What time do you like to pull away from the entry point and why? How far do you typically canoe in a day before securing your site? I suspect a lot depends on the EP and the lakes you are traveling but I am curious how you plan your travel time to your destination.

Early season trips we're typically paddling by 7:00, and looking for a site between noon and two. Back it up 60-90 minutes for our late season trips. No real reason - just what we tend to do.

There's lots of variables but in general if I have to drive up from home (4-5 hours) then I aim to be at the entry by 10:30 and paddling by 11:00. In that case I'm likely to paddle a 2-4 hours before camping. If I can, I like to stay the night before in Ely or GM at a bunkhouse and then get on he water by 8-9 and then paddle a bit further. Either way, on the first day I watch carefully how many sites are open and tend not to be too choosy, but like to get up very early on day 2 and paddle further in and away from crowds.

Variables are weather, size of entry lakes and campsite numbers at destination lake. If I am going to paddle Saganaga to a Cache Bay Quetico entry I stay at a bunkhouse and get on the water at 5 am. If my first day is through lakes with few campsites the start is early. Otherwise I may have a more leisurely beginning. At my age and traveling solo, my travel time and distance any day is governed by how I feel. Most injuries occur when you are tired. I don't find it fun to push my limits any more.

It depends on the entry point. I always plan for us to arrive the evening before. We either camp or have a bunkhouse. Pick up the permit and the usual last minute items. The final packing ensues, an evening meal, and some form of entertainment. Usually a game of cribbage or 3. (Last year we fell asleep to the strains of a guitarist and singing 2-3 campsites over in the Sawbill Campground.) We are up in the morning usually before 7 and ready to go. Breakfast is usually our breakfast cookies and a hot beverage. If we are at the entry, we pack the canoe and go (about 7:30-8am). If we are not at the entry, then transportation to the entry and we are usually on the water or portage by about 9.
The first day of travel varies, but as I think about it, has gotten shorter over the years. It has varied from as short as 4-5 miles and as long as 15, but it is usually about 8-10.

I’m generally on the water very early, 6-7 am. Then depending on the EP I may paddle anywhere from 8-14 miles to find a spot to camp. That time frame usually gets us out far enough to make finding campsites easier. On my solo this year, I plan to cover around 22-25 miles on day one so I may be on the water before daylight to make that happen. It’s all a matter of personal preference, but I don’t like being at a crowded launch so I’m generally there early. Better chance of seeing wildlife early as well.

Tony

As in other life decisions it is situational management. Like others have noted, what does the situation call for?
My choice is arriving in Ely or commercial option late afternoon and pick up permits, last minute shopping, eat dinner or pick up a pizza and head to the EP. I sleep in my truck bed and hit the water just before sunrise to calm waters. Dawn is the best time of the day to paddle in most situations. I take an insulated container with about two cups of good coffee and sausage muffin sandwich and often a small orange or banana. I paddle awhile and take a coffee break. That little break gives me a recharge to go until lunch. After that, well it's situational management.

We get to Briton's at 5:30, and eat/drink as much as humanly possible.

We drive straight to the EP.

Whatever time that gets us there is when we start our trip!

maybe 7-7:45 depending on the EP.

I usually pull away from the entry point later than I planned. Why? Let me know if you figure it out. I'd say about 8:30 is average. I usually plan for about 10 miles or 5 hours travel, give or take a couple miles or an hour.

We always stay the night before in Ely or GM, get up early and go. We tend to dawdle a bit, so maybe we're on the water by 9:00. I think it is possible to get on the water too early (especially if you're not going far) and not find an open campsite because the sites haven't cleared yet of the previous nights campers. That's happened to me on solos, where I've arrived to the site I want only to find it occupied by trippers who are leaving, but still packing up. I've patiently waited, out of sight as best I can, then claimed it as they paddle off.

Mike

Always sunrise... unless I’m getting a tow, then it will be either 7am , or 1 pm...

When we’re ready to go. Why? Because before then, we’re not ready to go. No need to wait when we’re ready to go. We don’t obsess over the time on the clock.

I like to be at the EP as early as possible. We've even left our cabin while it was still dark to be at an EP at first light. The reward is quiet calm morning conditions, solitude, and more wildlife. I've paddled from Lake 1 to the end of Lake 4 before seeing another person on the water. But sometimes as early as possible is later due to other constraints. Last year we took our niece and her family and there was no way we were going to have the kids up, organized, and ready to go that early. We had a great time.

How far do we go? Depends. Probably around 10 miles. Go further and find an awesome site and day two may turn into a rest day just to enjoy it. Go shorter and we're more likely to move along on day two. We generally have a few rest days built into our trips and we can use them when we feel like it. It also depends on who we are with. If we have newcomers the first day may be shorter as it takes time to get used to the whole process of portaging. With an experienced crew it will be further.

Last year with the kids we went maybe a couple of miles. Found a great site and enjoyed it for the rest of the trip.

We usually have to drive up the night before (after work on a Friday) and camp in a State Forest campground fairly late. So we pick up our permit the next morning and then get breakfast nearby (or vice versa). We usually get on the water around 9:30. It is a vacation and my husband is not a morning person so we are never hard core about the time we get on the water.

