I went in at EP 32, South Kawashiwi River for a three day, two night paddle on 10-12. I paddled to the first portage and made camp at that site. It was not that great of a site with a poor landing and the camp was a rock garden, but I wanted a west facing site for the sunset with the rapids as an added bonus.

I rode a strong tailwind into the campsite 20+ mph winds and arrived around 3:30 pm, made camp and had my first fire of the year. High temps on the 12th & 13th were around 50 de grees but the wind was really strong out of the NW, gusting to 30+ MPH according to NOAA weather.

Day 2, I was hoping to paddle around past the portage upstream on the river but got winded out. I paddled about a mile riding a tailwind, knowing that I was going to have to paddle all the way back into a headwind. I decided to turn around after 1+ miles and was glad I did.

It was my dog's 2nd canoe trip. I was a little concerned in those winds and water temps that something bad could happen, so I chose the cautious option and returned to camp. The 50# puppy did great and stayed put in the canoe the whole time.

We got back to camp and waited out the day with some reading. The wind was hitting us hard in camp. I had three layers on my legs and four layers up top to keep me warm.

No fire the 2nd night. The fire on the first night was a pain with wet wood and smoke, reminding me of why I am not into fires.

Rain greeted me in the morning of the 14th. I quickly broke camp and paddled back to the 140 rod portage taking me back to my car. I'll take paddling in the rain over paddling in the wind I had experienced the previous two days. The campsite was clean upon arrival, puppy "Ember" was kept busy warding off the chipmunks and mice.

All in all, it was a good trip. Never fell one time even with all the wet rocks around. I'll probably do an October trip again sometime. I only met one other person, another solo canoer who is a recent member of this site. "Sunrise Paddler" stopped by my campsite and we chatted for 10-15 minutes.

The water looks pretty calm in your pictures! Glad both you and the pup stayed safe even if it meant being wind bound.

Paddled right by your site a few weeks ago. Some Geese and a few ducks where hanging around that 5r portage.

Thanks "not" to the person who posted on BWCA about a song he kept singing in his head while on the Kawishiwi river.
It was to the song/sound of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"

Kawishiwi, Kawishiwi, Kawishiwi, Kawishiwi- - - -

It took me a day to get that song out of my head :-)

Kawishiwi

LindenTree: "Thanks "not" to the person who posted on BWCA about a song he kept singing in his head while on the Kawishiwi river.
It was to the song/sound of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"


Kawishiwi, Kawishiwi, Kawishiwi, Kawishiwi- - - -


It took me a day to get that song out of my head :-)

Kawishiwi "

Haha that's great. No pup pictures?! Glad you made it out and back just fine

What's up with you and the wind this year? Seems to be the similar conditions those times you've gone out.
That's an "oldie but goldie" tune to have stuck in your head. a bit of history on that pop song: wimoweh wimoweh wimoweh

LindenTree: "Thanks "not" to the person who posted on BWCA about a song he kept singing in his head while on the Kawishiwi river.
It was to the song/sound of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"


Kawishiwi, Kawishiwi, Kawishiwi, Kawishiwi- - - -


It took me a day to get that song out of my head :-)

Kawishiwi "

Did your dogs sing with?

I think that with your experience as a wildfire fighter no one expected issues from your trip. Experience equals good decision making. I’m going out on limb here but I expect many people paddling the bwca this year do not have your experience. This time of year it matters.

There has been much chatter on this site regarding late season tripping.

I was always of the assumption that people who come to the bwca in the off season were from Minnesota and Wisconsin, and a few from the dakotas and Iowa. Cold is second nature for us. We know how to dress. We can start a fire. We bring multiple redundant gloves. Growing up in the cold taught us. It’s second nature.

It appears that our fellow Americans don’t really understand the north. It will kill fools who overestimate their skills.

I’m not sure why this surprises me. I remember a trip from years back, pre internet. I lived in Duluth, the forecasts were good for the last week of October, We did a gorgeous five day trip. As we were leaving the entry point a group was arriving, it was November 1st, they had driven from New Jersey. They had a two week trip planned.

Cyclones,I have one dog pic but its not in the canoe and my camera is a POS so I did not post it.
nctry, I took the yodeling dog with me but I did not have the guitar, he only sings backup not acapella.
4keys, the pics you saw were in a very protected area therefore little waves were present, but believe me the wind was quite bad for my 12.5 foot canoe.

All, it was kinda weird.
As I was driving to the BW from Duluth I had this feeling in my gut that did not seem normal to me. I chalked it up as pre-trip jitters but I kinda figured I was a little unsure about what I was getting into. Mostly because of the wind I was expecting and going into a new area for me with a new dog that had only been on one previous BW trip.

I ended up triple portaging the 140 rod portage on the way in because I forgot my spare paddle in the car and had to make my third trip solely for that. In retrospect I probably should have brought one more set of dry clothes with me, some hand warmers, and another pair of gloves. The trip was pretty un-eventful for me since I pretty much stayed in camp, but the rain started as soon as it got light on my exit day.
I hurriedly packed up and was on the water before 8:30 am, it was a calm but a rainy paddle out in the high 30"s. When I got to the portage my hands were very cold to the point of hurting. I stuck them in my groin and they quickly warmed up, they stayed warm for the double portage out.
My biggest fear on the paddle out was hitting a rock, I was afraid of swamping so I stayed very close to shore, but then I take the chance of hitting a rock. That in itself would not alarm me but I still do not know how my dog will react if I run up on one, I was afraid he may jump out and swamp us.

All in all it was a good trip but in the future "as much as possible" I will pass on any paddling with winds predicted as high as they were forecasted.

It was really nice to meet you and Ember on my way in, LindenTree. Your green Old Town shown like a beacon as I rounded the final point before the short portage. As much as I enjoy the solitude of soloing, I value the connections made with others along the way and meeting you was great way to start my trip. Glad to know you and Ember had an enjoyable trip and a safe return.