BWCA Trip Report - Crab/Cummings with Rookies Boundary Waters Trip Reports
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08/23/2010 06:33PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
New Trip Report posted by Ho Ho

Trip Name: Crab/Cummings with Rookies.

Entry Point: 4

Click Here to View Trip Report
 
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08/23/2010 07:49PM  
Great Report Ho Ho. Really enjoyed hearing about the area, the Great photos, and especially the maps of your route. Good candidate for the report of the month award.
TuscaroraBorealis
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08/23/2010 07:59PM  
Great descriptive report with lotsa great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

It looked like you had a really nice site on Cummings.

TB
08/23/2010 08:50PM  
Old man, indeed! 50 is just a youngster, HoHo!

A great report with wonderful photos, as always. Enjoyed your adventure with the teenagers, and it sounds like you gave them a great introduction to canoe-tripping.
GraniteCliffs
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08/23/2010 09:09PM  
This is a captivating report. What a great introduction for the boys.
08/24/2010 12:39AM  
I always enjoy your reports!
SevenofNine
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08/24/2010 01:42PM  
Very nice trip report and great comments. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
Bushwacker
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08/24/2010 05:00PM  
Great pictures and very well written. As a fisherman tho it was almost painful to see no interest in fishing in all that great water, espicially after catching a 4lb Sunfish...Yikes.
08/24/2010 07:20PM  
awesome pictures, and very good report. thanks
08/24/2010 09:38PM  
As usual Ho Ho, Great trip report and wonderful pictures, makes me want to go right now! Thanks! ;-)
08/25/2010 07:08AM  
Thanks, everyone, glad you enjoyed! It was a fun trip.

Bushwhacker - sorry about the fishing! This is actually the first trip we've taken fishing rods on because they guys said they were interested, and Mike Josiah and I all had licenses. But then they weren't interested when we were actually on the trip. You may see some fishing on my trips in future years though. But I've got a lot of learning to do before I'm any good at it!
wawasee
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08/25/2010 08:01AM  
Ho Ho great trip report, and more important is introducing a couple of young guys to the BWCA! It was great that you spent some time and effort to teach them the proper way to portage a canoe and also paddle one.
Bushwacker
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08/25/2010 12:11PM  
quote Ho Ho: "Thanks, everyone, glad you enjoyed! It was a fun trip.


Bushwhacker - sorry about the fishing! This is actually the first trip we've taken fishing rods on because they guys said they were interested, and Mike Josiah and I all had licenses. But then they weren't interested when we were actually on the trip. You may see some fishing on my trips in future years though. But I've got a lot of learning to do before I'm any good at it!"


You certainly did nothing wrong Ho Ho. "Different strokes" as the saying goes. I'm just a fishing fanatic. The current MN state record for Bluegills is 2 lbs 13 oz and when I read about your potential state record fish I started to hallucinate ;)
08/25/2010 12:19PM  
I think we may have been hallucinating too . . . :)
08/25/2010 03:11PM  
Ho Ho - Really enjoyed your trip report and photos. Thanks for sharing!
Red Beard
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08/25/2010 03:31PM  
Great report Ho Ho. Enjoyed the reading as I was just in this area with family two weeks ago. We traveled from Burntside thru Crab creek to Crab lake and back. The creek is a grand adventure. It was fun to see some places that are in my own photos. Thanks for sharing.


Some photos.


08/25/2010 10:49PM  
Great photos, Red Beard. Where exactly was the first one taken? The creek got narrow - but not THAT narrow.
Red Beard
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08/26/2010 03:19PM  
Ho Ho

The first picture is from the up-stream side of the long portage. The one closest to Crab Lake. There seemed to be two landings at this location. The first one we came too, at the top of the falls, was very over grown and mucky when we were there. The lilly pads were so thick you could almost walk on them. The one in the picture was about twenty or so yards up stream.

If you look behind the boat you can see the main channel of the creek. Even here one of us had to paddle out to that main channel and wait for the other to load and launch. Our entry date was 8/14. Funny how fast thing can change up there.

Did you notice any pink marking tape tied to shrubs at the landings? Coming the other way from the lake you could see them easily at both landings. We were thinking it must be a popular area for hunting moose.

BTW, I agree, that half fallen tree on the portage was a pain in the ars.
08/26/2010 08:34PM  
HoHo,
Great trip report as expected, enjoyed seeing some familiar areas. You may have convinced us to consider the Crab River on the way out next time, if I can squat down enough for that leaning tree,LOL.
Thanks for the superb pictures as well, looks like all had a great time.
Boppa
08/27/2010 06:59PM  
HoHo,
When we went into Crab Lake in 2007 our outfitter told us that due to low water levels to avoid Crab Creek as the difficulty is raised considerably. We did, and paddled across Burntside from the public boat docks, both in and out. From your trip would you consider the water levels to be a big factor? From your experience is Crab Creek doable both in and out? Or is it a better exit?
Boppa

It is good to see the sign hanging in there, this picture is from 2007.
08/28/2010 11:14AM  
enjoyed the report as usual. nice job with the boys.
08/30/2010 06:07PM  
Thanks, guys. Boppa - I think water level is a factor. We did not take the creek in September 2006 due to lower water in Crab Lake. Of course, since we didn't go that way, I can't say for sure, but I think it needs a good dose of water. I would also say that it's a better route out then in, just because there is current in places and it's easier to lift over the bigger beaver dams going downstream than up. But I think it would be doable both ways. I like the idea of in over the portage and out over the creek though.
Krusty555
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08/30/2010 06:56PM  
This report brought back a lot of pleasant memories of our (much shorter) trip to Crab Lake in '07. Thanks for all the great pictures. We had similar problems with the VNO tow boat motor back then so it's nice to hear that some traditions remain ;-).

Boppa, We took Crab Creek into Crab Lake on that trip. It seems to me that there were at least eight beaver dams or liftovers of some kind plus that portage. It felt really isolated but the going was slow. The water level may not have been as high as Ho Ho's trip and our heavily loaded MNIII dragged on those submerged logs at the lake end. I'd say that, if you found a good, gushing flow of water out of Crab Creek at Burntside (and you were traveling light), you would have good paddling, but again, it will be slower and no less work than the portage.

Krusty
09/04/2010 04:37PM  
Just back in from The Gunflint Trail, reason for a delayed reply.

HoHo,
In reading your response, I am sure taking the creek out only, is more prudent if water level is low.

Krusty555,
If that many beaver dams are their, then I agree with you and HoHo, it is best to be on the high water side of the dams.

Just trying to avoid the first 1/3 of that portage on the way in, oh well.
Thanks both of you for the input and observations.
Boppa
gbusk
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09/05/2010 04:47PM  
Great photos!
paddlefamily
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09/06/2010 12:32AM  
Really enjoyed this report with the larger pictures. Well documented. I also liked seeing the route via map.
09/06/2010 09:26AM  
HoHo Nice job and great you could share the beauty with friends.
Great Photo's
By the way 50 AINT OLD!! It the beginning of the second half.
SunCatcher
OldGreyGoose
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09/18/2010 07:56PM  
HoHo,

Thanks for a great report (as usual)! Great to see the young athletic guys taking to the wild so well! Nice pics, but too few fungi. =]

--Goose
09/21/2010 03:23PM  
Great trip. What a cool way for the kids to gain a first experience!
02/26/2017 07:10PM  
Top notch report - great photos!
Bumstead
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02/28/2017 12:00AM  
Great report and pics. Thank you.
 
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