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Date/Time: 03/28/2024 05:30PM
Title: Trip Report - First BWCA Trip- Stuart Lake Entry
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Previous Messages:
Author Message Text
onepaddleshort 12/31/2012 08:54PM
Could have. I shared it on a trip planning thread with pastorjsackett who was looking for information on the Stuart entry prior to his trip this summer.
GSP 12/31/2012 07:04PM
Great report, will take Stuart river off my list.
onepaddleshort 12/31/2012 08:12PM
LOL. Hey, a cool day, with more water (both in the river and in the water bottles), and single portaging would be a whole different thing. I'll go back in on Stuart. Though I have a whole lot of other entry points to try out first...
TuscaroraBorealis 12/31/2012 08:34PM
I may be wrong??? But, it seems to me, I've read your trip report before.


Never the less, it was an excellent read & awesome photos! Thanks for taking the time to share your story & photos.
onepaddleshort 12/31/2012 01:48PM
Glad you enjoyed it. The flies were pretty bad on a 90 degree July day with no wind coming up the Stuart. We still had a good time, in fact we're trying to figure out a route for next summer this very afternoon.
onepaddleshort 05/04/2015 07:25PM
quote DuluthPak: "Im a little late to the party, but I just enjoyed your trip report. My wife and I are very familiar with that exact route and coincidentally, we stayed at the same campsites. There were times during your report that I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't reading my own report. It was especially familiar when you talked about finding a small rock to tie to your bear rope and the hassles of hanging a food pack. I have been there so many times. We also experienced the many occupied campsites and having to struggle to find the last open site in that area. When you are accustomed to some solitude, it is certainly different to camp within view and sound of several other campsites. If you are ever back in that area, then make sure to make a day trip to Rebecca Falls as that is a beautiful spot. Thanks for sharing your report and photos. It really brought back some memories of that area. "



Glad you enjoyed the report. Seems like a long time ago now. Our first trip with just the two of us. We have learned a lot since then and have upgraded packs and are now using a barrel to stash rather than hanging. This year we'll be exploring the east side of the BWCA and we've never been there- so we're looking forward to that.


But someday we'll get back that way and we'll check out Rebecca Falls. We didn't even know about it during this first trip.


Hope you have a great trip this year!
boonie 01/22/2013 07:05AM
Fall is also my favorite time of the year. You will enjoy your trip in the fall. The bugs are gone along with the crowds. Will look like this: Golden tamaracks on Horseshoe Lake.
onepaddleshort 01/22/2013 07:26AM
quote boonie: "Fall is also my favorite time of the year. You will enjoy your trip in the fall. The bugs are gone along with the crowds. Will look like this: Golden tamaracks on Horseshoe Lake."


Great photo! But, there will be no fall canoe trip in the BWCA for me. I'll have to settle for a weekend trip on the Manitowish or the Turtle Flambeau. Can't get time off in the fall at all and the BW is too far to make a weekend trip worthwhile. I'll just have to look at your photos...
onepaddleshort 01/27/2013 07:20PM
Glad you both enjoyed the report and appreciate the comments. Looking forward to writing another trip report later this year!
TuscaroraBorealis 12/31/2012 10:14PM
quote onepaddleshort: "Could have. I shared it on a trip planning thread with pastorjsackett who was looking for information on the Stuart entry prior to his trip this summer."


That must've been it.
boonie 01/22/2013 08:53AM
Well, maybe when you retire...
pastorjsackett 01/21/2013 09:41PM
Indeed! This trip report was super helpful to us prior to our trip. I also wrote one up on Stu. It is an awesome, brutal, beautiful, lonely trail. I will do it again, but only with lighter canoes! That opener is a bear. We found the walleye to be very cooperative, and there are two gorgeous campsites (one on the island across from the portage and the other on the far north end).


Your trip report has some of the fantastic photography I've seen on any report or anywhere. Great job and thanks again for the help!


PjS
pastorjsackett 01/21/2013 09:44PM
PS: While we were there, the falls were perfect for swimming and bathing. Our four teens really enjoyed that day! If one were to get up the Stu on a low water year, I could see it being tough. There were some places where we barely made it through the rocks!
rertel 01/13/2013 09:44PM
My husband and I did the Stuart-Moose River route during the last week of June. We even did the bike ride thing.


The flies were minimal and the water was very high after torrential rains just the day before we launched. The temperatures were pleasant and it only rained a little on one of the days we were out. We had a great time. Because of the high water, we got a PMA permit and spent the first night on Whitefeather. It is a nice little lake in high water, but still not very deep. We spent a couple of days on the same campsite as you did on Stuart and spent most of one day watching a pair of eagles that were using the point just across from the campsite as a fishing base.


