCBB.
"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
I was scheduled to leave on my first overnite paddle tonite but tomorrow is 80% chance of rain all day, high of 47, low of 33 - so we decided to do a day trip on sunny Sunday.
I was really looking forward to camping by some rapids, staring at a campfire and looking up at the stars.
A harmless but always reliable prank is to attach just about anything to a fish line and have them fly , scurry or escape from the hands of any newbie in your group. Another stand-by is adding rocks to people's packs on portages. I haven't participated in anything really creative but I've got my brother a little paranoid I'll try something this year on his first trip.
We always try to sneak our frozen steaks into someone's pack in the summer time - usually the new guy. On a winter camping trip a couple years ago, my friend and I took a pair of cement patio blocks and with a sharpie marker wrote "useless heavy item" on one and "additional useless heavy item" on the other and stuck them in one of the rubbermaid bins our pal's sled. He was not amused. The next year we bought a giant 1 gallon can of chocolate pudding from sam's club and hid it in another guy's sled making him the proud owner of a 10 pound can of frozen pudding. After arriving at camp, we watched him go through his gear and the look on his face was priceless. "That's a whooooooole lotta puddin' " was one of the catch phrases that weekend.
grab a couple of crayfish at camp one night, and slip it into whomever forgot to put their boots away for the night. A friend of mine did it to his brother in law on one trip, and it was hilariouse watching him the next morning!
What a sad waste of a tasty morsel!! To those of us with southern heritage, this is a tasty meal-if you get enough of them. Also, the tails are great bait. Actually, the walleye love them too. Don't know if they are legal in Minn. though.
It was the afternoon of our first day in May of 2003. We were camped on the island campsite on the west end of Omega. After eating lunch and getting camp setup, we went out to fish. We were trolling across the bay and as we turned, J’s line went very close to the canoe. I don’t quite know what came over me but almost without thinking I gave it a TUG, tug, TUGGGG!!!! and let the line go limp. His heart rate went through the roof for about five seconds until he sensed I had done something. It took him several minutes to calm down. He let me know that when I pulled on his line, he was convinced it was a monster pike that he had missed. Oh, and my reward? It was the first and only trip I have taken where I got skunked.
btw, I'll be up in the cities over the weekend and won't have internet access so... to see the pdj's while I'm out, please visit http://www.lhrimages.com/pdj.php. It will automatically update each day.
I might be on line Sunday afternoon/evening depending on when we decide to drive back.
Have a super weekend everyone! I'll be seeing some of you at various times through the weekend.
Larry
To really appreciate the wilderness, one must pay attention to the small things as well as the grandiose.
there was another family along who were not quite newbies, but close. Father and daughter get in the canoe with the bow well up on shore. They tipped over and looked like Arty Johnson on that tricycle on "Laugh In" years ago- just sitting there not moving as they went over. the leader of the group had that look on his face "it's going to be a long day".
I laugh at life: its antics make for me a giddy game,
where only foolish fellows take themselves with solmn aim.
I laugh at pomp and vanity, at riches, rank, and pride;
at social inanity, at swagger,swank and side.
At poets, pastry-cooks and kings, at folk sublime and small,
Who fuss about a thousand things that matter not at all;
At those who dream of name and fame, at those who scheme for
pelf. . . .
But best of all the laughing game -- is laughing at myself.
Some poet chap has labeled man the noblest work of God:
I see myself a charlatan, a humbug and a fraud.
Yea, 'spite of show and shallow wit, and sentemental drool,
I know myself a hypocrite, a coward and a fool.
And though I kick myself with glee profoundly on the pants,
I,m little worse, it seems to me, than other human ants.
For if you probe your private mind, impervious to shame,
Oh, Gentle Reader, you may find you're much the same.
Then let us mock with ancient mirth this comic, cosmic plan;
The stars are laughing at the earth; Gods greatest joke is man.
For laughter is a buckle bright, and scorn a shining spear;
So let us laugh with all our might at folly, fraud and fear.
Yet on our sorry selves be spent our most sardonic glee.
Oh don't pay life the compliment to take it seriously.
For he who can himself despise, be surgeon to the bone,
May win to worth in others' eyes, to wisdom in his own.
Robert Service is the poet of the Yukon and far north of the early 20th century. He has many poems and verses regarding like in the Yukon and the wilderness. Below is a verse from his poem "The Spell of the Yukon" that is quite possibly the best written verse on how I feel while I am in the wilderness ever:
I've stood in some mighty-mouthed hollow
That's plumb-full of hush to the brim;
I've watched the big, husky sun wallow
In crimson and gold, and grow dim,
Till the moon set the pearly peaks gleaming,
And the stars tumbled out, neck and crop;
And I've thought that I surely was dreaming,
With the peace o' the world piled on top.
"When a man is part of his canoe, he is part of all that canoes have ever known."
Sigurd F. Olson
he 's our patron designated official north country poet!
last august we had the pleasure of hearing robert service quoted by heart by a talented canadian fellow paddler at a nahanni river campfire in deadman's valley ...truly a trip highlight!...we were there "in the mighty mouthed hollow..full of hush to brim"...and with northern lights too!...good memories!...lm
________________________________________
Hour after hour, day after day,
we paddled and sang and slept
under the hot sun on the northern ocean,
wanting never to return.
My Grandpa used to read his poems to me from a book he bought when he joined the Navy during WWII. A couple years ago I asked him if he would mind if I took the book and kept it safe, he agreed and I read him a poem from it before I left with it.
There's a race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.
If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
They say: "Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!"
So they chop and change, and each fresh move
Is only a fresh mistake.
And each forgets, as he strips and runs
With a brilliant, fitful pace,
It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones
Who win in the lifelong race.
And each forgets that his youth has fled,
Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,
In the glare of the truth at last.
He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;
He has just done things by half.
Life's been a jolly good joke on him,
And now is the time to laugh.
Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;
He was never meant to win;
He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;
He's a man who won't fit in
Along with the graded paper, the teacher handed the young lad a well-worn volume that said simply "Robert Service" on the fraying cover. Curious, he looked up, but the teacher went about passing out the papers, and continued with the day's lessons.
The following day, the youngster went to return the book, and was told simply "please keep it - it deserves to be read more than once, but I have it memorized now."
The book has since made many moves, through schools, marriage and new houses, always tucked safely in a brown box that once contained Sears boots, but in my youth gathered a variety of mementos including a baseball signed by a number of Minnesota Twins, a Tony Oliva holographic trading card, the receipt from some mink and fox furs sold in 1969, and other sundry items.
Your post reminds me that it is time to pass along that book, something I should have done awhile ago.
Life may be a bitch, but it beats the alternative.
There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.
Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows.
Why he left his home in the South to roam 'round the Pole, God only knows.
He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell;
Though he'd often say in his homely way that he'd "sooner live in hell".
On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.
Talk of your cold! through the parka's fold it stabbed like a driven nail.
If our eyes we'd close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn't see;
It wasn't much fun, but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee.
And that very night, as we lay packed tight in our robes beneath the snow,
And the dogs were fed, and the stars o'erhead were dancing heel and toe,
He turned to me, and "Cap," says he, "I'll cash in this trip, I guess;
And if I do, I'm asking that you won't refuse my last request."
Well, he seemed so low that I couldn't say no; then he says with a sort of moan:
"It's the cursed cold, and it's got right hold till I'm chilled clean through to the bone.
Yet 'tain't being dead -- it's my awful dread of the icy grave that pains;
So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you'll cremate my last remains."
A pal's last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail;
And we started on at the streak of dawn; but God! he looked ghastly pale.
He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee;
And before nightfall a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee.
There wasn't a breath in that land of death, and I hurried, horror-driven,
With a corpse half hid that I couldn't get rid, because of a promise given;
It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say:
"You may tax your brawn and brains,
But you promised true, and it's up to you to cremate those last remains."
Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code.
In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load.
In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring,
Howled out their woes to the homeless snows -- O God! how I loathed the thing.
And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow;
And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low;
The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in;
And I'd often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin.
Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay;
It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice it was called the "Alice May".
And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum;
Then "Here," said I, with a sudden cry, "is my cre-ma-tor-eum."
Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire;
Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;
The flames just soared, and the furnace roared -- such a blaze you seldom see;
And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.
Then I made a hike, for I didn't like to hear him sizzle so;
And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow.
It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don't know why;
And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky.
I do not know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear;
But the stars came out and they danced about ere again I ventured near;
I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: "I'll just take a peep inside.
I guess he's cooked, and it's time I looked"; . . . then the door I opened wide.
