| Previous Messages: |
| straighthairedcurly |
02/15/2021 08:19AM
Wow, that was a lot of miles through some tough conditions. I have never traveled that hard in winter. Sounds like your group really enjoyed the challenge.
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| Stumpy |
02/09/2021 12:43AM
Very impressive !
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| afromaniac |
02/12/2021 12:05PM
Looks amazing! Quite the slog, although I suppose I’ve done day hikes that long, have always had a base camp to snuggle into at the end of the day. What did you eat?
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| yellowhorse |
02/20/2021 05:14AM
Great report!
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| SoMNDan |
02/08/2021 10:58PM
New Trip Report posted by SoMNDan
Trip Name: EPIC winter crossing 2021.
Entry Point: 25
Click Here to View Trip Report
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| Dolpho |
02/09/2021 11:12AM
I was enjoying a simple solo basecamp in the BWCA during your crossing.
Thanks for the report. Having read about this route before and thinking about what the most challenging part might be I thought a lot about monument portage. So seeing the picture and your description of the portage was a confirmation of my thoughts.
Knowing what you know now would you still do this route or something less ambitious?
Happy with your gear selections ?
Impressive athletic feat. Thanks
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| Pinetree |
02/09/2021 08:09PM
Dolpho: "I was enjoying a simple solo basecamp in the BWCA during your crossing.
Thanks for the report. Having read about this route before and thinking about what the most challenging part might be I thought a lot about monument portage. So seeing the picture and your description of the portage was a confirmation of my thoughts.
Knowing what you know now would you still do this route or something less ambitious?
Happy with your gear selections ?
Impressive athletic feat. Thanks
"
Nice report-did it in the winter from Dorothy's cabin on Knife to Moose lake landing in one day and we were bushed. Nice report, conditions on lake travel pretty much dictate what you can do and not do.
Also came in numerous times from Sag and went to Ottertrack-Cherry lake area. Beautiful country.
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| Jaywalker |
02/09/2021 10:29PM
Well done. I go regularly in winter but have never logged so many miles. I’d love to try that some time.
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| SoMNDan |
02/09/2021 09:20PM
I’d say ski boots/socks were less than ideal but it could well have been our soft feet! We went overkill with our -40 sleeping bags but safety factor if it suddenly turned cold, so probably would do that again. Thermarest Z-lite with an air rail rei insulated pad work great together. If it isn’t too cold, just laying on that thermarest it is warm. Leaky-seamed tents work fine in the winter so I use an old one I don’t worry about. White fuel stoves are messy so we avoided using the ones we had with, since it wasn’t that cold. Just used jet boil types with winter fuel. My cheap Coleman 1-lb propane worked until the coldest day, and that could have been a bad cylinder I’d used before. My smaller ski pulk is wider and works better in deep snow or portages, while the expedition ones my buddies used carried more and are faster on smooth trail. Everything was tippy going up monument portage. We had belts come apart on our harnesses pulling on the lakes, but they went back together easy and work great when on and tight. That much pounding is bound to stress and loosen straps over time. Down puffer jackets got a bit damp in wet snow, but very warm normally. Had to go with waterproof shells for a while. I was surprised how useful the leg gaiters were. We’ve invested in a lot of good gear over the years, so all in all very good.
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| Pinetree |
02/10/2021 08:54AM
I don't think you can go overboard on sleeping bag warmth, it is also your backup to get in when like clothes or you get wet.
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| Voyager |
02/10/2021 10:32AM
You guys are tough! I'm exhausted just reading about your trip.
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