Got back last week from a solo trip to Quetico. Wonderful trip, even with all the rain. I was out for 11 days and didn't see a soul for 9 days. Entered Agnes Lake on the first day, stayed on Kawnipi, got to Montgomery Lake and bushwacked to see the Montgomery Creek pictographs. That was not an easy bushwack, even without the canoe, but wow are those pictos and the effort to get there worth it. Beautiful, age defying spot.

Made my way over to Russel, finally seeing some of the waterfalls. Snake Falls was my favorite.

Went down to Camel Lake and spent two nights there. My layover day I went for a daytrip and found this in a most beautiful setting:


Did the Death March Portage, which was 95% easy except for one damn spot, and that spot is a real freaking doozie. I would still do the Death March again though, over the Memory Lane portages. Ended up staying at the Hilton on Brent. Love that site.

Took McKintyre Creek again. Love that route down to Robinson. Twisty and such clear water. Got to stay at the famous Robinson Lake island site again.

Last day I went from Robinson all the way down to Kett, all the way down Basswood, through Wind Lake and to my truck at Williams and Hall. Long day but wonderful.

Not a lot of wildlife, it was actually a fairly silent trip. All the loons were off the small lakes and had started gathering on the big lakes like Basswood and Agnes. And I saw so many of them that were completely grey. Really missed hearing loons every night.

Tree color was good. Camel Lake especially was looking wonderful.

Overall a great trip.

Glad to hear you had a really good trip :).

Sounds like a winner. No fish?

That's a helluva route to do solo in that time frame. I'm curious what your canoe is and did you use a single or double blade? I spent 4 nights on the nice Camel site this Sept. Russell surprised me how beautiful it is. I'd love to read a trip report if you can.

Oh yeah, I was doing some fishing too. Nothing memoriable there other then catching this same pike on a jointed Rapula 3 times while I was on Camel. Lots of smallmouth catching though.

Tom, my solo canoe is a Wenonah Vagabond in Royalex. At 14’6” long it isn’t the fastest boat out there but it sure is stable. On Basswood, for about an hour, I was paddeling into 20 mph wind gusts whipping the waves into 1.5 to 2 foot swells and at no point did I feel unconfortable in that canoe. Thats probably the reason why I havn’t traded it in for a faster canoe yet. And I use a single blade, mostly a Sandborn 7 degree bent I got from Mooseplums. Made of red cedar it is really lightweight and I can still do a good j-stroke with it.

Yeah, it was a pretty ambitious route for that timeframe, but I wanted something that would get me out there and to really work my mind and body. I keep thinking that I should join Bev on one of his challanges some year because I think I could keep up, even in my tiny Vagabond, but the timing of the challanges haven’t worked out yet.

I’ll see about the trip report. I’ve never done one but maybe this winter I’ll want to relive the trip again and put it down.

That trip sounds absolutely awesome! I am jealous!
I have virtually the exact same itinerary in my head for one of my trips next year. I hope to take it again either my myself or with one of my groups. Just great areas.

I really hope you do a trip report, and that you do it before you forget the small things. I'd love to read it!

Thanks!

Dave

Sounds like a great trip. You’re fortunate to have gotten one in.