Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Quetico Forum :: 100 Mile Quetico Route
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Gmorgan |
1. What is the minimum number of days you would need set aside to do this type of route (how many layover days would one plan). 2. Never been on a trip longer than 1 week. What's week 2 like? 3. I have done many parts of this route on shorter loops, but would love to hear from anyone who has done this entire route. |
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starryridge |
My longest trip in Quetico was 16 days, on a route very similar to yours. I spent 19 days in Algonquin traversing the park from West to East and back. I loved long canoe trips when I was younger. I allow one layover day for each three days of travelling. This is very comfortable for me and enough to hole up during bad weather and to enjoy a particularly nice day to rest, fish and swim. I've met many others who like to travel as fast and as far as possible and only take layovers when they can't paddle. Each to their own. After a week I get very hungry as I burn fat. Make sure you take extra calories. I end up eating 4000 calories a day and continue to lose a little weight. I quickly get very bored with freeze dried food, so for long trips I dehydrate my own. It's very easy with a few racks, cookie sheets and parchment paper. I dehydrate in my gas oven, keeping the temp about 150F with the door cracked. I enjoy making the food almost as much as eating it. The biggest problem is protein. I take lots of preserved meats like summer sausage, but I also dry/preserve hamburger, turkey and chicken. Ghee stays fresh and hard cheeses are excellent. Avoid supermarket cheddar or eat it fast. There's quite a bit of info on the web about foods for hiking and canoeing. So, directly to your questions: 1. I would plan at least 12 days for your trip: 9 days travelling and 3 layover days. 2. I get a little bit of depression around end of the first week, but then I get into the flow and start really enjoying the solitude, the woods, the water and the loons. For me, the second week is better than the first. I have to wind down and it takes a few days. Enjoy your trip. |
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kanoes |
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canoegal |
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Gmorgan |
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Ho Ho |
You might consider going back to Basswood from Robinson via Kett instead of the Basswood River. The river has scenic falls, and you go by the awesome Crooked Lake pictos to get there from Robinson, but Kett is also scenic and it's an all-Quetico route, meaning you continue your comparative solitude longer. If you go along the Basswood River, you will be sharing the route with BWCA campers, and that means MUCH more traffic. The longest trip I've done in recent years has been 10 nights, but as a teenager I did a 3-week trip and a 4-week trip. As I recall, the longer the trip, the more it becomes your life - in a good way. But I have no idea how we managed to carry enough food. |
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billconner |
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