BWCA Portages and campsites Boundary Waters Listening Point - General Discussion
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02/11/2021 06:48PM  
There is an underused forum on this site called portages and campsites. Yesterday TB posted there as did I. I posted again today. Prior to that it had been over a year and a a half since the last post.

I enjoy reading descriptions of campsites and portages and viewing photos of places I have been, am planning on going to soon, or may someday go to. Over a long winter it is interesting and helps pass the time and can inform the trip planning process.

I know that some folks have no interest in seeing photos and reading descriptions of places, rather see it on their own. But I also know that there are plenty of folks who enjoy it just like I do. Over the years I have frequently taken shots of the campsites I have stayed at(even the latrines) and to a lesser degree, portages. I suspect many of you have as well.

I am committed to bringing this forum back to life over the next few weeks with regular posts, at least until my memories and photos run out. Might be a while:)

I for one would love to read what you have to say and see your photos. Anyone who cares to join me would be great.
 
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02/11/2021 06:59PM  
Agreed, it’s valuable and interesting info for those looking for it...no doubt. And maybe one even gets inspired to explore an area they haven’t been based on what someone else has shared. That’s gotta be a good thing, right? There is the trip report board that can prove informative in this way. But to be honest here, I would like to see these photos, reviews, comments posted in the maps section. That’s where I tend to look for this kind of info...at least when I have a route in mind and want to know what my options might be portage or campsite wise. It would be awesome if the trip report or other posts would auto connect to the maps section on this site.

 
billconner
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02/11/2021 07:02PM  
I appreciate your effort. Frankly, with the changes in how read and unread threads and forums are marked, or not marked, its hard enougth to check the basic forums, without the "additional forums you follow".
 
02/11/2021 07:14PM  
plander, good point. I will try to spend more time adding to the campsite reviews although I have already done many. I also enjoy them and check prior to a trip.

Bill, guess it all depends on how much time you spend on the site and how thoroughly you check things out. I typically read everything I can on the forums that is of interest to me on a daily basis. There are many forums that I rarely or never visit. Portages and campsites are of interest to me, even if it's not on this year's route. May not be for everyone. Perhaps of interest to some. I bet you could contribute some valuable information and photos that might help some folks out...just sayin.
 
mschi772
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02/12/2021 08:11AM  
When it comes to reading about sites and portages, I much prefer to do that on the map than in a forum. The map provides instant geographical context and organization which forums cannot. I also prefer to do it elsewhere as I do not enjoy fumbling with this site's small, clunky map (by comparison); not a fan of how everything opens up in its own new tab/window here either which just makes it feel even more clumsy. My next favorite place to gather this kind of info is trip reports, not forums, because they can sometimes be just as detailed and usually have a little extra context from the rest of the experiences being shared in the trip report.
 
02/12/2021 09:49AM  
I read these a lot. I posted up a couple of reviews from last summer in the campsite review. I usually triangulate information from this site with a few others to get an accurate estimation of the campsites that I might be visiting. Photos are very helpful. One person's 3 might be a 4 or 5 to me as a solo for example. Just to clarify, I thought you were referring to the campsite reviews under Maps & Entry Points. I just joined the Portages and Campsites forum. I had no idea that even existed! Thanks for bumping up this up.
 
billconner
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02/12/2021 12:07PM  
lindylair: "plander, good point. I will try to spend more time adding to the campsite reviews although I have already done many. I also enjoy them and check prior to a trip.


Bill, guess it all depends on how much time you spend on the site and how thoroughly you check things out. I typically read everything I can on the forums that is of interest to me on a daily basis. There are many forums that I rarely or never visit. Portages and campsites are of interest to me, even if it's not on this year's route. May not be for everyone. Perhaps of interest to some. I bet you could contribute some valuable information and photos that might help some folks out...just sayin. "


I have always checked in at least morning and night unless in the wilderness, and now (almost retired) usually midday as well. My point Lindy was simply that the changes in the web site mechanics a few months ago, so read and unread forums and posts are not showing correctly marked, has made it difficult to follow.

I appreciate and respect your interests and hope you inspire increased posts in portages and campsites.

It may be I'm not quite as interested because short of a few trashed sites, I've not found ones without virtues. Plus I make up a route as we go along rather than planning it in advance and following a schedule. I like to roam and be surprised, rather than have expectations and a glimpse of what is ahead. Not knowing what's around the next bend is a great part of the experience for me. Plus I spent my life as a professional planner, so planning treks is too much like work. :)
 
cyclones30
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02/12/2021 12:45PM  
I had no idea....have to check it out.
 
02/12/2021 12:55PM  
mschi772: "When it comes to reading about sites and portages, I much prefer to do that on the map than in a forum. The map provides instant geographical context and organization which forums cannot."


My brain works this way too, 100%.
 
thegildedgopher
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02/12/2021 12:57PM  
Count me as one who would rather see campsite and portage reviews directly in the map section only.

These smaller, highly specific, user-created forums can often lead to diffusion; whereas I am in favor of concentration of important information. Make it easy to find and intuitive. If there's a campsite forum that, as evidenced by posts above, longtime users are not even aware of, maybe that means the info hiding there should be salvaged and moved to a higher traffic area of the site where a bunch of comparable content is already living?
 
billconner
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02/12/2021 01:16PM  
Everyone is different. I rarely look at the maps here.
 
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