Boundary Waters

[Senior D]

I am looking at doing a canoe/camping trip in the Boundary Waters (MN and Canada). Anybody here have any experience with something like that? I am shooting for either end of June or end of August. It would just be a buddy and myself, hoping to get away from email, cell phones etc. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

[wowzers]

I went the summer I graduated high school. My Uncle and I rented one of those light weight kevlar canoes from a place in MN. The weight difference was nice when you made portages. The only drawback was that the wind pushes you around a lot more when you are sitting and fishing. I went at the beginning of Aug and the fishing was terrible. When we looked at some fishing logs at bait shops, guys were slaying the fish a month before we got there. Also the black flies were pretty fierce.

[Slim]

I've been up through the Lake Saganaga corridor. About the only thing I didn't like is that in some parts you can still hear motor noise due to lake Sag. Not being motor restricted. The ride up is cool though becuase it takes you along Lake Superior. A more common way in is through Ely a little further west.

Some tips that I'm sure will be added to:

Make sure you spend a little extra on your water filter. You will be filtering water several times a day, so capacity and ease of use are huge factors.

Make sure you fart sack is rated to freezing or better. It WILL get frigging cold at night.

Take crystal light to flavor your water. Lake water gets really boring after a few days.

Be extra careful getting in and out of your canoe the first day. This is the day most people slip on a rock and have a nice 6 hour paddle to take a three hour car ride to get to decent medical facilities.

That's just a few beginners cliff notes. Ill post a link to a news letter that I find useful a little later. Have fun. I'm jealous.

[BOFH]

I did the Saginaga area in '98 as a Boy Scout...it was pretty amazing. Paddle out to the middle of the lake to get your water...apparently, it'll keep you from getting Giardia(sp?)

Spend the money on a bent-shaft paddle. Cost around $50.00, and worth every penny.

[John6719]

I've been up there, but it's been a while. My uncle basically ran guided tours through there for several years. If you have any specific questions, let me know. If I can't answer them, I can see if my uncle has retained any information.

[Slim]

Here are a couple of links that I have used both for hooking up with outfitters and advice on actually being up there.

http://www.canoecountry.com/

http://www.canoeit.com/newsletter.cfm

Here is a good thread on insect repellent if you didn't catch it the first time. If you use the sulfur technique let us know how it works.

http://socnet.com/showthread.php?t=72263&highlight=sulfur

[Senior D]

Thanks for the replies. I would rather go in June and catch fish but we're at the mercy of my buddy's schedule. From everything I've read elsewhere, June is a good time to go because there are a lot less people and also because of the bugs. I would like to get to some pretty remote places but I am not sure I will be in the mood to portage a canoe and gear for a few miles.

I was going to buy one of the Sawyer water filtration sacks and see how those work. I've usually relied on the microfiltration devices which work but the Sawyer (i think made by Katadyn or MSR) just fills up and you wait for it while you're paddling or hiking.

Thanks.

[Slim]

Thanks for the replies. I would rather go in June and catch fish but we're at the mercy of my buddy's schedule. From everything I've read elsewhere, June is a good time to go because there are a lot less people and also because of the bugs. I would like to get to some pretty remote places but I am not sure I will be in the mood to portage a canoe and gear for a few miles.

I was going to buy one of the Sawyer water filtration sacks and see how those work. I've usually relied on the microfiltration devices which work but the Sawyer (i think made by Katadyn or MSR) just fills up and you wait for it while you're paddling or hiking.

Thanks.

I agree with June and the bugs.

If you get a good map and plan your route well you should be able to avoid the worst portages. I actually found that I didn't mind them too much once I was able to shake the lazy city-dweller attitude off, which took about a half a day. For me every little bit further from civilization was worth it and humping gear was just part of the deal. It gets to be part of the rhythm of being out there.

The Sawyer filter sounds cool. I read some good reviews too. I'll definitely check one out next time I get the chance to be out in the sticks.

[crapstash]

Good luck on your trip. I can try to help you if you need anymore information. I'm quite familiar with that area and have a close friend who is a canoe/wilderness guide in the Boundary Waters. Ely is small but a real friendly place in my opinion. Many services for guiding and outfitting.