And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;
And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: "Please close that door.
It's fine in here, but I greatly fear you'll let in the cold and storm --
Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it's the first time I've been warm."
There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.
I never heard of this guy & never really liked poetry, but all these great posts have me contemplating buying a book. More new stuff & horizons broadened, courtesy of the CCBB. Oh, and pardon my language.
are not running a foul of copywrite laws? (which I did not think of until now when I posted the "Cremation..") If I am correct, Ho Ho or other legal eagles help here if I am wrong, after 52 years copywrites expire (actually isn't 26 years but renewable one time?). Given some of the books mentioned are older than 52 years (like Raincloud's Grandpa's book must be at least 57 years old if purchased in WWII)then these poems and stories should be public domain by now. What better place to enjoy them?
I figure since it's ok to put pet pictures on a canoeing bulletin board, it's ok to ask for help in selecting a new slogan for this year's trip. Last trip's slogan was "borrowed" from BDW's well behaved women signature. We will again be a crew of young females,(plus one middle aged male) traveling the Granite river. After Canoecopia the wife insisted there be a new slogan!
T-shirts for the girls that say something like, "Boundary Waters Sisterhood" or "Amazon of the Boundary Waters" or... ?
Your T-shirt would simply say, "HELP". Or, for a more desparate touch, maybe "Lord HELP me". Or. for a more pathetic ring, maybe "Please Help the Old Guy".
You can be sure this middle aged bald guy can attract a harem of 17 year olds. Maybe 71 year olds after dark! You know you're toast when the ski lift operators smile at you and ask if you need any help! Thanks for all the ideas.
but I am new to this board and am curious to hear what everyone's favorite route is and why. I am also interested in old growth forest and where to find it in the BW. If anyone knows of old logging camps and what not that is interesting I would like to hear about them as well. Thanks.. josh
________________________________________
Hour after hour, day after day,
we paddled and sang and slept
under the hot sun on the northern ocean,
wanting never to return.
key words you'll find a wealth of information from old posts on the CCBB. Try "old growth" or "logging camps" or "cabins" or some such wording. You'll get lots of hits.
I did Google search on "Boundary Waters Old Growth" and got lots of hits including this one which I found particularly interesting. We sometimes don't fully appreciate how old smaller-not-so-stately trees can be.
You can also find lots of historical information in books on the canoe country. Every time I go on a trip I wind up buying a few new books. I always take one of the new books with me on a trip so I can read a little bit out in the woods.
One that really focuses on the history of the Quetico that I have lying on my desk right now is "Quetico Provincial Park, An Illustrated History" by Shirley Peruniak. A very good book.
Among others the book on pictographs by Michael Furtman is up on the bookshelf as is the story of the Dorothy Molter. I read the Dorothy Molter book while propped up on a bedrock outcrop on the shores of the South Arm of Knife Lake. Then, as we paddled out, we routed ourselves past her Isle of Pines resort site.
So, enjoy the search. I think it's a life long pursuit...that is, if you're lucky.
or anything...but the reason (one of the best anyway) we go to the quetico is to see those majestic p. strobus and p. resinosa..... they are unreal!worth the trip by themselves! lots of good places to see them...lm
Skeeter Bait and I are holed up in an internet equiped motel room awaiting our final day of the endurance drive to Death Valley. Went through about 10 climate changs today onthe drive from the middle of Oklahoma. Rain, sleet, temps in the 30's to the 60's and verr, verry strong winds. Hope to make the push to sin city to meet up with a couple of old, and I use that phrase deliberatly, college buddies. Thanks to all for the tips on the below thread. And Bearfeet, I can feel the joy. Til later, paddle on!
Oh, boy, this goes back to 1991 and our first trip together as a couple back in college. I had some explaining to do with my father-in-law as to where exactly I was taking his daughter. Cliff Wold's leaky Alum. canoes, rental everything, no money for a motel, good thing we did not go very far into the BW. Ensign was mentioned in the BW Journal and we gave it a go that JULY.
Very hot that trip and windy. We surfed down Ensign with a west wind I remember not knowing really how to handle a canoe and not wanting to embarrass myself by swamping the canoe with my girlfriend in the bow. We made it to the east end of this long narrow lake. Nearly every camp was filled but we found one in the area I wanted to fish. We had a depth map and my Dad's old flasher fishlocator that weighed as much as a boat anchor with the battery.
Very nice structure on that east end as I look at that very map we used 14 yrs ago. Lots of bass with some real nice ones like the big one I'm holding with a nice walleye. I never bothered measuring it - guess I was prejudice back then too about the red eye monster. Mrs. TL's first ever fish in the BW was a bass about 19". That was quite a site. She had never caught a fish before of any size. Many screams later we got it into the canoe.
Mostly eater size walleye, sm bass and northern caught on leeches and a slip bobber had some minnows/jigs too. Caught about 80 fish around points and structure indicated on the depth map. We did well during the middle of the day I recall while it was 90 degrees. You never know unless you try. We had 3 nights to camp before it was back to the summer jobs and that is what Ensign is good for: a nice place to spend a weekend. Considering how close it is to the busiest travel route by far in the BWCA and the ease of accessing this lake, it is a pretty darn nice lake with lots of fish in its fertile waters. Lots of camps but I did not see any 5 star or 4 star sites. Dont expect much privacy unless the month is January.
If you'll indulge me in some more OT posting of Oregon scenery...
Today my buddy and I went over to Cape Creek near Heceta Head (north of Florence, OR). We went to fish for surf perch after getting a hot tip that they were hitting pretty good.
If any of you expect fish pictures, stifle yourself 'cause we didn't connect with anything except one puny lake cutthroat after giving up the perch as a lost cause. We took float tubes along for a "back up" in case the perch fishing was a bust.
Anyhow, we stopped at a little "fen" along the way to snap a few botany shots for BG and Bogs. Then we were stopped along the highway for 20 minutes due to construction work going on in the Cape Creek tunnel. Then, of course, we had our time on the beach.
So... here's our "catch of the day" in images and a link for BG to look further into our "fen" and its plant.
This sign gives you some background on the star of Darlingtonia State Wayside. We ventured out into this bog with some trepidation, but didn't find any of these carnivorous critters big enough to swallow us.
And, of course some shots of the star(s).
And, a closer look...
Bogs... I mentioned that I'd like to give you a nice skunk cabbage photo for your birthday. Missed that, so consider this one a house warming present.
Our delay at the Cape Creek Tunnel gave us 20 minutes to peruse the scenery. So what follows is a series of shots taken while wandering about the fogline along Highway 101.
First, more plants. This is the curse of the coast as far as I'm concerned; although European Beach Grass has to be right up there too. This is Gorse, an import from Scotland. It was transplanted to the South Coast estate of an old Scot who missed his home flora I guess. It would take an awfully crusty old Scot to like this stuff. Like most escaped exotics it overwhelms its new ecosystem.
The first picture is it's pretty face.
This second, close-up photo shows it's true personality. Ouch, ouch and ouch!!! The thorns are dense and stiff and a field of the stuff is totally impenetrable. And, it's highly flammable. In the 1930's the town of Bandon burn in a firestorm fed by the buring Gorse fields. Only 16 out of 500 buildings survived.
Enough of the plants...!!! Howabout some headlands where the rocky cliffs meet the surf? This is from the other fogline...
I noticed a solitary sea lion too.
But the real star of this spot lies on a different camera angle. Howabout a lighthouse and a caretaker's house? This is Heceta Head lighthouse. It's one of the most photographed scenes along the Oregon Coast. The house looking building is the old caretaker's house...which is now privately operated under special use permit from the US Forest Service as a 5-star Bed and Breakfast.
Just to show you the futile fishing aspects, here's couple of surf fishing shots. My buddy broke his rod on the first (mis)cast. We were using light rods with 2 oz of lead. He forgot to release his spool. So, today was definitely a "shakedown cruise" as far as our surf fishing went.
So... there you have it. Another ugly day at the coast...
My son has an opportunity to go on a choir tour to Oregon at the end of the school year. He was hesitant because it costs $250. I'm insisting he go - and I'll point him to your photos as all the more reason.
My wife still marvels at how GREEN the Pacific NW was when we visited. Thanks for the reminders of it's beauty.
Now how are you going to keep all the Californians from moving there?
The influx of Californians continues. When they sell their house in CA many of them have enough money to buy a very nice house in Oregon (Coast or Central Oregon mainly) and plenty left over to invest elsewhere.
I'm still waiting for the influx of Minnesotans. But most of them seem to move further north than west. Must be those Scandihoovian genes.
