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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Trip Reports Trip Report - Measure once, cut twice. |
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08/09/2019 10:17PM
New Trip Report posted by jillpine
Trip Name: Measure once, cut twice. .
Entry Point: 39
Click Here to View Trip Report
Trip Name: Measure once, cut twice. .
Entry Point: 39
Click Here to View Trip Report
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08/10/2019 06:36AM
I loved your "Last Lesson" and your tidy, compact camp. The photo of your gear by your canoe is a winner too. Do take a longer trip one day. It takes me a few days just to slip into the cadence of being alone. Once you're synced, it's the best.
I will paddle eternal, Kevlar and carbon.
08/10/2019 07:55AM
Awesome report. I'd be a little too freaked out to enjoy it. I'm scared of everything , though. I found the In-Reach is comforting too. And the weather reports are great. It's tough when the kids get to that age. They are such a big part of life and then they are gone. Not completely, but its not the same. Bwca gives us a lot of time for learning
and healing. Glad your trip went well.
and healing. Glad your trip went well.
"Geography is just physics slowed down, with a couple of trees stuck in it." Terry Pratchett
08/10/2019 03:10PM
I enjoyed reading this. As a hammocker also I'm curious what setup you are using?
It's great that you were able to see the different wildlife but dealing with all that human traffic is a bit of a bummer on a solo. Maybe try Quetico? I have been going to the BW since 1983 but finally swore it off after 2012. My one trip a year is too important to me so I now go to Quetico and hopefully beyond. I'm a happier camper.
Here's a cool app for your phone when stargazing. This is for I phones.
Star Walk 2
It's great that you were able to see the different wildlife but dealing with all that human traffic is a bit of a bummer on a solo. Maybe try Quetico? I have been going to the BW since 1983 but finally swore it off after 2012. My one trip a year is too important to me so I now go to Quetico and hopefully beyond. I'm a happier camper.
Here's a cool app for your phone when stargazing. This is for I phones.
Star Walk 2
"Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." --- George Bernard Shaw
08/10/2019 03:20PM
TomT: "I enjoyed reading this. As a hammocker also I'm curious what setup you are using?
It's great that you were able to see the different wildlife but dealing with all that human traffic is a bit of a bummer on a solo. Maybe try Quetico? I have been going to the BW since 1983 but finally swore it off after 2012. My one trip a year is too important to me so I now go to Quetico and hopefully beyond. I'm a happier camper.
Here's a cool app for your phone when stargazing. This is for I phones.
Star Walk 2 "
Thanks Tom! This is very cool! It was an incredible night for stars. The A. B. was also on display at 4am softly and briefly as the morning approached. Powerful sky that night.
My hammock was sold to me by Hoaf from the forum. I love it. It's a Clark NX 250 that he said he loved so much, he went and purchased the NX 270, so this one didn't get all that much use. Clark went out of business this summer. Apparently the gentleman retired and didn't sell the company is what I read on HF.net but that could be misinformation. I bought the vertex tarp and also bought the UGC Winterdreams tarp from Mike but haven't used the latter yet. Very grateful to Hoaf for all his help during the purchase. He took exceedingly good care of his equipment. Thank you, Hoaf!
I am one of those who really took to hammock sleeping quickly. I hang it in my backyard and sleep in it occasionally out there. The suspension system is not really working out too well for me. I bought the "all in one" from whoopiesling.com and the whoopie sling part isn't working well. The straps are probably too short and the dynacord part is too long. It's well made and not at all the product quality - I'd just like something different and not "all in one" now that I'm more used to what's going on. I love the aluminum climber's ring in it. It's a nice break for the water drip and it allow some nice options for hanging sometimes.
I use a sort-of-ridgeline in the hammock to hang stuff. The tarp is hung without a crl, just the two guylines to the trees and six points around. The picture above shows it in porch more during the heavy rains. Typically, it was a hung a little higher. Actually, because it rained all day, I was able to mess around with it a lot that whole day, trying different set ups. It was fun.
