We entered at Brant Lake via Round on Sept 25. The first 3 days were rainy and windy and I honestly thought I wouldn't get enough decent shots to even make a slide show but the last half of the week was pretty good. This was my first trip in the Northwind Solo!

The theme for the slide show ended up being... Good weather for mushrooms.

Sept 2016 Slide Show

WOW! amazing photography, as usual, and beautiful slide show.

i've been in that area a few times and so many changes. the Flying lake water level is so high, the new boardwalk looks like it would require excellent balance...
dropped some people at the round lake landing, saw your trailer and actually stopped to look at all the stickers. now i have faces to go with that memory.

thanks for sharing this trip.

Thanks, Gary - really good show! It may have been damp, but that also made the colors, "pop". I had to go earlier and missed the color.

I wish I could take my photography to the "Artistic" side as you do. Mine are just "Pictures," yours are "Art!"

Thanks everyone for the nice comments!

Mocha - small world if you were there in the parking lot looking at Paul's trailer stickers :-)

Boonie - glad you made it back safely from your trip and continue to recover... hopefully a trip next year! This was my first trip in the solo, but I have yet to do a real solo trip.

Ozark - Thanks, I have seen some outstanding shots from you as well!

Outstanding! I am fearful of taking our "good" camera on our trips. How do you ensure it stays dry?

JJ

Gary - I entered at Missing Link in September of 2015, stayed a few days on Tuscarora, moved to Gillis, and then headed back through the tiny lakes back to Round. Where was the single log walkway? I don't remember that. I wonder if it is new.

Also, there were some boardwalks that year between West Round and Round that Fall, about 20" wide, that were floating in the overflow from a pond that the beavers had their way with. Is the West Round to Round portage still flooded? It was the worst portage I've ever been on at that time.

Your photos and youtube are awesome. Thanks for sharing it. Been to Little Sag that way a few times. Probably no more for me solo, as I'm getting to be a fossil age-wise. Actually, I probably could, but I just don't have the motivation to be moving every couple of days any more.

Tomster

I was through there sept 2015 also. Can't believe the Flying steps are almost in the water! Always look forward to your pics/vids......beautiful.

Thanks, Gary. I just sort of wept my way through your trip. Makes me miss it a lot.

We haven't been on that route. I was surprised to see the stairways.

I don't usually look at these videos, but I do look at yours. Yours are always special. Your photography is just wonderful.

JJ - Thanks! My main camera backpack (F-Stop Gear Ajna) is very water repellent, but when it really rains hard, the backpack (with my 2 DSLRs) goes into another waterproof bag. Most of the bad weather or portage pics you see were taken with my point and shoot camera... it is always with me. I kept it in a zip lock, but it still ended up getting wet and quit working for about a day then recovered.

Tomster - I am trying to remember exactly which portage had the single board walkway... those 3 portages between Round and Brant all sort of run together... if I had to guess I would say the middle one between West Round and Edith. And I think the really sloppy/ flooded portage was West Round to Round. I will have to check with my buddies to see if they remember any better than I do.

Cowdoc - Thanks - the last time we were there was 2004 and the water was not that high either!

Spartan2 - thanks for watching, I very much appreciate the kind words.

Gary,

First of all Thank You for sharing your trip and the beauty of the Boundary Waters with us in the quality way that you do. The gear, the thought, the work you put into this is much appreciated!

Secondly, darn you!!! When I saw this thread I decided to make my lunch then watch it while eating. I cooked up a favorite meal, sat down to eat and watch and punched "play". 16 minutes later I was engrossed in this wonderful video and pretty much had a cold meal left to eat! :)

I've missed a trip two years now mostly for medical reasons and you, sir, give me a virtual trip that is memorable. All your shots are so good but I really got into the evening sky, the campfire shots, and your landscapes showing the area during the fall color stage. If you have explained any of your "secrets" please point me to them in a link - I'd love to know more about your equipment used and how you plan your shots including these videos.

Bapabear

bapabear - thanks for the nice comments! I wish I could say I planned my shots, but I put myself in the middle of beautiful country and totally play it by ear... or maybe I should say eye.
It does really help to know how to handle certain photo situations. Here is a link to a .pdf on my website... it covers some of the details of how I do things: BWCA Photo Tips

What a gift you have. Thanks for sharing it with us.

quote Elydog: "What a gift you have. Thanks for sharing it with us."

+1

Really enjoyed that, thank you.

Thank you. Your show was excellent. I have been through this country in the spring of the year, but your pictures have it looking much better than I remember......... I think the fall of the year does that.

Nicely done, Gary. I always look forward to seeing photography from your trips. Excellent!

Gary,

Thanks for the slide show - fabulous!!

I've taken an 11 day trip starting from Round into Tuscarora to Little Sag then over to Pan and Adams lake then backtracked to Little Sag, Gabi, Ogish and Seagull every May since 1989. Your pictures bring back so many memories. One in particular is the pine tree on the small point just above your canoe at the 6:49 mark on Little Sag. I have a picture of that tree from 1980 when it was only a foot or two tall. It's one of the many sights I look forward to every May. (It's like seeing one of your kids grown up)

I've also enjoyed your many pictures in the BW Journal and assuming you might have taken a May/June trip wondered if I have paddled by you sometime in the past.

Wow!! Loved it. We did part of that route starting on Aug. 3 of this summer. I see the portages weren't any drier for you! We were lucky to get campsites and we want to go back when it's not so crowded - not to mention the astounding autumn beauty of the burn area coming back to life. Thanks!

Thanks again everyone for the comments, much appreciated!

Blackhawk - That is amazing you have done that same trip since 1989... it is a beautiful area! I guess by repeating the same route you really get to know the campsites and area.
The only other time we had done that route is in Sept 2004... and there were a couple of burns since then, so things did look different.

Icecoldmilk - the campsite availability in late Sept was very good. We only saw 2 sites occupied and that was on the way back.

Thanks for sharing your link.

Looks like a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing

I was wondering if you'd elaborate about your thoughts on the Northwind Solo? Nice looking boat!

quote ozarkpaddler: "I was wondering if you'd elaborate about your thoughts on the Northwind Solo? Nice looking boat!"

This is the first solo I have owned or paddled, so I can't compare it to any other solos. I was very happy with how it paddled and it handled my 3 packs easily. I was in some pretty choppy water just starting to break into white caps on Gillis and it felt stable. I have paddled my Northwind 17 ft. tandem solo on a couple trips and one big difference was that, in the tandem, when it got windy, I went to a kneeling position and it really helped stability and control. In the solo, dropping to the kneeling position wasn't as much of an improvement. Maybe because in the solo, the seat is lower and the center of gravity is already lower. Anyway, I can't wait to take the solo up there again, I really like the flexibility of being solo.

Very very Cool !!!

Thanks for sharing. Does make ya miss it!!

You are the God of Photography!