This year we should be able to leave earlier in the day and pick up our permit before we camp for the night. We'll still get breakfast somewhere before putting on the water, though.

Michwall2: "It depends on the entry point. I always plan for us to arrive the evening before. We either camp or have a bunkhouse. Pick up the permit and the usual last minute items. The final packing ensues, an evening meal, and some form of entertainment. Usually a game of cribbage or 3. (Last year we fell asleep to the strains of a guitarist and singing 2-3 campsites over in the Sawbill Campground.) We are up in the morning usually before 7 and ready to go. Breakfast is usually our breakfast cookies and a hot beverage. If we are at the entry, we pack the canoe and go (about 7:30-8am). If we are not at the entry, then transportation to the entry and we are usually on the water or portage by about 9.
The first day of travel varies, but as I think about it, has gotten shorter over the years. It has varied from as short as 4-5 miles and as long as 15, but it is usually about 8-10.



"

+1 - this is our exact routine, minus the cribbage, adding cold beers.

When my wife and I go, we are probably the last group at any given entry point. I don't feel like the trip really starts until the second day. Put in day is usually kind of stressful, what with last minute packing, stops for getting a permit, whatever. So we will take out time, try to relax, and start late and stop early.

If I'm going solo, I would probably start early like a lot of you guys do.

old_salt: "When we’re ready to go. Why? Because before then, we’re not ready to go. No need to wait when we’re ready to go. We don’t obsess over the time on the clock."

I love this logic!

Wildcat11,
I am always at a campground the day before. Heading out at crack of dawn is not a priority on entry day. I usually indulge in a bit of jawing if someone initiates it at put-in or landings. On average, it's between 9 am - 10 am.
More often than not, I do leave last campsite at crack of dawn on exit day. Usually, I pace myself so that I have about half a day of paddling to do. Once, I left a site very late so pulled up to Sawbill landing after dark.....9:30 pm. Kinda cool experience, actually. Also, was surprised to see other canoes out there in the dark. Anglers, likely.

We're always in a bunkhouse the night before and probably because I'm anxious to get started and thus wake early, we're usually up and heading to the EP around 6:30 a.m. so it just works out that we're on the water by 7:00-7:30 a.m.
We paddle for 6-7 hours and then look for a site.

Depends on ep obviously. Lakes like Snowbank or Bule can give trouble leaving too late. But it always is what it is... shoot for early and just go with what you get. I can leave at five from home and get to Brittons by 6:30... I don’t see a big advantage to real early start time. But the earlier you get going either home or bunkhouse the less stressful you feel no matter how things unfold. Being too rigid kinda goes against the grain of why I go.

We drive the 9 hours or so the day before, stay somewhere and leave at a decent time in the morning. We usually like to get some miles in on day one if it works out. No real set schedule or plans but general guidance

bunkhouse the night before
get up get ready and drop in when we get there, hopefully as early as possible next morning

we will look for camp after two or three hours the first day, cause nothing is ever packed right
:)

no time set for anything.
and if it changes, then it changes

pretty non-nonchalant attitude, although if we get started too late and end up looking for a campsite as sunset is happening, I get a little snarky :)

While I like to be at the EP as early as possible, we make this low stress by spending more time in Ely beforehand than other people. Because we are flying in and then driving up, we tend to be there for at least a full day before going in and sometimes two. That gives us easy time for the final packing and also getting in a day paddle to let newcomers get comfortable.

We will.be getting to our ep the day before. Doing some fishing and paddling that day.. sleep there and wake up in the morning eat a quick bfast. Pack up and get on the water... planning on shortly after sunrise

Usually Brittons for breakfast before 6 and TRY to leave entry by 7:30.

Usually we spend the night in Duluth the night before so we have to drive too. That said, the plan is typically to get up before dawn and try to get on the road before the sun comes up. It is a 2-3 hour drive so we aren't getting on the water by dawn or 7, but if we can be on the water by 9:30 then we are doing alright.

We are getting towed from an outfitter on Moose Lake to Prairie Portage. We will leave as early as the outfitter will go. The first day's objective is to get as far as we can and still leave time to comfortably setup camp and cook a meal. We don't go hard-core nor portage like beasts, yet we go with purpose. Where we stop depends on what it takes to get past the next portage and to a campsite. If we don't think we can get to the next lake and find that next spot, we will get a spot and enjoy the rest of the evening.

old_salt: "When we’re ready to go. Why? Because before then, we’re not ready to go. No need to wait when we’re ready to go. We don’t obsess over the time on the clock."

Wise words. Especially on a longer trip, I like to eat when I'm hungry, sleep/rest/stop when I'm tired, and forget about the time completely.

P.S. If Old Salt doesn't plan to use the first part as a personal quote, I'd happily borrow it! :)

The last few years we have taken the very first tow out of LaTourells at 6:00. This gets us into camp by noon and out fishing faster.

I guess like Old Salt I enter when I'm ready. If that's 5:00 am or 5:00 pm it doesn't matter. I have grown to like the afternoon entries rather than lodging in Ely or somewhere in the region. Get several miles in later in day you're only that much further what would otherwise have been first day. Easy to carry fresh food for first night with few or no portages. Saves money. One more night in the wilderness. Seems like all wins to me.

Don't know how it will work now that I'm 20+ hours away from when only 10. We'll see.