Finally, Hoaf had also purchased a z-quilt for the Clark which is like an underquilt that stays attached with Velcro. It was very nice when it got down to 44 the third night. I use a big Agnes sleeping bag that I just open up and a ridiculously comfortable camp pillow that screams "girl is camping here" lol.
Interesting what you picked up about the busy-ness impacting the trip. It really impacted travel options. I have zero problems seeing people out doing what I'm doing. In fact, I celebrate it and it makes me incredibly happy. I hope they decide it's worth protecting and preserving for future generations. But it's also fair to say that I've come home from this trip with the understanding that when I'm able to head out next summer for a week-long trip, it will be in Canada.
Like MissMolly said, I know that can be agitating, and I know there are political pressures to "make hay" during peak summer, but speaking frankly here, when the most stressful part of a backcountry experience is not knowing if you can find a spot to hang your hammock for a night, then it's just not worth the time, money and effort it takes me to prepare and undertake a trip like this. I fully accept that picking a different time is a great solution.
Unfortunately, I'm back to classes Sept to May. June to Aug is what I have. And some winter break action. So, yes, along the lines of what you picked up on, I started trying to explore "beginner solo route options" in Q, WCPP and Wabakimi literally the night I arrived home. I will always return to the BWCA, but probably just to score a site and camp a couple nights. I get pretty ancy in the same site after two nights and enjoy traveling on. I've never been to lakes in Canada other than a train-in fishing camp, so I'm excited to learn. Any sources outside of the board that have been helpful to you since 2012 that you'd be willing to share, I'd love to learn.
I'm real excited about planning 2020! And I'm returning to the BWCA this Tuesday for a quick out-and-back with a friend who's never been. Taking the old SR Q16 for that adventure! Woo! Gosh I love paddling. I could live the rest of life doing nothing else.
Thanks again for the cool app suggestion! Paddle on, friend!
08/10/2019 07:52PM
Thanks, jillpine, I'd love to paddle it. Odds of me being around the Twin Cities are probably only slightly better than you driving it through the Morgantown, WV, area :). But, if it happens . . .
I'm about 145 with about 40-50 pounds gear and food for up to 2 weeks shoulder season, so should be a good fit that way. I've rented the Northwind Solo several times and liked it, but there's more than enough room in it for me and my stuff.
I know you found out what you needed to know and a little more, but it would have been nice if it hadn't been so busy and you could have done more. Your comment about how quiet it was struck me because we have discussed how the lack of interaction with/interruption by others allows you to become really immersed in the world around you. I think you got enough of an inkling of that to crave more.
I'm about 145 with about 40-50 pounds gear and food for up to 2 weeks shoulder season, so should be a good fit that way. I've rented the Northwind Solo several times and liked it, but there's more than enough room in it for me and my stuff.
I know you found out what you needed to know and a little more, but it would have been nice if it hadn't been so busy and you could have done more. Your comment about how quiet it was struck me because we have discussed how the lack of interaction with/interruption by others allows you to become really immersed in the world around you. I think you got enough of an inkling of that to crave more.
08/11/2019 09:39AM
Another kudos for a well written report, the lesson format was good, and to your attitude. I paddle and carry a Magic and hang so appreciated the responses about squatting down and not feeling the weight and about snuggling with a good book high and dry as the rain pounds on the tarp. The attitude, the quiet excitement of memory and anticipation, is what really makes your post special. Thanks.
08/11/2019 04:27PM
Great trip report and pix, especially the amazon envelope. Paddling a solo is a stone cold groove. Look forward to more trip reports from you. I'm with you on seeing other people during a trip. Doesn't take away from it at all, I get a kick out of it.