One thing I'm wondering is what all those carniverous plants eat? My memory from all the trips I've taken to Oregon is that there are few bugs there, at least compared to this mosquito capital! I have a number of shots of Heceta Head, the sea lions, Newport,Depoe Bay,etc, and some of the Elk you posted before, but not the bog plants. I'd love to see that area. Thanks for the post.
The cobra plants might be realtedsomehow to the pitcher plants of the bogs I am more familiar with-I defer to botany guy for confirmation.
The skunk cabbage is appreciated very much and I accept it as a house warming gift-thanks much Oregoner.
I love the Oregon Coast and the rocky shoreline and breaking surf. Sure would not mind the little homestead by the light house. Looks like a great place except when the gales blow in.
Great photos and thanks very much for sharing.
"When a man is part of his canoe, he is part of all that canoes have ever known."
Sigurd F. Olson
Great photos! I was familiar with the Cobra lilies, but I’ve not seen them “in the flesh”. I had no idea that they grew so densely. I now have added another location to my list of must-see places. Dang, I keep adding more to that list than I check off!
Bogs – the cobra lilies are indeed related to the pitcher plants you know from the northern bogs. They are in different genera: cobra lily = Darlingtonia (1 species); pitcher plant = Sarracenia (10 species). However, both genera are in the same plant family, Sarraceniaceae. This family has one other genus, Heliamphora (6 species), but these unique little plants are found in north central South America. A couple of those species are found only on one mountain in Venezuela. There is one other unrelated group of plants, also called pitcher plants, found in Madagascar, SE Asia through Australia, in the genus Nepenthes (89 species).
I would like to relate a story. I have just spent the last 3 days helping my neighbor and friends after a barn fire on their farm. You can go to www.kansascity.com and then type in pine dell farm for the news's version. The Readers Digest version is...a fire broke out around 5:00 am Tuesday morning. I was there by 5:15 and the first barn was totally engulfed in flames. The 2nd barn was on fire but we were able to get 4 of the horses out. Ed's Granddaughters little pony was in the back stall and we couldn't get to him. Pumpkin, the pony, jumped through the window of his stall and by the Grace of GOD got out without a scratch or burn. In total 10 horses died in the fire and we were able to save 5. Actually, saved 4 and Pumpkin saved his own life. The Fire Marshall believe that the fire was started by an electrical short even though all wiring was in conduit and way above code.
The moral of the story is: They are all GOD's creatures. We just get to borrow them for a small space in time.
I can only imagine the helpless feeling as you all tried your best to save those you could. Thankfully you saved some, we all wish you could have saved them all. My thoughts and prayers go out to you.
As a fellow animal lover losing a family friend whether 4 legged or 2 is always a difficult time. God's speed and you will see your horse again. He waits for you at the bridge to heaven.
"When a man is part of his canoe, he is part of all that canoes have ever known."
Sigurd F. Olson
I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I refer to horses as Horse People. I'm sure the horses that survived must be traumatized and will need extra care and attention as well as you who risked your lives to save them. Take care.
now how to you all get those little pictures at the beginning and end of your messages? Is it the same as posting a pic in the message text area? Thanks.
-Click on the “Register” link above (just above the messages).
-Since you’ve already registered just click the “Terms & Conditions of Use” link.
-Click the “My Account” link in the upper left corner.
-Login
-Click “Edit Account”
-Here you can click “Personal Photo”
-Then add the photo and logout when done
A few weeks ago I was doing something minor around the back end of my 1990 Suburban. Suddenly I noticed a whole lot of nothing where one side wing of the receiver bolts to the frame. The other side was fine. Unless you got underneath and really look a guy would never notice. I haul the Boy Scout troop trailer, canoe racks etc. It would have been bad if that thing let go on a highway. A price to pay for winter salt on NE Wisconsin roads.
________________________________________
Hour after hour, day after day,
we paddled and sang and slept
under the hot sun on the northern ocean,
wanting never to return.
some sob (stealer of balls) has been modifying the board to allow only posts they approve.....long as it is Chad or a sponser of this here board,then o.k. ....if not ...by now she must have quite the marble bag of shooters...still wondering which sentenance of one of my posts caused it to be removed....no mean spirit intentent on my part, I did mention I do not purchase a certain magizine, which I said use to be one of my necessities, I did mention water under the dam intentions and simallar.....but...zooooommmmmm, away it goes.......oh welll..on the udder hand, one of my other posts I was glad to see zoooom away, as I understand how some may have not understood the intent behind the "shot from the hip" impromptu stupidid reaction.... just remember, the fool behind these posts is wearin a smile bigger than the day!
censorship of any kind. Nobody wins when posts are "disappeared", for whatever reason. As with all of the disappeared no reason is given so we're left to guess what was the offending part, if there was any offense in the first place! Posts break the guidelines every day, yet only some are removed...such capriciousness makes it all seem very arbitrary.
My wish is that people would develop thicker skins and less fragile sensibilities so none of this would be an issue. Ain't gonna happen, but I can still wish...
... to the best of my knowledge, Chad is the only one with the power to make posts disappear. People from the board can definitely complain (via e-mail) to Chad about specific posts but, it's up to him and his judgement what gets deleted and what stays. So... the "she" you refer to does not have "quite the marble bag of shooters".
One thing to understand... thanks to the way the board is structured, if a post is made to disappear, ALL replies to that post -- no matter how appropriate the content -- will also disappear with it.
Larry
To really appreciate the wilderness, one must pay attention to the small things as well as the grandiose.
It can be a real problem with a flat in an isolated area and you can't get the tires off of the vehicle. I had this problem a month or so ago. I now carry a gear puller in the tool kit in the truck and then removed and lubed all wheels with never-sieze. My back bumper is looking pretty bad also and I don't think I'd trust doing any serious towing with the hitch. I still want to get another 20 thousand out of it when it will then hit 200,000.
On my old Ranger, the spare tire was mounted underneath the bed behind the rear axle. I put an after market box hitch on and a few years later I got a flat - found out the stock tire iron, was no longer able to get to the nut to release the tire. Walked 5 miles home. Got my socket set and walked the 5 miles back, changed the tire only ti find out the truck won't start now. So I walked the 5 miles home and called it a day. Called the wrecker and sent it to the shop. 15 miles of walkin' due to that truck. I traded it in the next month.
Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life. And not find, when it came time to die, that I had not lived." Thoreau
________________________________________
Hour after hour, day after day,
we paddled and sang and slept
under the hot sun on the northern ocean,
wanting never to return.
There have been ship's cats for many hundreds of years. Mine's a really small ship. eom
________________________________________
Hour after hour, day after day,
we paddled and sang and slept
under the hot sun on the northern ocean,
wanting never to return.
When we lived on a creek a friendly stray cat hung around for a few days. One day I was at the edge of the creek paddling and I called, "Come here Tommy" and he quickly jumped right in the bow of the canoe! Seemed very nonchalant about being on the water.
________________________________________
Hour after hour, day after day,
we paddled and sang and slept
under the hot sun on the northern ocean,
wanting never to return.
The dorsal view of an outline or shadow of a large lifting-body re-usable spacecraft with titanium leading edges, internal rocketry, and several thrust-vectoring nozzles.
I believe he's called Shuttleface but then again, he could be something as inventive and orginal as Patthecat44.
have you tripped on her in the middle of the night because you can't see her? I swear, mine just waights outside the bedroom door for me to get up to go to the bathroom just to watch me stumble over her.
we canoers have an over abundance of animals in our houses? 4 in mine, three with them, I forget who it was with five dogs. Maybe we are trying to bring nature inside with us. Whata ya think?
I am one of the rare ones on this board that has no pets, and really don't want any. They tend to inhibit where and when I can go and what I can do (in some places), hence not pets. I can show you pictures of my canoes, kayaks, jeeps, backpacks, skis,girlfriends, etc, but no pets, sorry.
Pictures of girlfriends! LOL There are times I wish I was unencumbered by pets and we have already decided when these are gone (1 dog 2 cats) there will be no more because we are never home anyway.
We could have had my parent's brittany after they died, but my wife's dog fear was strong then. It comes up occasionally since then, but our busy lives is a major arguement against a dog. Cats can be left more easily with an occasional visit from fellow cat owning neighbors.
Not that I normally allow this type of behaviour... but here's my cat, Chloe, getting a little daring while my youngest daughter enjoys a bowl of cereal. Note the dog hiding out in the backgroud hoping to further cause a ruckus.
________________________________________
Hour after hour, day after day,
we paddled and sang and slept
under the hot sun on the northern ocean,
wanting never to return.
