My job gives me liberty to set my own schedule as i visit the different colleges and universities in the Midwest. I typically work my way up to Ely this time of year so that i can eventually spend some time in the BW, and as a bonus write off my mileage and hotel stay the night before entry.
With the lousy weather, snow/sleet/wind and not much of a respite over the next several days, I called my buddy,who was driving up from the cities tonight, and we decided to cancel the trip!
Even though i am all packed and ready for any variety of weather we would encounter, i just didnt want to deal with these poor conditions.
Is any day in the BWCA better than any day out? Am i just wimping out and getting soft?

Good choice. This is miserable weather, and it's been that way for a week. Arguably the most dangerous type of conditions to be traveling in.

Soft. Gotta be somewhere to fish with warm clothes.

You're not getting soft you're getting smart.

Soft isn't all bad... Be glad your not in now.

I've been looking at going since the 2nd week in September and they all seemed to be cold and wet with a few exceptions in mid week. I kept waiting another week and it never got better. So I guess compared to now, I'm a softie.

h20: "You're not getting soft you're getting smart. "

+1

jhb8426: "I've been looking at going since the 2nd week in September and they all seemed to be cold and wet with a few exceptions in mid week. I kept waiting another week and it never got better. So I guess compared to now, I'm a softie."

That 2nd week of Sept. at Sawbill Campground was very nice. Too bad you didn't act on impulse then. It would have been nice to see ya. Had only one full day of rain/wind on Perent Lake. (3 days/3 nights)

Very sensible on the cancellation, Fulloid.

Don't start mistaking wisdom for weakness.

I recently spent a little over a week going downriver near Nakina, and it snowed or rained every day. I didn't let it ruin my trip for me, but it did 'rule my trip'. It seemed like I was always doing something preventative to keep from getting too cold. Every day I had to put on wet 'river clothes' so that I could keep a dry set of clothes for sleeping in. Some mornings I had to thaw these clothes out over a fire so I could get them on. Keeping a set of clothes dry wasn't simple either, since all the foilage and ground was wet. Each day I only traveled a couple of hours, as the routine of staying warm and dry used up a lot of time.

Overall I sort of enjoyed the challenge, and I think I learned a lot about staying warm, dry and safe on this trip. I loved every mile of travel, but by the time I reached my destination, I was ready to be comfortable without having to work so hard for it.

Discretion "is'' the better part of valor................

BOB

nofish: "Don't start mistaking wisdom for weakness.


"

I'll +1 that.

My wife and I have also been waiting for a good stretch of weather, and we have wimped out for next week as well.

We did get up to Hogback Lake 2 weekends ago for 2 days, and the weather and the colors were great. Rained the day before we got there...we got in, set up camp and I chopped some wood, then it rained that night...cleared up in the morning and was nice for the next day, when we saw the colors and made our way back to the cities.

Rained up there the day after we left, and kept raining.

Sucks! Now I have to put up with my wife complaining that her vacation time will somehow be "wasted". Better that, than putting up with her complaining about the wet cold. :)

mjmkjun: "That 2nd week of Sept. at Sawbill Campground was very nice. Too bad you didn't act on impulse then."

Thanks, Mike, that was actually my preferred week but couldn't make it that week due to other commitments. So I was looking at the 3rd week and beyond. Should've been more clear. Sawbill was my destination.

Canoeing in bad weather, cold, wet and windy seems like the antithesis of "fun". But when I used to run a trapline it didn't matter what the weather did, I was out in it all day, every day for months and months. Of course trudging through the woods working up a sweat in spite of the cold is lots different than sitting in a canoe, looking at whitecaps and cant feel your fingers. Sitting around under a tarp for days is also a major bummer in my book.

I actually grew to like nasty weather on the line. It made the day "interesting". Unless of course there was heavy snow of a foot or more. That would more or less wreck my sets and I would usually pull up and leave town. Thats what happened in the U.P. of Michigan.........9 below and 15" of snow pushed me into the lower for the remainder of the winter.

mastertangler: "Canoeing in bad weather, cold, wet and windy seems like the antithesis of "fun". But when I used to run a trapline it didn't matter what the weather did, I was out in it all day, every day for months and months. Of course trudging through the woods working up a sweat in spite of the cold is lots different than sitting in a canoe, looking at whitecaps and cant feel your fingers. Sitting around under a tarp for days is also a major bummer in my book.


I actually grew to like nasty weather on the line. It made the day "interesting". Unless of course there was heavy snow of a foot or more. That would more or less wreck my sets and I would usually pull up and leave town. Thats what happened in the U.P. of Michigan.........9 below and 15" of snow pushed me into the lower for the remainder of the winter. "

Where in the UP did you live?

