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Trip Report - 2013 BWCA Solo

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Date/Time: 05/03/2024 03:18AM

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Trip Report - 2013 BWCA Solo

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Author	Message Text
boonie	01/22/2014 09:36AM The only one of those I've had is the Chicken Pilaf. It was OK and I ate it, but wouldn't get it again. I really liked the Cashew Curry (not as bland) and Bacon Baked Beans (even though the sodium is high), and Beef Stew much better than Mountain House. In the past I ate a fair amount of Mountain House ProPacks and a good number of Enertia Trail Foods plus some Mary Jane's Farm. I have the same issue with the packaging, which is why I repackage. The one thing I do like about his packaging is it's thin and packs well. Mountain House, etc. packaging is too bulky and vacuum-packed doesn't conform to pack as well in BearVault. Of course, if you're not trying to cram 8-9 days food in one BearVault... ;). BTW, the Outdoor Herbivore meals come in zip lock bags, but they aren't designed for adding boiling water and rehydrating, so I repackage them as well. The ones I had from them weren't too bland. Let us know what you try and how you like them, Tom - always looking for new ideas.
TomT	01/22/2014 08:21AM quote boonie: "TomT- Which ones did you try? Any of the ones I've reported on the last 2 years? Some may have seemed bland because they were low in sodium...? I don't normally consume a lot of sodium, so probably wouldn't notice. Otherwise, I think it's probably a case of "it's easier to add spice than remove it". I had the same problem with the bags - they're great for packing in a BearVault, but bad for rehydrating and eating out of. I also used a clip system - small spring-steel clamps - for holding them closed and to the sides of my cozy the first year. Last year I repackaged them into some Cook-in-Bags. Also repackaged the ones from Outdoor Herbivore. This time I might pack them in the BearVault as is and take the Cook-in-Bags separate and transfer it in camp. I also didn't like that you couldn't zip it closed before putting in the garbage since I just use a quart-size ziplock for that." Umm, I know I had two breakfast casseroles, and Chicken pilaf, and Bison Stew(?). None really had much flavor at all. That and the trouble with the bags is enough for me to try something else.
boonie	01/21/2014 08:17PM McSpin- Tastes are so individual - Some people are very particular. It's hard to tell who'll like them, but maybe it'll help. TomT- Which ones did you try? Any of the ones I've reported on the last 2 years? Some may have seemed bland because they were low in sodium...? I don't normally consume a lot of sodium, so probably wouldn't notice. Otherwise, I think it's probably a case of "it's easier to add spice than remove it". I had the same problem with the bags - they're great for packing in a BearVault, but bad for rehydrating and eating out of. I also used a clip system - small spring-steel clamps - for holding them closed and to the sides of my cozy the first year. Last year I repackaged them into some Cook-in-Bags. Also repackaged the ones from Outdoor Herbivore. This time I might pack them in the BearVault as is and take the Cook-in-Bags separate and transfer it in camp. I also didn't like that you couldn't zip it closed before putting in the garbage since I just use a quart-size ziplock for that.
TomT	01/21/2014 06:59AM I decided not to write up my trip this year (because I did the video) but as far as Hawk Vittles goes.... I thought most were bland and I did not like their bag system. There was no way to seal the top and a couple times it spilled over for me. Finally I figured out that I could clip the top of the bag with a wooden clothespin and that worked. Sadly I'll probably try someone else next time.
mcspin50	01/20/2014 09:58PM Great report, boonie. I enjoyed the meal-by-meal sodium reports and your rating of the various dehydrated meals. It sure will help me for next year's trip with the "kids". The photos were wonderful, and Walt Whitman quotes were very nice too. Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us. Lil M.
TomT	12/25/2013 09:45PM Nice job Boonie!
boonie	12/25/2013 02:10PM quote ducks: "Congrats on winning the trip report contest! " Thanks. Congrats on winning the extra prize!
ducks	12/25/2013 01:33PM Congrats on winning the trip report contest!
boonie	12/05/2013 09:57PM TomT- You must have been up north where it's cooler ;). Seriously, I'm geared up for cooler weather. It wasn't terrible - just enough to be "uncomfortable". I've enjoyed your video several times and have been waiting for the "prose version".
boonie	12/05/2013 09:52PM That'll be a nice route, Exo. I almost did it the other direction.