________________________________________
Hour after hour, day after day,
we paddled and sang and slept
under the hot sun on the northern ocean,
wanting never to return.
________________________________________
Hour after hour, day after day,
we paddled and sang and slept
under the hot sun on the northern ocean,
wanting never to return.
...the ill-fated "Let's See Your Hamsters" thread I tried to start a few weeks ago.
Sorry, no cats here. But one passes through the yard once in awhile.
When my sister & I were little kids, in Marquette Park in Chicago, we regularly had cats coming around from the alley out back. A memory I enjoy is when we were about to go someplace one Sunday afternoon. My sister, about 3 at the time, was all spiffed up in her frilly white dress. Before we left, she went to the yard & picked up a stray cat. When my mom went back to get her, she found my sister holding the cat, oblivious to the near-liquid excrement which had been deposited all over her white frilly dress. Being only six years old, I found it funny. Thirty seven years later, I remind my sister of that incident....and find it funny.
Someone tailed me down the logging road to Superior at three in the morning. When I arrived at Jarvis Bay, a fellow hopped out of the truck behind me and took a run at me, but stopped short and said, "Oh, your not after the wife."
"No, I'm after the meteors." The situation was more than a little confusing.
Fortunately, out trotted a cat from under a camper, and it immediately took a liking to me. It was the fellow's cat, and he trusted the cat's judgment, so he relaxed a little, and said that there had been an altercation earlier that night with some hippies, who were down from the inland hills for a swim and some nekkid stuff, and that "the wife" was in the camper. From the looks of it, earlier in the evening things had got a bit out of hand here in the middle of nowhere. I was just glad the cat liked me.
So off I went, about a kilometre down the beach, accompanied by the cat. Oscar the camping cat, the fellow had told me. I laid out my kit, stretched out on the beach, and bundled into my down bag. What a sky! There had been pockets of ground fog on the road in, but a very gentle breeze off the Bay kept my view clear. No light pollution - - just a great wide night sky above me.
Oscar decided to stay with me for the night, sniffing about, occasionally running and pouncing, and occasionally curling up on top of my bag. I breathed in the cedar scent of the groves behind me. The water in the Bay gently lapped on the shore, and high cliffs to the north and to the south were silhouetted by the stars. I could hear wind and breaking waves from the other side of the peninsula to the south. I could hear my breathing, my heartbeat.
And above me were the stars and the meteors, two separate showers at one time. Most flew to my right, some starting with bright flashes, and some with long trails. Some flew to my left, with fewer tails, and usually not as bright. And there were so very many of them.
There I was with a cosmic cat, laying in the front seat of the spaceship, hurtling through space, into and past the stardust. I always enjoy watching ships gradually sink below the horizon as they steam away. It shows me that yes, we live on a globe. And I even more marvel at meteor showers, for they show me that our globe is indeed hurtling through space. We're all on a marvellous ark together.
Come the hour before sunrise, the sky began to show pastels and the meteor show faded. Only a few flashes. A raven cawed from the south, and another answered from the north. Somewhere behind me, far in the distance, some Canada Geese honked. I packed up my kit, and made my way back down the beach with Oscar. There were quite a few deer tracks, a moose track, a bear track, and a wolf track, and close to the vehicle, what looked to me to be "the wife" track. A pretty busy place for the nose of a spaceship.
The sound of the wind and breakers from the other side of the peninsula had grown as the sky brightened, and patches of low cloud scudded in from that direction, so after spending a few minutes pulling Oscar out of my vehicle, then off of my vehicle, then out of my vehicle again, I set off down the road out to the end of the peninsula, hoping to be able to hike down its south face for a look at the big lake before the mackerel sky brought in rain. My little bay where I had spent the night was very sheltered, but the south side of the peninsula was open to Superior. While winding my way, I thought I glimpsed a pack of dogs chasing me. At first I wondered if I was having cat dreams, but no, there really was a pack of dogs chasing me. They were huskies pulling a fellow on an ATV. I moved into the first clearing available, but the musher shot me a nasty look as his team charged by. My trail head was at the end of his trail. He was such a Grumpy Gus that I wonder if he was involved in the hippie altercation.
There were no paths at the end of the road, so I wandered along the edge of the escarpment until I came across a game trail making its way down. At the base the forest floor was mostly deep moss, with ferns still green, but with a litter of birch leaves. The over story was mainly birch and spruce, lending a spruce tang to the air. Although the forest was dense, finding the lake was no problem - - not with the sound of the breaking surf guiding me. When I broke through to the shore, there was a enough wind to bring a chill, and two to three foot surf breaking on the cobble. Time for the last dip of the season. Eeeeek! Cold! Cold! Cold! Stupid idea! Stupid idea! Stupid idea! A seagull on a boulder laughed at me. An invigorating bushwhack back in to the top of the escarpment, and then back into town for a sauna.
While doing the bake and baste back in town (200F for ten minutes, then cold shower for three minutes, repeat for one and a half hours until marginally conscious and completely relaxed), I again marvelled at how much life there is on our small planet, and how our planet carries us around the life giving warmth of the sun.
And I marvelled at how lucky I was to have had for a night a front row view of it all as the stardust rained down about me.
________________________________________
Hour after hour, day after day,
we paddled and sang and slept
under the hot sun on the northern ocean,
wanting never to return.
we have two cats (small apartments = no dogs yet), Emma and Gracie. though Gracie acts rather like a dog sometimes. she likes her belly scratched, will sleep on her back and plays fetch (will chase after, find and bring back a ball 20+ times in a row). here they are:
This is not my cat but I've considerd doing this to the one that always bugs me with her overly-friendly "but you gotta pay attention to me, I'm the coolest cat in the world"!
Someone sent me this in an e-mail. I just LOVE it! When I need a little cheer I make it the background on my desktop!
Judy, Oliver, and OJ are my cats. Judy is the best cat in the world! Oliver and OJ are both neutered males, but they don't act like it. Both are a pain.
I am assuming we will be eating first, with trip tales,photos to share, and beverages to consume following. Any chance Trout Lane might be able to make an appearance, with new baby pics?
I'm sure there's more of you out there like me with a very understanding significant other or wife with children in the mix. Here's what I did. I traced Paula's son's hands (he will be five next month) on some scrap cedar. Cut them out with a jigsaw, and down, and put a little block of wood between them and you've got a personalized napkin holder. Make sure you get a little bit of the arm in the trace so you have somewhere to put the screws.
I did this for my Mom when I was a wee little carey in the cub scouts, and she still uses it to this day.
Anyone know of a good website to order USGS quads from? I wanted to get a Shagawa Lake quad. I tried the USGS site and man was it cumbersome - the buying process broke down. Thanks, Bill
Programs are excellent if you don't mind dropping $100. They're state specific, but utilize USGS maps and the detail is as good as the paper maps. They're also nice for downloading tracks and waypoints of your trips from a GPS for future reference. You cannot however, upload the maps to a GPS - - have to use the GPS manufacturer's software for that. You can upload predetermined routes and waypoints from the Topo program to your GPS as well as print your own USGS maps (or portions of them) on weatherproof paper from the Topo program.
was early this summer?...i'm counting on toothfairy to go and if i'm lucky...she'll tell about it since i always wanted to meet stumpy(he is anon. in the bio section...maybe a ghost or something!)the excursion will probably be too tough and demanding for us(spouse /me). i hope it's a good experience for everybody.bon voyage!..ln
. . . it wouldn't be the Bushwacker's Jamboree (aka Rendezvous)! Sorry to say I cannot attend this year but look forward to 2010 when I plan to have honed my bushwacking skills. Of course, by then Stumpy may be petering out at 50 years of age . . . oh, wait, me too! Still plan to make it then.
nice idea for those interested adding a goal/destination for a trip - some sense of accomplishment, adventure and surprise. I'm not interested and its not for me but I'm sure the Stumpster is fine with that.
...This will be my first canoe so I am excited about it, plus the fact that my sons (2-1/2 yrs old and one due in July) will be able to grow up with canoing as a part of their life...something I wish I would have been able to experience.
Howard...come on man...Busse awaits!
Madl
"He who travels with dry foot, not experience all that canoe country has to offer."
This is my 2 year old Keeshond William-Am/Can CH Twin Trees Aristocat. Those are my feet in the background. This picture was taken the day he won his Canadian Championship in Thunder Bay at 14 months old.
We also have 2 more Keeshonds-Echo who is 3, Lily the girl who is 4 months and a Cocker Spaniel Abby who is 14 years old.
