Last year, a friend, my younger sister and I did the Ester/Hanson loop from Seagull->Sag. My friend was in a solo Kevlar, my sister and I had a Royalex Spirit 2. While doing the portage from Ottertrack to Swamp, my friend decided to put his canoe in the water just before the actual end of the boardwalk. I'm not sure why he didn't walk the few yards to the end to put in, but that's besides the point. Where we were on the boardwalk, I wasn't confident in my footing to get the canoe in the water (not sure why). So I looked down into the water, seeing what I thought was the bottom, around 2 feet deep or so. I thought, great - i can just step off the boardwalk and put in here.

I took one step off and ended up chest deep in the water with the canoe on my shoulder, full bag on my back (thank god for dry bags), and all the paddles/rods strapped in my canoe. I was so confused it took me a second to realize what happened.

I hadn't actually seen the bottom two feet down, just a layer of muck, under two feet of water. I found out why it's called Swamp Lake the hard way - and why the boardwalk was there. My sister and friend sure got a kick out of it, me not so much.

I was mighty upset with myself at the time, now I think its hilarious, and it certainly won't be happening again. Hopefully I'm not the only one making embarrassing BWCA/Quetico mistakes.

Please share your story if i'm not alone!

I've done something similar, also because of the muck. I was walking into a Quetico lake with a canoe on my shoulders and a pack on my back. It was a swampy looking little lake but the ground looked solid. While in about two feet of water, I stepped into muck that came up my my thighs. It threw off my balance and I immediately tossed the canoe off my shoulders to the side as I fell forward. Still not sure how I did that.

But I still had my 60 pound pack on my back, strapped in very securely. And now I'm face forward in 3.5 feet of water. I'd never before had the experience of swimming with a pack on my back. It was really more of a doggie paddle while I tried to regain my equilibrium. I was able to after about 7-8 feet and I simply walked back to the canoe.

Simple little thing but really got my adrenaline pumping.

Not in the BWCA but in the French River in Ontario on a solo. I got out of the boat and realized that that was not a firm bottom.. It was quicksand.. I was still wearing my PFD and kept sinking.. I had a SPOT on my PFD and was contemplating calling for help.. But I was not dying yet...just sinking to my hips.. I literally hung on to the boat and swam in the muck and fortunately got to a reliable surface. I might have died of embarrassment should I called the rescue troops.

Other embarrassing event in Temagami. I had read guidebooks and all suggested paddling between two lakes.. there was a small creek.
It wasnt very deep.. But it had a two foot tall waterfall with rocks( maybe I should have paid closer attention to the horizon line)... Ever tried digging in to resist the pull when you can get no purchase in about five inches of water.

I jumped out.. The canoe went over and flipped and partially wrapped. My drybags were in an eddy and kept going round and round..

Got the boat and was getting it to shore when two fishermen in a motor boat came up the creek.. Mortified I accepted help. I could have gotten myself out but it seemed easier. They were very nice and did not laugh.. They retrieived the bags with a fishing net.

The canoe was fine sort of . It had a very bent gunwale ( aluminum ) and some questionable cracks in the skin coat ( Merlin II) 31 lbs) I had plenty of duct tape,

A little different than the situations described thus far, but maybe the most embarrassing experiences for me have been some very poor fishing results. 3-4 nights in, with at least 4-5 of us fishing and 2-3 total fish to show for it or something like that.

Now, these aren't what you'd call "fishing trips." It's not our main goal so we don't build our day around getting the morning and evening bite, fishing hard all day, etc. But we do fish for sure, and the expectation is always to land more than a couple stinkin' fish, especially since we don't care what type (bass are fine).

Anyway, you emerge from a trip like that and people ask you how the fishing was and you have to tuck your tail between your legs and come up with some excuse about a cold front or a mayfly hatch or something....which can be legit excuses, but especially non-anglers look at you like you must be some kind of idiot for not slaying dozens of trophy walleyes in the BWCA.

schwartyman: "
I hadn't actually seen the bottom two feet down, just a layer of muck, under two feet of water. I found out why it's called Swamp Lake the hard way - and why the boardwalk was there. "

You found what limnologists refer to as gyttja ( pronunciation ) or colloquially known as loon sh*t. It often produces a false bottom in northern lakes.

thebotanyguy: "

schwartyman: "I hadn't actually seen the bottom two feet down, just a layer of muck, under two feet of water. I found out why it's called Swamp Lake the hard way - and why the boardwalk was there. "

You found what limnologists refer to as gyttja ( pronunciation ) or colloquially known as loon sh*t. It often produces a false bottom in northern lakes."

Loon sh*t is a term I’ve been using for over forty years. Once I stepped out of the stern of the canoe into what appeared to be solid ground, I sunk up to my bits. My friends still laugh about it. Not loon sh*t, but twice as treacherous is moose snot, I’ve never run across it in the BW or Quetico, but is common on the rivers in Wabakimi. This stuff requires that you have the balance of a ballerina, super stuff when you are yanking sixty pound packs out of the canoe.