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 Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Winter Camping and Activities Winter routes? Reply
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| Previous Messages: | |
| Author | Message Text |
| ChadW |
12/31/2020 08:34AM I just finished a somewhat similar trip - solo, sled hauling on snowshoes, entered near Ely, couple nights. I didn't actually complete my loop for a few reasons, but if you enter at EP25 (Moose Lake), you can (I'm assuming) make a 18-20 mile loop of Moose->Newfound->Found->Manomin->Basswood-heading-southwest-to->Wind->Moose. I ended up not completing the Basswood section, so can't verify the last half, but I know Moose->Wind->Basswood is a fairly common route. It would just be connecting them along the 6 or so miles on Basswood. I can't speak to ice conditions along there though - other than my lunch sitting on my sled on Basswood was accompanied by a constant chorus of cracking booms. For mileage per day - others have all chimed in, so I'll just say based on my experience 5-10 miles in that situation is doable if you're diligent (i.e. probably doing most camp setup/breakdown/cooking in the dark to maximize daylight travel) and in good physical condition - but no cakewalk if the conditions aren't ideal. I got the 3-4 inches of snow the other day while I was out, so the next day was certainly slower, and sweatier, through fresh snow and more slush. Speed will also be much faster if you find previously packed routes - not always easy after a lot of fresh snow with it blowing in your face. In January you'll at least have a bit more daylight than right now. This was my first trip so close to the solstice - that lack of daylight was really noticeable! Good luck! |
| Jaywalker |
12/30/2020 06:21PM Are you going solo? If so doing all the chores eats up time. Aiming for 10 miles a day seems ambitious to me, especially in the short days of January. May not leave much time to fish. And weather can really affect how far you plan to get. |
| Finnboy |
12/30/2020 04:03PM There is a big difference between 5&10 miles some years. I hot tent. There have been years 10 miles were easy. Other years I struggled to make it five. |
| Minnesotian |
12/30/2020 01:11PMGadfly: "Unless you are packing extremely light 5-10 miles a day is very ambitious when conditions aren't good. You may want get some reports on conditions before heading up as I am pretty sure you are going to run into a lot of slush. " I agree with Gadfly. The weather will greatly dictate how much ground you will be covering. If it decides to snow 5 to 10 inches, your progress will be greatly slowed by constantly breaking trail. Also, deciding a trip really also hinges on where you can park your vehicle. Not all entry points or even roads to entry points are plowed during the winter. That said, you don't need to go far or deep into the BWCA during the winter to have lakes all to yourself. In the Ely area, I would look at the Farm Lake access area. |
| Voyager |
12/30/2020 01:10PM Your mileage goals seem high to me too. We put in at Fall L. years ago. Our goal was to cross the 4 mile portage and camp. We only made it part way across the portage the first day; very deep, light powdery snow. Don't follow the southern shoreline on Fall L. There are springs there and the ice doesn't firm up. I found out the hard way. Follow the dogsled trail which crosses over toward the island and then to the 4 miler. It's usually marked with sprigs of evergreen in the snow. We were lucky enough to find a dogsledder's fishing holes on Basswood , which were easy to reopen with the ice chisel. We caught a pike for dinner within minutes. There are many directions to explore day tripping from there, without the hassle of breaking and setting up camp. If things get slushy on the ice, you'll have only a short distance to cover over ice on Fall L. to get back to your vehicle. There's usually dogsled traffic in January though, if that bothers you. |
| Gadfly |
12/30/2020 11:48AM Unless you are packing extremely light 5-10 miles a day is very ambitious when conditions aren't good. You may want get some reports on conditions before heading up as I am pretty sure you are going to run into a lot of slush. |
| bcyr |
12/30/2020 10:30AM Are you planning on moving camp every night? Are you using a hot tent? |
| Kfink18 |
12/29/2020 07:45PM **preferably in the Ely area |
| Kfink18 |
12/29/2020 07:44PM Hi everyone, I am planning a trip in January and am looking for suggestions on routes (loops). I will be pulling a sled for gear and intend on having the trip last 4 days/3 nights, leaving in the morning on the first day. I'd like to do all of my traveling during daylight, so I'm thinking approximately 5-10 miles or so each day (about 20-30 miles total). I'm considering doing some fishing too. I am open to suggestions from people's past experiences! Thanks! |
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