BWCA Trip Report - EP 27 - Snowbank to Thomas and back in May 2018 Boundary Waters Trip Reports

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Trip Report - EP 27 - Snowbank to Thomas and back in May 2018

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BigBearArlich

05/23/2018 09:40AM

New Trip Report posted by BigBearArlich

Trip Name: EP 27 - Snowbank to Thomas and back in May 2018.

Entry Point: 27

Click Here to View Trip Report

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smoke11

05/23/2018 10:08AM

Nice report!

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boonie

05/23/2018 02:42PM

Thanks for the report - enjoyed it. Glad you survived the long days and wind.

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Ausable

05/24/2018 11:55AM

Good report! I'll be including that route on a section of my trip at the end of June.

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KarlBAndersen1

05/24/2018 01:51PM

When you said, "......... the wrong way around a big island." which way did/didn't you go?
Is one way better/easier than the other?

You have a very incomplete sparse profile or I would have emailed you.

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BigBearArlich

05/24/2018 02:16PM

Based on my research, it saves time to take the pink route if the weather is good, cuts off a portage and its a relatively nice paddle. thats the route we took on the way in.

If the weather sucks, like when it was super windy for us, the green route down and around Burnt Island gives you more protection from the wind, but adds a portage. We took this route on the way back to our car.

My navigation a bit rusty since it was my first trip of the year so we went down and around burnt island on the trip in, but then got our bearings and just paddled a little further to pickup the pink route and arrive at the 140 portage into Disappointment.

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KarlBAndersen1

05/26/2018 06:58AM

Gotcha - that makes sense - sort of. That portage is still longer than the other two combined, but I guess you eliminate loading/un-loading the canoe twice.
I'll be watching for winds in that case.

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mmarksnp

05/26/2018 11:41AM

Great report. Good info for me. Will be entering at Snowbank with 6 Eagle Scouts and the plan is to make to Thomas that first day. We will not go through Disappointment instead exiting Snowbank in the NE and portaging to Boot. Any thoughts on which way is preferred?

Non est ergo nothi tere vos usque

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cburton103

05/28/2018 09:23PM

Great report! I did that exact trip back in June of 2012. We even stayed at the same campsite! Thomas is a nice lake. I usually like the lakes with a fair amount of islands like that.

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BigBearArlich

05/29/2018 08:59AM

@mmarksnp

Based on all my research, and others input, I think its completely dependent on the weather. If its beautiful, I would probably consider the route you suggested. If not, you have the couple options listed in the other posts to cut your time on snowbank down. Snowbank can be a doozy.

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sylvesterii

05/29/2018 09:28AM

mmarksnp: "Great report. Good info for me. Will be entering at Snowbank with 6 Eagle Scouts and the plan is to make to Thomas that first day. We will not go through Disappointment instead exiting Snowbank in the NE and portaging to Boot. Any thoughts on which way is preferred?
"

Don't do it if you want to make Thomas in a Day. Snowbank to Disappointment is definitely the better route.

I went that route last year with intentions of making it to Fraser, and we had to stop at Ima because it just took too long. The amount of in/out really slows you down and gets frustrating, not to mention there isn't anything really special about that route. You paddle for 5 minutes, unload, portage, reload, paddle for 5 minutes, unload, portage, reload etc. Lots of mud, slippery rocks and narrow portage trails.

The 1 portage into Boot is actually 2 with a tiny pond. There is also another portage not shown on the maps that is a pull-over to get into Haven. In total that route has 14 portages, with Haven to Abinodji being one of the toughest I have ever taken (and i've done the back-to-back Meadows portages in the Quetico multiple times). Disappointment route has 11, with the only somewhat tough portage being the length of the portage into Disappointment, but that is flat and wide.

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mmarksnp

05/29/2018 10:45AM

Okay. Thanks for that. Was planning that route as it would be new territory for me. Will definite consider as we actually are starting the the Somers Boy Scout Base which adds 2 portages.

Non est ergo nothi tere vos usque

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