"When a man is part of his canoe, he is part of all that canoes have ever known."
Sigurd F. Olson
Attendees so far are:
Me (Pam)
Husband (Kevin)
Son and Daughter (Joe and Cheyenne)
Daughter's friend (Chelsea)
Friends of husband (Daniel and his wife)
How's that for a list! My daughter and her friend won't be paddling; they plan on babysitting TroutBreath's children.
We plan on camping in the trailer section. I'm not sure where Daniel and his wife will be staying, with us or in the tent section.
What's being referred to is that we have an annual gathering on the Upper Iowa River -- usually towards the end of April. This year's edition is scheduled for the weekend of April 29 - May 1. All on the board is invited. Others can fill you in on the details or point you to previous announcements about the event.
99% sure my wife & I'll be there - - quite possibly with our camping trailer as long as I can get Friday off from work. I'll know for sure within a few days.
whether that first pension check arrives and what boats I have sold and/or bought at Midwest Mountaineering's sale in Minneapolis the Saturday before. Thanks for all the organizing.
I won't be able to join you this year, I will be kayaking in the Carribean with Caroline. If you need someone else to do the UIR Roll at the nasty bank undercut remind them to bring spare clothes, it's still pretty chilly.
It's about 7.2! It reached almost 7.5 earlier today.
I would think it would be runnable only in whitewater kayaks/canoes at this level. Oh well, we've got a month for it to come down some. It would be nice to get a 4' level.
It's either flood stage or hiking stage. It passes between the two at 1:47 AM, so uless you're out looking at Northern Lights, you'll never see the transition.
Swampy, I guess that is a great compliment, considering I gave you a waterproof toilet paper keeper.
I've been house sitting mostof the month, so I have had very little access to the board. I've missed it. Only one more day! I wanna go home. Jstroke could you sing that song?
So, Swamp, use your gift in good health
xxx
k
Not a baggie, a wasserdichte! When I first read the tag, I thought it might be something else entirely but I have a fairly sick mind
No really, I really appreciated the thought. And it will come in handy and with my propensity to swim, the waterproof aspect is greatly needed.
You all have fun on the UIR. We could sure use some of that water down her for the 28th annual April Fools on Big Pine trip on Saturday. Usually have around 30 boaters no matter what the weather.
I plan to be at the Minneapolis playfest Saturday with my wife! Our plan is to "escape" for the whole day. I will take in the Scratch and Dent Sale at REI, Bloomington - I'll be the one frantically grabbing this and that (don't get in my way, lol), then spend the afternoon with my wife doing "her" thing, then join the platyfest in the evening.
Really looking forward to the day and seeing many of you again.
This lady is flying around the local elementary school just around the corner from me. Her nest is across the street. Doesn't look like a red-tailed hawk to me, but maybe the female is a lot different?
be sure you get a photo of the bird in flight so we can see if the wings are rounded or pointed. And a closeup of the head. And if possible, have it sitting next to a crow so we can compare the size.
To me it looks like a juvenile Cooper's Hawk or juvenile Sharp-Shinned Hawk. They are virtually identical, except the Cooper's is bigger . . . close to crow-sized. I don't think it's a Peregrine, because it doesn't have barring across it's belly and just looks more like an Accipiter (Cooper's or Sharp-Shinned) than like a Falcon. The mustache would be prominent on a Peregrine.
By the way, jstroke, males and females of almost all Hawk, Eagle, and Falcon species have identical plummage. (The only exception I can think of is the Northern Harrier, aka Marsh Hawk, where males and females are very different.) The only difference between the sexes in most species is that females are usually larger. But adults and juveniles have different plumages, and in many species (especially Red-Tails) different adults have very different plumages.
I don't think this is a falcon. Just doesn't look right. That leaves it to be a hawk of some kind.
Redtails are pretty big birds (buteous) and have relatively short tails compared to body size. This bird is a long tailed hawk, so it is accipter.
That would make it most likely either a coopers hawk or a sharp-shin hawk. Coopers are slightly larger, but a male cooper could easily be smaller than a female sharp-shin, so size isn't definitive.
One of the easiest ways of IDing these two birds is to check for the presence or absence for a notch in the center of the tail when the bird is at rest. This bird appears to have rounded tail, but I don't have my bird books here at work and I don't have the foggiest whether it is the coopers or the sharp-shin that has the notch in the tail. I'll take a look when I get home tonight.
My guess is that it is a sharp-shin, however, simply because sharp-shins are more common than coopers and therefore more likely to be seen.
I think Cooper's are actually more common down here in Washington, and I'd guess the same is true in Nashville. I sometimes see them at the same time around here in winter though, especially at the National Arboretum. If it's bigger than a crow it is definitely a Cooper's (probably female).
Local songwriter arrested for voyeuring at elementary school.
After protesting in Washington DC, local songwriter Jerry Vandiver seemed to have snapped and was found on top of Cora Howe elementary school today with a digital camera claiming to be photographing a bird of prey in the center of the city. He says he was going to post the pictures on the internet.
When arrested for voyeuring, he was heard to proclaim, "I'm a voyaguer, not a voyauer!"
I think they are planning to come over and try to find it.
Pretty fun!
Thanks everyone!
BTW, I'm leaving tomorrow for my first paddle of the year down a beautiful river in the Cumberland Plateau. I hope to post a couple of pics when I return.
I think it is probably a Red-Shouldered, it even looks like there is a hint of red on the shoulders in your picture. Your guess of Cooper's is a good one, though, and may wll be right. Your hawk looks different from jstroke's hawk because his is a juvenile, and they have a white breast/belly with brown vertical streaks, whereas the adult Cooper's has red horizontal barring like in your picture. But so does a Red-Shouldered Hawk, and I think yours is a Red-Shouldered because it looks more like a Buteo (the genus that includes the Red-Tail and the Red-Shouldered) than like an Accipiter (the genus that includes the Cooper's and Sharp-Shinned). But a Red-Shouldered Hawk acts more like an accipiter than most other buetos do. Talk about tricky! Great pic, by the way. Where are you located, this can help with ID.
I'm curious as to what items people typically carry into the BW/Q that could be considered nonessential by others. Items that may weigh more than there value justifies, but they are carried in anyway to provide added enjoyment. Here's my list:
2 therma-rest sleeping pads
fresh carrots and Hidden Valley Ranch dip
apples
Maker's Mark (actually, this is essential)
Tootsie Rolls and/or licorice
My camping and paddling partner is a weight fanatic, he is constantly berating my packed items. My standard response has become 'don't worry about it, I'm carrying it'. What items are you willing to carry so you don't have to go without while in the back country?
We took in one of those black bag "showers" on a trip a few years ago and I think we'll bring one along this year too... We'll be in about nine days, and I just remember how good it felt to have a "shower" of nice lukewarm water one afternoon back then. Seems pretty goofy, but you asked for guilty pleasures.
I always take a few apples, and I add peas to my stroganoff and other freeze dried meals when I repackage them. Momma always taught us to eat our vegetables
Yes, I place a 10 lb rock in Mrs. TL's pack just in case I can't find a nice round rock. I don't want my anchor bags getting ripped on a sharp stone.
No, no just kidding.
We fish often while anchored and an anchor bag saves time tieing up a rock and its just easier for very little weight. I have two along, in fact, if I want one in back and one in front to position the canoe just right on a dropoff or to hold the canoe in windy conditions. Though most of the time we just use one anchor if we use one at all.
Ah, forgot about this one... Two years ago a buddy and I decided to spend a weekend fishing on Slim Lake. Anybody familiar with that little lake knows it's about an 80 (?) rod portage in from the parking area. Not wanting to be outwitted by the piscine residents of the lake, we decided to bring his old depth finder in with us. The only means of power we had for it was a car battery. I've done some mean portaging before... Nothing compares with 80 rods carrying a car battery. My arms hurt for a week.
those sling-type chairs you find at any store, about 7-8 lbs. each (MAC, Eddie Bauer, etc.) for $5-$15 each. A pain to carry since four of them don't pack well. Worth the trouble bringing when you finally sit in one.
Our general rule is "You want it so bad, you get to carry it." Firepit brings about 30# of fishing tackle. If he snagged every cast he would not run out of lures/jigs for a couple weeks. One trekker, Tom, carried at least 50 lbs. of large format (4"x5") camera equipment. We never carried it because he would never let us touch it.
We used to carry our ceremonial "lump of cream of asparagus soup". Bought by me in a fit of outfitting excess, it was enough to make a couple gallons of soup. Nobody ate it but we packed it along for many trips, all the while slowly absorbing water to become an edible rock. It was chucked a couple years ago, the joke having worn thin.
