BWCA Quetico Fire Damage - Firsthand Reports Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
Chat Rooms (0 Chatting)  |  Search  |   Login/Join
* BWCA is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
   Quetico Forum
      Quetico Fire Damage - Firsthand Reports     

Author

Text

PineKnot
distinguished member(2020)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/02/2022 03:00PM  
Was wondering if any folks around here have been to Quetico this season. If you have, would you care to share any info on the fire damage you saw/traversed?

With the resuming of the RABC, I'd expect many more paddlers are heading north soon....your reports would be most welcome.

PK.
 
Reply    Reply with Quote    Print Top Bottom Previous Next
07/05/2022 04:03PM  
Was on Iron just below Curtain (May 24). Couple photos of the Canadian side are below. Pretty significant burn. The map below shews where the burns were in Quetico and the relative severity.

We were also at the two bays (on Crooked) just west of the western Crooked-Argo portage. Several downed large trees. Root masses tip up. It was rough and that was during high water.





07/06/2022 11:08PM  
Snow Lake
07/07/2022 08:44AM  
I was on Trail, Little Pine, and Snow at the end of May. The photo of Snow above is great because it shows how the tree roots grow in the pine duff on top of the rock. Once the duff burns, there’s very little holding the trees up. This is the reason I’m going to avoid the major burn areas in the southwest part of the park until next year. I think many portages will be littered with deadfall and there will be many widow makers standing over campsites.

Would be great to hear from anyone who has been in the southwest to confirm or refute my suspicions.
PineKnot
distinguished member(2020)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/07/2022 04:05PM  
Thx for the updates, folks. Also was wondering if anybody saw burned campsites, and even those you expected to be torched but were actually spared. For example, rumor has it the nice island site on Burt Lake is okay even though areas around it may have been hit really hit hard....
07/07/2022 06:13PM  
Oh that is devastating. That route through Your, Trail, Snow was so gorgeous…all the old logging relics
tumblehome
distinguished member(3027)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/07/2022 07:55PM  
There was a super nice site on Camel that is completely torched. Some called it a 5 star.

Notice on the posted pictures that green growth has already returned. Burned forest thrives and quickly recovers. It’s still Quetico but visually different.
wyopaddler
distinguished member (116)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/08/2022 08:44AM  
We cut our way through a couple of spots last week. Here are some photos near the northern tip of Kawnipi where it connects with Kahshahpiwi Creek. All the campsites in that area through Shelley are torched except for the site closest to the "Have a Smoke Portage" on Shelley.



PineKnot
distinguished member(2020)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/08/2022 02:53PM  
wyopaddler: "

"


Wow. Great pics. Did you find any portages leaving dirt and soot on you and/or gear during the portage?.....just curious....
wyopaddler
distinguished member (116)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/08/2022 04:25PM  
Yes. In regards to dirt and soot, just the portage from Kawnipi to Kahshahpiwi Creek. We travel through the S-Chain (Portages had been cleared by the park crew), cut our way through the portages from Agnus to Murdoch (lots of down trees, brush, and mosquitoes), and there were a few trees down on the Split Rock Fall portage but easy to step over. The Deux Riviere was a pleasure in the high water. Hardly even noticed the beaver dams. Big difference from last year where we had to drag our boat through the mud and leeches :)

Good trip-very windy most days which put a damper on the fishing. . .
campnfish
distinguished member(522)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/11/2022 05:42PM  
wyopaddler: "We cut our way through a couple of spots last week. Here are some photos near the northern tip of Kawnipi where it connects with Kahshahpiwi Creek. All the campsites in that area through Shelley are torched except for the site closest to the "Have a Smoke Portage" on Shelley.




"



are you able to show me on a map where this is located?
wyopaddler
distinguished member (116)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/11/2022 06:51PM  
The 76m portage in the middle of the map.

07/16/2022 12:03PM  
Returned from Commee on July 8th. Substanial burn around the lake.
toothmiester
distinguished member (106)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/17/2022 01:48AM  
How were the campsites?
07/17/2022 02:48PM  
Shelley to Montgomery was burnt for a short portage. Portage is now on opposite side from previously. We spent about an hour figuring out where we first thought it was was correct. We had to cut a few fresh trees that had fallen across the portage here to get it open again. To help others we did stack a few rocks where the portage starts on the Shelley side.

Cairn to Heronshaw was really bad. The portage maintenance had marked the path with orange flagging tape and had done a good job getting it cleared. Portage was fine just really burnt area.

Wyoming Paddler I’m pretty sure we met at the Twin Lakes portage. I was on day 1 me and two 17 year olds. We’re driving back now after a pretty epic trip! We made Prairie Portage from Stanton Bay on the afternoon of the 6th day. Did the S chain instead of Yum Yum to Kashipiwi. We crossed over to Kashipiwi by the small lakes to Trant Lake which were pretty gnarly! Then worked north up Kahsahpiwi, Keefer, Sark, Cairn, Metacryst to Baird. Then Keats out the same way we came in.

Ryan
wyopaddler
distinguished member (116)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/18/2022 07:14AM  
Gaidin53: "Shelley to Montgomery was burnt for a short portage. Portage is now on opposite side from previously. We spent about an hour figuring out where we first thought it was was correct. We had to cut a few fresh trees that had fallen across the portage here to get it open again. To help others we did stack a few rocks where the portage starts on the Shelley side.


Cairn to Heronshaw was really bad. The portage maintenance had marked the path with orange flagging tape and had done a good job getting it cleared. Portage was fine just really burnt area.


Wyoming Paddler I’m pretty sure we met at the Twin Lakes portage. I was on day 1 me and two 17 year olds. We’re driving back now after a pretty epic trip! We made Prairie Portage from Stanton Bay on the afternoon of the 6th day. Did the S chain instead of Yum Yum to Kashipiwi. We crossed over to Kashipiwi by the small lakes to Trant Lake which were pretty gnarly! Then worked north up Kahsahpiwi, Keefer, Sark, Cairn, Metacryst to Baird. Then Keats out the same way we came in.


Ryan"


Yup, that was us. Hope you had a great time. Those young men looked ready for an epic trip! Made me miss traveling with my son.
Minnesotian
distinguished member(2416)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/18/2022 10:17AM  
Gaidin53: "Shelley to Montgomery was burnt for a short portage. Portage is now on opposite side from previously. We spent about an hour figuring out where we first thought it was was correct. We had to cut a few fresh trees that had fallen across the portage here to get it open again. To help others we did stack a few rocks where the portage starts on the Shelley side.


Ryan"


Did Montgomery get burnt at all, or was it just on the portage?
07/18/2022 11:33AM  
On Conmee a large mid-lake campsite on a pennisula in good shape. a large campsite in the channel is destroyed.
07/18/2022 12:07PM  
Minnesotian: "Did Montgomery get burnt at all, or was it just on the portage?"


Looks like the west end burned. Montgomery sat image
07/18/2022 02:26PM  
East end of Shelley and west end of Montgomery. Did not touch the portage into Kawnipi.

Ryan
toothmiester
distinguished member (106)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/18/2022 05:40PM  
Oh no the 4-5 star one!!!!
 
Reply    Reply with Quote    Print Top Bottom Previous Next