|
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Trip Planning Forum Lessons learned |
Author
Text
09/26/2020 02:29PM
Immediately waterproof camp. Don’t just thro everything on shore and go fish, or you can watch it all getting soaked while paddling like mad from other side of lake. Every time you get in the canoe, make sure camped is buttoned down or in the canoe with you.
09/26/2020 05:10PM
When wet footing, make sure to maintain proper footing once you've
shouldered your canoe. Falling while stepping onto dry land can and is a
real downer. Slippery feet/poor footing = bad.
Yes, I feel fortunate not to have blown my knee out but I did save the canoe.
shouldered your canoe. Falling while stepping onto dry land can and is a
real downer. Slippery feet/poor footing = bad.
Yes, I feel fortunate not to have blown my knee out but I did save the canoe.
All conservation of wildness is self-defeating, for to cherish we must see and fondle, and when enough have seen and fondled, there is no wilderness left to cherish. Aldo Leopold
09/26/2020 08:52PM
Make it a point to find and set up camp before dark. Prefer before dusk. Depending on your meal selections, you may have to eat a lunch instead of the planned dinner.
the greatest come backs are reserved for those with the greatest deficits.
09/27/2020 10:39AM
If you don’t leave your wallet in the car don’t put it in your life vest pocket the morning you paddle out and just leave it in your pack. Lesson learned!
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." -Bilbo Baggins
09/28/2020 08:15PM
If your dog sleeps in the tent with you, don't let her swim in the evening.
If you've never given your dog people food, don't start giving her people treats while in the BW. ( Now she thinks she needs extras on her dinner before she'll eat it. Thankfully she's happy with just a single bite).
If you've never given your dog people food, don't start giving her people treats while in the BW. ( Now she thinks she needs extras on her dinner before she'll eat it. Thankfully she's happy with just a single bite).
09/28/2020 10:34PM
jwartman59: "Don’t drink your weeks supply of scotch on your first night! Lesson learned,"
This is a tough one. After my first trip I have never left the woods without extra booze and cigars. They don’t expire once you get home and are well worth the weight.
09/30/2020 11:45AM
Before changing to your dry camping shoes, make sure you are done getting water or any other activity where you will be stepping into the water.
"In wilderness is the preservation of the world" - Henry David Thoreau
09/30/2020 11:47AM
When looking for an unfamiliar portage on the other side of a lake. Aim a couple hundred yards (or more) upwind from where you think it is. When you get close to land, drift along the shore with the wind until you find it. The avoids a situation of getting the shore and not knowing whether to look right or left if it is not right in front of you.
"In wilderness is the preservation of the world" - Henry David Thoreau
09/30/2020 11:50AM
If possible, spend one night sleeping with whatever sleeping pad, sleeping bag, hammock system you plan to use on your trip. Finding out the first night that your pad has a leak or the zipper on your bag is stuck is no fun.
"In wilderness is the preservation of the world" - Henry David Thoreau
09/30/2020 12:46PM
Cricket67: "Before changing to your dry camping shoes, make sure you are done getting water or any other activity where you will be stepping into the water. "
Yep, Dipping the gravity filter bag is one of the first set-up activities.
09/30/2020 01:31PM
Cricket67: "If possible, spend one night sleeping with whatever sleeping pad, sleeping bag, hammock system you plan to use on your trip. Finding out the first night that your pad has a leak or the zipper on your bag is stuck is no fun. "
Or finding out mice had fun with your Thermarest! Lesson learned (by tripmate)
FOFO
"What's the worse that could happen?"
09/30/2020 10:51PM
Craziest question I hear is how much fuel, how much food blah blah blah... we’re going in next week. As we go into winter spend some time in the food threads. Play around with recipes you might like for starters. Once there play around with amounts, ways to prepare and how much fuel it takes. By spring have your menus not only perfected but packed and ready to go. Then all you’ll have left to ask is innie or outie.
Nctry
09/30/2020 10:57PM
LarrySw45: "Find the trail to the ThunderBox BEFORE it gets dark !
Any others of significant importance ?
Larry"
My experience is, just get done with business before it gets dark. Haha. Yes, there is a story. I’ll let you find it.
Nctry
10/07/2020 09:14AM
Use extreme caution when towing or side by side with 2 canoes ,or just canoeing on a larger lake.... might start off good but conditions in the BW can change very fast.
one time coming out of knife , at the rog to seagull portage , i told my crew we better get going right away , and they all asked , why ? i said " it's piss calm right now and i've only seen this lake like this once before" by the time we got to the landing we were dealing with 3' whitecaps.
another trip , me and my son went down in 7 day ice out water. my chest was purple after about 120 seconds in that water , i made a grievous error , but we had another canoe that retrieved everything as we built a fire and changed cloths.
that was a long day ;)
never panic and keep a clam head ;)
one time coming out of knife , at the rog to seagull portage , i told my crew we better get going right away , and they all asked , why ? i said " it's piss calm right now and i've only seen this lake like this once before" by the time we got to the landing we were dealing with 3' whitecaps.
another trip , me and my son went down in 7 day ice out water. my chest was purple after about 120 seconds in that water , i made a grievous error , but we had another canoe that retrieved everything as we built a fire and changed cloths.
that was a long day ;)
never panic and keep a clam head ;)
keep your line wet, good things will happen
10/07/2020 11:30AM
Paddle when you can, while you can.
Your dog isn't smiling. She's grimacing, with nausea, in the tent.
Don't bring "flavored coffee" as a "treat". You'll hate it by day 3.
Don't be a boss. Let new people do stuff "wrong" because you might just learn something new.
All lessons learned.
Your dog isn't smiling. She's grimacing, with nausea, in the tent.
Don't bring "flavored coffee" as a "treat". You'll hate it by day 3.
Don't be a boss. Let new people do stuff "wrong" because you might just learn something new.
All lessons learned.
10/07/2020 05:58PM
jillpine: "Paddle when you can, while you can.
Your dog isn't smiling. She's grimacing, with nausea, in the tent.
Don't bring "flavored coffee" as a "treat". You'll hate it by day 3.
Don't be a boss. Let new people do stuff "wrong" because you might just learn something new.
All lessons learned.
"
Smiling dog in tent.... not good.
10/11/2020 03:23PM
nctry: "LarrySw45: "Find the trail to the ThunderBox BEFORE it gets dark !
Any others of significant importance ?
Larry"
My experience is, just get done with business before it gets dark. Haha. Yes, there is a story. I’ll let you find it."
Hahaha :) I know that story Ben but I'm not giving you up :). My lesson learned is to start stretching or yoga if you have to over the winter so that you don't fall out of your canoe at the first portage!
"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”
10/11/2020 09:29PM
IndyElden: "Don't casually dock your canoe on shore even if you think you will only be there a few minutes, especially if you are by yourself.Oh dear! Us too. That sinking feeling of seeing that canoe floating a hundred yards out into the lake :(
"
10/12/2020 10:41AM
NO fuel bottle in the blue barrel with the food. Small gasket leak and it permeated through zip locks and foil wrappers to taint a pile of provisions. Almost ruined a trip. Had to do some big time inventory rearranging and rationing but we made it work. Never again.....
"What could happen?"
Subscribe to Thread
Become a member of the bwca.com community to subscribe to thread and get email updates when new posts are added. Sign up Here