The biggest item is a 12x20 tarp that I use for a lean to to get out of the rain, or sun with out laying in a tent. Therma rest matresses, two folding camp chairs. But the camp chair is a necessety as I have 2 prosthetic hips. I'm even a little worse on a "short" trip when I know I'm base camping I leave the therma rests at home and bring a blow up double sized air matress. Fits perfect in my Eureka 3-man camper.
A couple years ago I started taking a chair. Really it is not too bad. It is similar to this http://www.gcichairs.com/products_quikeseat.htm I started bringing it after the time a mouse ran up my pant leg while I was sitting on the ground. Just couldn't get up fast enough!
Also, a normal size therma rest is normally on my list. However, I only own two of them. Last year my son and his friend came along on the trip. I needed another matress. I could take a "blue foam" pad, purchase another thermarest, or take one of our air matresses used for car camping. I took the air matress. Now that was NICE!
It does require spending some time and a lot of breaths to blow it up, but I thought it well worth it! I may take it again!
I'm not a gun-nut or a psycho, but for the last 10 years I've had a .22 pistol and a U.S. Marines style KaBar knife attatched to my pack. Despite the added weight neither really get any use. Food wise, I usually end up packing at least one 2L bottle of soda for drink mix. I suppose the J.D. is a luxury item too. You could also add a coffee percolator, small pillow, live minnows, and frozen steaks to the list. Just because you're camping doesn't mean you have to live like a savage!
1) chairs. Two of them from Campmor, each weighs only 3.5 lbs. Never go without them.
2) depth finder. I go to fish.
3) 4 rods. See above.
4) lots of tackle. See above.
5) big tarp. I like to dry-in a large area for cooking/storage. Of course I am usually in a group of 6.
6) at least one book. Often only gets read a few minutes a day, but one time when I had to yank several hooks out of my hand and was laid up for a day and a half I was sure glad to have it!
"Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the U.S. Ask any Indian"
A couple of times there was a new Harry Potter Book that was released to coincide with a trip. I read to my kids and have read them every Harry Potter book, every Lord of the Rings Book, and countless others! One time Harry Potter came with us and we read by the campfire or in the tent with a headlamp.
Thank goodness this time we will be coming out to coincide with the release of the next book. Those suckers are BIG!
"We do not remember days, we remember moments...." Cesare Pavese
I took in a reflector oven on my last trip and will continue to take a reflector oven on future trips.
I also take in a couple group hammocks and some mosquito netting.
I also take video camera.
My next trip going in on May 22nd to Dissappointment Lake. I will be taking my 10 month old daughter in for a 5 night trip. Still haven't packed for the trip, but knowing that we are setting up a base camp with an infant and only have 1 or 2 portages, we may take in a few more luxury items.
Yeah, I am pretty sure about taking Amanda on her first BWCA trip.
I'm really not to concerned about the trip. I have been up to boundary waters on 14 week-long trips. So you could say I have some experience.
There will be 6 adults on the trip. My wife and I, my parents and a good friend and his wife. They know the purpose of the trip so they know what to expect.
I am also only planning on going in 3.5 miles or so. Where ever I find a good campsite on disappointment lake. So I am not going in very far. In fact I think the cell phone still works on Disappointment lake.
If the water is rough, I don't really plan on having Amanda on the water in the canoe. We did buy a life jacket that supposedly will roll the child over so there head is up and out of the water in 6 seconds or less. We have already been in a swimming pool with Amanda in her life jacket. Didn't throw her in to test the life jacket, but we did put her on her side and the jacket rolled her over correctly. So I am not really concerned about that.
And to be quite honest, if we get there and we or Amanda is miserable, we will be heading out early.
My really only concern is the fire. And no matter where I go camping this year, there will probably be a fire. Just need to be extra careful around the fire.
So yeah, I am sure.
How's that for a short answer.
a number of years ago two of my friends took thier one year old car camping in Northern WI. The child got VERY sick on the third day, and it ended up being (sorry I forgot the name of it). DANG! It's the illness that has a high temp, and can cause brain swelling. I should know it too, my cousin went deaf from it. Anyway the doctors at Childrens told them it was do to a skeeter bight the child got on the trip. They still haven't forgiven themselvs.
We are seriously thinking about bringing in a pack-n-play crib on the trip. We have the mosquito netting that surrounds it. It won't be fun to portage, but it would be nice during the day during naptime, but I am thinking that my wife and I with a pack-n-play crib won't fit in our 4 man tent at night. Still pondering that one.
We are taking in a dryfly with an mosquito netting attachment for that as well.
If the bugs are really bad, and there is no escaping them, then it will be a very short trip as we will most likely be heading out.
My dad will not allow Amanda to drink lake water. He said he will portage in drinking water for her. That may be a heavy item, but that I don't mind as much, because on the way out, we won't be portaging the water weight.
I can understand the regret of doing something and then my child getting hurt, but I think there is a flip side as well, raising your child in such a sheltered/protected environment can also end up being looked back on with regret. So I personally hope to be somewhere in the middle of the two extremes.
You obviously have alot of experience and know what you are doing. I don't have children, but I agree with your comment about sheltering a child too much and regretting it later---accidents happen everywhere---in fact the most common place for accidents is in our own homes or in automobiles---so should we not let our kids in our homes or cars? Besides that early in May I would not expect the bugs to be bad yet.
Experience is one thing, experience with kids in the woods is another thing.
Growing up in the woods, and feeling no great time pressure to make sure my kids "got their experience" gives me a little different outlook. For our crew, the whole thing revolved around making sure life was fun and good and simple for all concerned.
Others are free to disagree, but I've been of the opinion that nibbling around the edges by getting a cabin or staying at one of the campgrounds early on is a lot easier all the way around - and the kid will never know the difference. If the parents are worried about the difference, that is another matter entirely.
A day trip or two, setting up the tent (for naptime), with a fire to roast hot dogs and marshmallows, swimming and frolicking and exploring - with a roof and a soft bed to head back to is a decent option.
I've heard of a few trips with parents battling kid illnesses, sanitation problems and such, and have been somewhat less than impressed.
Life may be a bitch, but it beats the alternative.
I do agree that I have very little experience with kids in the woods. Though, I have to say, the one thing I have learned so far being a parent is there is no such thing as experience. By the time I think I am figuring things out, Amanda is moving into a different stage of life. Whether it is determining what foods mom ate that are giving Amanda a gasy stomach, her getting a cold, cutting teeth, being able to roll across the room, being able to scoot across the room, eating baby foods and trying to determine what is giving her tummy problems. We basically just take it one day a time and seek others for help when needed. We are really enjoying being parents.
Our lives have definately changed. Things are so much better when we stay true to Amanda's eating and sleeping schedule. So life is definately different and we are adapting.
My normal trips are usally loop trips that cover 46 - 50 miles. So in a way, I feel like I am on the inside edge of boundary waters. Not very far in.
Also, I like the crew that is going in with me. My parents are going and while it has been a while since they have had kids to raise, they have raised 2 kids and it will be nice having them along to help with Amanda. My friend Kevin, we have gone on 6 previous trips together. He has gone on other trips without me as well. So it will be nice having his boundary waters experience there. He is getting married next weekend and looking forward to introducing his wife to the BWCA.
I am sure there will be some obsticals to over come. There always is. It will be an adventure. One that I am looking forward to.
Sounds like Encephalitis to me. After the age of 6 months babies can wear deet (just try it out it before you are camping to look for reactions). In fact the doctors around my area encourage it. The bugs by my house are a million time worse than a bad day in the BW. Bring the long clothes, bug spray and bug nets and babies will love it
there's a nice island campsite on disappointment, about halfway up the lake... small island, not much in the way of firewood, but a good spot to head for.
the island campsite in the southern section of the lake is excellent. landings on two different sides, central tent pads (out of the wind) and a great view from the fire area to the East.
we were in May 21-23 last year. the temps were in the 40s and 50s -- bugs were non-existant. i don't think it had been warm enough yet for a mosquito hatch and it was too cold/windy for the flies to be out.
if you're interested, i have a trip report posted on another site:
when that 10 month old will be 22 months and much more active- and apt to end up in either the water, fire, or the woods, then you literally will have to have an adult on them 24/7. Having along grand parents will help some. But even at 10 months, she will either toddling or crawling all over. We went car camping with our youngest and oldest were both 2 months of age- piece of cake. At that stage, they don't care where they are and don't move. When my oldest was 15 months, we went car camping with my parents near a lake (50 yards away) and it took all 4 adults to rein him in from the water. I would probably have that 10 month old wearing her life preserver almost all the time. I must have been close to that age when the family went boating on the Mississippi. As any good toddler, I fell asleep in the boat so my mom left me sleeping. Luckily, with my life preserver on, because suddenly they looked up and there I was bobbing in the water trying to get to shore. That was at a spot we called "40 foot deep" because of the way the bottom just dropped off there. Needless to say, you would not being bored by this post if I had not had my life preserver on. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying don't take her, just take precautions. It will be a different trip, but then you are traveling into new terrain as a parent, enjoy both trips.
