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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum

Trip Planning Forum

Mid-October Trip?

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Date/Time: 04/27/2024 02:48PM

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Mid-October Trip?

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Previous Messages:
Author	Message Text
jillpine	05/22/2023 03:15PM Wear a blaze orange hat.
Jaywalker	05/22/2023 12:53PM Oh yeah, and wear wool.
jsmithxc	05/22/2023 05:34AM Snow is always possible from mid September but so are warm temps. Great time to paddle if you are prepared for cold and rain/snow. I keep an available emergency dry bag with clothes, fire starter and some emergency food accessible, not buried in a pack, in case for some reason I end up going go into the water, hypothermia does kill, always need a plan B. Did have one morning at 13F in late October one year.
RoamingBuffalo	05/20/2023 01:05PM Thank you Jay Walker! Great perspective and great advice. The hot tent is something I never considered. I truly appreciate your comments.
RoamingBuffalo	05/20/2023 01:04PM Thank you Shock, Ducks, and Old Tripper !!! Your comments are appreciated, and provided important perspectives.
RoamingBuffalo	05/20/2023 01:02PM Thank you Tuscarora Borealis.... I appreciate your comment!
Jaywalker	05/20/2023 08:19AM I love October trips and have done several. I even managed a second week of November once. Your trips at the end of September should have you pretty well prepared. Two-three weeks later will just be definitely darker, sun lower on horizon, probably colder, and better chance of storm fronts that last several days. I’ve twice been pinned down for 2-3 days in October when storm fronts came through. Still had fun though. Since at that time of year you can go where you want and crowds are minimal, I’d suggest you plan 2-3 routes in advance and decide a week or so before. Maybe a fair weather route, a cold route, and a stormy weather route which keeps you closer to the entry. If the temps are unusually cold you may want to leave any carbon fiber paddles at home and bring some basic wooden ones you can whack some ice with. I had to break a good 100 yards on Splash once to get out of Ensign. Another unusual idea to consider, especially if the weather is looking wet and you are not doing too much portaging, is consider renting a hot tent with a wood stove. It’s not so important for sleeping in a warm place but for having a place to warm up and get your clothes bone dry in the evening. I took my Snowtrekker once when bad weather was forecast and it was great. Don’t cook in it though - bears will still be out. Can rent them in Ely or GM.
OldTripper	05/20/2023 08:14AM My latest trip was we left on Halloween and came out on November 10th, 1986. Never had any snow (that I recall) but did experience thin ice near the shore on some of the lakes. We did the Moose, Knife, Eddy, Kekekabic, Fraser, Thomas, Ensign, back to Moose loop. We never seen another soul up there other than when we stopped to visit Dorothy on Knife Lake. It was eerily quiet. It was a very cool experience.
ducks	05/20/2023 06:51AM I love October trips.. Last year I exited on Halloween after doing a spur of the moment trip because of the beautiful forecast. 60s during the day and 30s overnight. No bugs and no wind. It was perfect. I stayed on an EP lake and still only say a couple of other people. But you could also have miserable weather so be flexible and be prepared for extremes. I’ve had highs only in the 30s with 40 mph winds and rain, sleet, snow to 70s and sun with no wind. Also be ready for short days and long nights. I don’t mind if at all, but some don’t like it. If I remember correctly it was dark by 6:30 and wasn’t light out until 7:00.
shock	05/20/2023 04:44AM Mid-october trip trip will be excellent for lakes with stream trout in them. As others stated , have good clothing , below freezing at night is more the norm than exception in mid-Oct in BWCA. keep that fire going ;)
TuscaroraBorealis	05/19/2023 10:11PM Shouldn't have any problems concerning open water but, definitely be prepared for cooler temps & much shorter days (daylight hours). Less bugs too! :)
RoamingBuffalo	05/19/2023 08:02PM billconner: "I came out on Halloween a few years ago. Snow blowing across the bow. Carried fresh food with ease. And very few others so solitude is pretty good. Enjoy!" Thank you Bill. I really appreciate your awesome perspective.
billconner	05/19/2023 06:31PM I came out on Halloween a few years ago. Snow blowing across the bow. Carried fresh food with ease. And very few others so solitude is pretty good. Enjoy!
RoamingBuffalo	05/19/2023 06:10PM I realize significant weather variables from one year to the next, but with that understanding ... and realizing the odds increase of colder temps ... can anyone share their experience regarding how late in October one can canoe in BWCA? We typically canoe last week in September, but some of our group can't this year as they will be in Europe, which would require the second or third week in October for our trip. Is that to late? Thank you!