TomT	12/05/2013 08:19AM Nicely done and I also love the big pictures. I did that area to Malberg in 2008 and definitely remember the mucky portage around Square Lake. The big rock on the Koma landing and the high narrows site on Malberg were familiar as well. Or trips this year overlapped but I don't remember the muggy conditions you describe. I swam pretty much everyday too so maybe that's how I stayed cool. The site where your tent space got flooded broght back memories. That's one thing I really tend to look for before setting up a tent. Another reason to buy a sleeping hammock I guess. Well, it was fun to read and look at. Thanks. Also, I'll comment on Hawk Vittles foods in my report later on.
Exo	11/29/2013 09:28AM quote boonie: "Thanks, Exo - what's your route for the spring?" It will be a loop out of Kawashiwi and up to and through beaver/Adams/boulder then over to Frasier/Thomas then down Alice and back out. Looking forward to all the diversity of that loop. Big water, small water, the river, beaches, etc.
boonie	11/28/2013 03:13PM quote nctry: "Nice report Boonie... Would be fun to bump into you out there. With my surgery behind me I'm considering a good trip or two next year to enjoy things a bit. Maybe a late season trip for sure. " Glad to hear you're recovering and looking ahead to new trips, Ben. I plan are to be up there a little later in Sept next year, so maybe we'll meet then. We'll be going in #37 on 9/20 unless plans change. I'll arrive in Duluth late on 9/18 and we'll be on the North Shore 9/19, so if you're around then or when we exit a week later, maybe we'll meet.
nctry	11/28/2013 11:38AM Nice report Boonie... Would be fun to bump into you out there. With my surgery behind me I'm considering a good trip or two next year to enjoy things a bit. Maybe a late season trip for sure.
boonie	11/28/2013 11:28AM Thanks, Exo - what's your route for the spring?
Exo	11/28/2013 08:46AM Nice trip report with some great insight on campsites and the like. It's part of an area I will travel through this spring.
boonie	11/27/2013 08:00PM Yeah, it's time for the "Backyard Brawl", but it's no more.
HighnDry	11/27/2013 07:16PM quote boonie: "quote HighnDry: "quote boonie: "BEAT PITT!, Terry. When did you and your friend attend Pitt and WVU? Is that SE PA like around Philadelphia? That would be a long way." 80-84. Reading to be exact although now I'm in Minneapolis. We 'solved' the "mountaineer problem" by moving to the ACC :)" My daughter lives near Lancaster now. Did you go straight on from Pitt to MN? We solved the "Pitt problem" by moving to the Big 12 ;). " Boonie, Meant to get back to you on your question. The short answer is 'no'. I was overseas and moved to MSP for a job and now this is home ( and what a wonderful place it is!) I'll just have to catch up with you at Canoecopia or next time you're up here for a paddle or dinner somewhere to give you a longer version (and hear yours as well). Sad to say that Pitt, Penn State, and WVU no longer reside in the same conference and have to face off against each other every year. Although we still manage to take the same beatings just with different opponents :) However, on the good side I'm no longer distracted from fishing and canoeing!
boonie	11/25/2013 09:51PM quote HighnDry: "quote boonie: "BEAT PITT!, Terry. When did you and your friend attend Pitt and WVU? Is that SE PA like around Philadelphia? That would be a long way." 80-84. Reading to be exact although now I'm in Minneapolis. We 'solved' the "mountaineer problem" by moving to the ACC :)" My daughter lives near Lancaster now. Did you go straight on from Pitt to MN? We solved the "Pitt problem" by moving to the Big 12 ;).
HighnDry	11/25/2013 07:29PM quote boonie: "BEAT PITT!, Terry. When did you and your friend attend Pitt and WVU? Is that SE PA like around Philadelphia? That would be a long way." 80-84. Reading to be exact although now I'm in Minneapolis. We 'solved' the "mountaineer problem" by moving to the ACC :)
onepaddleshort	11/25/2013 07:08PM Thanks for taking the time to write this up. Enjoyed reading through it and the photos are excellent. Looks like an area that we'll have to put on list to visit someday.
boonie	11/25/2013 04:47PM NotLight- The road trip is a lot more fun than when I used to try to cram the trip up and back and the BW trip into a 1-week vacation ;). How far in did you go from 37? I really liked the Adams Lake area - it was the best part of the trip. It wasn't my favorite trip, but was nice. It was different. It's kind of hard to compare because it was also earlier and I missed the Fall colors and cooler temps. I also had mosquitos like I've never had on a trip. I liked all the small stream paddling up through there, even though it was through the edge of the burn area. The burn was mostly a new experience as I've avoided it in the past because I go for the fall colors. Having said that, I plan to enter there next year and head east instead of west ;). I usually try to hit a little different area each year.
boonie	11/25/2013 04:44PM BEAT PITT!, Terry. When did you and your friend attend Pitt and WVU? Is that SE PA like around Philadelphia? That would be a long way.