I will see how this trip goes before planning another trip.
Besides, I think we may be heading out to Oregon next summer to spend time with Brenda's mom and her brothers family. We always go out at Christmas time, but we are looking at making a two week trip out there next summer instead.
Fresh food; Steaks, eggs, fresh veggies, hash browns, lots of bacon
Therma rests
Candle lantern
Too much fishing gear
Often too much clothing
35MM Nikon F circa 1970 - heavy, but technically a wonderful camera
Several novels - I'll read 3 on a week trip
Hammock
playing cards
no sleeping pads, no fresh food (except perhaps frozen steak for the first night), no lunches really (we bring oats/bisquick for breakfast, dried beans 'n rice for dinner and CLIF bars and trail mix to snack on). we travel as light as possible (for two people, we usually have one full pack and one half to 2/3 full Duluth pack). though we do bring some fishing gear (enough to catch some lunch here and there) and whiskey (end of the day reward).
of course, we're young. i think we will eventually not enjoy sleeping directly on the ground, eating only (minimal) dried food, etc.
The blue one is mine and the brand is roll-a-table. you can see them in campmor. The aluminum one is my father-in-law's and although he got it at sportsman's guide I think they are also in campmor. Both roll up the size of a camp chair.
I haven't weighed it but it fits in a chair bag and you can't tell the difference when carrying it. I just wish someone would market one with legs that adjust like tripod legs to make up for uneven ground.
Not knocking your style, to each his own, but it is really interesting to see the differences!
Out of that picture, here's what you'd get to bring with our group:
1) The metal pan
2) The food, if that is what's on the table, although the near bag looks suspiciously like fresh apple slices. If the far bag is tea, we'd let you bring it along because it is lightweight, but we might grumble a bit.
3) Tarp (just got a Guide Gear yesterday)
4) Water bottle, if it was not the third or more along
5) Your clothes, including glasses, as long as you don't bring several changes of clothes.
That leaves about 15 luxury items if you count each piece separately!!
I think you have convinced me to bring mine this summer. Mine has those wood strips. Fit in a bag like a bag chair. Sometimes it is nice to work on a relatively flat stable surface.
Sportman's warehouse has a small table 1x2 ft with 6 inch legs that I picked up for a few bucks that might have some use.....
About 4 years ago one dad brought a bag chair along... Since then our group of 8 usually has 3 or so along. We double portage anyway and a guy can just put them in a duluth pack ....
Bring hammocks too but seems like I'm always too busy to lay in one.
took one the first couple of years but now just use our water bucket as a one dump shower.Set it out on a rock in the morning and its plenty warm by afternnon.
This may not be the most exotic item, but they are now a regular item in our camp. My father, a relatively young grandfather (54), has had both of his hips replaced and has difficulty carrying any type of back pack. He wants to contribute so he figured that he could carry a couple of buckets filled with a variety of stuff. He explained that having two approximately equally weighted items that can be easily dropped is managable. THe buckets allow him to put the items down as needed. We have told him countless times that this is not neceassary, but he insists. Now we rely on the buckets for everything from seats/chairs to a washing basin and as a table. I thought it was kind of crazy to bring along these large buckets, but now am glad that "good ole dad" came up with the idea. Do others bring buckets?
we got started using them while camping in VNP. i got tired of being so careful backing crushables in the hanging food bag and trying to keep it waterproof...
then suddenly a little light came on in my head...
jeepers! i could stack things in a bucket that is water resistant (pre gamma) ...and crush resistant ....and has it's own handle to hang it with and carry it with... then came the realization that they were good to sit on and use as a little work table... then came the idea to use them in bwca too...
i had never seen anyone use them before, but it seemed like the thing to do.
we used one to bail out roger and karl's canoe when it was mostly filled with water on a wind run down cirrus.
I'm still from the old school of minimalist backpacking, so I consider the thermarests to be 'near' guilty pleasure. Then there is the illegal (dangerous product liability issue ) pack hammock. And my wife brings a chair adapter for her Thermarest.
Actually, I'd really like to bring a small, possibly inflatable, plastic yard flamingo . . . ONe year we passed a group of Scouts on Bayley Bay and one of their canoes was towing a duck decoy... I take everything else about my gear pretty seriously, and a part of me would like to counterbalance by taking something really off-the-wall .... out of place and of no practical value whatsoever!
do wood thrushes (like live in appalachians)live up there too ? say lake kawnipi?...wondering as it seemed i heard one in the evening quiet on one trip. any ideas? thanks...lm
I'm guessing what you heard was a Hermit Thrush, not a Wood Thrush. BW, and especially Q, is outside the Wood Thrush's range, although if I'm not mistaken a few have been found up there on rare occasions. The Hermit Thrush is common up there, and its song is similar to a Wood Thrush, differing mostly in the sounds at the very beginning and very end.
The move is done!!!! Well except for a few boxes yet to unpack. It was a stressful situation with a buyer of the house of the people who bought my house not ready to close which meant I owned 2 houses until 1:18 pm yesterday instead of the closing date on Monday afternoon. Its a little too involved to go into in a post, but let's just say it was close to being a fradulant transaction and involves questionable mortgage applications, a divorce and the owner of the real estate company who represented them buying the house in question. I am still fighting over the extra interest, taxes, insurance etc I had to pay for two days and have contacted an attorney if things don't get completed quickly.
On the positive sign, we love the new place. We had an eagle in a tree outside our back door, Turkeys walking around the field next door, 2 cranes arrived and landed in the small pond you can see as you stand at the front door and much more quiet than the city. It is good to live in the country!!!
I am really struggling to find time to appear at the platyfest on Saturday-don't count me out yet-but it is not looking good right now. I'll keep you posted.
"When a man is part of his canoe, he is part of all that canoes have ever known."
Sigurd F. Olson
us a bit longer to get the computer set up and online after such a move.
Sounds like you found moving to be quite an adventure--dealing with them mortgage people is nasty--they have quite a racket going. And they know few people would be willing to just walk away at the last minute when they pull those all too frequent bait and switch tactics at the signing.
Hope you can make it to the platyfest. If you are interested, I'd be glad to give you my input on what you can do with the problems you ran into. I'm in the business.
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." Yogi Berra
Glad you're in the new house, and an eagle to greet you is sure a great sign and welcome!Sorry to hear the people who didn't like scratchy floors continued the crazness with you...
And for being unpacked! We have been in our new house for 14 months and there is still stuff in boxes! Must mean we have too much unused stuff.
I know what you mean about the stress of owning 2 homes, I was the nervous owner of 2 homes (one under construction) for 22 months before I finally sold my old place in January of this year a year after we moved into the new place. Never imagined it would take that long, plus had one deal fall through in the interim. Not fun at all!
Maybe some of you northerners can help out an ignorant buckeye. The Moose Lake web cam is looking different the past few days. Is that just water on top of the ice, or is any of that actually open water?
I can answer this one I think.
With a little bit of "warmer" weather occurring lately.
I would guess what you see is the snow on top of the lake melting.
The average ice out for lakes in that area is last week in April-first week in May.
Great shot; makes me curious about what's in those narrows.
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life. And not find, when it came time to die, that I had not lived." Thoreau
because it was so difficult "putting down" the last of the 3 dogs we used to have that we consciously dogless.
Now I get it! Great!
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life. And not find, when it came time to die, that I had not lived." Thoreau
Elsa chose us when she was a puppy and we all became very attached. We had 3 dogs. One wandered off to die and we never found her. Another one died in the driveway overnight (while I was in the BW discovering that I couldn't get very far just after the '99 storm). But Elsa (an amalgamation of us calling her--at first--"lost soul" had become so loyal that she wouldn't leave. She grew stiff and soon couldn't get up if she was on a bare floor. Soon she lost bladder and bowel control. We had to use a sling to get her up and outside where she sometimes peed.
Our house was becoming a kennel and my wife had hurt her back lifting Elsa up with the sling. So we made the decision to "put her down." She was terrified of the vet and we gave her a sedative before he came.