What you saw as a calm waterfall on Stuart was raging when we were there.


Sounds like we were amazingly lucky. I wouldn't have enjoyed the trip nearly as much if the water had been low. It had begun to recede when we exited and the Moose River itself was a little hard to navigate in places.


Thanks for an interesting report.
onepaddleshort 01/22/2013 05:11AM
Boonie: Very jealous of your September trips. Fall is my favorite time of year by far, and the thought of doing some photography there with the leaves turning would be fantastic (not to mention more photos of my titanium mug- ha!): but a Boundary Waters trip in September- or any month in fall- is just not possible for me. Maybe some day.


rertel: We attempted to get into Whitefeather but the water was too low to float through and we didn't have any reason to struggle our way in (as we had to get to Stuart and make camp) but I think that would be a wise choice to get the PMA permit on the way in to Stuart if you'd like an easier first day. Also, I've read something about a small sort of cave on Whitefeather? Did you see anything like that?


Also, I think the insect life we experienced on our trip may have been related to the heavy rains at the end of June.


pastojsackett: Glad the report was helpful. I wrote it immediately upon our return (hence the insects were fresh in my mind) :). I would go through Stuart again- we attacked it with too much gear, me with a bad back, on a hot day in the middle of July, with low water. The good news is my wife went through that and still bought me a canoe and we're planning another trip (maybe two) for this year. And though I would go back, as I've already mentioned someplace further up this thread- we have so many other entry points and areas to explore it may be a while before we ever go in that way again. We are going to be ready when permits open at the end of the month so we have more choice of entries than we did last year.



nctry 01/02/2013 03:32PM
Great read! Enjoyed it a lot. Your lucky to have a great trip partner and sounds like your kids are pretty great too. :) I paddled a little during July too, but my tripping partner was recovering from getting run over by my truck. In September I got to see the Lac La Croix Picto's for the first time in almost thirty years... and on a calm day to boot which was rare the last part of my trip. I have mixed feelings about the overuse of areas like this in the BW. But I'm glad people get a chance to see and experiance what we like to call wilderness. Thanks for sharing... and nice pictures btw.
boonie 01/02/2013 04:50PM
Nice photos and report - really enjoyed it. It confirms the wisdom of my decision to go in Sept. - fewer people and bugs, and a little cooler, too ;).
onepaddleshort 05/12/2015 08:58PM
quote Knoozer: "Tim,
I know you've talked to us about this trip before but it was great reading the story and seeing the pics. Gets me excited for my trip in a month. Maybe we'll have to get together before then and get in some paddling shape."



Sounds like a plan. We've been out several times already both in the kayaks and canoes. We even got in a little canoe camping a couple weeks ago. Maybe if it ever warms up again...
Knoozer 05/12/2015 12:18AM
Tim,
I know you've talked to us about this trip before but it was great reading the story and seeing the pics. Gets me excited for my trip in a month. Maybe we'll have to get together before then and get in some paddling shape.
onepaddleshort 12/31/2012 09:36AM
New Trip Report posted by onepaddleshort

Trip Name: First BWCA Trip- Stuart Lake Entry.

Entry Point: 19

Click Here to View Trip Report
Beemer01 12/31/2012 10:59AM
Nice report with amazing pictures - you make it look like it's worth it to haul in a SLR with an array of lenses!


Seriously - nice bit of work, thanks for writing this up! BTW, usually by late July the bugs have died down a bit, or perhaps my memory is fading.....................................
HangLoose 05/02/2015 10:12PM
Im a little late to the party, but I just enjoyed your trip report. My wife and I are very familiar with that exact route and coincidentally, we stayed at the same campsites. There were times during your report that I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't reading my own report. It was especially familiar when you talked about finding a small rock to tie to your bear rope and the hassles of hanging a food pack. I have been there so many times. We also experienced the many occupied campsites and having to struggle to find the last open site in that area. When you are accustomed to some solitude, it is certainly different to camp within view and sound of several other campsites. If you are ever back in that area, then make sure to make a day trip to Rebecca Falls as that is a beautiful spot. Thanks for sharing your report and photos. It really brought back some memories of that area.
TomT 01/26/2013 07:09PM
Really nice report and some great shots. I'm another of those who like to go in Sept. and your buggy experience brought back lots of earlier trip memories of headnets and cursing.


And I'll second the notion that you have a great partner there. Excellent attitudes all around. hopefully there's trips with the kids in your future. Thanks for posting.


paddlefamily 01/27/2013 11:02AM
Great report and beautiful photography. Island site was pretty nice.
onepaddleshort 01/22/2013 10:47AM
quote boonie: "Well, maybe when you retire..."


Yep, I really hope so...