Thinking about taking my wife and I on a trip starting at Cross Bay Lake (entry point 50) to Long Island Lake in late September.

Whats that trek like? Easy peasy? My wife has had knee replacement surgery on both legs. Shes pretty mobile but a severe knee bend on one side is out of the question. We're in our mid 50's and early 60's. Neither of us are out of shape per say. Energy wise it looks reasonable to me.

I know to always plan for the worst weather but past experience from you guys. Many rain days? Blueberries still ripe for picking? Sites to see on that route? Trees in early or late peak color?

One last question. Any awesome campsites on that route?

It's been a while since I've been on the forums. I'm a bit out of touch I guess you could say.

We just traveled that route. It took us 3.5 hours from put in to campsite 566. We generally single portaged.

The 1st portage has some big steps up required which can be hard on some knees, though not as hard as steep steps down in my experience. All of the portages in this area are well traveled with good visibility.

Are you planning to travel all the way to Long Island Lake the 1st day? It is certainly doable, but be flexible about stopping. Fatigue is when injuries are most likely to happen, especially with balance. I would hate to see you push hard and have your wife take a wrong step just because she was tired out.

I have stayed on 2 different campsites (#566 and #2010) on Long Island Lake and enjoyed them both but for very different reason. Really depends on what you are looking for in a campsite. #566 has a sandy beach along the shore, but has steps up to the main campsite which probably wouldn't work as well for you. #2010 is an island site with a nice rock face and lots of tent sites tucked back from the main cooking area. We checked out site #571, but didn't stay there because it was rather buggy and dark.

We exited out of Cross Bay a few years back. trip report Perhaps it will give you some ideas?

As I recall, none of the portages between Cross Bay & Long Island were anything overly difficult. However, there were a few that were thriving boulder gardens and we needed to be extra cautious with foot placement.

The portages are not too bad. I'm 61 and single portaged.

The portages are not hard, but there are some rocky landings if that would be problematic. I think there are 6-8 to get to LI, so that can be a little tiring.

Late Sept. weather is highly variable so be prepared for about anything. It can also be quite windy. Color is usually starting to come in pretty good by the end of Sept.

okinaw55: "Thinking about taking my wife and I on a trip starting at Cross Bay Lake (entry point 50) to Long Island Lake in late September.

Whats that trek like? Easy peasy? My wife has had knee replacement surgery on both legs. Shes pretty mobile but a severe knee bend on one side is out of the question. We're in our mid 50's and early 60's. Neither of us are out of shape per say. Energy wise it looks reasonable to me.

I know to always plan for the worst weather but past experience from you guys. Many rain days? Blueberries still ripe for picking? Sites to see on that route? Trees in early or late peak color?

One last question. Any awesome campsites on that route?

It's been a while since I've been on the forums. I'm a bit out of touch I guess you could say."

My wife and I did our first September trip last year. A couple of observations and answers to your questions:
1. You are nearing the equinox. The nights are getting longer. Have extra batteries. Sleep longer!
2. The water is already pretty cold already. Swimming was mostly dipping.
3. The leaf color changed in front of our eyes. Beautiful.
4. We did have a day of cold rain. Bring a tarp.
5. Fewer people = more animals out and about. Getting ready for winter brings different animal behaviors.
6. No bugs.
7. Wind was only an issue on our last day. Did not stop travel, just made it more difficult.
8. Berries are mostly done.
9. We will go back in September.

The route you have chosen is beautiful and the portages are not hard. You and your wife will enjoy. An idea for your wife and the knees - trekking or hiking poles. They can help keep balance and they also help keep pressure off the knees.

Hope you have a great trip!

My paddling partner has had both knees replaced. These are the issues we are discovering.

1. Getting into and out of the canoe requires quite a bit of knee flexibility, even in a situation with good footing. Of course many portage landing have very uneven, unstable and slippery footing.

2. Seat needs to by as high as it can go. If you can't stand up from a seat 12 inches above the floor you won't be able to raise yourself from a canoe seat to step out. We have a large diameter rope attached to the bow to pull on to aid rising from the seat.

3. The more able partner is going to have to be flexible, patient and helpful at portage landings.

4. Get and use hiking poles on the portage. When I am solo I only carry one, but a person with new knees will benefit from two.

5. Don't carry a heavy pack. Your knees are designed to carry a person, not a person with a 50 pound pack. Maybe make up one pack with sleeping bags and pads...nice and light. The partner with good knees should be doing double duty on portages..with a smile.

6. Our experience is that kneeling on new knees is very painful. Getting in and out of a tent is interesting without kneeling. We got tent with a big side door so a person can basically roll in and out of the tent. Sue is capable of getting to her feet off the ground without kneeling on a knee, a feat that always amazes me.

All that said, there are 6 portages to get to LIL. I think that is a bit much if you don't know how it's going to go. The second portage has a messy, bouldery landing that is going give you pause. If you do it just take your time choosing the right spot to exit the canoe. The first portage is steep and some of the "steps" going up or down are tall and were difficult for my good, but old knees.

My suggestion would be a big lake that you can explore on day trips without portaging. Brule comes to mind. You could also portage out of Brule on a day trip, like the short portage to South Temperance. Easier with only the canoe and a day pack.

What ever you decide to do, be flexible about your itinerary, maintain a good sense of humor and be very careful with those new knees. A bad fall can really mess things up.

I have been from cross bay to Long Island but not from cross bay to the EP parking lot and the portages were not that difficult. I was in this area on part of my solo last September and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. The weather late September 2018 was horrible, cold and rainy. One thing about September rain is it's usually light and rarely stormy. I guess what I'm saying is there is no typical weather though the last 10-12 years more often the weather has been great in late September.

Berries are done except crannies that late.

You can't beat late Sept, early Oct for leaf color. There are a fair number of Tamarac in that area and the are just golden that time of year.

You have a high chance of moose sighting along that route. I saw a lot of them last year.

What is your entry date? My daughter and I are entering EP 50 on Sept 20th. We are staying at Tuscarora Lodge bunkhouse the night before. I hope you can pull it off and your wife has good results with her new knee.