BWCA Using a campsite for Shore Lunch question Boundary Waters Trip Planning Forum
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Unclered
  
02/19/2018 06:25PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I've only been in the BWCA once and I'm reading about people stopping at campsites for shore lunches. Can you do that if another group might want to camp there?

Just curious.
 
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02/19/2018 06:28PM  
Stopping for lunch or just to stretch the legs a bit is okay. Approaching an occupied campsite has recently been discussed in another thread, but is generally not an okay thing. If you are stopped with no intent to camp and someone approaches asking if you are planning to stay just tell them what is going on and work it out together. Most folks in the BWCA are very reasonable, but do appreciate their privacy.
mgraber
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02/19/2018 07:41PM  
Most here say it is ok. I was told by a ranger that they strongly discouraged it. He said that the campsites and portage paths were not there for lunches or breaks. Prior to that we always used them, but now try to avoid if there are other people traveling through. Many people start looking for campsite around lunch time. The only time it would be a problem is if it was fairly crowded. I'm honestly not sure what to think.
billconner
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02/19/2018 08:27PM  
If we stop for lunch, it's at an unoccuiped camp site. Never a portage. Where would you stop, especially to use a thunder box?
02/19/2018 08:44PM  
I think it depends on where you are. If you are at a busy lake at a time when groups might be looking for a camp no. If I am miles in and have seen few people, I would have no problem stopping for some grub. It’s a matter of place and timing.
02/19/2018 09:43PM  
+1
andym
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02/19/2018 11:08PM  
We eat lunch at camp sites if we see an open one. The ability to use the throne and spare the wilderness from distributed use and crapping is enough to justify it to me.

If we see a group that seems to be searching for a site then we wave them over.
mutz
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02/20/2018 09:20AM  
We normally just find a flat rock or open spot to stop for lunch, rarely a camp site and then only if other sites are empty. We will always stop at an empty camp site if the thunder box is needed.
02/20/2018 12:43PM  
I would think, seeing a group eating lunch with all of their gear still in the canoe, would give you an indication they're just "lunching" at the spot. In that case, if I wanted to camp at that site, I wouldn't be averse to pulling up close and just asking them nicely from the water if they're using that site overnight or not. If they're staying, no problem, and I'm on my way.

So....I don't see a big problem with using a site for an 30-60 minutes to eat lunch or use the fine facilities down the hidden path.
02/20/2018 01:14PM  
I try to avoid it because I always feel like a group would think the site is occupied when actually we're just there for 20 minutes. It's been mentioned to get a close look and see what the group is doing but I've often seen canoes sitting at a campsite from several hundred yards away and continued on just assuming it's occupied. I have no problem asking somebody what their intentions are if my travels take me right past the site but I'm definitely not traveling out of my way to do so. If lunch while tripping is needed I prefer finding a flat rock and doing our cooking there. If somebody needs to use the latrine we let that person go up while the rest stay in the canoes which I hope would be an obvious sign we don't plan on sticking around.
02/20/2018 05:10PM  
I don't really eat a lunch per se that requires stopping to do it; I just eat the bar and nuts while walking back across a portage, so not really an issue for me . . . and I'm also a regular morning guy too.
02/20/2018 07:14PM  
If no big rocks are available we will stop at an empty site for a quick lunch and bathroom break. Never on a portage. Often we skip lunch on entry days if we have a long way to go.
02/20/2018 07:24PM  
First, I am a horrible fisherman for various reasons, so stopping for a true shore lunch is never an issue for me.

That said, I also no longer travel in the BW because I get too stressed out looking for open campsites. And please do not give me the "well, if you paddle far enough you will be alone" argument. I can only paddle in July and August, and trying to find open sites during these months defeats the purpose of paddling for me.

My point? In the BW I would not stop at a site I was not planning on staying at. Quetico? Much more open area to stop to fry the fish I never catch because I broke my rod at the lost portage.
schweady
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02/20/2018 08:30PM  
If we stop at a campsite during a day trip or while out fishing, it might be to stretch our legs, use the latrine, and/or have a quick bite. Never thought of doing any cooking as that seemed to tie up the spot for longer than we "deserved." I really hate to occupy the site for very long if it seems that sites are at a premium for groups searching for an overnight spot. That said, there is totally nothing wrong with using a site for a short stay. On the contrary, it follows Leave No Trace rather nicely as use is concentrated in designated spots rather than on random areas all over the lake.
02/21/2018 11:29AM  
I've used an empty site for lunch on the rare occasion. If I do and I see a canoe pass by that looks like they were checking the site I'll wave them over or yell out to them if they are close enough to let them know they can have the site if they want it. I want to make sure I'm not preventing another group from camping at the site.

Mostly I try to find large flat rocks to pull up along side or any other natural open areas.
Frenchy
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02/21/2018 03:57PM  
This gives a person a lot to think about. We usually sit near the shore if stopping for a short break. I try not to clog up portage’s for a break. Hopefully if someone is eyeing the site, they are near enough to see we have no gear with us.
thebotanyguy
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02/21/2018 04:00PM  
In reading the responses, I note that everyone has a well reasoned approach for doing what they choose to do.