NotLight	11/25/2013 03:41PM Nice report. The road trip part sounds fun. I went to EP37 this year, and outside the berries everywhere, I really didn't find that route particularly memorable. I am wondering how you'd rank this EP vs some others you've been to? I used the 7x7 nemo bugout this year and it made a big difference battling bugs and light rain like you had. It packs down small enough for soloing. I'd highly recommend it. It's like $120 or so on sale at campsaver. But if you normally go 3 weeks later like you say then you might not need it.
HighnDry	11/25/2013 03:17PM quote boonie: "New Trip Report posted by boonie Trip Name: 2013 BWCA Solo. Entry Point: 37 Click Here to View Trip Report" Thanks for the report! Now I'm searching around for my BWCA maps to track down that route so that I can check it out next summer :). Appreciate the long drive you made to make that trip as well --- have a good child-hood buddy who I grew up with in S.E. Pa who went to WVU (I went to Pitt...and "no" the ribbing for our many losses to WVU STILL has not subsided!). Thanks again for the well-done trip report. Good read.
boonie	11/25/2013 02:51PM quote missmolly: "You quoted Walt Whitman, so now I like you.." I like you too :) and Whitman's Leaves of Grass.
missmolly	11/25/2013 01:38PM You quoted Walt Whitman, so now I like you.
boonie	11/25/2013 12:50PM quote Spartan2: "I really enjoyed your trip report, boonie. Especially appreciate the large photos. . .I rarely even bother to click on the small ones in other reports as it just takes so much time. Your photography makes me feel like I was right there with you (without making the effort, of course. LOL!) Beaver-Adams is one of my favorite areas of the BWCA. Thanks for taking me back there, albeit in my computer chair. Nice report. Looks like you had a great trip." Thanks, Spartan2, I have always appreciated the larger pictures in your reports and those of others. I'm glad I finally figured out how to do it - I'm not as tech-savvy as I was when I was younger in BC (before computers) ;). BTW, I am seriously considering your suggestion to return by way of Canada next fall instead of the U.P. I'd appreciate any advice or information you can give me on the logistics of money exchange, places to stay and eat, sights to see, etc.
boonie	11/25/2013 12:43PM quote inspector13: " I found the reporting of the sodium content of those meals very useful. : ) Damned genetics. " They are easy to find on the websites. Some are pretty high - Bacon Baked Beans have 1706 mg, but they taste great ;). Fortunately, I don't have a problem with blood pressure...yet. But I don't eat a lot of high-sodium foods on a regular basis. I think I probably averaged about 1200 mg per day, but some days were higher and some lower.
inspector13	11/25/2013 12:06PM I found the reporting of the sodium content of those meals very useful. : ) Damned genetics.
Spartan2	11/23/2013 08:04AM I really enjoyed your trip report, boonie. Especially appreciate the large photos. . .I rarely even bother to click on the small ones in other reports as it just takes so much time. Your photography makes me feel like I was right there with you (without making the effort, of course. LOL!) Beaver-Adams is one of my favorite areas of the BWCA. Thanks for taking me back there, albeit in my computer chair. Nice report. Looks like you had a great trip.
ducks	11/22/2013 10:29PM Very nice report! Thanks for sharing it. I've spent a lot of time at Kawishiwi Lake and the little campground there over the years but I've never been past Square Lake. I look forward to taking a trip into the Polly area and beyond sometime. Sounds like you will enjoy getting back to the usual late Sept. time frame for your trip.
boonie	11/22/2013 09:19PM Link to slideshow
boonie	11/22/2013 08:46PM New Trip Report posted by boonie Trip Name: 2013 BWCA Solo. Entry Point: 37 Click Here to View Trip Report