08/11/2019 05:16PM
Blatz: "Great trip report and pix, especially the amazon envelope. Paddling a solo is a stone cold groove. Look forward to more trip reports from you"
Blatz! You win the prize! In each of my forthcoming trip notes, there will be a hidden easter egg. This was the Easter Egg in this note. The prize is a dehydrated meal of your choosing. Tell me what you'd like; I'll have it shipped to you! :)
The Amazon envelope was my modified, last-minute cozee to keep the dehydrated meals cooking. My son pilfered the other $$$ cozee. Man, did this last-minute hack work! I put some duct tape along the bottom to help contain leakage (which there was none. It worked so well, I'm doing it again this coming week. The other bag is just added leakage security.
Stone cold groove - amen!
Tell me your favorite dehydrated eats!
08/11/2019 05:25PM
Freeleo1: "Awesome report. I'd be a little too freaked out to enjoy it. I'm scared of everything , though. I found the In-Reach is comforting too. And the weather reports are great. It's tough when the kids get to that age. They are such a big part of life and then they are gone. Not completely, but its not the same. Bwca gives us a lot of time for learning
and healing. Glad your trip went well. "
Don't be freaked out, Freeleo1. Find the source of your freaked-outness, confront it and move forward. Fear (and weight) is the enemy. PM me if you want some tips.
08/11/2019 09:51PM
jillpine: "Blatz: "Great trip report and pix, especially the amazon envelope. Paddling a solo is a stone cold groove. Look forward to more trip reports from you"
Blatz! You win the prize! In each of my forthcoming trip notes, there will be a hidden easter egg. This was the Easter Egg in this note. The prize is a dehydrated meal of your choosing. Tell me what you'd like; I'll have it shipped to you! :)
The Amazon envelope was my modified, last-minute cozee to keep the dehydrated meals cooking. My son pilfered the other $$$ cozee. Man, did this last-minute hack work! I put some duct tape along the bottom to help contain leakage (which there was none. It worked so well, I'm doing it again this coming week. The other bag is just added leakage security.
Stone cold groove - amen!
Tell me your favorite dehydrated eats!
Thanks. Sent an a message with the World Wide Web
"
08/13/2019 01:51PM
What a fun read. And I'm so glad the new canoe and soloing both worked out. Photos were great too. Love the matching pack and canoe. I envy your light packing.
It's a bummer to have to worry about finding a site - I go through that myself but always try to remember that it usually does just work out. I was up for 5 days at the same time over on Moose River North, and having read Canoaroo's saga the night before I left was dreading site availability, especially on Moose River where there is a lot of river and portaging to do before the first site. All the permits were taken for 10 days before my entry. Yet when I got to Nina Moose, instead of being full, not one site was taken. Agnes was only half full. I expected the worst, but ended up feeling it was fairly empty. It's just so random, and it usually works out.
It's a bummer to have to worry about finding a site - I go through that myself but always try to remember that it usually does just work out. I was up for 5 days at the same time over on Moose River North, and having read Canoaroo's saga the night before I left was dreading site availability, especially on Moose River where there is a lot of river and portaging to do before the first site. All the permits were taken for 10 days before my entry. Yet when I got to Nina Moose, instead of being full, not one site was taken. Agnes was only half full. I expected the worst, but ended up feeling it was fairly empty. It's just so random, and it usually works out.
08/17/2019 06:54AM
Thank you for sharing. I really enjoy the opportunity to experience the BWCA through other’s eyes and experiences, while anxiously awaiting my next solo trip.
I enjoyed your writing style as well!
I enjoyed your writing style as well!
It's all good
08/18/2019 02:16AM
Great read and has me even more motivated to try my first solo next summer. I love our family trips...just finished a great one (trip report pending), but I already know my son plans to spend most of his summer at Camp Menogyn so I need to find new outlets. Plus after this last trip for which I prepped by losing 50 lbs., I realized I am back in some seriously good shape and should use it while I've got it.
Thanks for the wonderfully insightful tips.
Thanks for the wonderfully insightful tips.
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