Let me throw out a hypothetical question for you to ponder. A group has decided to basecamp and sets up on a campsite. Over subsequent days, they travel to sightsee or fish, and while away from basecamp they pull into an empty campsite for lunch. While eating they are now occupying 2, maybe more, campsites (basecamp + lunch campsite). Does this present an ethical or legal dilemma?
schweady
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02/21/2018 04:28PM  
Sure, you're "occupying" both the site upon which you stand and the site upon which your tent or hammock or whatever is deployed, but not from the standpoint of the permit held. That occupation is defined as an overnight stay. Hence, this discussion on appearances to traveling groups while you're taking lunch.

I suppose that you could be a jerk and spend the entire daylight period at a site and then head over at nightfall to the neighboring site where your tent is pitched, in hopes of securing a certain additional level of peace and quiet. But where's the fun in that?

Of course, when I refer to jerks, it's aimed at a very small percentage of the folks here. :-)
02/21/2018 05:28PM  
I have heard and said a similar thing only using a body part. Everybody is somebody's "jerk"
andym
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02/21/2018 08:11PM  
In the future, anyone having lunch at a campsite with a canoe within visible contact will be required to use a standard signal in order to convey the message that the campsite is available for overnight use. The standard signal is the dance YMCA.


Actually, that might just scare people off. Never mind.
02/22/2018 12:48PM  
If you have an ‘ethical dilemma’ in the BW, you are probably doing something wrong. Just be a nice person. Use some common sense. Leave your dilemmas at home. Have a sandwich. Say hi.
andym
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02/22/2018 04:28PM  
scat: "Have a sandwich. Say hi. "


I just had one. It would have tasted so much better at a campsite in the BW.
02/22/2018 07:56PM  
I need to go shopping. Seriously. I just realized the only things I’ve made at home in the last three months is ice and popcorn. And I only made popcorn twice. Got ice down though...
OldFingers57
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02/22/2018 08:00PM  
One of the nice things about canoeing in Quetico is not having to worry about this or looking for campsites at Noon. We don’t start looking till late afternoon around 3:00 PM or so.
02/23/2018 05:24PM  
If you're at water's edge with no gear and empty canoes, I think most people would assume you're not camping there. I've been on both sides of this situation, having asked and been asked if the site is taken. Like someone else said, you could always call out to a group that looks like they need a site when you're temporarily using one. Don't spend too much time worrying about it.
02/25/2018 10:49AM  
All Great points brought up:

1) Your going to leave the boats fully loaded (Except for your food) at the waters edge. Most paddlers will approach and ask your intentions.
a. If they are looking for a camping spot, tell them to come on up! No sense in them floating around waiting for you to leave and eating up valuable time.
b.I love interacting with others at lunch time. If another group wants to share a site for lunch great time to hear their experiences and stories. (Packers fans can keep going)

2) If it's a remote area, few people passing through then shouldn't be an issues.

3) Big rocks in the middle of the lakes are sometimes fun to to eat lunch on. Gives you great views of the area.

4) Sometimes it's more than lunch needed. Good time to use the Kybo, Grumper, Thunder Box, Can, Pot, (whatever you want to call it) :)

5) if your already camped on a lake, eat at your site. Tying up 2 sites on a lake is not cool man!

6) if your day tripping, you should have a light lunch anyway that wont' take longer than 10 minutes to eat, or could be eaten in a canoe while the bow paddler thinks you are paddling :)

In a nut shell, why wouldn't you use a campsite? Better than a portage.
02/25/2018 01:19PM  
Packer fans would already be giving the site wide berth having sensed and smelled the fouled nest of a Bears fan....;)
Unclered
  
02/25/2018 08:53PM  
thank you all for your comments...........very helpful.
02/28/2018 02:28PM  
cowdoc: "Packer fans would already be giving the site wide berth having sensed and smelled the fouled nest of a Bears fan....;) "


Bears fans can keep going too...

02/28/2018 07:41PM  
nofish: "I've used an empty site for lunch on the rare occasion. If I do and I see a canoe pass by that looks like they were checking the site I'll wave them over or yell out to them if they are close enough to let them know they can have the site if they want it. I want to make sure I'm not preventing another group from camping at the site.


Mostly I try to find large flat rocks to pull up along side or any other natural open areas."


We did this last summer on Vera. We were eating lunch and a couple of scouts and their troop leader paddled by. We gave them the site and finished up our lunch before moving on. They were grateful and able to hold the site for the rest of their group.
BlackSwanAdventures
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03/01/2018 03:47PM  
My only thing to add to this topic is to CLEAN up after yourselves if entering sites to eat/filet/bathroom/so on.
Please.
Thanks! :)

03/01/2018 05:13PM  
It's a good point. We've had to pick up some trash or discarded items at a few sites when we've stopped for lunch. Others on this forum have had to do similar tasks. So it's a bit of preaching to the choir but always worth a mention for the uninitiated.
 
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