Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Quetico Forum :: Solo Trip Advice across Quetico west to east
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jdddl8 |
The route from Bent Pine to Claire and onto Burntside can have a small problem if there is no water in the creek, You can still do it as I did a couple of years ago but you have to walk along the creek in dry swamp. The portage from Holiday to Sturgeon is is difficult- it nearly ended in divorce as my wife was really upset - albeit many years ago, |
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buckeyes11 |
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buckeyes11 |
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Mocha |
quote buckeyes11: "Think that one would take a month" how many days do you have? and how much "stuff"? |
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Mocha |
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buckeyes11 |
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billconner |
quote buckeyes11: "Think that one would take a month" More like two weeks plus a little maybe it seems to me. |
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OldFingers57 |
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TomT |
Just ideas. I don't think I would want all the extra food weight but you may not think it's a big deal. I also like the idea of coming out mid trip at French lake and getting a meal and a shower to recharge for the 2nd half. Maybe talk with some people too. :) I did a two week solo last September and I was getting a bit squirrelly at the end. I know me personally would have to have at least a few hours break in civilization at the half way point of a month long solo. A cold bear and steak dinner would cheer me right up and I'd be good to go. |
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buckeyes11 |
I have done some travel trips like starting at Beaverhouse and exiting Nym, or last year a two week trip from French to McKenzie and back via the poets chain, but usually it is back tracking the way we came in and base camping the middle. Before I get too old, I would like to do an extraordinary trip and really see the park. I do own a solo boat at the moment and would like to start using it and was thinking of doing this trip solo this summer. As of now I have done exactly one solo trip on the very busy Lake One chain and have paddled solo two other trips in Quetico and BWCA while with a group of three. I would like to throw a few trip ideas out there and see if any of you have any input. Either positive, negative or informational thoughts and suggestions would all be appreciated. The first trip I was thinking would be to put-in on Beaverhouse and cross Quetico Park west to east. The tentative route of travel I was considering would be to start at Beaverhouse to Quetico Lake to Badwater, Fair, Your, Snow, Little Pine Lake, Trail Lake to March Lake. From there, I would travel to Jean by either Bent Pine Lake, unnamed, Burntside to Jean... or would it be better to go March to Sturgeon to Rouge, Burntside, Jean??? From Jean, I would go to Little Jean, Yeh Lake to Lonely. Or would you traverse Sturgeon to Lonely and skip Burntside, Jean and Yeah lakes? From Lonely, I would go to Walter and Elizabeth, then through the unnamed lake and into Sturgeon. I would then take a side trip into Ram and Antoine as I remember Antoine being a nice getaway long ago. Back out through Ram to Sturgeon then take the Pickerel river into the north end of Olifaunt then into Fern, Bud, Beg and Bisk then off to Pickerel and out French lake. Trip 2 would involve a little more planning as far as the shuttling. It would be doing Quetico south to north after traveling the BWCA to Basswood and going up the unnamed and into Kett, Tuck, Sarah, McIntyre, Brent, Suzanette, Conmee to Delahey, Vernon, Camel, Nan into Fred, Sturgeon, Lonely, Walter, Elizabeth, Jesse, Maria, Pickerel, Batchewaung and out at Nym. Has anyone done these routes or parts of them? Anything I should stay away from or know? Anything you would do differently? Would that be the best directions to travel if going solo? At a modest rate of travel, how long would you give to do these trips to make it enjoyable? Also, ANY other solo advice is also appreciated! Thanks for your time and I will look forward to hearing your thoughts. |
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OldFingers57 |
I can tell you now that the portages for Walter, Lonely and Elizabeth were muddy when we did them. The portages from Sturgeon to Olifaunt is flat and easy with just a couple of muddy places, nothing too bad though. The Olifaunt to Fern portage is long and definitely a work out. The B chain ones are easy, short and flat. Going up that way you will be going against the current. |
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buckeyes11 |
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buckeyes11 |
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buckeyes11 |
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Jackfish |
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TomT |
jdddl8: " My wife's last trip was in 1986 (before we were married) we went down the Frost River in the BW. Could be why we both solo now eh John? :) |