Now we live near a large wilderness area which has coyotes which we hear off and on--especially on cold winter nights when there is a moon. But as I began to dig Elsa's grave in the afternoon in July I heard several coyotes start to howl. They set off all the neighborhood dogs and I was surrounded by howling distant canines for several minutes. Just then the vet drove in and in a few minutes we were placing Elsa's body in the grave.
I believe that the coyotes and dogs knew in some way what was about to happen and were either mourning her passing or sending her off. This was a couple of years ago and I have not heard the coyotes howl in the daytime since.
(Apologies if I've already told this...)
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life. And not find, when it came time to die, that I had not lived." Thoreau
Lack of time prevented my Wednesday report, but thanks to my toddler pictured with a headlamp, I'm up with him at 4:30 am to prepare oatmeal!
Back to Quetico for a lake I got a tip from during the first few months I was on the CCBB. My post was titled " What is the best walleye lake" I got few responses mostly of this kind: "I'll be damned If I'll tell you". But there was one that suggested Jesse Lake i recall. I knew nothing about its reputation. Well, we've gone and had two very nice base camp trips on that lake. Ben, out little son, calls it his favorite lake.
Anyway, entering at Nym Lake on the north side of Quetico is a nice way to enter Quetico. Easy. We found Jesse Lake a nice destination for our family outings as it allowed us good fishing, a wilderness experience, and just a general nice time relatively easy to get to while we have a toddler. Pictured is Quetico Passage and his son as we posed for the start of trip photo. They joined us for 2004 and his son got his first taste of Quetico turning out to be a good sport on his introduction trip.
Jesse Lake is long and narrow so it never gets too rough with plenty of nice islands and very nice camps for a mid size lake (around 800n to 1000 acres). Shallow and Fertile I've not come across water deeper than 40'. Its got lots of eater size walleye. The first trip back in 2003 we caught and released, well I'll just say a lot of walleyes. We stumbled across one of those mid lake humps that was an absolute jackpot in August - I doubt anyone has ever fished it. Mrs TL took an absolute hog on the last morning of fishing. 29" walleye her biggest to date! Look at the tail of that fish. I still remember the fanned out tail laying next to my 8.5" wide bentshaft blade and being wider than the paddle blade! I love the photos of that fish because our little guy was right by her side during the whole battle and in all the photos. A Quetico memory we will always remember.
You will see plenty of people on Jesse but the west end receives less traffic. We found a very nice unmarked island camp midway down the lake. Lots of base camp opportunities with neighboring lakes. Walter Lake and Oriana Lake are exceptional Trout Lakes. The north part of Oriana Lake was a wonderful time with great camps a couple of 5 star type that had very few footprints. Those are the best kind. Gorgeous & lightly traveled part of Quetico I think most pass thru the southern end on the main route. In two weeks of fishing we caught mainly eater size walleye with relatively few over 20". Pictured is a 25" fish too but dont expect many big ones but there are lots of pan size walleye. At least that was my impression. Whoever suggested Jesse Lake years ago, thanks. We had some nice time there. Maybe I can return the favor now.
Including the short carry to Nym there are 4 portages all in the not easy/ not rugged category. Lets see, we ate lunch right before portaging to Maria and I think were on the other end of Jesse by 2 pm. Started at about 7 to 7:30 with our litle guy along so for two good travelers I'd say 6 hrs maybe less. Wind can be an issue on Nym and Batchewaug so an early start is wise.
We were on an island on the Western part of the lake the third week in August 2004. We found an area where my depth finder was reading 70 foot depth and was marking more fish than I have ever seen down near the bottom. At the time a storm was moving in so I never had a chance to investate. Does anybody have any ideas about what I was marking at 70 feet? Lake Trout, I didn't think Jesse was a Trout lake?
________________________________________
Hour after hour, day after day,
we paddled and sang and slept
under the hot sun on the northern ocean,
wanting never to return.
...if I find a nuclear weapons company that's about to have their patents expire and can talk them into producing canoe accessories, would you like to be the marketing guy?
Hmmmm, now let's see... what is the area code for Russia?
That old "standard" is the reel I was looking at. It was given to me by a retired Quetico ranger who lives in Winton.
It also talks about the Zebco 22, which was given to me by my dad, who passed away in 1971. I still have it and it works just fine.
I have many other Zebcos, including one I bought at a garage sale for 50 cents. I caught my 2 biggest fish ever on it, both 43.5 inch pike.
At least this is what I've known it to be called. This shouldn't cost a fortune to replace. It is an adjustable 'skeg' that helps trim your motor straght when going straight-on. I've had to adjust mine on a little larger (140 hp) motor to keep the motor from pulling right or left.
some boats i have had are really sensitive to the least bit of change in adjustment....it counteracts the engine torque....like when you hold opposite rudder when taking off with in your p-51 mustang. walter mitty....lm
designed to be replacable. It looks to be around $12 at West Marine for Mercury outboards under "outboard/outdrive anodes".( I have no affiliation with West or any other marine based company). That would certainly affect trim and steering but would not make the engine run rough or poorly- if that is what you meant by "ran like crap".
Several reasons. The two primary reasons are to protect my hands (thumbs and fingers actually) and to protect the fish. My thumbs and fingers split in the corners if they are in and out of the water repeatedly as often happens when you are into the fish! But equally important it is to keep from removing the fish's protective slime. It doesn't come off on the gloves like it does on your hands. Makes for a higher survival rate for them little buggers. And when it comes time to clean the fish for the dinner table, I don't have hands that smell like fish! And they do add a degree of protection from gill plates, etc., plus they add some warmth.
...is able to alter the shape of its body, a morphological defence, when placed in an environment that contains large predatory fish such as pike. Your walleye looks more like the victim of poluition or some sort of genetic thing. Just two cents from a lotalota.
Danny Torbett reported catching a this unusual striper along with six other normal stripers near Morgantown on the Potomac River this past March 29-30 weekend. He said the fish fought normally and was 26 inches long but would have been about 30 inches if it had been straightened out. The high arch of the back is a condition called lordosis and is caused by an abnormal development of the spine. Mr. Torbett's fish has an arch at the spiny dorsal fin but, for fish with lordosis, this arch can occur any place along the body.
Fishermen may often see another spinal abnormality in stripers called scoliosis in which the spine is curved from side to side rather than top to bottom as in lordosis. Both conditions are created by the fusion and shortening of individual vertebrae. Depending upon severity of the condition, the fish may have impaired swimming ability, impaired balance and decreased ability to escape predators or to catch prey.
A third unusual condition that is seen in stripers is called pughead or pugnose in which there are various degrees of a shortened and broadened upper jaw, steep forehead, pushed-in snout and pop eyes. Although this condition may appear to be highly detrimental to the fish, pugheaded stripers as large as 30 inches have been collected on the spawning grounds by Fisheries Service biologists. No less an authority than Bill Burton, then outdoors writer to the Sun, reported in a 1960 article of a five pound pughead caught near Millers Island. Growth is reduced in fish with this condition as they may have difficulty in passing water over the gills or seizing and holding prey.
These abnormalities are not new or limited to the Bay. A 1977 survey in Long Island Sound found all three abnormalities in striped bass collected from there. An 1849 article in the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History describes a pugheaded striper from Massachusetts.
These conditions have been reported from a variety of species and research on causes dates back into the 1930s. Mechanical injury has been ruled out as a major cause. Findings of the conditions in juvenile fish indicates that conditions affecting egg and larval development are key. In salmon eggs, varying temperatures produced vertebral abnormalities. In trout hatcheries, vitamin deficiencies contributed to scoliosis and lordosis. Pugheaded striped bass larvae (less than ½ inch long) may have been produced by low oxygen conditions. Pollutants may also play a role. Some researchers believe that genetics plays a strong role and that these conditions are genetic recessives that show up very infrequently.
Although the cause or causes are not clear, there is no indication that these form altering conditions are becoming more common. Fishermen reports into Fisheries Service have not increased nor have our observations of thousands of stripers from the Striped Bass Assessment Project shown any increase. Fishermen could count the catch of one of these oddities as simply adding to the enjoyment of fishing in the always surprisingly variable Bay.
Thanks for the info! Sounds like this fish had. Actually, I've caught two of these fish-one with the hump and another that had the hump vertically and horizontally! Apparently the one fish suffered from both. And a woman also caught one of these deformed walleye in the same lake. I did not see her fish so I don't know which way the spine curved on hers. Amazing the amount of info you can get from this board!! Keep 'er comin'!
Larry 
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