I was out in that weather. It was either go out or postpone. While I'd prefer to have some 50s-60s, I really didn't mind it. I was able to stay warm and stay mostly dry. On the other hand, If I am cold and wet, I'll be heading for home.

My rule used to be : I can deal with cold. I can deal with wind. I can deal with wet. But when any two are combined, I'm out.

Now I've taken math out of the equation. If I'm not having fun, what's the point?

Sometimes you don't have a choice. If you're halfway through your trip and you have 3 days to get out and you're 3 days away from the EP... you have to grit your teefs and get it done. But if I have a choice, I'm not going to be miserable simply for the sake of being outdoors.

Yes, it’s much easier to stay home, turn on the news, and be miserable indoors!

I'm starting to look forward to a 7-10 day early January BWCA solo trip, I'm sure glad I wasn't out there last week. Rainy, windy and 35ºF is hard.

A few weeks ago the weather was terrible while we were in on a five night trip to the Q. Wind, rain all the time and temps as low as 31. We had a great time regardless. However, on our second to last day we dialed up the forecast for the evening and next day. It was worse than what we had just gone through. We paddled and portaged all day and got out. Spent the night at Fortune Bay watching Monday Night Football, sitting in the hot tub and drinking beer. I have to tell you that was fun too.

Did the same thing last week. We stayed in town, picked our spots between the weather fronts and did day trips. I think we will remember it as a truly wonderful time. And we ate our way through Ely...

user0317: "I recently spent a little over a week going downriver near Nakina, and it snowed or rained every day. I didn't let it ruin my trip for me, but it did 'rule my trip'. It seemed like I was always doing something preventative to keep from getting too cold. Every day I had to put on wet 'river clothes' so that I could keep a dry set of clothes for sleeping in. Some mornings I had to thaw these clothes out over a fire so I could get them on. Keeping a set of clothes dry wasn't simple either, since all the foilage and ground was wet. Each day I only traveled a couple of hours, as the routine of staying warm and dry used up a lot of time.


Overall I sort of enjoyed the challenge, and I think I learned a lot about staying warm, dry and safe on this trip. I loved every mile of travel, but by the time I reached my destination, I was ready to be comfortable without having to work so hard for it."

What a trooper!
Your comments are spot-on. Reminiscent of a time, decades ago, when the general population lived a simple lifestyle but much efforts required to maintain even simple comforts. Life moved slower then. I know many can relate to that statement and, still today, many choose to endure rough conditions. Felt an impulse to comment on this post particularly because I recognize changing into those icy cold wet clothes builds 'character'. I will no longer test myself in those raw conditions. Grown soft, admittedly.

"Is any day in the BWCA better than any day out? Am i just wimping out and getting soft?"

Yes, it is! Yes, you are! ;-)

I know I am. I took a boat ride to my campsite this summer and stayed at that site the whole time, and I enjoyed it!

I was in from sept 17th and came out oct 13th. I was supposed to come out the 17th but the shallow lakes and bays started freezing up on me and so I bailed 4 days early. I had zero cloud free days and very few rain free days. It was an adapt and make the best of it trip and with the exception of the last few days that never got above freezing I did find enjoyment in being there. It is what you make it. I was able to stay dry the whole time, and would have stayed warm all the time if I had made better footwear choices.
You are not the only one that canceled I'm sure as I saw very few people my entire trip. I went 16 days without seeing anyone on the water or at portages, only seeing canoes and fires at 3 camps during that time. If you want solitude, to be tested with new ways to adapt to conditions, to test the limits of your gear, to have your patience, your resolve, your determination tested you should have went. If you wanted sunshine, sunsets, stars, to be warm, to sit out in the evening and read, make an easy fire, to tear down and pack up dry gear then you should not have gone.
It was by far the worse, longest lasting crappy weather I have ever seen in the fall, with no more than a few hours of sunshine each week, but I am glad I did it. I now know that I can make it through whatever mother nature can throw at me during the fall in northern Minnesota and still find ways to enjoy myself. I also learned to pack for the worse possible and then be glad if you don't need the stuff.
I am also glad it was a solo trip because I'm not sure if I had went with someone else they would have stayed as positive as I was able to. If I would have had to hear someone whining the whole time it would have been a much worse experience.
I did however spend 2 day(oct 2&3)in the middle of the trip at VCO on Sag lake to be honest. I was only going to spend 1 day there, but they were predicting a major thunderstorm with 75mph wind on 10/3 so I stayed the extra night and I'm glad I did because it was very windy that night